26 Knitting Days Until...

Hi! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My holiday was a delightful combination of family (my soon-to-be in-laws came to visit), food, Chicago sightseeing and relaxation. I had a great time, but I still wound up feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation, you know?

Once Thanksgiving had passed, I decided that it was time to begin Christmas preparations in earnest. For me, as for you I imagine - that meant a trip to the yarn store, where I went a little nuts. But it wasn't my fault - the Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb I ordered back in September finally came in, so I had to pick that up,


even though I was there to get stuff for a shawl for my mom. She has specified a color choice, but not a pattern: camel (if you please), and NOT tan. Luckily Loopy Yarns had just the thing - Berroco Suede in "Rawhide." Giddyup!


The next step is to find a suitable pattern. I was going to do Ella from Knitty, which is so beautiful...but then I remembered that it's almost December and I do still have other projects. So, the Suede will lend itself well to largish needles. Any ideas for patterns or motifs? I am looking for a simple, elegant design that will look good on a rectangle. I tried Old Shale and Feather & Fan, and they just looked lumpy. B. Suede doesn't slide on the needles very easily, and - believe it or not - it's actually pretty splitty. Maybe I could do something with dropped stitches? Not sure. But the clock is a-tickin', so I've got to figure this out soon.

Anyway, I'll check you dudes later. Good luck with all that holiday knitting!

Koo-Koo for Kool-Aid

Last night I dyed some yarn with Kool-Aid. Why did it take me so long to try something SO FUN??! It was such a neat process. I started out with a little bit of Cascade Ecological Wool in Ecru, which is undyed. It was left over from another project, so I figured if it didn’t work out – no harm, no foul.

I wanted to try orange, but my grocery store had a limited K.-A. selection. So, I used two packets of Lemon Lime, and a packet and a half of Changin’ Cherry (nice name).

When I started heating the yarn/Kool-Aid mixture, it looked like this:


Then, just like everyone said, the water got clear! So neat.


And finally, here’s a closeup of the resulting color, sort of a tonal spring green:



I think it turned out well! The only thing I would have done differently would be to tie the skein less tightly, or to shift things around a bit during the process so I wouldn’t have white spots where the yarn was bound. No biggy, though – this was just a fun experiment. I’d love to try hand-painting! But I’m a little nervous about the ite-whay arpet-cay in my apartment.

Anyway, a good time was had by all (okay, just me – my sweetie is out of town for a few days). BTW - I finished Simply Marilyn!! Pics coming soon. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Hibernation

Is anyone else dreading the onset of winter? We are supposed to get our first snow on Wednesday, and although I know we are lucky to have had such good weather up until now, I am not ready for the cold! Since I've been in Chicago, there have been a few cold and very windy snaps - and every time it happens I realize I've gone soft. I grew up in Northwest Ohio and then we moved to Illinois - then after that it was upstate New York, and college in Massachusetts. But since then, I've been in DC, which although it's not Florida is certainly nothing like the Great Lakes in the winter. Sigh. Nothing to do but make warm stuff to wear, right? I've knit two sweaters that are waiting for seams, so that's a good place to start. Doesn't stop me from wanting to cast on for something new, though...

I've finished off a trio of hats (no pics - they aren't very exciting), and I've been working on some socks. This yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, but it's one of the 'only at Purl' colorways called Denim Stripe:



I love the way this knits up. Go get yourself some! (You're on your own with the seafoam green, though.)

At my knitting group last week, I was saying how I didn't want to knit socks on US 1s. Everyone tried to convince me that it was hardly slower than using US 2s, and since the socks wear better at tighter gauge it's totally worth it. I think I had a similar rate of progress, but - I kept dropping stitches. To that I can only say: knitter, know thyself! The tinier stitches are too tiny for me, I'm afraid.

I'm also thinking I want some wristwarmers. I've spent my whole life being annoyed about that wisp of cold air that gets up your coat sleeves if you aren't careful - and it never occurred to me to make something to fix it. But seeing as how this Chicago winter is about to spank me good I'd better get cracking. Last Minute Knitted Gifts has a nice pattern that uses Koigu Kersti or Noro Cash Iroha. Let's see...I might have some of that rattling around in the stash...

Knitting Meme Fun

Although I wasn't personally tagged, I thought it would be fun to answer these questions.

Your favorite needles?
Clover circs, hands down. I have other needles, but if I could replace them all with Clovers, I would. I also like Brittany needles.

The worst thing you've ever knit?
Smooch, from a Rowan pattern book. It had a lace edging at the bottom, which required reading a chart. It was my first chart-reading project, and I must have knit those dozen or so rows about four times before I got it right. The rest of the garment didn’t go any better…I got about 90% done and couldn’t get any further. I started it at least two years ago and just frogged it this summer.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it)
I loved making the Whitby socks from Knitting on the Road. They were a gift, so I don’t wear them – but the pattern was so clever. You didn’t have to memorize it, and it looked really beautiful although it was so straightforward. Nancy Bush is a genius in my book.

Most valuable knitting technique?
Probably knitting with dpns. Then I could make socks, and came to understand the concept of circular knitting. (Yes, there was once a time when I could not envision what this was or why you would want to do it!)

Best knit book or magazine?
Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush. I love the stories behind her patterns, and the patterns themselves are very well written. I’ve learned some great tips from this book with applications beyond socks, like hole-free methods for picking up stitches, and ways to create an invisible seam when you join your first round in circular knitting. Another favorite is Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I could page through it for hours; I find it really calming. Maybe that's weird.

Your favorite knit-a-long?
The Lucky-along was fun; I met a lot of nice people through their blogs. I didn’t finish my sweater, though - maybe this winter!

Your favorite knitblogs?
I have lots of favorites, but the ones which come to mind are: ChicKnits, for a perfect cocktail of fun, beautiful knitting and patterns, and great design; Purly Whites for her knitting engineering, and Crazy Aunt Purl because she’s Crazy Aunt Purl.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
Whenever I see a design I like, it’s often by Norah Gaughan. I don’t think I’ve made any of her designs, though.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
I have a few spring/summer items, but truthfully, I don’t wear my knitting very much. I’m hoping to change that by making more things this winter. I do really like my Soleil tank top, though.

I don't think I will tag anyone, since it seems like everyone has done it already. Good clean fun.

False Alarm

No new post, just doing some housekeeping on the bloggy-blog. Catch you later.

Merino wool at what price?

Some of you may recall that I was very upset when I learned about the practice of mulesing in the Australian merino sheep industry. This practice, used to prevent death from parasites is done without anesthetic on thousands of sheep in Australia, the source of 65% of the world’s fine merino, according to Vogue Knitting. (Note: See the current issue for an interesting piece about the history of merino wool and a companion piece about mulesing.)

From time to time this issue is raised on blogs, Knitters Review forums and in-person knitting groups. Most knitters seem to agree with the farmers on the sad necessity of mulesing. Others have decided upon learning about this practice to no longer knit with wool. I can understand their feelings, but - that won’t work for me. Cotton hurts my wrists. Most synthetics are gross, IMO. (And they use a lot of petrochemicals in their production, but I digress.) Knitting with wool makes me feel connected to the planet and to generations before me who have done the same. But, as the VK article also notes, merino wool is a luxury -- one that I do not want to enjoy if it means supporting animal cruelty.

So, I did some research. I found that although a number of countries (South Africa, New Zealand, Uruguay and the U.S.) produce merino wool, the mulesing practice is limited to Australia. So I decided to write to yarn companies and ask if they knew the country of origin of their merino wool, figuring that if it was from anywhere other than Australia, I could be fairly certain that the wool harvesting process was cruelty-free.

You can find the results of my research here. My findings are less than scientific and somewhat incomplete, but the information may still be useful to you. I also welcome any additions or updates you may have if you’ve done your own research. Feel free to read, copy, and distribute as you please. (I’d love to know about it if you do - email link is in the sidebar.)

And since we’re on the subject, how about a progress shot of my Uruguayan merino wool sweater:



Happy knitting, all!

New Project

Hi, all! Since last I wrote, I finished the baby sweater - finally! - and sent it off to my friend. Thanks so much for all the compliments!! Debbie Bliss makes beautiful patterns, and I love the Matinee Coat design; but if I were to attempt this again, I think I would regauge it to DK weight, or maybe even light worsted. The seed stitch in sport weight, even for a baby sweater, is neverending.

So, with one project off my plate, I've cast on for another. I'm making another Debbie Bliss pattern - the Lara sweater. I'm finally using the hand-dyed (Uruguayan) merino from Ellen's Half Pint Farm, which I bought at MDSW. Here's a progress shot:



Since I took this picture, I've finished the left front. This sweater is a breeze to knit! And the stockinette doesn't get boring (I don't think) since the shaping changes fairly often. That, and you see progress very quickly. I was worried at first that I wouldn't like the hand-dyed vertical striping effect - but I'm really enjoying it now. As my fiance said, it's a "busy" sweater, but it's my _unique_ busy sweater. :)

Now I'm off to work, for my first day! Wish me luck.

Life and Knitting

There have been lots of new developments in my life lately. First, I got a job! I think it will be the perfect combination of old and new skills, and all of my new co-workers seem great. Plus, I can walk to work. Yay, me! Second, we’ve decided on the locations for our wedding ceremony and reception. While this was a huge task, it hardly seems to compare with what remains. Yikes! But the whole thing is starting to be a little bit fun, so I’m looking forward to it.

In knitting news, I still haven’t finished my Simply Marilyn! It still needs a few seams. My goal is to finish before I start work next Monday. But seeing as how I haven’t picked it up for a couple weeks, I’m not sure if I’ll make it.

But I have finished another long term project, the Matinee Jacket from the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino book. I think it turned out pretty well:


I still need a skinny ribbon to lace through the tiny eyelets below the seed stitch section. Then, this little cutie will be off to my friend M., whose niece will be the recipient. I hope it fits her!

The other thing I did is learn Fair Isle! Well, I did one swatch – I certainly haven’t learned everything there is to know. But I was surprised at how easy it was. I used the instructions in the Knitscene magazine; they made it seem so doable.



Believe it or not, this is the FIRST TIME in about 10 years of off-and-on knitting that I have EVER used more than one color. I have to say, it was fun! I’m ready to try a small Fair Isle project. I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to make Christmas stockings for each member of my family, ones that we would always keep and put up every year. Maybe now this will become a reality!

Anyway, sorry for the infrequent posts. I think life should start getting back to normal soon so I will become a regular blogger once more. I really appreciate everyone stopping by and leaving comments. I love hearing from you and also seeing what you are up to on your own blogs.

Hugs to all of you! Happy knitting.

Busy Bee

Hi, everybody! I've been away for a while - friends from out of town, job search, wedding planning...plenty to keep me busy.

I'm almost done with the sweater I showed you last time; I'm just finishing up the seams. The sweater is hot! (I mean, it fits, rather than it's sweaty) I'll post pics when it's really finished. I was a little nervous about the bulky yarn, for fear of the 'Michelin Man' effect - but now I see that if you make them form fitting, bulky sweaters R-O-C-K.

Did you all see this article about blogging? It features our Favorite Yarn Harlot and talks about the knit-blogging phenomenon in general. Kinda interesting.

Well, that's really all I have to report. Oh, I went to the Tangled Web in Oak Park - what a GREAT yarn shop!! It's huge, they have tons of beautiful samples, Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Koigu, etc. etc. The staff is very helpful too.

I'll be back soon with pictures...

Progress

Hi again,

Thanks for the feedback about the little sweater. There is a lot to be said for just letting the yarn do its thang. Still, I think I need to put this project aside and mull things over. (I'm trying to let go, really I am! It's just hard...)

So, I’ve started on a ‘me’ project! Seeing as how it is already chilly in Chicago (54 degrees this morning!), I thought a sweater was in order:


And an artistic shot of the cable (hi, Amelia!)


This is the Simply Marilyn sweater (click here, scroll down), from an old issue of Interweave Knits. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern, but as much as I love DB – this pattern has already required a lot of resizing. I am making the smallest size (and I am not a small person), at a slightly smaller gauge, and I have lengthened the body in two places. Still, I love the lines of the sweater and I’m excited to wear it. Besides, the fiancé says it’s “cute.” Two thumbs up!

Later y'all...

Oh Boy

I haven’t been posting much lately, but I have been doing a fair amount of knitting – and unknitting.

First, I have a small FO to share. This is a hat pattern from Book 3 by Elsebeth Lavold, called The Embraceable You Collection. (apologies for the lumpy newspaper effect) It’s done in her Angora yarn, which I would definitely recommend. It sheds, but not very much, and it’s very soft yet sturdy. My only problem was with the bobbles. It's supposed to have a row of bobbles under the lower garter stitch ridge. I’ve never made bobbles before, so maybe that’s the problem. They just don't seem to stick out very much. Oh well - this is only my third hat ever; I'm just practicing for the holiday season.




My other project is a sweater for a very special toddler. The pattern is the Children’s Tunic Sweater from Knitting Plain and Simple. The problem is - knitting with Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted is neither plain nor simple. You can see what I mean in this photo:




The yoke is fine, but once the increases are done and you are knitting in circular stockinette, you get these spirals of color. This switches back to mixed-up colors toward the bottom, when you divide for side slits and thus are knitting flat.

Question to you all: should I care about the colors spiraling? I have tried knitting with two alternating balls, but the pattern was nearly as obvious then, too. I also tried knitting flat across all stitches, with one ball of yarn and got the same effect. Maybe I could try two balls, but start from the other end of one ball? HELP!

15,215 yards

This is the total yardage in my stash, according to my new spreadsheet. I could make all kinds of explanations and/or excuses, but I just won't. I should think about selling some of it. Unfortunately, a bunch of it is smallish single skeins - but there are a some project-sized bundles in there. Food for thought...have any of you had success with Paypal for this purpose?

In other knitting news, tomorrow night is the Chicago White Sox Stitch n Pitch(this is a pdf). There will be about 100 or so knitters (and the people who love them) in a special section, where we will watch the White Sox vs. the Cleveland Indians. My fiance LOVES baseball so this is a date night made in heaven. :)

I'll leave you with a progress shot of the Matinee Coat. This is the back and left front. You can see the row of dimples right below the seed stitch section - this is a series of eyelets where a ribbon will be threaded to gather and tie the sweater. I'm working on the right front now and am *totally* dreading the seed stitch sleeves to come. No matter - I think it will be lovely when it's finished.

Happy knitting, everyone!

The Power of Blogging

Power of Blogging Experience #1: I was catching up on some Bloglines reading yesterday when I noticed that Lynette had posted about a brand-new downtown Chicago knitting store. She said she and Monica would be visiting at lunchtime, so I headed down too. I recognized both Lynette and Monica from their blog! So great to meet them in person.

When we got there, another knitblogger was already there (hi, Gail!).


Within minutes, there were another 6 or 8 people in the store, many of whom had read Lynette's post!

POB Experience #2: Last night was Knit In Public night, hosted by the incomparable Bonne Marie. It was a lovely evening of knitting, fun conversation, and - of course, excellent sweet treats from Letizia's! I never would have known about this great group if not for Chicago-area bloggers.

It's really amazing how an online community can quickly become an in-person community as well. Another reason why I am so glad I started blogging!

BTW - I think this new store is going to be great. Loopy Yarns has the entire Lorna's Laces line! She also has Lane Borgesia, Lang, Cascade, Berroco, Elsebeth Lavold, and will soon have Plymouth. She wants people to hang out in the store, and even (gasp) have coffee and snacks while they knit! Yes, I think this is going to be a fun place...

Happy knitting, everyone! Have a great weekend.

New Knitty, etc.

As everyone has probably already noticed, the new Knitty is up. I think this is a great issue! There’s definitely something for everyone. My faves:

Blackberry: The only way I could love this more is if the gauge were smaller. I worry about the football player effect with such a bulky yarn. But the pattern is very stylish.

Cinxia: I can’t pronounce it, but I love it anyway! Such a simple and flattering shape. Not sure if I can do the three-quarter sleeves…I get chilly! But it is lovely nonetheless.

Revolution: This pattern is a breath of fresh air. The styling is very modern and I love the textured stitch as well. Only problem (for me, that is) is the complicated instructions - I can’t figure out why you need intarsia.

Ella: so lovely. This designer’s patterns always have such interesting constructions. I think my mom would love this one!

I was a little surprised to see this pattern included. In my mind, it is too similar to the Wavy Scarf pattern in a certain book. A designer I am not – but this is just my $.02.

Thanks for the Soleil comments, by the way! I appreciate it. It's so nice to see one's hard work pay off. Knitting has ground to a halt lately as I’m still searching for my next big project. I did some swatching to get started:



The brightly colored swatch is for a baby sweater; the blue-y one is the hand-dyed merino I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool. I am searching for the perfect pattern for this very special yarn! It knits up at 4.5 sts per inch, and is a soft single-ply yarn. I have almost 1300 yards and I want to make some sort of cardigan/jacket-type thing. If you have any pattern ideas, please let me know!

Happy knitting everyone!

FO Friday

Hi all! TGIF. Just a quick post today to show off my finished Soleil.



It fits great! The designer did a wonderful job with the shaping. This was also my first project using crochet, and I’m pleased to say it went better than I’d hoped.

Now, it’s on to a new project! I’m still working on the DB Matinee Coat, but I need a “me” project. I’m definitely ready for fall, and thinking about wool projects. I've decided to play hooky today and head to a Chicago knit shop for some inspiration. We’ll see what I come up with!

Have a great Friday and a fun weekend, everyone!

Summer’s Last Gasp

Chicago is SO much cooler in the summer than Washington, DC! Of course, anything unlike the inside of an oven qualifies as cooler than DC, but still – weather here has been so nice: low 80s, sunny. Unfortunately, for a sweater girl like me, that is not warm enough for a tank top, especially if there’s a breeze blowing! I’m rushing to finish the Soleil tank before my trip to Tennessee this weekend. I hear it is still hot there! A pic of its almost-finished state:



This project has been the perfect level of difficulty for me. I sailed through the lace, stumbled a little with the neckline instructions, and was challenged in making suitably neat selvedges. Before I finish, though, I will need to tackle crochet! Yikes. But it’s getting finished this week one way or another.

I imagine you all have read or heard about the utter devastation from Hurricane Katrina. It is heartbreaking to see how families and communities have been torn apart by this disaster. I visited New Orleans last November for the first time. I stayed on St. Charles Street, ate beignets at Café du Monde, and took the trolley out to the Garden District to visit the Garden District Needlework Shop. What a beautiful city. I hope that everyone affected will get to safety and find some comfort, soon.

A view of Decatur Street and St. Louis Cathedral, in happier times:

I am really proud of myself

Thanks for all the comments! Glad you have been willing to re-include me in your knitting and blogging lives. It makes this a lot more fun!

Today, rather than knitting news, I have un-knitting news:




Yes, that's the famed Rowan Smooch. I started this sweater pre-blog, about two years ago. It was my first attempt at using a chart, and although it took me about seven tries to get the yarnovers in the right place, i finally finished the lace motif at the bottom of the two pieces. But where I went wrong, really wrong, was the eyelets around the neckline. A curse on Rowan and their instructions made for smarter people! After all their complicated directions for the eyelets on one side of the neck, they simply say "reverse shapings." This was easier said than done, considering that you want the eyelets to match. I never could get a reverse set of yos and k2tog to look right.

But, I'm really proud of myself for ripping this out. It has been staring at me for TWO LONG YEARS, and I finally admitted to myself that 1) it was really frustrating for me, 2) I learned how to read a chart by doing this project, even if I didn't finish it, and 3) it's not my style anyway.

Ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory? I am (at last testing) an ENTP. Way off the charts on E (extrovert) and on T (thinking). Where I get into trouble in knitting is with the "P," which stands for Perceiving. Perceiving means that you prefer a flexible, spontaneous way of life and may be more process-oriented. The alternative to P is J, for Judging. Judging means that you prefer a planned, orderly, structured way of life and are often results-oriented.

So, what this means is that I have trouble finishing things. But on the positive side, it also means that I am learning as I go and that the result for me is really the process.

Being process-oriented sure doesn't do much for your yarn stash! Too much yarn...must finish projects... More on that later.

Happy knitting, everyone!

Back in the Saddle

I’m back! And now that I am, I can see I was gone a long time. What has everyone in blog-land been up to? I’m looking forward to catching up on everyone’s knitting adventures.

My adventures lately have been of a different kind – the packing, flying, moving in, unpacking kind. Through all of that I was still working for my former employer, which added a level of delight to the whole process, as you can imagine! (ha) But I’m happy to report that I’m finished with that and getting ready to write the next chapter of my life.

Knitting has begun again, albeit slowly. I’ve started on the Debbie Bliss Matinee Coat, a gift for a friend. Here’s a work-in-progress shot:


Also, I’m excited to be going to my first Chicago knitting group tonight! The famed Bonne Marie organizes a group that meets twice a month on Thursdays. I haven’t been getting out much since I’ve been in Chicago, so I’m REALLY thrilled to be going.

In other news, I bought a Mac! This has been a long time coming – I’ve been thinking about it since before I got my iPod last January, and I finally took the plunge. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will affect the blog once I learn more about its software and features.

Anyway, sorry for the disappearance, but I hope everyone will keep reading! I haven’t forgotten about the Knitting Sisters review – that will be a coming attraction. Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy knitting!

No Knitting, No Nuthin'

You know things are bad when there's no time for knitting! What with packing, traveling, work and setting up house - it's been 10 days since my last stitch! I am also woefully behind on my blog reading! Hopefully life will settle down soon and regular knitting - and blogging - can resume. Hope you're all well and enjoying the summer.

Bye for now...

Yarn Crawl '05 - Part One

I love visiting new yarn stores. Yes, there may be a finite number of yarn varieties in the universe at any moment in time, but there is always something fun about seeing the unique ways that shop owners combine and display these yarns, and the atmosphere for knitters (and knitting) they are able to create.

Friends M. and L. and I headed off to the wilds of Virginia to visit a few shops and enjoy the natural surroundings. Although I kept looking at the map, I was often disoriented – there are so many rivers, and you are forever crossing one or the other – I never quite knew where I was. So, suffice it to say that the first shop we visited, The Bay Window, is located in Irvington, VA.

This fun shop is a party for the eyes:



And if you are looking for novelty yarns, this is the place! I don’t think I have ever seen so many in one shop. There are eyelash, ladder, fur and metallic yarns in every gauge and hue! But the shop stocks plenty of natural fibers, including Noro, Elsebeth Lavold (love her Angora), MaggiKnits, Debbie Bliss, Lambs Pride, etc. They also carry a full selection of On Line and Katia, which you don’t see much of in DC-area shops. Note that if you are looking for 4 ply or other fine gauge yarns, you will not find them here.

Bay Window bills itself as a knitting shop and design studio, and this was evident in the many beautiful samples on display. What I liked best was their integration of novelties with other yarns. Many shops will knit a simple scarf all in one novelty yarn. For me, this is often a turn-off: too much novelty, too little variety. But this shop displayed a number of items showing how novelty yarns can add interest & fun as well as subtle depth of color. (see the red throw and felted bag on the right side of this photo)


This shop has no web site, so you will need the address and perhaps the phone number to locate it (see below). Also, you may have a little trouble locating the pattern for items on display (personal experience). But, if you are looking for a shop to get your creative juices flowing, this is the place. And when you’ve gotten all your knitting goodies, head next door to The Local, a tasty deli! You too will leave Irvington a happy (and full) knitter!




The Bay Window
4625 Irvington Rd,
Irvington, VA 22480
804-438-6636

Next post: Yarn Crawl Part Two: Knitting Sisters, Williamsburg, Va