~ Foliage ~

Pattern: Foliage
Source: Knitty, Fall 2007
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend
Needles: US7

I finished up my foliage today. What a joyful project this was! The construction of the hat, from top to bottom and a fun (but not complicated) lace pattern, was both interesting and delightful. The yarn... drool... is possibly the most beautiful yarn I have ever knit with. The colors are glorious and the softness is unbelievably snuggly.

I cannot vouch for this hat being particularly warm, what with the lace pattern and the somewhat loose gauge. The intent of all hats, however, is not necessarily maximum warmth. All winter, I have been wearing my very warm and durable stranded wool hat and it has served me well. As spring approaches, however, I have wanted a warmer-weather hat knit from softer yarn. Even my Serious Hat that I recently completed is too warm for the spring weather. By contrast, Foliage seems to be a perfect springtime hat.

My only modification was to change the brim. I have a small head, so before beginning the brim, I decreased from 96 stitches to 76 stitches and then worked the brim in seed stitch rather than ribbing. I used about 3/4 of a skein - - and I'm not sure what I'll do with the 1/4 left. I'm trying to collect ideas of how to use partial skeins, and have an ample drawer-full of leftover yarn. Drop me a line if you know of any good stashbusting projects!

I have another full skein of this yarn in a solid grey colorway and intend to cast of for Laurel.

Posted by jennifer at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ knitting knews ~

The past few weeks have been glorious. The weather is warming up, the days are now longer, and I am sleeping again. I have been riding my bike and have been going to yoga regularly. There's a mountain bike race scheduled about a month away that I'm thinking about entering.

In other knews, here is a little update on my knitting activities and projects completed.

Pattern: Autumn Rose Pullover
Source: Simply Shetland 4
Yarn: Jamieson's Shetland DoubleKnitting

This is the status of my Autumn Rose. I have been taking my sweet time with this project. I am, however, totally in love with my Autumn Rose. It took a while to get the fit right (if you recall, I procured the incorrect weight yarn and have had to rework the pattern accordingly), but I am finally very happy and satisfied with how it's coming along. Also, the colors make me swoon!

Pattern: Daisy Stitch Scarf
Source: Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Book 1
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Alpaca

I love scarves. In addition to their being an integral component to my wardrobe, scarves are a nice way to balance the knitting of an eight-color fair isle sweater. I cast on for this scarf the other week ago and it was a joy to knit. The yarn, DROPS Alpaca, is gloriously soft and snuggly. And the resulting scarf is nommy beyond belief.

Project: Serious Hat Means Serious Business
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 7

This hat is hilarious. Last week, I randomly decided that I wanted to knit a hat. In consulting my stash with regards to patterns I wanted to knit, I realized that this pattern (a free download!) would be ideal for a stashbusting project. In particular, I located several leftover and partial skeins of Cascade 220 that had the potential of remaining unknit for a LONG time, and decided to cast on.

As I was knitting this hat, it occurred to me that my color choices were questionable. Once I finished it and pulled it over my head, I realized they were brilliant. The hat itself, I have noted, is somewhat silly. So silly that it makes me smile. So silly that I decided to name the hat an ironic and silly name; this is Serious Hat Means Serious Business. In fact, it is such a serious hat, that one might find oneself doing the following with it at the bar...

Pattern: Foliage
Source: Knitty
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend

I must be on a hat kick. This evening, I cast on for Foliage, a free Knitty download. Foliage is knit from the top down, which I thought was sufficiently interesting to warrant a cast on. I went bananas doing yoga this weekend and have spent most of today with awful back pain, so I will bring some joy and relaxation to my evening by watching a movie, drinking tea, and working on my Foliage. Not only is the pattern fun to knit, but the yarn is delightful.

My other main bit of knitting knews is that I am excited to be an official test knitter for an awesome sweater pattern. Whee! The sweater design is an amazing fitted sweater with an elaborate cable motif that the designer created herself, inspired by the Lord of the Rings. The cables are really out of this world! Despite my abundant stash, I did not have any appropriate yarn, and I ordered some online. I must wait until the yarn arrives before I can cast on.

Posted by jennifer at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Silk Diamonds Scarf ~

Pattern: Silk Diamonds Scarf
Source: Simply Shetland 4
Yarn: Simply Sheltand Silk and Lambswool (2 skeins each color)
Needles: US 7

Over the weekend, I completed my Silk Diamonds Scarf. I started this scarf sometime in November and the fact that it took almost four months for me to complete is a testament to how knitting countless mitered squares is not the funnest activity on the planet. When I first began work on the scarf, I definitely found it enjoyable, but over time it became somewhat dull and tedious. I made a big push over the past few weeks to finish it because otherwise I feared that it would fall into the basket of hibernation, forever a work-in-progress.

This yarn comes from two scarves that I knit previously, that have gone unworn for some time. This scarf is an effort to bring new life to the yarn.

As you can see from the detail, I used a three-needle bind off to connect the two halves of the scarf. I like the seam created with the three-needle bind off, particularly here.

Of course, one of the exciting aspects of finishing a project is the opportunity to cast on for another.

Posted by jennifer at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Alpaka Tunic ~

Pattern: Alpaka Tunic
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2009
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha
Ravlink

Over the weekend, I finished up my Alpaka Tunic from last fall's Interweave Knits. I used not-alpaca for my version, specifically the Noro Cash Iroha, which is a a silk, wool, cashmere, nylon blend. This yarn has excellent drape, perfect for a tunic, and it is so unbelievably soft - - I salivate at how soft and wonderful it feels next to my skin.

This pattern is sized very large; the smallest bust size is at 43 inches. After fanagling with the pattern for a while, I omitted several of the lace panels, thereby taking out 11 inches of ease. I also modified the tunic to be seamless. Below are the specific details of what I did. The yoke was improvised starting as a raglan, and then a hybrid saddle sleeve and circular yoke decrease. I did not take notes on the yoke part and winged it based on trying the tunic on and then decreasing accordingly.

BODY

SLEEVES

YOKE

Posted by jennifer at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ hibernation ~

I have been in hybernation mode for a few weeks. Contributing to this lethargic state has been various weather systems; high barometric pressure, grey skies, rain, and other general conditions facilitating my lack of motivation for outdoor activities. Last weekend, however, some glorious sunshine poked out and I took the opportunity to go on a fun bike ride. This weekend, there was neither sunshine nor anything glorious about the weather, and yet Josh and I rode in the Owyhees - - a cold and grey ride that failed to lift our spirits.

In an effort to ward off the January blues I have been more of a home-body and am accepting that this as a natural hibernation period. My home-body coping mechanisms have included listening to music and knitting. In the way of music, I've been listening to a lot of alternative country. As for the knitting, here is an update on what I've been working up.

Pattern: Autumn Rose Pullover
Source: Simply Shetland 4
Yarn: Jamieson's Shetland DoubleKnitting

This is the latest installment of my Autumn Rose saga. You may or may not recall that it used to look different. I have had a few false starts with this project and am currently on my third version, having knit and unravelled two previous sleeves. Heavy sigh...

Despite the frustration of frogging such a time-intensive project, I am confident and satisfied that I have it right this time. As opposed to my two previous versions, this sleeve fits properly and has color changes that I like. The current "plan" is to make this into a jacket, instead of the pullover of the pattern.

Pattern: Alpaka Tunic
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2009
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha

Here is my take on the Alpaka Tunic, which I am working in Noro Cash Iroha, a silk, wool, cashmere, nylon blend. I am very excited about this yarn/pattern combination. You may recall again that I was using this yarn previously for a different pattern. That other pattern failed to hold my interest and I sought another pattern idea that would work well with this yarn. As I previously discussed, this yarn stretches about an inch over 30 rows, a quality that made me carefully consider my pattern choice. Ultimately, I decided that a drapey tunic would work nicely with this yarn. And voila!

This particular pattern is sized very large; the smallest bust size is at 43 inches. After fanagling with the pattern for a while, I omitted several of the lace panels, thereby taking out 11 inches of ease. For the interested, I am keeping my Ravelry page updated with the specifics. Overall, I have really been enjoying this project. It is a lovely, stress-free contrast to my Autumn Rose, and has been knitting up quickly and easily. I anticipate that I will be happy with the finished tunic.

Pattern: Silk Diamonds Scarf
Source: Simply Shetland 4
Yarn: Simply Sheltand Silk and Lambswool

This is another pattern in the Simply Shetland 4 booklet, along with the Autumn Rose pattern. When I purchased the booklet, I only had a desire to knit the Autumn Rose pattern, but was pleasantly surprised to find that I like many of the patterns, including this scarf.

I've been trucking away at this project for a while. It is my movie-watching project, or my on-and-off project that requires no mental energy. I have approximately three times the amount of scarf completed than what is depicted in the photograph. And I am about halfway done with the full scarf.

Pattern: Cocoon Scarf
Source: Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting
Yarn: Berocco Jasper, repurposed

The yarn for this project is a repurpose project from an older project, my Neaty Cardigan. Having greatly enhanced my knowledge of wool and yarn since I knit my Neaty, I have ascertained that the Jasper yarn and Neaty pattern combination were a poor match. This is particularly true because I have worn the cardigan in ways that the yarn was not durable enough to handle well - - for example, camping. After years of solid use, the cardigan was looking very ratty. Rather than allow the cardigan to sit in my closet being unworn (because no one wants to wear a ratty cardigan), I decided to unravel the entire sweater and reuse the yarn to make a big scarf.

Posted by jennifer at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Dionysus Mittens ~

Today is the first day of the final semester of my masters program. I have been on holiday vacation from school this past month, and I am delighted to show off how I spent my spare time - - a mitten pattern, designed and knitted by me, and free to you!

The inspiration for these mittens came from how I decided to name them. Dionysus was the god of wine and inspirer of ritual madness. This combination of wine and ritual maddness was the foundation for my design process and color choices. The idea was to have the colorwork appear both chaotic and structured... hence, the ritual maddness. The colors and their movement was to suggest the flow of wine... for some of us, a source giddiness and rosy cheeks.

The possibilities for yarn combinations are endless. For my mittens, I used Araucania Ranco Solid and Kauni Wool 8/2 Effektgarn from my stash. This combines a soft yarn with sharp definition (ie, the Araucania) and a scratchy yarn that blooms (ie, Kauni). My mittens are very warm, but also soft.

The pattern might be suitable for a novice strander or a new mittener, but it does require some intermediate level skills. The color charts are small and manageable and the construction of the mittens is simple. They begin with an i-cord, after which stitches are picked up along the side and worked in the round for the cuff, followed by an increase for the hand, a thumb gusset, and a simple decrease and grafting. Skills required include knitting in the round, stranded knitting (including understanding of tension and color dominance), picking up stitches, i-cord, decreasing and increasing, grafting, and reading a colorwork chart.

Here are some details:

Pattern: Dionysus Mittens
Subtitle: God of Wine / Inspirer of Ritual Madness
Needles: US1, or size needed to get gauge.
Yarn: approx 150 yards fingering weight yarn in two colors (300 yards total)
Gauge: 10/12 stitches per inch in stranded charts
Notions: stitch marker, waste yarn, tapestry needle
Size: S, M, L
Actual Measurements: 6.5" (8", 9.25") palm circumference; 6" (7.2", 8.4") wrist circumference; 10" (10.5", 11") length.
Note on Fit: These mittens are designed to fit snugly. To determine your size, measure the circumference of your hand and choose the closest size.
Pattern Format: PDF- 4 pages, 828 KB

Click here to download the pattern, or access via Ravelry

Posted by jennifer at 8:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ Ella ~

Pattern: Ella
Yarn: Drops Alpaca (2 skeins)
Needles: US 3
Ravlink

Here is my Ella shawl, a free pattern from Knitty. This pattern has been on my list to knit for years and I finally cast on a few weeks ago with the Drops Alpaca yarn. What drew me to the pattern was the hybrid shawl/scarf construction - - by which one has the neat corner of a shawl and the long ends of a scarf. What also drew me to this pattern was the stitch design, with its nifty scale or armor appearance.

The yarn is lovely; so soft and warm. And I love the color. You'll be seeing a lot of this yarn come off my needles in the future, as I procured a ridiculous amount of it at 60% off during the LYS "GOOBS" sale.

Posted by jennifer at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ knitting update ~

I am happy to announce that the school semester is over. The past few weeks have been uniquely stressful in ways that I look forward to forgetting. The good news is that I have one semester until I graduate! This has been a rewarding program, but I am ready to be done. The semester was essentially over for me on Tuesday at 7:07 pm, when I submitted (what I thought was) my final paper (see above: uniquely stressful). At that point, I began considering what to do with my spare time during the next five weeks of school-free-dom. As you might expect, some of this involves new knitting projects - - and so, here is an update on that...

Pattern: Autumn Rose Pullover
Source: Simply Shetland 4.
Yarn: Jamieson's Shetland DoubleKnitting

This project has been on the needles for about a month. I have oogled the Autumn Rose pullover for YEARS and finally decided to go for it. For those who haven't considered this pattern, it is a FITTED fair isle RAGLAN. This is awesome because typical fair isle sweaters tend to be boxy and not at all figure-flattering. Inspiration for my colorways came from a Ravelry user and yarn availability at the LYS.

One significant yarn/gauge issue revolves around the fact that I somehow purchased the wrong yarn weight. I have been having some MAJOR BRAIN ISSUES lately, and for this project I purchased DK weight instead of fingering weight. Along with my other major brain issues, I don't have a clue how I managed to do this... It should also be noted that I purchased the yarn at 60% off (yay!) during a going-out-of-business sale at an LYS (boo!) and I cannot return the yarn. To compensate for the yarn weight, I recalculated stitch counts in the stranded pattern. I will keep my Ravelry page updated with my mods.

Pattern: Everybody Knows
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha

Due to the aforementioned LYS "going-out-of-business sale" (heretofore referred to as GOOBS), I have procured A LOT of yarn over the past few months, most of which I bought without having a specific pattern in mind. This Noro would be a prime example. By the way, the color is difficult to photograph - - it's a dark blue/black, with a metalic sheen. You may be interested in the fiber content: 40% silk, 30% lambswool, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. Yum. It is soft, has a lovely hand, and a wonderful drape. In contemplating an appropriate pattern for this yarn, I noted that many knitters experienced significant growth lengthwise after blocking. Having learned my lession a few too many times about effective swatching, I knit up a sizable swatch, traced an outline of it, washed the swatch, and then traced a new outline of the dried swatch. The below photo shows the results of that - - namely, that the 36 row swatch grew an inch after blocking. That is a significant amount of growth.

I decided that the yarn might be best suited to a simple garment that would make use of the drape, and one that I could carefully monitor the growth of the yarn. I chose the pattern Everybody Knows (a free Knitty download) because I liked the punk-styled garter stitch. I anticipate that the metalic sheen of the blue/black yarn will add another punkish element. I love the collar on this sweater, however, I'm thinking about adding a Ninja Hood instead.

Pattern: Ella
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Alpaca

This alpaca is another GOOBS acquisition at 60% off with no plan for its use. I have two skeins of this particular color, which should work for a scarf. Ella is another free Knitty pattern that I've admired for a while. It reminds me of lizard scales. And one of the reasons that it appeals to me is that it is a triangular shawl divided in the center to produce a scarf-like construction. That is a little different from the typical lace shawl. Furthermore, that the lace of this shawl is simple also appealed to me, as I am a very novice lace knitter.

Pattern: Linnaeus, my own design
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock and Colinette Jitterbug

Linnaeus is an asymmetrical stranded jacket... or, it will be eventually. I presented Linnaeus in another version several months ago, and afterwards decided that I didn't like it. This is a new version with a much simplified stranded motif (16 stitches by 18 rows) and I've inverted the yarns.

In stash news, the Type A nerd in me salivated excessively earlier this week upon realizing that one can export one's Ravelry stash information to an excel spreadsheet. During my GOOBS yarn acquisition, I decided that it was imperative for me to update my stash records so that I would know its exact contents. Since then, the challenge has been deciding what yarn to use with what project - - I find that having A LOT of choices makes the decision process very difficult, especially when it involves lots of nommy yarn. Anyway, I spent some time with my excel spreadsheet yarn inventory and added a column to identify appropriate pattern ideas. In thinking about my excel stash inventory, I DROOL.

Posted by jennifer at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ Bianca's Pullover ~

Pattern: Bianca's Jacket
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (approx. 6 skeins)
Needles: US 7
Ravlink

This was a 14 - day sweater, possibly my fastest sweater of all time. I cast on the first stitches on November 13th and bound off on November 27th. Fourteen days for a sweater is fast, and particularly impressive considering that I was doing plenty of other knitting.

This is my Bianca's Pullover, a modified version of Bianca's Jacket. My initial cast on was 120 stitches. From there, I worked two repeats of the stitch pattern and then 11 inches of stockinette. For the sleeves, I cast on 44 stitches and worked in the stitch pattern for about 13 inches. Connected the sleeves and body and worked the pattern with circular yoke style decreases until it was about 13 inches circumference, at which point I worked two repeats for the turtleneck.

You may recognized this yarn from my Tweedy Waistcoat. The existing tension issues of that project were exacerbated after the yarn sagged and drooped over time with wear and washing. When I decided to unravel that project, I couldn't remember the last time I had had any desire to wear it; it had become so unattractive. I figured that it wasn't the yarn's fault that it had succumbed to some bad knitting, and decided to give it a new life.

I have wanted to knit Bianca's Jacket for some time and around about November 13th I decided that it would be a good project for the Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. Because I've been customizing many of my cardigans lately to be pullovers, I gave into the inevitable and cast on for a pullover. I anticipate that if and when the yarn begins to droop, that it will form a nice drape in this pullover.

Posted by jennifer at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Honeybee Pullover ~

Pattern: Honebee Cardigan
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, Neptune 1040 (5.5 skeins)
Needles: US 3
Ravlink

I finished my Honeybee over the weekend and am very happy with how it turned out. The pattern was very well written and it had a unique layout that I found particularly easy to follow. This was my first experience working seamless set-in sleeves, and I was delighted by how simple they were to knit. I always admire how nicely a good set-in sleeve looks, yet I hate knitting them. As such, the seamless version is a fantastic alternative.

Modifications: It may shock you to learn that my modifications were minimal. Along the borders, I used seed stitch rather than ribbing. For the sleeves, I initially cast on fewer stitches and did a dramatic increase to have a wee bit of a poof. Specifically, I cast on 54 stitches, worked in seed stitch for 1 3/4 inch, place stitch markers every 11/10 stitches and increased one stitch on either side of marker until 72 stitches, at which point I continued all the way up in stockinette. The final modification was to seam up the center to make it a pullover rather than a cardigan. I've been doing this a lot lately to my cardigans; I'm not sure why, I love cardigans. Hmph!

My Honeybee is ideal for late spring or early fall weather. The cold of weather is not its optimal season, what with merino sock yarn in an openwork lace pattern not being the most insulating fabric. I like how the Honeybee has potential to be dressed up for either fancy or casual situations - - I can imagine it with a pair of nice jeans or with my Grandmother's pearls.

As for the yarn, I'm curious to see how the Koigu holds up as a sweater. In my limited experience with this yarn, I've learned that it fuzzes easily. I hope to treat this sweater particularly careful to avoid fuzzing. I used about 5.5 skeins of the Koigu. Ironically, I was very worried that I was going to run out of yarn, which is why I made the length semi-cropped. I used about half a skein each for the sleeves, about four skeins for the lower body, and half a skein for the yoke and sleeve caps.

Finally, I apologize for these weird photos.

Posted by jennifer at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

~ Otis ~

Pattern Basis: Drops 109-3 Jacket
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Navy, 8 skeins
Needles: US 7
Ravlink

This is Otis, a "grandpa"-style cabled comfort sweater. I used the Drops pattern as the foundation, and knit with a mind tuned to feeling bundled and cozy as the cold weather approaches. This is the sort of comfort sweater that I can wrap around myself, feeling soothed by its wooly warmth.

Mods: I worked a number of modifications into this project, to include using stockinette and seed stitch rather than reverse stockinette, working the main cable motif up the full jacket, and incorporating a braided cable. Instead of raglan shoulder shaping, I used circular yoke style decreases and eventually worked just the front cables, bringing them together to have this cozy collar instead of the hood.

Some specifics: I cast on 190 stitches for the body, executed some waist shaping until there were 170 stitches. For the arms, I cast on 40 stitches and gradually increased to 50 stitches. I connected the body and arms, cast on 2 stitches on either side of each armhole, and evenly decreased 8 stitches along the stockinette and seed stitch portions on every RS row, for the next 48 rows, ending with 86 stitches. I then marked the halfway point along the yoke and continued working just the first cable motif, while at the same time knitting it together with the remaining stiches of the yoke. At the halfway point, I grafted the two cable motifs together.

The yarn is soft enough for next-to-skin contact, yet has a nice wooly feel. The dye bled a lot during the knitting process - - turning my needles and my fingers blue. I've read that this yarn pills excessively, a prospect that makes me sad. I intend to take extra special care of this to avoid such pilling. I'd also like to point out that I blocked the sweater extra wide, as my guage swatch was a little off.

Posted by jennifer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

~ midweek knitting update ~

To begin this knitting update, I'm excited to show off my new scarf, a project for which I spontaneously cast on a few weeks ago. It's a modified version of the ever popular Noro Striped Scarf by brooklyntweed - - the modification is found in the construction being doubleknit rather than k/p ribbing. Ever since my Cheesehands, I have been inspired by the possibilities for doubleknitting.

Pattern: Doubleknit Striped Scarf, modified from Noro Striped Scarf
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden and Berocco Jasper (2 skeins each)
Needles: US 8
Ravlink

This scarf was a good opportunity to use some yarn that has been in my stash for a long time. I combined Noro Silk Garden with the Berocco Jasper with satisfying results. The Jasper adds softness to the (sometimes scratchy) Noro, and the color variations add interest. Because it is doubleknit, the scarf is thick and cozy, but not dense. Overall, I love it.

Over the weekend, I did something that might seem horrifying to some. I unravelled my Tweedy Waistcoat to reuse the yarn for another project. Over time, the yarn (Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed) droops and sags exessively with wear and washing. On the waistjacket, the top portion and the sleeves drooped and sagged significantly different than the lower portion with the colorwork. The result was a very unattractive sweater that I never wanted to wear. Now that I understand the droop-factor of this yarn, I'm hoping to use that to my advantage to create a sweater with a nice DRAPE (not droop).

After considerable thought and investigation, I've decided to knit a modified version of Bianca's Jacket. The plan is to knit this as a seamless bottom up pullover (sorta-tunic style to take advantage of the DRAPE), cropped sleeves (so that when the DRAPE sets in, the sleeves won't extend to my knees), and a funnel neck collar (hopefully, the DRAPE will look awesome).

Here's the status of my Honeybee Cardigan.

I have really enjoyed knitting this pattern in this yarn. I have almost completed both sleeves and have a little bit more of the body to do before I start to work on the sleeve shaping. One of the main reasons why I bought this pattern (other than it being such a pretty cardigan) was because it uses seamless set-in sleeves, which I have been wanting to learn how to knit for some time. So far, this pattern has been very well written that I have confidence I will have no difficulty learning a new sleeve construction.

Finally, I've got two finished sweaters I hope to show off soon: my Open Range and my Otis. I finished blocking Open Range over the weekend and Otis is still drying. I hope to have an opportunity to take photos of them in the sunlight this weekend. I am delighted by how awesome they both have turned out. Also, I hope to have a draft of the Open Range pattern done over the weekend so that I can see about having it test knit.

Posted by jennifer at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ fall colors, a knitting update ~

Fall continues to bring a renewed excitement for knitting. At present, I have two big sweater projects that are nearing completion. As a result of their nearing-completion status, I recently cast on for an entirely different project. Finishing a big knitting project can be overwhelming for me. It is stressful because it reveals whether all of my work was worthwhile. My mind swims amid questions of whether it will fit me well, whether it will flatter my physique, whether I will even like the finished project. Under such stress, I have difficulty continuing, and so I focus my attention on another project.

My current focus is on theHoneybee Cardigan. I've read Laura's blog for a while, and when she first introduced her Honeybee Cardigan, I was struck by how pretty and wonderful it was. I knew that I would cast on in no time.

The honeybee stitch pattern is surprisingly easy. The pattern includes a photographic demonstration of the slightly more complex part of the pattern, which is extremely useful. The designer credits Barbara Walker with the stitch pattern, which reinforces my understanding that she was a knitting genius. The stitch pattern looks very complicated, but it is achieved in a straightforward six row repeat that I have had no difficultly committing to memory.

I'm using Koigu Premium Merino sock yarn in denim blue. Watching this cardigan come to life in this yarn is wonderful.

You remember Otis. This is my version of a popular Drops cabled jacket. As you can see, Otis is almost finished - - he just needs a few more rows along the yoke and then a hood. Because I made the choice to not follow the pattern, I am now struggling to figure out how to finish the yoke. This is a hard one for me and I've already frogged a few variations because I wasn't satisfied. I am confident that I will figure out a way to make it work, I just need to concentrate...something I don't wanna do right now.

And here is the status on Open Range, the cabled yoke pullover I've designed. I'm working on finishing up the sleeves and then it will be done. I am very pleased with how this one has turned out. Planning apparently pays off!

The only thing keeping me from finishing it is worrying about whether my high expectations for awesomeness will come to reality.

Posted by jennifer at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ Cheesehands ~

Pattern: Cheesehands
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino
Needles: US1

The weather took a turn for the crappy this weekend, and I opted to stay indoors, knit my Cheesehands, and watch programs on my computer. This explains possibly the fastest completed project in my knitting history. That, or perhaps I was totally excited and couldn't wait to get them done. Either way, behold my Cheesehands - - doubleknit fingerless mittens.

In knitting parlance, the term "startitis" refers to when a knitter continues to cast on for projects despite having (possibly a lot of) unfinished projects. While I consider this term a misnomer - - particularly in my case, the problem rests on an inability to finish projects - - I have definitely come down with this. Since my last knitting post I haven't knit a stitch on the projects that I wrote about, and instead cast on for these fingerless mittens, somehow finishing them in about a week.

I have intended to try out doubleknitting for a while, feeling intrigued by the lack of tension issues that stranded knitting has, as well as for the doublefaced fabric. A search for doubleknitting patterns yielded slim results, but from that search I located the Cheesehands pattern. That the description for the pattern indicated it contains "detailed instructions on how to cast on and work in the doubleknitting technique" persuaded me to work this particular pattern, and I am pleased with my selection. The pattern's instructions for doubleknitting are very clear and understandable (they even contain a tutorial - - complete with pictures and other visual aids - - on doubleknitting) and I found it to be an excellent pattern for a first-time doubleknitting project.

As for my color choice, I have no idea what possessed me to use magenta and army green. The pattern motif is somewhat silly, reinforced by the designer's colors (rust orange and blue), and perhaps all this silliness compelled me to follow suit. Silliness and all, I am totally happy and satisfied with my Cheesehands.

Posted by jennifer at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ good knews ~

Organizing stuff is an activity that provides me with a surprising amount of satisfaction. Some of you may have noticed that I recently re-organized the categories on my blog. While I assume that none of you have been spending your time brainstorming ways in which my blog categories could be improved, I am confident that were you to consider my new categories, you would agree that they serve their function of organizing my posts.

A few weeks ago, I took the opportunity to organize an electronic inventory of my yarn stash, using Ravelry's stash feature. From what I have read on the internet, many knitters have the goal of knitting down their stash... yet in my experience, that is difficult when one does not have a good idea of one's actual yarn inventory. Most of my yarn acquisitions have occurred while passing time on the internet, after becoming excited to work on whatever new project - - not knowing if I have sufficient yarn to complete said project, it has become common for me to execute a convenient online yarn purchase. The result is that I have a lot of yarn. However, with my new electronic stash inventory, I know exactly what and how much yarn I have to use for projects. It is awesome.

Currently, I have several projects on the needles that I am excited to show off. The first is a cabled jacket from Drops that I am working in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Navy. This is a casual and fun project - - and I love the cables. I've been working with fingering and sport weight yarn so much recently that knitting with bulky yarn is a nice change. I haven't worked with many Knit Picks yarns, but have had a good experience so far. The only concern I have with this yarn is how much it bleeds. My hands are always blue after working on this project. Over the weekend, I also did a preliminary wash and block (because I had spilled yogurt all over the project) and was startled by (1) how the water turned dark blue in the wash, and (2) the towel on which I had placed the project to dry developed severe blue stains. Until I'm able to wash all of the excess dye out, this may be a sweater that I will be wearing over a dark colored shirt.

As per my usual, I'm making a number of modifications. They include NOT working so much reverse stockinette stitch on the body, seed stitch border, waist shaping, and a series of braided cables. On Ravelry, I've seen some projects that carry the celtic cabling up through the hood, and I intend to do that as well, as I think it is awesome.

Mitten frenzy has taken hold of me and I am working a pair of stranded mittens. Stranded mittens are fun because of how exciting it is to watch the colorwork develop. I find that the knitting goes by fast because at the end of each round, I am eager to finish the next round to see more of the pattern.

These mittens are inspired by an aquarium and the pattern is my own. I had wanted a pair of mittens with a cute fish design - - with the fish being different shapes and sizes - - and since I was unable to locate a comparable preexisting pattern, I decided to make my own. I've been taking detailed notes on these and I intend to publish a free pattern, which will include the colorwork chart.

The cuff is meant to resemble the bottom of an aquarium, with air bubbles rising to the surface. I had wanted to make the fish appear to be swimming this way and that, with air bubbles circulating around. The thumb employs a gusset, which is my preference for mittens and mirrors the pattern around the cuff.

The light blue yarn is Araucania Ranco Solid, which I also used for my Fishtail Mitts. The darker blue is Koigu Premium Merino.

The other project I'm working on is a pattern I'm taking seriously - - and as such, have re-worked it several times. This is a top down yoked pullover with cables. The yarn is Knit Picks Telemark.

The inspiration for this came from my love of the Owyhees, and in particular some of the weathered ranching corrals I've stumbled upon while mountain biking. I chose the yarn because I wanted something very woolly and with a rustic appearance, to reflect the old and abandoned wooden structures found throughout the public lands of the American West.

I plan on finding a tech editor for this one, as there are enough numbers involved to possibly make me confused. Also, I hope to provide instructions for two sizes - - small and large - - and will be looking for a test knitter or two. If you're interested, drop me a line.

Posted by jennifer at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ Fishtail Mitts ~

Pattern: Fishtail Wristwarmers
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Solid in sky blue
Needles: US 1

I was inspired to knit a pair of fingerless mitts after spending many mornings at the office with freezing hands. My hands have always been prone to being cold and clammy even when the temperature is otherwise agreeable, and yet only now do I discover the fingerless mittens solution. Working at the computer is more pleasant with my hands swaddled in wool.

The pattern was simple and straightforward. I made only a few modifications, to include knitting the fishtail stitch pattern all around the mitts (rather than working broken ribbing on the 'underside') as well as working on US 1 in a tigher gauge.

The stitch pattern is from one of the Barbara Walker Treasuries and I noticed that there is another free pattern for fingerless mittens which are virtually identical to these. The only difference I can detect is the garter edging and ribbing.

The yarn is a wool/nylon blend. The label claims that it is sport weight, but it seemed more fingering to me. My gauge was 36 sts = 4" and I used about half a skein. The texture is nice and wooly but not too scratchy, and the semi-solid colors add interest. More emphatically, I totally adore the semi-solid coloring. Because I knit in a tighter gauge, the lace pattern doesn't display quite as much, but the semi-solid coloring makes the mittens pop.

These mitts have served to revitalize my love of mitten knitting - - Now that fall is upon us, I find myself considering mitten patters with greater excitement. Sadly, one of the few local yarn stores remaining in my area has announced that it is set to close and is having a big sale to get rid of its inventory. I took a long lunch break last week to splurge on yarn for mittens - - and I acquired a hefty supply of Koigu and Collinette Jitterbug with the specific intent to make more mittens, both of the fingered and fingerless variety.

At the sale, I also purchased a copy of Japanese Inspired Knits (click for a good review), a book that I have admired from afar for some time. At first glance, the patterns in this book may be underwhelming and strange, but I gained a solid appreciation for them upon consideration of the varied construction techniques. More and more, I find myself drawn to stitch dictionaries and patterns that explore different construction methods. Later this week, I intend to cast on for the carp, which is constructed with diagnol rows of mittered sqares and employs shadow knitting.

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Posted by jennifer at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ Lavandae ~

Pattern: Drops Cardigan in Alpaca
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Treasure, 8.5 skeins
Needles: US3
Hook: 2.25mm
Mods: twisted stitch ribbing, waist shaping, faux side seams, cropped sleeves

On a happiness scale, this finished project rests confidently at the upper echelons of "very very happy." Just look at it! Doesn't it make you happy?!? It fits well, it's soft and comfy, and is happy-making.

This project goes down in my history as being the least modified project from a pattern. The pattern itself has this knit up seamlessly from the bottom. I worked twisted stitch ribbing to be more decorative than standard ribbing (and to compliment some of the decorative crochet work along the yoke), waist shaping, and faux side seams to help counteract any sag-effect of the alpaca.

I haven't used any Drops patterns before and it took me a while to figure out where to find the English translation for the chart. But the yoke is fun to work and was my favorite part of this project. I also was able to spruce up my crochet skillz with the decorative edging around the yoke. When I got to this part, I felt a bit intimidated by the crochet-factor and thought about leaving it out (on Ravelry, there's many projects that have omitted the crochet edging and the cardigan looks nice) but I decided that I wanted that little frill on my cardigan, so I held my breath and took the plunge. It came out rather nice, eh?

The buttons I picked up at an antique store. Green and purple go pretty well together, right??? I had been planning on using some mother of pearl buttons, but I couldn't find any as small as I envisioned - - I didn't think that big buttons on a dainty cardigan would be appropriate so I rummaged through my button stash and located these greenies.

The yarn is lovely. It is incredibly soft to knit with and feels nice and wooly when worn. Also, very warm and snuggly.

Posted by jennifer at 9:30 AM | Permalink

~ training and experience ~

I finished this sweater the morning before catching the plane to San Francisco. It's a seamless garter stitch kimono-style sweater with the climbing vines motif from the Interweave winter 2008 pattern. The vines were interesting and fun to knit. It was a surprise for me to learn that the vines are achieved by increases and decreases rather than cables.

I knit the body in one piece up to the arms, at which point I cast on stitches for the length of the arms and continued working it in one piece. I also worked short rows along the outer edge of the arms so that they could fold over nicely. I worked the front 'longer' than the back and folded the fronts of the arms over to the back and finished it off with a three needle bind off.

The yarn is a cotton/wool blend from a recycled thrift store sweater. I thought that the cotton in the yarn would yield a summer-appropriate garment. The sweater is a bit more cropped than I normally would go for, a result of not having enough yarn to make it longer (always a challenge when recycling thrift store sweaters), but it works as a summer warmer. I was also impressed to find in my button stash a red butten to match the yarn - - if memory serves, I found the button somewhere along the sidewalk and I picked it up because I thought I might one day have a use for a big red button. One person's road-side trash is another's treasure, eh.

Posted by jennifer at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ Johnny Appleseed ~

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to show off this project. It was on the needles for a number of months and before that it was in my imagination for some time. This was a "flying by the seat of my pants" project that underwent a number of revisions once on the needles.

The backstory to this project is that many months ago, I dreamed of having a bohus shrug with poofy sleeves. Clearly, what you see here is not a bohus shrug, not by any stretch of the imagination. The original "plan" was to work the "Wild Apple" bohus yoke pattern from Wendy Keele's Poems of Color, but somewhere along the way that changed. If memory serves, it had something to do with not wanting to manage so many colors (the pattern calls for, something like, 16 different colors). As this was going to be a stashbusting project, finding so many complementary colors of comparable weights from my yarn stash was unrealistic.

Ulimately, I decided on using the colorwork pattern from Neiman, which outlines those wonderful wonky circles. The yarn that I employed is fingering weight, lighter than whatever yarn Neiman calls for, and so I recharted the circles to be doubly-thick. I knit the yoke in the round with a steek, which I cut up the middle and hemmed to the inside. This was my first steek and I was surprised how easy it was.

As I worked through various sketches, translating my dream shrug with poofy sleeves into something a little more tangible, I eventually concluded that I wanted something with a flowy drape around my torso, which kicked out the idea of a shrug. A swing cardigan it became.

The poofy sleeves worked out perfectly from the beginning and underwent no modifications as I knit them up. Seriously, I am lovin' them poofy sleeves!

The blue yarn is Koigu's Painters Pallet and the other two yarns were harvested from thrift store sweaters. Harvesting yarn from thrift store sweaters, unfortunately, can yield an insufficient amount of yarn for one's knitting needs. For the particular sweaters that I harvested here, there was a good deal of yarn that was unsalvagable. In addition, the yarn was so incredibly thin that I had to knit it double, which meant that the possibility of running out of yarn was very real. Combining the two yarns worked out nicely, though. The more grey yarn is a silk wool blend, and the more brown-yellowy one is pure wool. Colorwise, I think they compliment each other well (though, I'm not the most matchey), and in the photos, you can see where I blended the two yarns before the full color transition.

It was the finishing work that really made this cardigan turn out. I worked folded knitted hems along the bottom and the neckband. The neckband took a lot of thought and I tried several different approaches to get it to look good. I cast on for the yoke without a plan for the neckband (bad idea), which left me wondering the past few days what in the world I was going to do about the neck area. It was a good opportunity to stretch my creative muscles. I also worked a crochet chain for the buttons and gave it a good steam block.

I'm looking forward to knitting mostly according to a pattern for a while. "Knitting by the seat of one's pants" is hard work!

Posted by jennifer at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Lassobelle ~

Project: Lassobelle
Yarn: Sublime Cashmere Merino DK (10 skeins)
Needles: US3
Pattern: improvised, top-down, seamless raglan with cables

I am excited to finally be able to show this project off! It has been on my needles since February, going through various revisions. I began by working saddle shoulders, then decided that saddle shoulders don't flatter my person and reworked it as a raglan. I may one day decide to type out my pattern notes into some comprehensible directions, but odds are that I won't.

Anyhoot, this is a top-down seamless raglan. A honeycomb stitch provides detail for the upper portion while some cabling runs down the side. The ribbing is my new favorite, twisted stitch ribbing. There are short rows along the back, though I think one too many. And I worked a slight poof to the bottom of the sleeve.

I finished it a few days ago and have had the opportunity to wear it around a bit, and I am very pleased. It is flattering and comfortable. The yarn is super soft and provides excellent stitch detail. After blocking, the yarn grew a very small amount, which I had anticipated (because I actually washed and blocked my gauge swatch), but has been otherwise predictable. This sweater was intended to be simple and well-fitting.

Here's a closeup of the cables. Lord, cables are sexy!

Now that this project is done, I'm knitting up something that has occupied my imagination for several months. It will be a swingy cardigan with a stranded yoke and cropped poofy sleeves. It will also provide me an opportunity to learn a new skill, one which has taken me a long time to try... steeks! Like everyone who tries steeks for the first time says, I'm nervous of taking scissors to my knitting. I did knit up a sample stranded swatch with steek stitches, cut the steek, and the swatch is holding up perfectly, so I hypothesize that all will be well. I'm almost done with the yoke, so perhaps I'll blog about the cutting of the steek over the weekend -- stay tuned for that thrilling post!

Posted by jennifer at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ re-Vivianed ~

I stayed up last night making some revisions to my Vivian which I finished earlier this year. If you recall, I left the front open both for ventilation (as the llama wool is incredibly warm) and because I ran out of yarn. All in all, I wear my Vivian frequently and I have been mostly satisfied and have mostly loved it... except the open front. The open front has, quite honestly, been annoying me for various reasons. I've been thinking about fixing it for several months now, but laziness got the better of me. Then last night, while I was wearing my Vivian and hanging around the apartment, I began to imagine a world in which I absolutely loved my Vivian and realized that I possessed the power to control that aspect of my life. Gee! And so, four months to the day of finishing it, I finally got around to fixing it.

I unravelled several rows of the floppy collar and used that yarn to seam up the front before re-binding off the collar. As I anticipated, unravelling this yarn proved to be a HUGE pain. But well worth it. I debated for a time about whether to just add more buttons, to seam up the whole front, or just to seam up to the snazzy button - - and I feel good about having decided on the latter option. Having closed it up this way, I feel that the cables pop more and that one may better appreciate how well it fits.

Just to add a bit of a yarn review... I have been pleasantly surprised by the Cascade Pastaza - - it's not nearly as itchy as I had feared, has softened up, and has proven to be quite durable. After four months of regular use, there is NO pilling, which I find really amazing. I also really really love the color (which obviously is not displayed correctly in the photos).

I also have to laugh at these photos, as it is clear that I took a lot of care and attention to get high quality shots of my knitting. /sarcasm.

Posted by jennifer at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Rush Hour ~

Finally! The wait is over, another knitting project to share with the world.

Rush Hour: a longways reversible cabled scarf
Yarn: Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK (4 skeins)

This is the snot-green yarn I purchased on sale without having any good reason. As a stash-down project, I knit up this scarf using all four skeins of the yarn. The scarf makes use of the yarn's merino (75% of the content) stretch-properties and stitch-definition. It is fully reversible, with cables and twisted stitches.

The color is totally atrocious. I'm thinking of dying it, but so far laziness has gotten the better of me. I've also thought about writing out my pattern notes, but laziness has gotten the better of me. If anyone is particularly interested in them, let me know and that could compel me to type them out.

Some knitters may perceive these photos, depicting my newly completed knitting project perched on muddy bike tires something of an abomination, but for me it represents how I hope for biking to occupy more of my time than knitting in the near future. Last weekend, it was sunny and around 50 degrees, so I took myself on a road ride. I totally overdressed and was too warm, which felt pretty glorious for a February bike ride. I rode out to Hidden Springs and back, which features my favorite local hill climb/descent. I was slightly disappointed to find that my cyclecomputer needs a new battery, as I really enjoy monitoring my pace throughout a ride.

In other news, I recently spoiled Battlestar Gallactica for myself by reading character and plot summaries on wikipedia. (BTW, no spoilers here.) As I am always behind on everything (especially modern television programs), I am working through the series by renting the discs from Netflix. Currently, I am almost at the end of season 3. It's taken me quite a bit of time to get this far because I have a love/hate relationship with Battlestar Gallactica - - once in a while, an episode leaves me so emotionally traumatized that I can't bring myself to watch it for a long time, yet the story is so engrossing that I'm pretty much obsessed with it. Normally, I don't want to have any part of a plot spoiled for me and I make a concerted effort to avoid reading anything about it, but season 3 of BG has made me SO CURIOUS to find out certain things in the series that I finally decided to purposefully spoil the plot for myself and read detailed summaries of all the episodes I have yet to watch. I'm very interested to see how knowing certain things about the characters and the plot will impact my viewing of the rest of season 3 and then 4...knowing what I know, I actually think that I will enjoy it more.

Posted by jennifer at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ kn-update ~

Lately, it's been silent over here in knitting knews. The silence is somewhat intentional, as I've been working on a secret project which I would be very excited to show all of you, except for that it is secret. That I have succeeded in keeping this project a secret demonstrates my committment to the secrecy as well as my self-restraint.

In non-secret knews, I've been working on a reversible longways cabled scarf (photo above). This project is my first official 'stash-down' project. Last year, I managed to accumulate a ridiculous amount of yarn without realizing it. I blame my yarn storage unit, which not only stores WAAAY more yarn than one would think possible, but also misleads a person into thinking that one has FAAAR less yarn than what one actually has. So yeah. About two months ago, I was rummaging around in my yarn storage unit, and was 'surprised' by how much yarn I found. By 'surprised', I mean totally shocked and horrified.

Having an ample stash is not as amazing and wonderful as one might imagine. It's not as though I spend my free time rolling around in all of my yarn, really enjoying it. And it's not even as handy or convenient as one might imagine. In fact, I am finding it more annoying and burdensome than anything. Most of it I bought on sale, which has resulted in a handful of skeins in each yarn, with some 'interesting' choices in color.

Anyhoo... the scarf above, my first stash-down project. It's about halfway complete. I am knitting up all four skeins of a random superwash merino that I found at the bottom of the yarn storage unit. The color is a nasty washed out snot-green, and I'm thinking that I will dye it a different color. I can only attribute my paying money for a yarn in this color (and not buying enough to really do anything with it) to temporary insanity resulting from the word "SALE".

As for the cables, you all know I love cables, these aren't particularly interesting, but they are reversible and I think they will make a nice scarf. Plus, when I began this project, I wanted a fairly mindless project as a contrast to my secret project, which is almost stressful in its use of my mental faculties.

Posted by jennifer at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Vivian ~

First finished project of the year and I've been a knitting fool since the school semester ended a few weeks ago. Let it be known that I am delighted, absolutely delighted, with this project. Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn and was not able to knit the hood...sniff. The floppy collar, however, is a decent substitution. Today, the sun was out and Josh and I used the opportunity to hike Pole Cat Trail. It was around 30 degrees outside, I wore Vivian with a baselayer, and felt perfectly comfortable in the crisp air! This cardigan is so snuggly and comfy, perfect for that mild winter hike or cuddling up with some knitting and a cup of tea before bed (how I enjoyed Vivian last night).

Pattern: Vivian
Yarn: Cascade Pastaza

Besides the unfortunate omission of the hood, I made a few other alterations, including some ribbing, duplication of the cable motif on the underside of the sleeves, the button loop instead of zipper, and the changed the shaping. Oh, and the most glaring alteration is employing the Pastaza yarn, which yields a much different look (and feel and wear). I had planned on using Cascade Eco wool, but could not find any when I went out shopping - - and since I had to buy yarn that very day because I could not wait one second longer to cast on, I bought the Pastaza. Mainly because I liked the color....

Here's a shot of the back where you can see my shaping. This yarn was so thick and heavy that I was worried it would make me look like a quarterback if I followed the pattern, so I kept it narrow in the shoulders.

This yarn is also so thick that it has proven to be a very good move to omit the zipper in favor of a single i-cord button loop. The openness of the front provides much needed ventilation. At 30 degrees F, I was quite warm - - and I am normally someone who is always freezing, so this says a lot about this yarn's warmth. The yarn also has quite a lot of the llama guard hairs, which means that it should always be worn with a long sleeve shirt underneath. Otherwise, the yarn is quite poky (not scratchy, but poky).

The floppy collar is just the cable pattern from the body flipped to the wrong side and increasing 8 stitches every four rows in seed stitch. I'm rather amazed that I ran out of yarn. My row gauge must have been totally off - - I had even bought an 'extra' (calculating total yardage) hank of yarn, but I literally ran out of yarn on the collar bind off.

It was a glorious day today, hiking with Josh, wearing my new Vivian... The sunshine therapy was wonderful.

Posted by jennifer at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ 2008 Knitting Review ~

2008 was the year when my knitting officially advanced to a new level. As a self-taught knitter, it's taken time to move from novice to competent. During the novice years, my attempts at sweaters resulted in such defeat that I did not even consider knitting a sweater for several years, utterly discouraged. Scarves and hats were my knitting accomplishments. In 2007, I made a few sweaters which were nearing successful, and 2008 saw many successful sweaters. During this time, I discovered new methods of sweater construction that facilitated success and allowed me to incorporate my own creative design elements. This year also saw a great deal of heartache and frustration over yarn and fiber. As a self-taught knitter, it's been challenging to even know what a knitter is supposed to know. After several severe disappointments, I had resolved to only recycle thrift store sweaters, because the risk of yarn behavior was too great to justify its cost. But then I started schooling myself on fiber qualities and began to understand why some fibers behave this way and others that way. And I hope it's made me a smarter knitter. Finally, it's interesting looking back on what I made over the year. Each project has a story. Each was its own adventure.

Neaty: Neaty was my first finished project this year, and one of my first efforts in converting a pattern to seamless. I bought the Rowan pattern book for this while on holiday in Arkansas, which brings to mind a number of memories. I knat this before I discovered instructions for the seamless set-in sleeve - - some of you may recall various stages of a very puffy sleeve cap. This was a successful project - - I wear the sweater all of the time, despite a blocking snafu that forever changed the drape of the fabric. Ah...fiber and steam.

Iceland...once upon a time: This one came off the needles early in the spring and it continues to account for the vast majority of my blog hits. I have to say, I wear this all of the time and I love it. Initially, I was not a fan of this yarn, but I have found it to hold up very well and it has proved to be soft and cozy. I've been giving serious thought to writing up a formal pattern, with sizing and all, but it's kind of a daunting concept. If anyone would like to volunteer to be a test knitter, that might persuade me to move forward.

Two Toned Felted Purse: I have fond memories knitting this during the Presidential Caucus. In hindsight, this felting project was a poor use for such nice yarn.

Cozy Sweater: The Cozy Sweater affirmed the glory of the top-down seamless sweater. Unfortunately, this sweater brings up bad memories for me and pilling yarn. This sweater was essentially destroyed after only a handful of wearings. Looking at the photos of how well it fit make me feel very sad.

Ruffled Jacket: This was another that I converted to seamless. Unfortunately, another blocking snafu forever altered the drape, shape, and fit of this puppy. Finally, I get it - - swatch and wash your swatch. Merino stretches a lot.

Noro Scarf: I bought this yarn during a trip to Seattle to celebrate my birthday. I didn't care for how the scarf hung about my neck, and re-used the yarn for my first pair of mittens.

Oolong: This was actually a relic from 2007, a stranded skirt which had been sitting in my unfinished project bin. I attempted to make headway on it, but this was before I knew anything about stranded knitting technique and threw it away because it looked terrible.

Cabled Scarf: This was another project I didn't finish. I had such a grand vision, but the yarn wasn't quite right, nor was the width.

Inishfern: I love cables. Inishfern was another top-down seamless cardigan, totally improvised. This cotton/angora yarn came from a recycled thrift store sweater and it continues to be ever glorious. I still buy 'nice yarn', but this serves as a testament to how awesome it is to recycle.

Noro Harvest Mittens: My first mittens!

Fetching: I joined the fingerless gloves bandwagon and knitted these up as a gift, and I have noted that they are worn regularly.

Tweedy Waistjacket: Top-down, seamless, totally improvised, and I love it. With this project, I learned to do stranded knitting with both yarns in one hand. Was able to achieve good tension and proper color dominance, two things that Oolong greatly needed.

Kurzeme Mittens: Second pair of mittens and major color work adventure. Love and love. Another example of the wonders of recycling yarn. Also, experimental thumb gusset was a great learning opportunity.

Frost Fan Scarf: a nice scarf, very drapey.

Selbu Modern: one of my favorites. Love the yarn, love the pattern, love the finished project.

Balaclava: a fun and quick knit.

Posted by jennifer at 6:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

~ strands ~

What with the end of the graduate school semester, a busy work-load (yay!), a couple of fun weekend adventures, a personal computer fiasco turned into an opportunity, and some winter weather enjoyment, I've got a lot going on right now. I'd really love to tell you all about some of these adventures/incidents, but right now I'm going to write you all about my knitting exploits, arguably the least interesting and least time consuming of my present activities.

Pattern: Selbu Modern
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2

This was an incredibly fast knit. I started it sometime last week and finished it this Monday. Between those times, I engaged in a shockingly little amount of knitting and still completed it in five days. I spent the entire days of Sunday and Monday devoting my energy to some final school papers, taking brief knitting breaks now and then. This proved to be a great project to 'reward' myself after some solid focus at the computer.

The pattern is for a slouchy beret. As I have a small head and not a lot of hair, I was not confident in my ability to pull off the 'slouchy beret'-look, and so I opted to go for a more traditional hat-thing. Considering how much I enjoyed this project, I envision that I will make a second one, possibly with a little more slouch. At any rate, I would HIGHLY recommend this project to others. The colorwork is very enjoyable and not too complicated. Also, there are very few moments when one color is used for more than five stitches, so there is very little 'float-weaving' to do - - a big plus in my book! And as others have mentioned, the decreases at the crown are really ingenious.

As for the Kauni, I am in love with it and it has proven fantastic with this project. The color gradients resulted in some nifty striping of which I am a fan. In addition, Kauni is allowing me to have a greater appreciation for the scratchy yarn. On the interwebs, I've been reading about people's love for scratchy yarn and it's taken me some time to be won over. For those who have not felt this yarn, it's texture is similar to a brillo pad. I bought two HUGE skeins of it for super cheap from a Ravelry user who had been knitting a scarf with it. I imagine the brillo texture next to one's neck to be extremely uncomfortable, and surmise that is why she was trying to rid herself of it. Nevertheless, this yarn (as we will see below) combined with another yarn is very nice, or for not-next-to-sensitive-skin projects (like a hat - - that is, if you have hair to shield your noggin from the brillo-ness) it works well. On the interwebs, I have seen many beautiful scarves with this yarn, and I just don't think that's something I can get behind.

Anyhoo, I've had the opportunity to wear my new awesome hat walking around in the cold temperatures several times, and it is very cozy and warm. People like me, who have poor natural temperature regulation, need to have warm and cozy knitting for the winter. It is a must!

Pattern: Kurzeme Charts 108 & 111, from Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis.
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2 & Recycled Angora

A couple posts ago, I was able to show you one of my Latvian Mittens, and now I can show you TWO of them. I finished the second one well over a week ago and I've been absolutely LOVING wearing them. For my perpetually cold and clammy hands, they are wonderful. They are toasty warm but they breathe enough that they don't get all sweaty on the inside. Over the weekend, Josh and I went to see a play, and after it was over, I rode my bike home in the cold wearing these mittens, and my hands stayed nicly warm. This, I feel, is quite telling about how awesome my mittens are.

As I previously wrote, the thumb gusset was improvised, which explains the wonkiness. Next time I do mittens, I vow to have a plan. Also, the tip decreases were also improvised, but except for some minor wonkiness, I think they came out quite nice. You will also note that the two mittens are not identical in terms of where the colorwork falls. This is the result of my improvised thumb gusset's placement on the colorwork chart. I suppose that if you are someone who cares about matching mittens, this might be an issue. For me...meh. These, what some people might call "imperfections", are inconsequential to me. What I primarily love about these mittens is that they are totally awesome.

Oh, and the yarn. The purple yarn (yes, it's purple even though it looks brown in the photo) is the same Kauni that I used for my selbu hat. As I indicated above, blending the Kauni with another yarn makes it less brillo-pad like. For these mittens, I blended them with an angora yarn that I recycled from a thrift store sweater (the color is lime green, not pee-yellow), and the resulting fabric is rilly rilly soft and rilly rilly warm.

Pattern: Vivian
Yarn: Cascade Pastaza

A couple of posts-ago, I also wrote you about knitting up Vivian. Here is a status photo, with my astro-turf as the background. Don't you think I should use astro-turf as the background for all my knitting photos? It really makes the knitting 'pop'.

This is a great pattern. Bottom-up, seamless, with saddle sleeves, waist shaping, and a hood. The yarn is nice to work with - - I've already anticipated that it will be a bit itchy (llama blend), so I'm making it to be more of a 'jacket' to be worn with a layer underneath.

In more general knitting knews, I'm glad to be back to working on only one project at a time. These people who have fifteen projects going at once...I think I'm too distractable to make that work. While there are thirteen million things I want to knit right at this very moment, I find that it's better if I concentrate on just one before moving to another.

Also, while 2008 was the 'stash augmenting' year, I envision that 2009 will be the 'stash busting' year. This year, I have economically stimulated a lot of yarn shops. I now have, arguably, a lot of yarn. Over the weekend, I economically stimulated another industry, which I hope to write you all about later this week or next, but a result is that I am no longer able to justify my carefree economic stimulation of yarn shops. But don't worry, I have plenty of yarn to continue to thrill you with tantilizing tales of knitting.

Posted by jennifer at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ yummy delicious ~

Greetings, interwebbers. As promised, an update on my wild and thrilling knitting adventures.

Tweedy Waistjacket

Pattern: Top-down seamless raglan (Barbara Walker)
Pattern Inspiration: Tweedy Waist Coat (Deborah Newton, Interweave Knits Fall 2008)
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tween (approx. six balls)
Needles: US 6, US 3

This project went through several incarnations, mainly the result of my failure to embrace my knitting preferences. While I realize that there is no "right" way to knit, as I have written MANY times, I prefer seamless over piece knitting. Previously, I cast on for the Tweedy Waistcoat because it seemed the perfect project for the Jo Sharp yarn. Unfortunately, my mental faculties failed me at the moment of cast on, and I knitted the project as the pattern dictated, in pieces. I had done some, what I thought was, meticulous measuring to ensure the pieces, when seamed together, would form a garment that would fit me well. In reality, after I knit the entire thing and seamed it all together, the finished project looked horrendous. And so, I unravelled the entire project.

Over the course of a weekend, I sat down with a pen and paper and sketched out variations of the Tweedy Waistcoat design. I ultimately decided to go with the basic raglan cardigan and the colorwork motif at the bottom. Given that my last three major projects, Inishfern, the Ruffled Jacket, and Iceland, were...umm, incredibly fabulous but also a bit wonky, I decided to knit up a more basic piece. My Tweedy Waistjacket is basic with some colorwork for added interest and fits well and comfortably. Honestly, I haven't been this pleased with a project for some time. It may be less fabulous than my other recent cardigans, but I am confident that I will wear it with greater regularity. I've had the opportunity to wear it several times since finishing it, and it is wonderful - - so cozy and warm, and it has a very comfortable fit. I am delighted.

The colorwork at the bottom alters the tension which provides a slight 'sinching effect. This style of cardigan, fastened at the breastal area and open going down, I find to be flattering for a variety of body shapes and sizes. The substantive yarn yields a cardigan that is more 'jacketty'. Most recently, I decided to add an i-cord button ring as the fastening mechanism (photo above). It may fail to surprise you that my opinionatedness extends all the way down to buttonholes. Indeed, buttonholes have caused me great disappointment in the past and I am having good luck with their alternatives. The i-cord button loop may become my fastening mechanism of choice, for reasons which I might describe ad nauseum in a later post.

Latvian Mitten, Kurzeme 108 & 111

Pattern: Kurzeme Charts 108 & 111, from Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis.
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2 & Recycled Angora
Needles: US 1

This has been a very enjoyable project - - the colorwork is great fun. I fashioned a highly improvised thumb gusset that proved quite tricky to incorporate into the colorwork. I changed my mind several times about what I wanted to do with the thumb and so there's a significant amount of wonkiness. Learning by doing is the most effective way for me to "plan and improve" and I've now got a plan for how to knit the thumb for the second mitten and am excited to see how it works. But even if it doesn't work, I am not a perfectionist and as long as the result is a mostly-attractive mitten that fits well and is comfy and cozy, then I will be more than satisfied. Also, I'm still a novice stranded knitter, so expecting that I will achieve perfection in a new and complicated skill is unreasonable anyway.

Okay, the yarn for these... The green is an angora yarn that I recycled from a thrift store sweater and the purple is Kauni. I'd like to mention that I bought the Kauni (two HUGE balls of Kauni) significantly discounted from a Ravelry user - - the interwebs are so handy! The fiber combination of the two yarns has resulted in being very very warm and also very soft - - the angora balances the Kauni nicely.

Frost FanScarf

Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Simply Shetland Silk & Lambswool
Needles: US 3

A few weekends ago was the public Library's annual booksale. To say that I was "excited" about procuring a copy of Meg Swansen's A Gathering of Lace for $4 would be an extreme understatement. This is a book which I probably would have never bought 'for real' because lace is really scary. I've experienced enough 'ugh's with lace in my knitting career that it would be ludacris for a crappy lace knitter like myself to buy an entire book devoted to the terrifying act of lace knitting. But used at the library booksale, it was an awesome purchase. Even though at the time of purchase, I had the above two projects on my needles and did not need to have a third project to work on, sure to my form I cast on for a lace scarf. The pattern is a variation of the frost flowers stitch pattern (changed the repeat) and I will be adding a garter stitch feather and fan metered edging in a contrasting yarn.

Upcoming projects....

Pattern: Selbu Modern
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino

When I saw the pattern for Selbu Modern (a free download), I loved it. As I have watched the project photos come through Ravelry, I continue to be impressed with how pretty and cute this hat is, and the overwhelmingly postive comments about the pattern have reinforced my desire to knit this up. Last weekend, a sale at a local yarn shop allowed me to procure, at almost half price, several skeins of Koigu Premium Merino in some fantastic colorways. The only thing that is keeping me from casting on for the Selbu Modern is deciding which color combination to use. At the moment, I'm thinking of the green/green combo with some of the magenta added in small amounts.

Pattern: Vivian
Yarn: Cascade Pastaza

Last week, as you all know, the winter edition of the Twist Collective came out. I must say, I have been very excited and impressed by the designs in this publication. I realize that they are likely wanting to kick off the first two issues with a bang, but wow, in my mind they put Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting to shame. In fact, the preview for the winter issue of the former magazine became available last week, and as I scanned it, all I could think was "Boring!"

In all honesty, I find myself increasingly disappointed by sweater patterns because of how much modification I end up doing (see above, unravelling the Tweedy Waistcoat). As a result, I've made a promise to myself to seek out patterns that are more in tune with my knitting preferences. The love I felt when I first viewed Vivian was great - - it might very well be my dream fitted cabled hoodie, but when I read the construction notes and discovered that the pattern is seamless, I was overjoyed. This is a pattern I could really get behind!

I spent some time over the weekend doing yarn research and contemplating my version of Vivian. I'm thinking of making it slightly more 'jacketty' and employing a loftier and more substantive yarn, namely Cascade Pastaza. This will be my first adventure into the world of llama blends. And instead of the zipper, I'm planning on fashioning some i-cord button rings (see above, fastening mechanism of choice).

Posted by jennifer at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ the blacklist ~

For all of you who have been anxiously awaiting another thrilling post about bicycle riding, I am sorry to disappoint. You see, Josh and I had been planning a ride up near Idaho City on some fire roads, but then it rained. Due to the infrequency of rain and the quantity of this particular rain, we had to abort the mission. At about 8:30 on Saturday morning, I texted Josh to see if he would be interested in a Nampa experience instead. Affirmative.

Around noonish, we loaded our persons into the automotive vehicle and went to Nampa. What fun! As it was around noonish, we were both in the mood for a nutritional supplement. Somewhere along the Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard, we stopped at a joint called "Blazin' Burgers" and we each procured and subsequently consumed a 'blazin' burger'. Instead of normal fries, I opted to spend an additional $0.60 for the sweet potato fries. Yum! While we were waiting for our food, we noted a number of religious prayers, psalms, and other sayings posted around the place. From this we deduced that the owners were believers. After wolfing down our yummy nonsecular food, we went over to the Flying M Coffee Garage for some coffee and mental contemplation. I believe that we also conversed about topics of great import. We each had two entire cups of joe which caused us to feel a little jittery and over-caffinated. After the second cup of joe, we decided to stroll around downtown Nampa. The rain had temporarily subsided and it was quite pleasant out. We ended up spending a bit of time and money at this new clothing shop, which of course I totally forget the name of...something like the White Pine... The shop featured affordable fair trade and organic clothing, and we both found its selection quite fashionable. Because I am a seasoned shopper, I went directly to the Sale Rack and located some discounted items. During my browsing, I noticed that the shop was selling Toms. Many moons ago, I bought a pair of Toms and have really loved them. Unfortunately, they didn't sell very well and the store ceased to carry them. Which lamed me out because I have wanted another pair. It also lamed out Josh because he has been wanting a pari. So of course, we both went bananas over the Toms. As my previous pair were brown corduroys, I decided to go with something a little more silly. Here they are on some astroturf....

The duration of my weekend consisted of mellow social engagements and BBQs. I attended two BBQs in a single weekend and ate a month's supply of protein and yellow mustard. Also, beer. A BBQ on Friday evening at Amy's featured the cute puppy being extremely ornery, which I was relieved he had gotten out of his system by Sunday morning when Amy and I took him for a pleasant hike in the foothills. Of note on that hike is that we saw a unicycling mountain biker, which I thought was pretty impressive. I've heard about people who mountain bike on unicycles and have seen photos on the blessed internet, but never witnessed it in reality. It was very cool! The other BBQ was at Elizabeth's on Saturday night and it was very mellow. To Elizabeth's chagrin, the torrential rain had pretty much ruined her plans of being outside and the barometric pressure had caused everyone to feel particularly subdued.

The remainder of this post will focus on my latest knitting adventures.

To begin, I am compelled to go on and on about my failure at being a library user. I blame the hours of operation, as the library seems to never be open when I feel like going...like, 2:00 a.m. This is similar to my feelings about going to the gym. I don't understand why more establishments aren't open 24 hours a day, that would be a really good idea and I'm certain would not be an inefficient use of resources. Of course, several of my friends are frequent library users and they occasionally opt to tell me about their latest library borrowings. One friend in particular has borrowed a number of knitting books containing patterns I would like to get my hands on but haven't been able to justify purchasing the entire book. Now, I remember scouring the library's knitting books a few years ago and determed that the selection was total crap. And I haven't really been back. But from what I gather from aforementioned friend, apparently there has been some book acquisitions of the knitting variety in the past several years. Who would've known!!!

Over the weekend, I took some time out of my day to peruse the library's online catalog, and noted a number of titles which I am extremely interested in. My primary interest is a book which I believe is out of print (because the general asking price for used copies is around $220) but contains some intricate stranded designs, called Norsk-Strikkedesign. Contained within its pages is a pattern called 'Season of Darkness and Winter Light' (it is the design featured in the cover photo) and it is one of those designs that makes knitting seem magical. I am thrilled to tell you that I have placed a hold on the book, and am so excited about borrowing it (hopefully in a few weeks).

Speaking of stranded knitting, I am slowly making headway on my Selbu mittens.

For reasons of wanting to avoid the 'second mitten curse' and of wanting to knit matching mittens, I am knitting both mittens concurrently. So obviously, I have twice the knitting completed as featured in the above photo. I have temporarily set the mittens aside, however, so that (1) I can practice my stranded knitting, and (2) to acquire a certain gadget. After all, stranded knitting takes skill. Skill which I currently lack. In my previous stranded projects, I have employed the "drop and grope" method, which is a good method to use if you like knitting to be slow and tedious. It's also a good method if you prefer to have really bad tension. So clearly, I am in the market for improved skills.

Before I really get going, I'd like to mention that I've found a lot of really helpful information about stranded knitting on this blog. If you scroll down, on the right sidebar there is a section where she has compiled her posts about techniques. For anyone else who is a novice strander, I would highly recommend them.

To acquire better stranded skills, I have taken up a new project with easy colorwork (see below). I had been practicing the two handed method, but have frustratingly concluded that I am the opposite of ambidexterous. As a result, I am practicing a number of single-handed methods, some of which are working out for me better than others. In my reading about technique, I have stumbled upon a yarn guide gadget. While it is normally used by continental knitters, I have learned that some throwers (like myself) have had great success with it. And so, I have set down my Selbu mittens until the arrival of my yarn guide in the mail.

The project that I am currently working on is my Tweedy Waistjacket. The yarn is the Jo Sharp I bought in Seattle, which I have tried working for a number of projects but have not found anything very suitable until now. The pattern is in the Fall '08 issue of Interweave Knits, and I am delighted at how perfect it is for this yarn. It shows off the tweediness of the yarn quite well. Also, this is one of the faster projects I've worked on in some time.

I'm sorry to leave you all hanging with such an incredibly brief and short post. I know that you were hoping I'd write at length about all of these rather insignificant topics, but I clearly just don't have it in me. I wish that I could just go on an on, until most of you cease skimming this post and just close your browser, but obviously I am in the mood for sticking to the point and not rambling on about whatever comes to mind. Until next time...

Posted by jennifer at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ bruised apple ~

I finished my first pair of mittens this weekend. They are the "Yellow Harvest" mittens from the Fall 2008 Vogue Knitting. The yarn is Noro Silk Garden (the same yarn from a scarf I knat a few months ago, which I ended up not liking very much...so I harvested the yarn to knit up my "Noro Harvest" mittens). As far as a pattern for first-mittens goes, this is a good one - - well written with several nice details that are fun to work. Morning temperatures have recently dipped into the chilly zone for my walk to work, and so I have had the opportunity to wear these mittens both yesterday and today and have found them lovely.

In mountain biking news, I have been getting in a lot of riding now that the weather is cooling off. Last Friday, Josh and I rode a most awesome foothills 'loop' - - up Bogus Basin, up Corralls, up Scott's , down Scott's, down Trail 4, and down Crestline/Kestrel. The ride was somewhat monumental for me, signifying that I am overcoming my fears about steep drop-offs. I don't believe I wrote about this, but last year when I had the bike with the grabby breaks that exacerbated many of my fears about steepness, heights, and drop-offs, Josh and I went on a ride on Scott's Trail and I experienced something of a total panic attack about the drop-off along a steeper part of the trail. As this year is a different year, with a different bike, and a different attitude, I have been feeling very accomplished at overcoming my fears and anxieties - - which is particularly significant because so much of mountain biking is about mental attitude. I've been riding trails which I had become rather wimpy about, and challenging myself on much more technical terrain, discovering that most of the time, things just LOOK hard, and that when I relax and pedal/roll over something, I find that it is much easier than expected. So anyway, Scott's trail was the final test to myself that I am totally OVER the crashes and negative mental attitudes that got me down last year. To clarify, there's nothing about Scott's that is really hard (it's a nice intermediate trail) but a few sections of trail had qualities that would freak me out. Anyway, so on Friday when we were doing our awesome loop, I was mentally preparing myself to ride down Scott's. I kept giving myself all kinds of encouragement, reminding myself that I've ridden much more difficult trails, and that this was nothing, NOTHING to get a panic attack about. And as I was descending, I told myself to focus on the trail, relax, breath...and I kept thinking that the scary sections of the trail must be around the next turn, so I stayed relaxed, breathed, and focused on the trail in front of me. I was still expecting the scary section of the trail to be around the next turn when I realized that I had made it to the bottom. HUH? The trail on which I had experienced a panic attack, I had now ridden without a single hesitation. I am serious when I argue that mountain biking is primarily about mental attitude, and secondarily about fitness. After descending Scott's, there was still a LOT of downhill left, and I had a blast bonzaiing down the mountains.

On Saturday, we returned to the Owyhees and tried to ride from 'our parking space' to Succor Creek. The previous weekend when we went out there, we encountered a couple on an ATV picking up litter, and had a conversation about how some of the roads we were riding would take a person out to Succor Creek. And so this weekend, we tried to do just that. Of course, I had gotten all complacent in the cooler temperatures and convinced Josh that it would be okay if we left in the afternoon, rather than bright and early in the morning. BAD MOVE. Aside from being a bit on the hot side, I found the roads a tad sandier than I prefer. It was still very ridable, just took a bit more effort to plow through. Before I would feel comfortable giving it an official review, however, I think I need to ride it again. I realize that my being kinda too hot was detrimental to my fully appreciating the ride - - also, I now realize that I did not consume many calories during the lengthy ride, and so I possibly lacked energy that I might have had if I had been more responsible with my caloric intake.

So, it takes about an hour to drive out to 'our parking spot' in the Owyhees. Since joining the modern era with the acquisition of my iPod, I have placed all of my compact discs into a compact disc book-holder-deal, which I have placed in my car (for, you know, road trips). Despite the plethora of music available during this particular road trip, Josh and I opted to listen to the Flight of the Conchords cd THREE TIMES IN A ROW. Needless to say, we have since had the catchy tunes stuck in our heads. In fact, I am pretty much in a constant state of mentally huming the tunes to myself, both awake and asleep, and it is kind of annoying.

Posted by jennifer at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ fall preview ~

This is the latest version of my garden scarf. On its previous incarnation, the center cable panel went the way of the beast and I felt compelled to rechart the blasted thing. While I was bothering to frog, I took the opportunity to cast on for an additional cable panel at either end of the scarf, hence making it W I D E .

As scarves are a regular component of my wardrobe, even in the summer (what with the crazy air conditioning action at my place of employment), I find great joy in having a variety of fashionable scarves from which to select for my daily outfit. To add to the joy, knitting a few scarves a year... Many of you should have noted (what with my constant mentioning of it) that I have become more interested in cables this year. Previously in my scarf history, I was of the rather staunch opinion that scarves ought to be reversible - - and this limited my cabling engagement on scarves, as the options for reversible cables are few. More recently I have discontinued my preference for reversible scarves, and this has opened my scarf world to inifinite and exciting possibilities.

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Below, a preview of Inishfern. A few finishing touches remain to be completed. One, that bad crocheted buttonband that I mentioned....needs to be redone. It is much too bad. Considering the badness of the crochet, I may opt to pick up and knit some buttonholes. This may prove to be my best option, especially to counter what I fear may be too much negative ease at the top.

I wore Inishfern all day yesterday and it was lovely. It fits just the way I wanted, it is wonderfully comfortable, and looks pretty and attractive. You will note the asymetrical neckline, of which I have become quite fond. And the sleeves, which you cannot really discern from the photo, are mostly straight - - not tappered, not bell - - and I love them. Per my joy of cables, this is cables upon cables and cables fusing with other cables. However, I do not feel the cables are over done as can happen when cables are allowed to take over and go totally bananas. Cables, love them, but keep them in check.

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I would like to conclude this thrilling post with a list of projects for which I plan to cast on this fall.

• First and foremost, Brooklyntweed's Druid Mittens. Sigh... I have almost decided which yarn to employ - - a deep-red wool from my stash that I recycled from a thrift store sweater. Although, I may crumble at the beauty of that Jamison shetland wool and throw down the dollars. These would be my first adventure into mittens, and if they go well, I envision myself knitting a lot of mittens.
• I have found Brooklyntweed to design some nice manly items, and so I am planning on knitting the Turn a Square hat for the SO. I have no idea what yarn to use - - as knitted gifts for the SO must be both machine washable and machine dryable.
• And, if I can get up the guts for steeks, Little Birds by Ysolda.

There are plenty of other ideas for improvised projects - - legwarmers, more top-down seamless raglans - - but these are specific patterns which I have a mind to follow.

Fall is around the corner. With it comes school and less time to knit, but more time to enjoy what I knat over summer break.

Posted by jennifer at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ Neaty ~

Finished my Neaty and I love it. As I indicated previously, there was a bit of a snafu with the blocking, but I was able to correct that - - one of the glories of yarn, if you ask me. At any rate, I've worn my Neaty both yesterday and now today, apparently it's my new favorite garment, and I'm delighted with how cozy and comfy it is, the yarn is super soft. While I did not follow the pattern from Rowan hardly at all, I feel that the end product contains the 'spirit and intent' of Neaty, even though the process to arrive here was substantially different.

Posted by jennifer at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ my merry way ~

I engaged in a substantial amount of knitting this weekend, finally completing an entire sleeve. Woo-wee! From this experience, I can assertively state that I am a novice sleeve knitter. I wish that I could spend a week experimenting with different types of sleeves to determine my preference. For the sleeve on my Neaty, I had a vision of knitting it in a certain way that I found difficult to reconcile in practice. I engaged in A LOT of research on sleeve construction and was not able to locate a method that corresponded to my vision. And so, I kept trying over, and over, and over. I'm quite please with what I've come up with, even though my shaping is extremely pronounced - - I think it looks good when worn over an actual shoulder. Below is a detail - - please note, I stuffed the shoulder with some socks, which does not accurately represent the shape or fit. More photos are available on my flickr page.

Regarding the yarn, I don't normally go for self-striping yarn, but the Berroco Jasper is simply glorious. The yarn, however, does not maintain a consistent thickness. According to Berroco, this adds a uniqueness to the knitted garment. I, however, feel that it makes some parts in my knitting appear to have mistakes. Am wondering if a good dose of blocking will settle it down. The ribbing, as I've mentioned, is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and even though I don't excell at matching, I'm pleased at how much the yarns compliment each other.

In other news, I am ready for cycling season! Over the weekend, I brought my road bike over to Josh's place and we did some spinning on his trainers while watching crime shows. It was fun and all, but does nothing to compare to an actual ride. I've been keeping myself up at night fantasizing about all of the mountain biking I'll get to do on my new bike. Josh and I have been discussing possible vacations for this year and many of our discussions have centered around mountain bike-focused trips. I just keep thinking about my favorite road rides, my favorite trails, and all of the possibilities for discovering more biking adventures...it is very exciting!

Posted by jennifer at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ scattered paper ~

I am in need of the proverbial vacation. The good news is that all of my overtime will be resulting in some extra spending money for this holiday season. The lame news is that I have no time for spending my hard earned money. I have been consistently arriving at work an hour or two early and leaving an hour or two late, I worked the recent holiday and I worked over the weekend. In addition to feeling as though I spend all of my time in the office, I have not had any interest in spending what little free time I have on school. On Sunday, I got into the office at 6 o'clock in the morning and worked non-stop until some time in the afternoon. For the rest of the day, I felt as though I had spent an extended period of time in the presence of some dementors - - what with feeling as though I would never feel joy or happiness again. I was pretty down. That evening, I watched Hotel Rwanda and had a little dose of perspective.

Over the weekend, I did finally finish my revision of the Nantucket Jacket. While I am not 100% satisfied with the way that it fits, I am very very very satisfied with it. As you may recall, I opted to transform it into a pullover and to make it more fitted. I also installed a different collar and made the sleeves full-length. Here I am modeling it, please disregard the strange buldge in the elbow.

I've finally taken a moment to upload some photos onto flickr. As you peruse them, you'll undoubtely note that they have no rhyme or reason.

Posted by jennifer at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ on gloriousness ~

Despite my busyness, recently I've made time for knitting. Months ago, I "briefly mentioned" how I was going to rework the Nantucket Jacket and, well, I'm still working on it. Sweaters can take a bit of work, especially if they have a somewhat elaborate stitch pattern. Anyway, I've become a bit more enthused about my subscription to Netflix (perhaps it's due to the change in weather?) and have been ending the day by cuddling up in my big poofy chair watching some thrilling thing. Last night, I watched the National Geographic version of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" which I thought was very interesting. As I always say, "why read the book when you can netflix the movie." But back to knitting. Sometimes I get a bit stressed out knitting sweaters because there's so much pressure to get the construction and the fit right. At the moment, I'm almost finished with the first sleeve. And for some time, I've been wondering if I knat the sleeve poorly with regards to being able to properly attach to the body of the sweater. In the latest issue of Interweave Knits, which I received in mailbox over the weekend, there's a very interesting article about sleeve construction, which I would recommend to any other OCD knitters. So yea, been thinking alot about sleeves. Last night, while I was being intellectually stimulated about why inequality exists, I decided to attach the sleeve to the sweater even though I was not done knitting the sleeve. For whatever reason, I decided to knit the sleeve, contrary to the instructions, from the shoulder to the cuff. After carefully attaching it to the rest of the sweater, I was pleasantly surprised that it was perfect! So now I can continue knitting the rest of the sleeves without anxiety.

Anyhoot, there is additional cause to celebrate in my world (I know, I know - - I, too, have difficulty believing that there is more to life than knitting, but trust me on this one) because I recently had the very rare experience of seeing the candidates for whom I voted actually win the election. Even though there was never much of a chance that they would not win, it is still very exciting for me because I usually vote for losers. On election night, Josh and I popped by the Basque Center to see all of the Democrats congregating around the mayor and city council members and it reminded me of the night, several years ago, when he and a few other local law makers I had voted for won, and how amazing and wonderful it was. Brings tears to my eyes just to think of how awesome it is when progressive individuals can win elections in such a conservative state.

Posted by jennifer at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ the mean tambourine ~

I absorbed a bit too much sun this weekend during the annual beer and bicycle festival. The intoxicating effects of the sun most likely were responsible for inducing me to volunteer to participate in a bicycle race that involved costumery and public displays of sillyness. As my team member was adorning me in a mullet wig and applying mascara to my face in the form of masculine facial hair, I almost fell off of the podium and blamed my imbalance on the multitude of beers I had consumed, which resulted in laughs from the contest coordinators. I also acquired numerous bumps and bruises on my person as a result of my intoxicated efforts to master all of the kooky custom bicycles available. Luckily, I do not have testicles.

In other news, over the weekend I netflixed the film "The Fountainhead" by mistake when I actually meant to netflix "The Fountain." What is up with me and my mixing up of titles.? sheesh! So, I snuggled up with some knitting last night, anticipating some sexy shirtless scenes of Hugh Jackman, and found myself viewing an Ayn Rand adaptation. God, Ayn Rand...blech. Anyway, I'm enjoying the film much more than I was expecting. I only made it through about halfway due to its length conflicting with my bedtime. And even though the sweaty bulging muscles of Gary Cooper in the quary aren't quite as suggestive as a ripped hairy chest, I'm looking forward to finishing the movie this evening.

Speaking of knitting, you may or may not recall my knitting a certain Nantucket Jacket, and how much joy I found in that project. THE ONE THING has been that I haven't really cared for the way that it fit on my person. I recently finished knitting my latest project and found myself at a loss about my next project. I gave some reflection to the Nantucket Jacket, remembered both how much I enjoyed working on it and how much I dislike the fit, and I decided to unravel it and knit it again. I spent a good chunck of time redesigning the pattern, deciding to work it in the round, making it a pullover instead of a cardigan, making it much more fitted instead of loose and baggy, with long sleeves instead of three-quarter length, and with a completely different neckline.

And finally...I get to go back to school tomorrow. I'm not exactly thrilled by the impending constraints on my time, but I'm looking forward to the intellectual stimulation and the possibility of blending of my work with my school.

Posted by jennifer at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

~ disappointment on my knitted brow ~

At the moment, I am super excited about all of these items which I lack the time to pursue. For a time, I have been working on the Nantucket Jacket which I started working on strong, but have had to place aside for days (and weeks) at a time for work and school. I've recently had an opportunity to take up the needles again, and I must say!, this is a very fun pattern to work on. The pattern has enough going on with it that it is plenty interesting and fun, what with the alternating cables and lacework, but is simple enough that I do not have to constantly be reading the pattern. Which is another way of saying that I have had the opportunity to watch numerous quality episodes of Star Trek: the Next Generation. Nevertheless, I still have to finish my two sleeves and then must learn some basic crochet skillz for the edging.

I have also been excited about being able to do some bicycling. Unfortunately, the weather has not been consistently glorious and I've gone to the gym a few more times than I would prefer. Also, I have been a bit disappointed in this female-only mountain biking group with whom I am aligned. There has been nary a group-ride scheduled and I continue to desire more estrogen on my mountain bike rides. I have exchanged several emails with the female who shares my given name, who I went road biking with several times last year, and we are trying to schedule a tough girls mountain bike ride, but scheduling has proven to be an issue. Also, I have received some good news and some not-wonderful news regarding my acquisition of a full suspension mountain bike. The good news is that the bicycle shop owners were feeling particularly generous and have offered to let me buy the bike at an incredible deal. The not-wonderful news is that somehow the bicycle is not currently available and it might be a whole entire MONTH until I can get it. I know, I know! A month! I, too, have no idea how I'm going to survive what I have determined to be approximately thirty days! I mean, what am I supposed to do? Ride the perfectly servicible bike that I've been riding for two years??? I AM NOT A BARBARIAN!

On the other hand, I don't really have time (or, I shouldn't have the time) to do these and other things that I would like to...what with the whole school thing. Boy, am I looking forward to summer break! The best part about school is not being in it! I know that I'm only taking two classes, but trying to have a quality life balance and working full time plus is a challenge. Additionally, I'm simply not all that excited about being a student. I mean, it's neat in some ways, and my program is much more interesting than I was expecting, but I feel very OVER being a student. I hypothesize that my undergraduate experience totally burned me out from academia and I feel very DONE with the whole thing. Of course, part of the problem is that I've got something of a Type A personality and I simply have to do my best in everything that I do. Oh sure, I'm pleased that on all three of the research papers so far this semester that I received the highest grade in the class and the professors were just RAVING about how good they were, but the process that it took to do so well on those papers involved a drastic reduction in the quality of my personal life. Not that I don't think it's great fun to get up at 4:00 a.m. to work on my paper for four hours before going to work and then working on my paper again when I arrive home from work until midnight for a week and a half...but lately I've been reconsidering the important things in life and at the end of the day I don't think that getting the highest grade in the class is meaningful or indicative of a quality existence. Rather, a measure of quality existence would probably involve the successful achievement of qualitative happiness along a moment-to-moment continuum. The happiness that I felt at finding out my paper grade was significantly less happiness than if I had had some fun and enjoyable experiences during the week and a half that I spent writing the infernal thing. And the same thing goes for how I've been handling my work load at the job. In essence, I should abandon my Type A need for perfection and get a life.

Posted by jennifer at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

~ Knitting Red Caplet & Bicycle Hat ~

Two knitting projects - which I completed months ago - that I wanted to direct everyone's attention to are a red caplet that I made from a pattern in this book and a bicycle hat that I knat during my trip to Portland from a pattern that I developed all by myself. The red caplet isn't anything astonishing, but I did thoroughly enjoy knitting it. It's made from some cheapo very soft and snuggly TLC Amore yarn and on my person, looks something like this

While I was in Portland several months ago, I visited this amazing yarn shop adjacent to a coffee shop, devoted entirely to the practice of knitting. In a bin, I located two shades of green Peruvian merino wool. Because I enjoy the act of knitting and because I enjoy sitting at coffee shops, I knat this hat over the weekend at various Portland coffee shops. The bicycle pattern is fair isle and I modeled it directly from my Gary Fisher Tassajara, which explains why it looks more like a mountain bike than a generic stick figure bicycle. The next time I make one of these (and it is quite likely that I'll make a road bike version, and maybe a cruiser, tandem, unicycle - - hell, I could have a whole line of bicycle hats to sell!), I shall make the tires less pronounced.

Posted by jennifer at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Blue Caplet ~

As I have possibly mentioned previously, this was my birthday present to myself. From it, I have derived much inspiration, which has facilitated my rekindling a thrill for knitting. Based on one of the patterns, I knat this blue caplet. This is one of the catch-up blogs that I have on my list to write, as I finished this project several weeks ago (I refer you back to the GRE studying and the depression for why I haven't been posting much lately).

The project has something of a funny story. ...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... I followed the directions in the book exactly, I even checked my guage (two activities which are not my forte: following directions & checking my guage), and after a couple of weeks dilligent knitting, I bound off. I had stayed up well past my senior citizen bedtime to finish the project because I was excited beyond articulation about wearing my caplet the following day. After binding off, I picked up the caplet and held it up to my shoulder area. And promptly found myself naseous...the caplet was approximately twice as wide as it should have been to fit upon my person. I sat for a time, still, thinking about my options until I decided that there was nothing to do but to unravel the entire project and begin anew. So much for following directions

I knat the entire project over, this time utilizing my tried and true technique of "guessing instead of checking", and it turned out perfectly. The caplet is wonderful. I find that it creates this amazing umbrella of warmth along my shoulders and torso, and is a fantastic layering accessory. Now I'm on a caplet kick and have several other varieties in the works.

Posted by jennifer at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)