March 15, 2010
~ 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.
January 31, 2010
~ 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.
December 19, 2009
~ 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.
November 11, 2009
~ 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.
October 25, 2009
~ 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.
September 23, 2009
~ 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.
July 25, 2009
~ sometimes ~
I've been in a really good mood these days. There has been the perfect mix of exercise and relaxation, hanging out with friends and alone time.
This afternoon, I took myself out on a bike ride and did a Trail 5, Fat Tire, Sidewinder loop. It was a good ride - - though, way too hot. I checked the temperature before going out, and it read at a mere 95 degrees. Considering it's been over 100 for a week and that we've been breaking heat records, I thought that 95 seemed cool in comparison and perfect for a ride. As I was grunting up Trail 5, however, that 95 degrees seemed much hotter and I had several moments where I thought I was going to pass out. I had two big water bottles full of water that I used to pour all over myself, but the heat was almost unbearable. The sun felt like it was beating down and reflecting off of the sand on the trail, making it doubly piercing. There are a few trails in the foothills which I have found to be more oven-like in the summer; trails that capture and reflect the heat more -- and I think Trail 5 is one of these. There were several times I thought about turning around, and possibly just doing a Shanes loop or something, but I had set out with the intention to do this particular ride and I didn't want to give up over a little heat. So I kept at it.
The aggravating part is that this is actually a fairly short ride, with some decent climbing and a couple steep pitches, coming in at 11 miles. But with the heat, it was much harder. Once I got to the top of Trail 5, I found some shade under a brambleweed bush and tried to cool off for a bit. It doesn't show in the photo, because of the shade, but my face was almost as red as my jersey. Though, you can kinda see the veins popping out on my temple.
Once I hit Fat Tire, I was home free and felt so good about myself for persevering through the heat. I was kinda wobbly on the descent because my muscles were quivering from the mild case of heat exhaustion. But it was still fun.
I did not see another person on the trails while I was out, probably because it was so hot. This made the ride seem like more of an adventure - - as though I was farther away from civilization. While I was sitting under the brambleweed bush, I stared out over the familiar hills trying to see if there was anyone else on the trails. It was weird being all alone out there, in a neat way.
On another note, does anyone know what the plant is in the below photo??? I believe it may be the source of a horrible itchy welty rash I've suffered from for a few weeks.
Here's a peak at something I'm designing, a stranded jacket. As you can see, increases are worked into the color pattern that build upon the existing motif. The process of developing the colorwork was fun, given that I enjoy tinkering around in spreadsheets.
September 9, 2008
~ 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.
August 20, 2008
~ 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.
July 10, 2008
~ le merde *EDIT* ~
Really, truely, I have no idea why my grand mind is unable to wrap itself around lace. And this is an easy lace pattern. Those of you who scrutinized the previous photo of my shawl were undoubtedly horrified by all of the mistakes. I have since unravelled the whole thing for about the fifth time. And behold, my sixth revision of the Swallotail Shawl. At this juncture, I'm wondering if lace does not go well with beer. I know, I know, how can something not 'go well' with beer??? I, too, am shocked by my statement. I also expect that some of you may wish that I had provided a photo that more clearly depicted the knitting, instead of this one, which shows the lace all bunched up in an indiscernable glob. Normally, knitters tend to want to show off their handiwork, allowing the details to stand out for appreciation.
**EDIT** Gar! Over my noonhour, I brought out the knitting in the hopes of completing a few more rows. Upon completing the second row, I noticed that I had dropped a stitch on the previous row. As any lace knitter should know, dropping a stitch in lace has far-reaching and disasterous consequences. This is to say that I did not merely drop ONE stitch, but the stitch that was dropped had knitted THREE stitches together, and those three stitches were also not composed of a single knit. There is a HUGE hole running down the whole damn shawl. As I can't bear the thought of casting on yet again, I am forfeiting this entire project. Polka Dot Jersey be damned. This project, while most certainly easy for others, has been the antithesis of everything that I find good and joyful about knitting. I am eager to resume work on my fugly Kaffe Fassett-inspired skirt (I am calling it Oolong), or to begin an entirely new project. **END EDIT**
Speaking of beer, I've recently discovered a new favorite brew, the Anderson Valley Summer Solstice which is fantastic. Their Boont Amber is good as well, but the Solstice is truely delictable! Additionally, as evidenced by that above photo, I only recently realized that Mothership Wit is organic.
In life news, I've had a number of fun time adventures recently which I should really get around to aknowledging on the internet. Firstly, a shout out to good friends! I've been spending a lot of time with friends recently which has been lovely. I believe that I mentioned the pool party that was had a few weeks ago - - thanks to Amy for instigating that one. A few weekends ago, Leah and I hiked the Polecat Trails. This past weekend, much fun was had during the 4th of July in which a number of people gathered to watch the City's fireworks display at the park. Elizabeth and Edvin met Josh and I for beers (see above: Anderson Valley Summer Solstice) and then Josh's mom joined us for a bike ride to the park. Ah yes! Josh's mom is in town and because Josh is always working to promote the way of the bicycle, he convinced her to buy a bike! (How she'll get it back to Arkansas, I have no idea)
Then, last Saturday, Josh, Josh's mom, and I took a trek up to Idaho City for the day. Photos from that adventure are available on my Idaho City Photoset. We had a pleasant time walking all around the town and exploring. One noteworthy event was when we were exploring some rusted machinery from the mining era and we found a snake in the process of defecating! It was both fascinating and gross all at the same time. We also had the opportunity to watch a Fast Draw competetion.
July 7, 2008
~ knews ~
First and foremost, I am currently participating in my very first knitalong. Those of you knon-knitters out there may ask, "What is a knitalong?" In a nutshell, it is when one knits along with others. This particular knitalong is themed after the Tour de France and everyone is assigned to teams that correspond to the actual teams in the Tour. I, for example, have been assigned to Team Silence-Lotto, which obliges me to root for one of the more attractive riders - - Go Robbie! In addition, the knitters are grouped into classifications to determine their knitting project. One of the organizers has developed some nice artwork for the knitters to display their classification (see below). I have the polka dot jersey classification, which stipulates that I must do a challenging knitting project involving a new skill.
For my project, I have chosen the Swallotail Shawl, which was to be an ode to the interplay between bicycle and rider, with each yarn over representing the ticking over of another pedal stroke (or something cheesey like that). Lace (beyond a four row repeat) is very challenging for me. On Saturday, I cast on using Classic Elite Silky Alpaca lace yarn. It's caused me a number of headaches - - I've cast on, ripped out, re-cast on many many times. I even tried another (thicker) yarn, thinking it was the yarn's fault (not mine). Alas, it was not the yarn's fault. I even contemplated casting on an entirely different project. For me, this project has become my own personal Alpe d’Huez. blech.
In other knews, I have completed my first thrift store sweater recycling. From Goodwill, I located this XL-size Alfani sweater for $2.50. The fiber content is nothing spectacular, a cotton-nylon blend, but it was mostly for practice. For anyone who is interested in this process, I would HIGHLY recommend a thorough reading of the online tutorial. For me, this was good practice - - I experienced a bit of frustration that could have been avoided, had I engaged in a more thorough reading of the tutorial. But there was considerable learning involved and I am confident that this will be a good method for me to continue with my knitting hobby without breaking the bank. Below are photos depicting the sweater sections, unraveling the sweater onto my new swift, the ramen-noddley yarn before dunking it into water, hanging the yarn with some weight to get the kinks out, and finally, my three 'cakes' of yarn ready for knitting! I would have four cakes, but one ramen-noddley yarn section became much too tangled and I was forced to throw it away in complete irritation (see above, thorough reading of the online tutorial to avoid aggravation).
In other FOs, I recently finished my Logan River Scarf knit with the glorious Noro Silk Garden. Silk Garden is lovely. I was delighted to locate three skeins in the same colorway that had somewhat subdued colors.
And finally, I have fixed the error in my Ruffled Jacket. Josh was kind enough to take this very awesome photo of it.
