Chronicles of a Yarn Obsession

Mittens, in small and medium

2011-12-19T12:07:00.002-05:00

Well, the chaos of moving and the demands of holiday knitting took over. I've finally conceded that if I keep holding out until I solve the third (and fourth?) size riddle, then I may never get the Thames Street Mittens republished. And that just would be fair to buyers, who seem to be mostly interested in the smaller size anyhow.

Therefore, instructions for both small and medium sizes are now available on Ravelry. Anybody who wants additional sizes and doesn't feel confident to make changes themselves can still feel free to contact me for assistance. Or, if you do make changes on your own, please tell me about how you adapted and overcame! Then, perhaps in the new year, when things around here calm down a bit, I'll get back to it. (That's much more likely if I get specific requests...)

Mittens - More Sizes Coming Soon

2011-12-06T20:52:00.001-05:00

I published the Thames Street Mittens as a single size pattern. And then I immediately received requests for additional sizes. Fairly so, certainly. Hands come in different sizes.

Writing a pattern in multiple sizes is not something I've ever done before. Unfortunately, it's not so straightforward with this particular pattern, because of the asymmetrical decrease. I guess the easy way around it would be to eliminate the asymmetry. But I started out pursuing the less easy way.

I accepted a commission for a second pair of mittens, and I used the opportunity to work up a smaller size and wrote the pattern adjustments as I went. Cut to - that pair of mittens finished and sent to the recipient, small size added to written pattern, and all that's left is to write out the large size (because, let's face it, if you're putting in the effort to do multiple sizes, you need to have three). I cast on with my leftover yarn, 8 additional stitches for one more repeat of the stitch pattern, to work through the decrease section and make sure I got everything right as I wrote the additional changes.. but the sample is way, way, way too large for actual human hands.

Time to give up? Not quite. I think maybe if I adjust the stitch pattern slightly, I can make an interim size. I'm getting close to the point of just plan having too many pages for what should be a simple mitten pattern. Perhaps getting rid of the asymmetry is the way to go after all...

Thames Street Mittens

2011-11-18T17:21:00.001-05:00

These cozy textured mittens are just the thing to show off that single skein of gorgeous variegated worsted weight wool that you just couldn’t resist at your yarn shop. The pattern motif, reminiscent of those quirky cobblestones, is created with a repeat of just one stitch that’s easy to master. Depending on your color choice, they could be a great gift for ladies or gentlemen. The mittens have a ribbed cuff and a gusset thumb, and the fingertips follow the asymmetry of your digits.

Yarn: I used less than one skein of Mountain Colors' River Twist in a colorway called "Rock Creek." Just about any worsted weight natural fiber will probably work, keeping in mind that your fingers want to be spoiled with softness.

Needles: The cuff is knitted on US # 3 DPNs, the rest of the mittens on US # 5 DPNs. They could easily be adapted for magic loop or two circs.

Pattern: Available for $2 on Ravelry! (Buy with one click right here.)

Revive

2011-11-06T20:54:00.003-05:00

A few months have gone by since I declared this blog dead. By far, it is not the longest amount of time that was allowed to pass in between postings. I suppose there's some irony there.

A lot has happened in my life since then, and a lot of plans have shifted. My new plan for the next few years involves moving overseas, as the Navy sends B to Japan for a year and a half. The move will happen in February. As opposed to my former plan, which was going to slash my knitting time to, well, none, the new plan is pretty likely to leave me both under- or unemployed as well as home alone for weeks on end. Therefore, knitting time galore.

Because of the expected lack of employment, I am thinking ambitiously about designing patterns and selling them through Ravelry to fill some of that income gap. Animal friends, socks, other things here and there. I have a couple of things in various stages of development already.

With that in the works, here's what I'm thinking as far as the blog goes. I still feel the same way about how Ravelry fulfills a lot of the purpose this blog used to have for me, and therefore I don't see myself bringing it back in its original sense. But I think there is some potential content pertaining to the design process, ideas, challenges, lessons learned - that sort of thing. For designing? Ravelry seems great to capture the outcome, but lacking as far as the process goes.

So? I suppose this means I'm back. I think I'll do some trimming and remodeling around here in my digital space. Time for a makeover.

Permanent UFO

2011-03-16T08:08:00.006-04:00

Anybody still check to see if I post updates here? It's been a few days shy of a year since the last time I posted. It's not news to say that this blog has been basically abandoned. Well, now I'm making it official.

***For the foreseeable future, I have no plans to continue this blog.***

I'm not taking it offline, since I have several free patterns available here, with links from Knitting Pattern Central and other places, and I still get considerable traffic because of them. I'll even keep moderating comments and responding to any emails sent in regards to content. I won't, however, be writing new posts; and the biggest difference is that I'm going to quit feeling guilty about this negligence.

Quite frankly, I think the reason things got slack around here is Ravelry. I don't mean to disrespect Ravelry, because I think it's one of the greatest things to happen to knitting... well, since cables were invented. Looking back on it, though, it was approximately when I became a member that my blogging frequency began to collapse. It makes sense. I mean, probably the biggest reason I started the Chronicles here was to document my knitting for my own purposes. That plus a little bit of showing off, and sharing an occasional pattern with the world. Ravelry makes all that available plus so much more, and in such a more organized and useable fashion than the basic blog format. The blog became a redundant formality and didn't have much new content to offer. I go through cycles of varying degrees of diligence on Ravelry but I do try not to let my completed projects get too far behind. So if you really want to keep up with my knitting endeavors, you can find me there: my username is Caramcb. If you send me a message I will probably even friend you.

*******Edited on 11/6/11: content deleted. I wrote about a big upheaval that was coming in my life, but things changed and it no longer applies. Because of the nature of this event, it is sort of awkward for me to keep the announcement thereof as a post on this blog. It just isn't the place for rehashing all of that.

Thanks to everyone for reading. Happy knitting to all.
~Cara

Stitches West 2010

2010-03-20T14:09:00.005-04:00

I have several posts' worth of catch-up to do, covering the last couple of months.

First, behold my haul from Stitches West 2010!

So, what have we got here... A wooden shawl pin, a drop spindle (!!), a sock needle holder, 3 buttons, a beaded stitch marker. Two balls of Jojoland Melody and a skein of Cascade Heritage for some Endpaper Mitts. Two skeins of Miss Babs superwash sock yarn - one for me and one for B. Some Abstract Fiber Mighty Sock that my mom bought for some socks she's commissioned (even though she knits, too). One skein of Wabi Sabi Lush Lace that will make one Citron shawl and potentially a second shawl, pattern T.B.D. A whole mess of Mission Falls 136 for a colorwork sweater vest I'm planning. And two lovely bunches of "top" (apparently -- I would have called it roving, but what do I know about fiber?) so that I can try out that new spindle. More on that later.

My mom and I had a blast! It's so fun to see so many knitterly artists congregated in one place, talking yarn and showing off the wonderful lovely creations they've made. (Yes it's 77 degrees inside the convention center, but dangit, I'm wearing my Aran sweater and wool socks!!)

(Yes, Stitches was 3 weeks ago. Yes, I know my blog habits are atrocious.)

Pomaire Market Bag

2010-02-21T20:12:00.004-05:00

Pattern: Lean to the Left Bag, by Kate D'Ettore

Yarn: Araucania Pomaire Multy (cotton) - exactly 1 skein

I knitted this as part of Ravelympics 2010 "Bag Jump" event. It was a quick and easy project, at just 3 days of Olympics-watching-time. And it's hard to argue the appeal of the "green" produce/market bag, especially in a gorgeous yarn like this one. I just may have a new go-to project for last minute gift knitting.

This was also a stash-busting project. I bought the skein of Pomaire back in Jacksonville, if I remember correctly. I had no plans for the yarn, it just struck me in that way that special yarn does.

The only change I made was making it a little smaller (since I only had a single skein of the yarn in my stash), and making two shorter handles instead of one long strap. The pattern calls for afghan crochet for the handles, which was the first time I've used this technique. I enjoy the resulting fabric, it seems to be nice and strong, and looks neat as well.

My Refined Aran Jacket

2010-01-25T20:53:00.003-05:00

I started working on this sweater back in the late summer. It was bumped many times for projects with deadlines, gifts, and so on. Finally it's finished, and with plenty of "cold" weather left this winter.

Pattern: Refined Aran Jacket, from Interweave Knits Winter 2007. No modifications.

Yarn: Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sport 3 Ply, in "Denim" colorway, 6 skeins. I picked it up at Stitches West last year. I really love this merino, it has a great look when it's all knitted up. The slight variegation came out nice, adding interest while still looking dignified.

The pattern was pretty challenging in the way that it was written, and one really has to read the whole thing through before getting started. There's lots going on at once, between forming the collar, shaping the waist, inserting the pockets, shaping the arm... and one section will start before the last one finishes. I had to take lots of notes to make sure my fronts matched up right. That being said, I'm very pleased with how it turned out, although I think I need to take some further measures to get the collar to stay folded over the way it's supposed to be. Blocking alone doesn't seem to have cut it.

Alfonso, the Charming Knitted Monkey

2010-01-20T18:49:00.004-05:00

Originally I designed this pattern for a friend's baby, and then I liked it so much that I made a second one (with some slight adjustments) for myself! I've added the pattern to Ravelry, so for a few bucks you can make one of your very own.

"Alfonso"

"Mortimer"

Yarn: For "Alfonso" (the one that matches the pattern), I used Plymouth Galway Worsted, one skein of light green and less than one skein of tan, plus a little bit of black for the eyes and nostrils. For "Mortimer" (the first, practice one), I used Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, one skein of green and less than one skein of natural, and the same black. If you're making your own, any worsted weight will do, really, but washable is recommended if the monkey is going to be for a kid.

Needles: For both, I used size 3 dpns.

Pattern: You can download a PDF of Alfonso from Ravelry for $3. (Or, view the Ravelry page first, and THEN buy it!)

Monterey Sea Otter

2009-12-16T16:48:00.006-05:00

I designed this sea otter for my friend Kristy. Kristy has been my cataloging cubicle mate and partner in crime for the last year, and now she's leaving Monterey. She's going to be a fantastic teacher in the near future, and already has a collection of otters and other stuffed sea creatures for her classroom. This little fella' should be right at home with his squooshy cousins.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn's Galway Worsted & Highland Heather Worsted, one skein of brown and part of a skein of tan, plus some leftover black and silver for the face and clamshell. I really like the Galway, I think its natural look wound up perfect for the otter.

Pattern: I've decided to make this my first paid pattern. If you want to make an otter of your own, you can buy the pattern on Ravelry for $4 (or view the Ravelry page for it and THEN buy it).

Helena Sweater for Maddie

2009-10-31T19:41:00.005-04:00

OMG! A finished knitting project! This little sweater is a 1-year birthday present for my friend's daughter.

Pattern: This toddler sweater is based on the very adorable Helena pattern from Knitty, size 12 months. I changed the lace pattern on the sweater's skirt to the Alternating Leaf pattern from the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns.

My modifications: To get 144 instead of 145 stitches for the modified pattern, I changed the increase row for setting up the skirt as follows:

Next Row RS: K3, M1, K5 6 times, M1, K4 13 times, M1, K5 6 times, M1, K3. 144 sts.

I worked the Alternating Leaf pattern for 3 pattern repeats.

I ran out of yarn on the project, and I didn't want to go buy more - so I had to tick back and make the bottom shorter after I'd followed directions for the hem. I changed the cute bumpy bottom edge for a garter stitch edge to match the button band, but I did keep the bumpy edge on the sleeves.

I also decided on buttons instead of the tie closures.

Materials: 3 balls of Plymouth Baby Bunny, in color 204 (light blue), which I bought at Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove, CA. I used every last bit of the 3 balls. I liked the yarn a lot, it's super soft and very easy to work with. Also, I used 2 small white heart shaped buttons. Knitted with size 6 and size 3 needles.

I'm really happy with the way the sweater came out, and it fit its recipient pretty perfectly, with a little room for growth. Very neat to watch the yoke take shape, and I love how quickly projects for babies go by.

Yarn Tree

2009-05-06T16:54:00.003-04:00

From my Aunt-in-Law (not sure where she acquired it, or otherwise how to attribute - but it's neat.)

Edited to add:

All right, so attribution is not very difficult with a little bit of Google. The crocheted tree sweater is by Carol Hummel, an artist who does a lot of work with both yarn and trees whose art can be seen here - http://www.carolhummel.com/. There are even trees wearing unmentionables.

Squarely Disappointed

2009-03-24T00:07:00.003-04:00

I got some Kollage square circular needles, size 1, last month at Stitches West. They are supposed to be easier on your hands and help you knit more even stitches.

Unfortunately, I have no idea whether this is true in the long term, because I won't be using them long enough to find out. The cord on the size 1's is absurdly flimsy and next to impossible to use for magic loop, my preferred method of sock knitting. The join, too, is problematic, but I could get past it if they weren't otherwise so frustrating to use.

From their website's images, it appears that larger needles have more substantial cords. And I imagine that DPNs or regular straights may be better engineered. I am not swearing off on Kollage square needles for good - but this pair will be slipping to the dark, obscure bottom of my knitting supply bin.

Oh well.

Brendon's doing the Jitterbug

2009-03-22T20:15:00.004-04:00

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug, plus remnants of Koigu KPM

Pattern: A top down 3x1 rib with short row heel and standard toe.

Brendon picked out this yarn (which looks somewhat more brown in person) at Monarch Knitting on a pre-Christmas visit. These socks proved to be an exercise in proper yardage estimation... I was not planning on contrasting colored heels and toes. That's right: I finished the first sock and got to halfway through the second foot before realizing, "I don't think 1 skein is enough!" So I got to frog up to above the heels of both and redo the heels and feet.

But sometimes a silly mistake like that turns out nice in the end, because I'm rather happy with the way they came out.

OMG the Cuteness

2009-02-12T23:19:00.003-05:00

For the crocheting-inclined... The Roman Sock blog has the absolute cutest amigurumi patterns I have ever seen. I think I may be making myself a teeny whale to hold my earbuds just as soon as I get some buttons. Or at least borrow the general idea, we'll see...

Headphone whale.

Sock Exchange

2009-02-04T00:43:00.007-05:00

Some time ago (let's not say how long.. "during the past calendar year" will suffice), Bethany and I did a sock exchange.

Bethany and I have been friends forever and ever. If you don't know her, you can introduce yourself at her blog. She is a brilliant and passionate and creative and inspiring person, and her friendship means a lot to me. We should all remind our friends once in a while that we love them, and when you and your friend are both knitters, sock exchanges are a pretty fine way of doing just that.

The socks I made for Bethany are made from Madeline Tosh "Somewhat Solid" Sock in Scarlet, which I bought from kPixie. (This was NOT the Unfortunate Purchase from kPixie that I wrote about a while ago.) The pattern was inspired by a pair of designs from Stitchionary 2 and worked out with the use of lots of math and graph paper.

Somewhere, I still have that piece of graph paper - so I guess if anyone is interested I could probably find it and come up with a written pattern. So let me know if anyone out there absolutely needs this to happen.

These socks were a lot of fun to make, and the itty bitty cable design kept it stimulating. Plus I really like the Madeline Tosh yarn. Approximately as much as Shibuiknits, which is probably my favorite sock yarn.

* * *

The socks that Bethany made for me are also of her own design. They are adorned with runes (blow up the above picture to see one) that make them very special and original. Bethany used KnitPicks Essential which she lovingly dyed herself with assorted flavors of Kool-Aid.

The fact that the two pairs wound up being very nearly the exact same color even though all details of color and pattern were kept secret from the recipients... well, I'll call it a testament to our linked psyches.

Christmas Gift Idea

2008-12-04T23:50:00.004-05:00

Saw the book on Colbert...

Looks fascinating, doesn't it?

Octopus of Reality

2008-09-28T12:49:00.004-04:00

I know I've given you crocheted cephalopods before - but this one is meant for a baby, not a kitty, and is totally cuter. Modest, aren't I? But the cuteness made me squirm even whilst making it! I mean, look at it!

"Oh, hi - just swimming along here in the ocean..."

My very pregnant friend has an undersea-themed nursery, and this is my contribution. Baby is coming any day now and I'm pleased to have this happy little invertebrate done in time for her arrival. This post's title, by the way, is an inside joke with my mom based on a Passat commercial a few years ago (anybody?).

If you want one too, here is the pattern, with two disclaimers:
1) It's been so long since I did crocheting, I may not have my terminology right, so please forgive me; and
2) Any similarities to your stuffed octopus pattern are unintentional. I looked at a few examples but didn't directly copy any of them, at least that I'm aware of.

Materials:
- 1 ball (the WHOLE ball) Rowan All-Seasons Cotton (60% cotton, 40% acrylic, 50g), #217 "Lime Leaf." It's soft, it works up nicely, it comes in adorable colors, and it's machine washable!
- A small amount of scrap worsted weight yarn in a contrasting color, machine washable please, for the face. In this case some Berroco Pure Merino Heather in color "Tyrolean Alps."
- US G crochet hook.
- Polyfill, or alternate stuffing of your choice. Also machine washable.

Pattern:

*** I worked mine in a spiral, but if you prefer your crocheting to be joined evenly at each row, feel free to adapt as necessary.

HEAD/BODY:
Chain 2.
1 - Work 4 single crochets in 2nd chain from hook.
2 - 2 single crochets in each stitch - 8 total.
3 - (1 half double crochet (hdc) in next stitch, 2 hdcs in next stitch) around - 12 total.
4 - Repeat row 3 - 18.
5 - (1 hdc each in next 2 stitches, 2 hdcs in next stitch) around - 24.
6 - Repeat row 5 - 32.
7 - (1 hdc each in next 3 stitches, 2 hdcs in next stitch) around - 40.
8 & 9 - Work even in single crochet.
10-13 - Work even in hdcs.
14 & 15 - Work even in single crochet.
16 - (1 hdc each in next 3 stitches, hdc next 2 stitches together) around - 32.
17 - Work even in single crochet and finish off, leaving a long tail for attaching tentacles.

TENTACLES (make 8):
Chain 2.
1 - Work 4 single crochets in 2nd chain from hook.
2 - 2 single crochets in each stitch - 8 total.
3 - (1 sincle crochet in next stitch, 2 single crochets in next stitch) around - 12 total.
4-11 - Work even in single crochet. Finish off.

BOTTOM:
Chain 2.
1 - Work 4 single crochets in 2nd chain from hook.
2 - 2 single crochets in each stitch - 8 total.
3 - (1 single crochet in next stitch, 2 single crochets in next stitch) around - 12 total.
4 - Repeat row 3 - 18.
5 - (1 single crochet each in next 2 stitches, 2 single crochets in next stitch) around - 24.
6 - Repeat row 5 - 32. Finish off.

FINISHING:
How you do the facial features are up to you. In fact, if you leave it without a face, it's still pretty darn cute.

"Here is my backside, or, the no-face version."

But, if you want a face like mine - the eyes are done just like the start of the tentacles or bottom piece:
Chain 2.
1 - Work 4 single crochets in 2nd chain from hook.
2 - 2 single crochets in each stitch - 8 total.
Then attach to head/body doing your best to get the edges of the eyes to lie flat. I think the sparkles, a simple X using the body color, add a nice touch. Then eyebrows and mouth are embroidered on, going over each line several times and attempting approximate symmetry.

Attaching everything together takes just a little bit of patience. I used single crochets to join 4 stitches of each tentacle to the bottom piece (32 stitches), and the next 2 stitches at each end of the tentacle to the next tentacle. At this point you'll get a flower shape and can start stuffing each tentacle. Then I used slip stitches to join the remaining 32 tentacle stitches to the head/body, pausing before working the last several stitches to finish up with stuffing. Finish off and hide all the ends inside.

"Flower Power!"

Home-Ownership

2008-09-17T19:36:00.004-04:00

So, for those who don't already know, B and I have been in the process of moving to Monterey, CA. Actually we came out to California for house hunting in July, and put an offer down on our first house.

It took one day shy of 10 weeks to get our approval. That = today.

As for the house, it was a pre-foreclosure, and let's just say it has a ton of potential.

Now the fun begins...

Entertainment Value = High

2008-09-13T14:54:00.002-04:00

This is a very entertaining knit-related blog I came across while perusing another very entertaining but non-knit-related blog called Cake Wrecks.

Why Would You Knit That?

I particularly like the "penguin," the power cords.. and the *ahem* tissue cover is pretty doggone disturbing.

"Nosy" Neighbors

2008-06-17T08:50:00.004-04:00

Last summer, a family of four armadillos made several appearances around the yard. This year, three of them are back, and with a bold new outlook. See what I mean?

Aren't they cute?

It's The Thought That Counts

2008-05-04T22:03:00.004-04:00

....Right?

This is a tale about how my plans for Mother's Day socks went awry, with a cautionary note about a yarn shop I won't be patronizing any more.

At the beginning of April I decided to do a little online yarn shopping. Socks are quickly becoming a regular gift from me, and Mother's Day was far enough away that it was absolutely doable. Earlier this year I had purchased some yarn from kpixie.com, and they give out a coupon code when you register a new account that you get to use on your second purchase, so, that's where I decided to shop. They have a pretty well-designed website, and what appears at first glance to be a great selection of less standard sock yarns. But appearances can be deceiving.

I picked out a great yarn. It was called Mama Llama, which I've never used or even seen in person before, but it was for my mama, she loves llamas, so.. yeah. Plus it was washable and came in a really neat colorway. So I added the Panama Purple to my shopping cart. Then, well, if I'm going to pay for shipping I might as well order yarn for a few projects, right? So I picked out some nice manly yarn - Madeline Tosh Somewhat Solid (which I have used before and LOVE) in Graphite - and some TOFUtsies for a friend. I also added to the cart some size 2 dpns, because I recently broke one of my bamboo ones, and kpixie had the Swallow casein ones and I think I'd be much less likely to break one of those. I entered my coupon code and placed my order. It was April 8th.

The next day I got an email saying that they did not have 2 skeins left of the Madeline Tosh Graphite, just one. One skein of this yarn is enough for a pair of socks, but I know more than one man and I had been intending to make two pairs of socks. But I could still get a whole project out of the one skein, so I said fine, refund me for the other and send the order.

Then I waited. And waited. And checked my order status on their webpage obsessively. On April 21 it still said "Processing," so I found the email I had gotten from the girl at kpixie, and sent a query to that address trying to figure out what was going on. Another week went by with no response, so I went to their homepage and filled out a "Contact Us" form. The tone was slightly more heated, I confess, than the email had been. May 1st I got a response. It said:

"We dropped the ball with your order."

They had not shipped it yet. AND, they did not have ANY of the Mama Llama in stock. (I feel that there was probably plenty on April 8th.) They said they would refund me for that yarn as well as my shipping charge and would send the rest of the order that day, and they gave me another coupon code for my next order.

So, no Mama Llama for Mother's Day. And sure, everybody makes mistakes, sometimes orders get overlooked, and I know yarn shops are often run by creatively disorganized people. But only one of the three yarns I ordered were they able to provide in the full quantity. Plus, I mentioned I had shopped with them earlier this year - well, half of that order wound up being backordered, and I only found that out after the money had come out of my account.

I wrote them an email expressing my dissatisfaction with their shop. I felt it was not an overreaction. I was not terribly heated in my verbiage, but did suggest that they make a stronger attempt to keep their stock updated on their website, etc. I also mentioned that my gift intentions had been spoiled by their mistake. The response I got back was a brief apology and:

"We ship almost all orders in less than 24 hours. It is very rare for us to have a customer who is not pleased."

WHO CARES? *I* was not pleased.

I'm not saying that no one should shop at this store. You may do as you like. But do so with this word of caution - try not to have deadlines dependent on their timeliness.

Oh, and my order came yesterday. At least, what was left of it. And casein needles smell funny.

As for Mother's Day, my mom is actually going to be in town this weekend. I'll figure something out.

Vehicular Shuffle

2008-04-27T20:26:00.004-04:00

I got a new car!

It's a Mazda CX-7. And yes, it is purple. I heart purple.

It's huge and comfy, and it does lots of tricks (I never have to take the key out of my purse!), and it's fun to drive, and I love it bunches.

But this meant selling my old faithful pickup. (B has his Mini and his project car, and we really don't need four cars...) We sold it on Craigslist three weeks after we got the new car to some nice Canadian folks in Yulee FL. Unfortunately, in the last week of ownership, B's Mini was in the shop and he took the truck to work, and somebody pulling out of the next parking spot scraped up the driver's side door pretty roughly (and, of course, they didn't leave a note). So we didn't quite get the price we wanted for the truck, but we got enough to pay off the balance of B's car loan, so we're only making payments on the new car.

Goodbye, little blue pickup truck. You treated me well these last few years. Be a brave little truck, and take care of those Canadians.

Resurrection of a Blog

2008-04-21T16:03:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe how long it's been since I posted. Shame. Shame on me. I practically forgot I even had a blog.

I know I've said in the past that I will do better. I will really, really try this time.

The Crystal Ball Reveals...

2008-02-15T10:29:00.002-05:00

It's an unpleasant truth of military life that one typically is not allowed to know any details of one's future except the very, very immediate. Say, the upcoming week. But each tour, there comes a marvelous, beautiful moment of clarity where one's next destination is revealed. This moment arrives as a wave of relief after a long period of uncertainty - first dreaming about all the hypotheticals, then the discovery of the what's actually available, then the process of picking and prioritizing a list of wants and sending it off to the higher powers, then an agonizing month or two of hopes, fears, conjectures... And finally, there is an answer.

We will be going to Monterey, CA, where B will be attending Naval Postgraduate School, beginning this fall. That will be his job - getting his Masters degree. While going to school, he does not have a 'job,' but he continues to receive his full salary, and does not have to pay for his education. He doesn't even have to wear a uniform except one day a week. (However, there are still lots of rules, for instance: one's backpack may only be black or navy blue, and if one has a laptop bag instead, then one may only wear it over one's left shoulder, I presume so that one may still salute when necessary.)

Before you get TOO jealous, check out his schedule. It's a bit grueling. I certainly wouldn't want to have any other job while trying to tackle those classes. In comparison, for my Masters degree, if I continue to take two classes per semester, I will finish in two years, total - that's the same amount of time allotted for his program, with its 4-5 classes per semester. And I don't have to write a thesis!

This wasn't his/our first choice (Molesworth, England) or even second choice (Naples, Italy). But it was third! Which is a distinct improvement over last time, where the job and location combination were not even on his submitted list... And this will probably be the best move for his future career. Plus, we'll be about an hour and a half from my parents. You can bet they are psyched. *Of course, all of this is still only a probably; he won't have orders in hand until around April, and until then, things could easily change.

Additionally, since I was just on the subject of the prospect of working while getting my Masters: Things are finally happening for me with the Jacksonville Public Library paying me for my time there. I can't say what with any certainty - it's complicated. Here's the basics though. They said they had a part time shelving position coming open and would I be interested; I said, well, that isn't my ideal situation but it would be better than working for free, so sure. Immediately after I submitted the paperwork to get myself hired, the branch manager pulled me in her office to ask if I was aware that there were 6 full time clerical positions open in the library system, but in other branches. So then, with my part time paperwork on its way to City Hall, I was at Human Resources taking a typing and clerical skills test to see whether I was qualified for the full time job(s), which, of course, was no sweat. And then yesterday I went to the Main Library where I was interviewed for full time job AND processed into the system for the part time job (provided I pass my drug screen, again, no trouble there), with the idea that if I am picked for the full time position it will somehow be easier to transfer me within the system...

Believe it or not, that's the short version of the story.

Either way though, I will be employed again, until transfer time comes. And in an environment where I actually WANT TO BE. It's a lovely thing.

Pomatomus for Mom

2008-02-03T11:59:00.000-05:00

(Or, "Po-Mom-tomus")

Remember this teaser? Well, that lovely yarn became #2 of 2 total knitted Christmas gifts. Yes, it is February and I'm just getting my Christmas knitting up for display. Oopsie. Where does the time go?

Well, anyway, here they are - Pomatomus Socks for Mom!

Pattern: Pomatomus by Cookie A. from Knitty's Winter '05 issue. (Cookie A. apparently keeps a collection of Pomatomuses - I'll have to submit mine!) I really enjoyed working this pattern - my favorite socks I've made thus far. It was pretty exciting watching it develop so mysteriously on the first sock, and by the second the pattern was completely logical. Stimulating, but not as challenging as they look!

Yarn: Shibuiknits Sock in "Midnight" - 2 skeins. I like the yarn a lot, it feels great and comes in gorgeous colors. My one issue is that the striping pattern that developed wasn't quite what I expected - you can see what I mean especially well in the following picture - but it's certainly livable. I will purchase more of this yarn in the future.

Game Day

2008-01-24T18:49:00.000-05:00

My dad is a big Packers fan. I know they just got knocked out of the playoffs, and that is very unfortunate - not least because now this post is very poorly timed. But, this quick knit was a Christmas gift for my dad, and I've already let a month slip by since Christmas and I can't very well wait for the next football season. Besides, if you're fast, you could adjust the colors and decoration and make this felted football for your own team in time for the Big Game.

This was a bit of a last-minute, can't-come-up-with-anything-for-dad gift, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. I think it makes a good guy gift, whether he uses it as a pillow or for horsing around. It would probably also be great for kids.

I couldn't find a pattern for a felted football, so I made up my own. Once I got all the pieces done and felted, well, they didn't quite fit together like I anticipated - because felted pieces shrink more vertically than horizontally. (And yes, I knew that, but I didn't do quite enough to compensate.) That's what I get for not swatching. Fortunately, felted pieces can be trimmed... So, the pattern below is what, on reflection, I believe I should have done. Therefore, no guarantees that it'll actually work - sorry!

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted (or other worsted weight non-superwash wool). I used one skein each of "Wild Mustard" and "Christmas Green," but you may adjust your colors to match your favorite team!

Needles: Size 8 straights.

Construction: This ball is made in four "orange peel" segments, felted separately, and then sewn together. The logo was embroidered on after felting - as you can see, my embroidery skills are mediocre at best, but Green Bay's emblem is pretty basic. If you prefer to work your decoration in intarsia form, well, you can either search the 'net for a chart or create your own!

Pattern:
With Color A, CO 4.
Row 1 - P all.
Row 2 - Sl 1, m1, k to last st, m1, k1.
Row 3 - Sl 1, p to end.
Repeat rows 2 & 3 until 24 sts total.
Change to Color B, continue repeating these 2 rows for 6 rows - 30 sts total.
Change back to Color A, repeat these 2 rows for 6 rows - 36 sts total.
Work even in stockinette (slipping first stitch of each row) for 49 rows, ending after a RS row.
Next row, sl 1, p to end.
Following row, sl 1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Repeat these two rows for 6 rows - 30 sts total.
Change to Color B, continue repeating these 2 rows for 6 rows - 24 sts total.
Change back to Color A, continue repeating until 4 sts remain.
BO.

Make four total pieces, alternating which color is A and which is B.
Felt the pieces, decorate them as you see fit, and sew together. Stuff with polyfill and enjoy!

For the Love of a Dog

2008-01-16T23:26:00.000-05:00

If you don't already know him, this is Riley.

I have had him since he was a wee puppy. In fact, he was my 13th birthday present. That makes him very nearly 12 now.

He's had his medical issues through the years, and he's definitely been showing his age lately, I admit. But a year ago, he was here:
And now, a bit more subdued:
I mentioned our trip to New Orleans in my last post. Riley was boarded for those few days. I hate boarding him. The last time he was boarded (in 2006), it was the onset of a long string of bizarre health issues. Every day in New Orleans, usually multiple times a day, I would say to B, "I hope Riley's okay." It became a running joke.

We picked him up and he was fine. While he was there, I asked them to start him on arthritis medication, so he was perhaps feeling even spunkier than when we dropped him off. My family drove in to spend Christmas with us two days later; that morning, he was chasing his squeaky ball around the house, then when my family arrived, he couldn't get up to greet them.

Through Christmas, he could hardly walk at all, and couldn't stand up without help. His back legs would not support him. Something similar had happened to him in '06, where he was unable to stand up, and that was when he was diagnosed with arthritis originally. During that episode, he was put on steroids and got better within a couple of days. At first, I assumed this was another flareup... but after a couple of days of him barking mournfully for me when I left the room because he couldn't follow, and crying at night until I came out and slept with him on the couch, I became convinced that this looked like the end.

This originally happened on a Saturday. Monday and Tuesday were Christmas holiday. So the 26th, he went to visit the vet. The vet said it looked like a back injury, because of the way he was turning over, or "knuckling," his back foot, not recognizing that it was being placed upside down. This is indicative of an interruption of the signal between brain and leg. We decided to try treating him with steroids to reduce inflammation and see how it went.

Over the next couple of weeks, with an additional recheck, he did improve some. He has gotten to a point where he can stand up on his own, though sometimes it takes a couple of tries. He can walk - it isn't smooth, but he can get around - as long as there's good traction, on carpet or the sidewalk or in the grass (though he does still fall over quite a bit). We do have to carry him outside whenever he needs to relieve himself, because he can't cross either the tile foyer to the front door or the deck to the back yard, and at 60 lbs, that's no easy feat. Still, his attitude is much better, he is much less panicked when left alone, and will slowly follow me around the house when he wants to. But... nearly all the improvement was within the first week, and since then he's not made any progress.

Yesterday I took him to the neurologist. The neurologist confirmed it is a spinal cord problem, which is most likely a slipped disc, though it could also be cancer, a stroke, or (most frightening) degenerative myelopathy. His recommendation was that we do a barrage of tests, including a myelogram, in which they inject a dye at the base of the brain stem, hold him up to let gravity pull the dye through the spinal cord, and then take a picture in which they can easily see any place that the spinal cord is corrupted in any way.

By the time we hypothetically get through these tests and (hopefully) figure out what's wrong, he estimated the cost to be in the neighborhood of $3,000. Then, if it is indeed as simple as a slipped disc, the surgery to correct it is anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500, depending on whether they perform it while he's already under anesthesia from the myelogram, how badly the disc is screwed up, and so on.

The neurologist said that he would definitely not recommend putting him to sleep at this point. And I agree, that's not the next move - he is completely alert and mentally with it, and from a veterinary point of view, at least, pretty functional. However, as an unemployed student, I don't exactly have $6k lying around. But leaving him as he is and coping, that isn't a satisfactory answer either.

I have cried a lot as I've considered options. And given Riley lots of hugs.

I hate the feeling that I could help him but won't. I think I'm going to find out about doing as much of the testing as possible with his regular vet, whose prices tend to be excellent, not inflated like they are in a specialist's office, and just doing the specialized tests at the neurologist's. Maybe by doing that we can drive the cost down considerably. If not, well, acupuncture has been suggested. I still don't know. I've been told that giving it a couple more weeks of watching as he's weaned off steroids and seeing how it goes won't be detrimental, so...

Riley and I appreciate your thoughts.

Spring Things, in December

2008-01-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

For a few days before Christmas, B and I treated ourselves to a little trip to New Orleans. B went to college at Tulane, and other than Katrina relief operations with his ship, this was the first time he had been back since graduation in '04. Needless to say this trip involved quite a range of emotion, but additionally it involved a bit of knitting.

One of the highlights of the trip, planned well in advance, was a posh dinner at Restaurant August, owned by Chef John Besh - who was recently the runner-up for (and ought to have won) the Next Iron Chef series on Food Network. This dinner necessitated dressing up really fancy, and all of the dresses that I own (that I still like and that currently fit) are sleeveless. Rather than buy a new dress, I decided I would make a nice shawl, because it isn't too very cold in New Orleans in December, and a shawl ought to provide the perfect amount of warmth. Especially if it was made from alpaca.

Pattern: Spring Things Shawl. No changes to the pattern. Yes, I know it's not springtime, but I really liked the pattern a lot.

Yarn: Alpaca Cloud (lace weight 100% baby alpaca) from KnitPicks, in "Horizon Heather," 1 skein. (The pattern cost more than the yarn did!) The actual color wasn't quite true to how it appeared on my monitor, but my goodness is this stuff soft!

Time Spent: Honestly, just a little over a week, plus blocking/drying time.

I had never done any real lace knitting before. Certainly nothing to this scale. And before blocking, I wasn't extremely convinced this would turn out.

Before blocking.

But water + animal fiber = miracle, and here is the end result:

Back

Detail

The total look (I really like this picture)

I probably need to work on my pinning-out skills. My points didn't come out as pointy as I would have liked, and the trip inside the suitcase didn't do them any favors. Actually, B's ship is throwing its holiday party this evening, and I will be wearing the same ensemble (don't tell anybody) - I reblocked the shawl this week for the event, and the points did get a lot pointier.

Aside from that issue, I really like this project, and while I don't have much everyday need for shawls, in the future I may be seeking out more complex shawl patterns just for the sake of the experience and challenge, and perhaps a bit for the pride in the end result.

By the way, we had a great time on our trip. New Orleans does, admittedly, still have a long way to go before it's back to its full glory - but it's getting there. Oh, AND, we got to meet Chef Besh. Briefly. He looked just like he did on TV, and it was way cool.

Here are some gratuitous vacation photos.

Bourbon Street at dusk

Balconies

Mandy's Socks

2007-12-12T10:09:00.001-05:00

That's right - another pair of socks! Again, using Koigu KPPPM (P439), again using the construction elements (toe and heel) from the "On-Your-Toes Socks" pattern by Ann Budd in the Summer Interweave Knits, with a couple of basic cables added. (Haha, basic cable.)

These were commissioned by a girl at work. You could probably guess that her name was Mandy. And now I no longer work with her... So now I guess they are my socks. Don't worry, she was going to pay for them upon completion - at my suggestion. Good thing I love purple!

ShibuiKnits Midnight

2007-12-08T19:16:00.000-05:00

Isn't this a gorgeous color??

Just wanted to share. (I bought it here.)

Long Overdue

2007-11-20T16:09:00.000-05:00

Last week I quit my job. As I told my boss in my resignation letter, "This rut of daily humiliation masked by well-honed platitudes is no longer tolerable."

I handed in this letter as my two-weeks' notice at about 9 am last Wednesday. At 5 pm, my boss asked me into her office and said that if I was really that unhappy, then perhaps it would be best all around if we made that day my last day. Now, as you can see, the tone of the letter did perhaps beg this reaction. But she just couldn't have given me this news a bit earlier in the day, perhaps before the majority of people I would have liked to say goodbye to had left for the day...

Just business as usual for the company.

And now, you might think I would be trotting off to sacrifice my evenings at the library. Well, no such luck. After the very helpful advice offered in response to that last post, I went back to the branch manager to let her know I would accept the position - provided I would be able to attend my online class sessions a night or two each week. And they decided that their top priority was to find somebody who could work the schedule as established. Alas.

So, I'm unemployed. But I'm not even going to worry about it until after the holidays. Just a nice, long, relaxing Christmas break.

One of these posts, I'll actually show you some yarn.

Riley's Identity Crisis

2007-10-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

Sometimes Riley gets a little confused. Like when he noticed Bettie playing with her new toy - one of those things with the catnip mouse that spins inside a circular plastic case - and decided he wanted to play too. He spent the better part of the evening trying to get at that mouse.

I apologize for the darkness/low film quality... This was recorded with my cheap old still camera. B didn't even realize the thing recorded video; thus you hear him commenting about still shots, etc. In fact, it was 20 minutes or so into the action before I remembered it had that capability. You can tell Riley's breathing pretty hard by this time. But he went on and on and on and... Unfortunately I didn't capture either of the times he wound up flipping the thing over and then trying to right it again.

One of these days I'm gonna get a REAL video camera.

Seeking Advice

2007-10-24T09:53:00.000-04:00

The yarn-related content of this blog has severely deteriorated in the last few months, and for that I apologize. I've been trying to at least alternate my whining and knitting posts...

But at the moment I am in need of some guidance, from anyone willing to throw in their two cents!

Here's my situation in a nutshell: For the past 6 months, I've been working full time as a receptionist/office assistant in the corporate headquarters of a health care company. I've also been applying, and was accepted to, an online masters degree program in library studies. Additionally, since August I've been volunteering a few hours a week at the local public library.

One of the clerks at the library is leaving for another position at a different branch, and they have asked me whether I'd be interested in the position. For those curious, this was the potential good news I had hinted at in my previous post - I have been unhappy in my current job for a while now, and would love to have the experience working in the library setting to add depth to my education when I start classes in January.

But after speaking yesterday with the branch manager, it's not as simple a decision as it might appear.

The schedule for the library position is awful. The girl who had been in the job was working Monday - Thursday nights from 5-9, plus Friday afternoons one week, and then Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, plus Friday and Saturday afternoons the second week. When I sat down for my informal interview last week, the branch manager indicated that she might be able to rearrange the hours somewhat, but according to our conversation last night, she had not been able to do so. I fully expected to work some evenings and weekends were I to be employed at the library; however 4 nights in a row just makes my head spin. I have a husband who works fairly normal hours, who I much like to see on occasion. And what's more, in a couple of months I will have online class sessions a night or two a week, and I certainly can't miss those. There is an alternate position available, only 15 hours a week, that only closes two nights but works EVERY Saturday. Ugh...

The branch manager is now on vacation, through the end of next week. Our conversation yesterday concluded with a frustrating - and perhaps frustrated - "Let's leave it until I get back." Meanwhile I need to make up my mind what I want to do assuming nothing changes with the situation between now and then.

Therefore, my options:

Option 1) Optimism. Accept the 20 hours/week at the library with the schedule as offered. Cope with the 4 nights a week for a while, hoping that either: A - by the time January rolls around, they will be willing to work around my class schedule once it's been established; or (even better) B - that I can quickly get promoted to the full-time, more respectable, better paid position that is only available to current employees.
Pros: I have been trying to work in the library since before we even moved to Florida, and now I'd be able to do so. I get basic experience in the field in which I intend to make my career. I have already been volunteering there for a couple of months, and have gotten to know and adore a lot of the staff members. It could potentially work out that I would end up in the aforementioned better full time position (it's been hinted at that this is the position they really want me in, only they have thus far been hiring exclusively internally for it).
Cons: The schedule will short-term be bad for my marriage, and long-term be impossible for my education. They may not be able to offer any flexibility in January, and since I absolutely can't give up school, I may have to give up the job. The pay is far less than what I am currently making. The job is not especially challenging and I am pretty overqualified for it.

Option 2) Pragmatism. Stay in my current job. Turn the library's offer down. Keep volunteering in order to gain the library experience. See if anything opens up with a better schedule, and keep watching for openings at the local university libraries as well.
Pros: Job security. Much more money - longer hours at a higher pay rate. A schedule that better coincides with my home/social/school life. I don't have to face the terror of bringing my boss my resignation letter.
Cons: I have been fairly miserable in this job for quite some time. I am either crapped upon or ignored every single day. I don't believe in the company or in large part the industry. I am not suited for the corporate world. (My list of grievances could certainly be a post of their own.) Also, I miss out on the opportunity to further my career, and the opportunity may not present itself again. And for what - to keep working without purpose, other than a mere paycheck?

Option 3) Capitulation. Take the 15 hour/week library job. Look at it as a compromise.
Pros: I still get the library experience. There is still the potential to move up to that better position. Really, all the same things as Option # 1.
Cons: Even less money. Working every single Saturday; no weekends, ever. It doesn't make the same impression on the library senior staff, taking the "lesser" of the positions offered, and therefore perhaps decreases my chances of that promotion.

There are other options I guess... Try and do BOTH jobs somehow (though that would still require some schedule adjusting); go ahead and quit my present job before the branch manager gets back from vacation and hope something can be worked out later; wait and see if the branch manager has come up with a solution, with no plan for the likelihood that she hasn't... and so forth. Nothing so viable, at least that I've come up with, as those first 3.

What's a girl to do??? I need help...

Koigu Socks

2007-10-14T21:36:00.000-04:00

Pattern: "On-Your-Toes Socks" by Ann Budd in the Summer Interweave Knits. The only difference is that mine have a ribbed foot and leg, B's have a plain stockinette foot with ribbed leg.

Yarn: Koigu - Mine are KPPPM color 608 (2 skeins), B's are KPM color 4000 (3 skeins).

I Love Koigu. What else can I say? The colors are gorgeous, and what's arguably an even better feature, these socks have been through the washing machine - the red ones several times now - and held up great. (Those red ones were finished literally a couple of months ago.)

And while the pattern is a little bit basic, toe-up socks are great fun, and the structural elements - toe, heel - came out beautifully.

Go 'Noles

2007-10-11T10:31:00.000-04:00

As of yesterday, I have been accepted to Florida State's College of Information. I'll be starting my Masters in Library and Information Studies in January. Hooray!

After waiting 7 long, agonizing weeks for my GRE scores to reach the admissions office, only to then discover that apparently my original departmental application got lost in the mail, I am tremendously excited - and relieved. Now, to see about some financial aid... And not just the parental variety.

I'm on the verge of being able to report additional good news - but I don't want to jinx it, so for now I'll just leave you with this mysterious allusion. If everything comes through as expected, it should lead to a jump in my blogging frequency. (Regardless, my goal is to get that very, very overdue FO post up before the weekend is over.)

Jax Camisole

2007-09-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by the heat of Florida summertime to create this warm-weather project. Admittedly, it is probably a bit late in the season to post a pattern like this one. I finished this top in April. It's amazing it's getting posted at all.

This camisole is a fairly straightforward top, embellished with a couple of simple slip-stitch motifs to add visual and structural interest, done in a luxurious, lustrous mercerized cotton. Mine is made to fit my 36" bust, but the shaping should be easily adaptable to fit and flatter your own body shape. It begins with a waist band made made to fit the wearer; then, picking up along the edge, the top is formed with strategic increases and decreases and shoulder straps mirroring the waist band pattern; and finally, picking up around the opposite waist band edge, the bottom is added.

Size: To fit a 36" bust

Yarn: ONLine Linie 12: Clip, 100% cotton, Color 168 - Teal (3 skeins)

Needles: US 6

Gauge: 24sts x 24 rows = 4" in SS

NOTE: My BOs are done in k1p1 bind-off, for purely aesthetic reasons (to keep the chain-edge out of view). If you prefer, you may do standard BOs.
Stitch patterns come from the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns.

WAIST BAND:

CO 8 sts

k3, p2, k3, turn

Row 1 (RS): p3, wyif sl 2 pwise, p3

Row 2 (WS): k3, p2, k3

Repeat these 2 rows until band measures 36" when stretched slightly (alternately, long enough to fit over the bust and lie around the rib cage).

Graft, or BO and sew ends together.

TOP:

With circular needles, beginning at seam, pick up and knit around band edge: (appx) 125 sts

Increase for bust:

Row 1: Place marker (#1) at beg of row. *k3, m1, k4, m1* - repeat around, placing marker (#2) after 40 sts and marker (#3) after 40 more (this is the front of the shirt), then work 80 sts as established to end of rnd (back of the shirt).

Row 2, & even-numbered rows through Row 10: k even

Row 3: k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3 to marker. k 3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. k even across back.

Row 5: Repeat row 3.

Row 7: k 12, m1, k 8, m1, k 13, m1, k 8, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 8, m1, k 13, m1, k 8, m1, k 12 to marker #3. k even across back.

Row 9: k 12, m1, k 9, m1, k 15, m1, k 9, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 9, m1, k 15, m1, k 9, m1, k 12 to marker #3. k even across back.

Row 11: k 12, m1, k 10, m1, k 17, m1, k 10, m1, k 3 to marker #2. k 3, m1, k 10, m1, k 17, m1, k 10, m1, k 12 to marker #3. (56 sts per side of front.) k 30, ssk, k 16, k2tog, k 30 to end.

Next Row: k even across front; after marker #3, k 30, BO 18 sts.

*Top will now be worked back & forth rather than in the round; next row begins here.*

Bust:

Row 1 (RS): k 30 to marker #1. k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3. k3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. k 21, ssk, k 7. turn.

Row 2 (WS): p 8; place these 8 sts on stitch holder (for strap). p to marker #3. p even across front. p 21, p2tog, p 7. turn.

Row 3: k 8; place these 8 sts on stitch holder (for strap). k to marker #1. k 12, m1, k to last 3 sts before marker #2, m1, k 3 to marker. k 3, m1, k to last 12 sts before marker #3, m1, k 12 to marker. (60 sts per side of front.) k 10, ssk, k 9. turn.

Row 4: BO 10 sts at beginning of row. p 10 to marker. p even across front. p 10, p2tog, p 9. turn.

Row 5: BO 10 sts at beginning of row. k 10 to marker. k even across front. after last marker, ssk, k 8 to end. turn.

Row 6: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. remove marker #3. p even across front. after last marker, p2tog, p 8 to end. turn.

Row 7: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. remove marker #1. k even across front to last 10 sts, k2tog, k to end. turn.

Row 8: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. p even to last 10 sts, ssp, p 8 to end. turn.

Next Row: BO 9 sts at beginning of row. k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts before marker, k2tog, k 2. attach 2nd ball of yarn; with new yarn, k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k 2.

*Front will now be separated into left/right fronts; continue to work both sides simultaneously, using separate balls of yarn, to ensure the two halves match.*

Decreasing for bust:

Row 1 and all WS/odd-numbered Rows: p even.

Row 2: k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2. Repeat on 2nd half.

Row 4: k 2, ssk, k 9, ssk, k 16, k2tog, k 9, k2tog, k 2. Repeat.

Row 6: k 2, ssk, k 8, ssk, k 14, k2tog, k 8, k2tog, k 2. Repeat.

Row 8: k 2, ssk, k 7, ssk, k 12, k2tog, k 7, k2tog, k 2. Repeat. 34 sts remain per half.

Row 9: p even.

Decreasing toward shoulder straps:

RS - "RS Dec Row": k 2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k 2. Repeat on 2nd half.

Work RS Rows as RS Dec Rows and WS Rows even until 24 sts remain per half, ending after a RS Row.

Next Row ("WS Dec Row"): 1st half: p to last 4 sts, ssp, p2. 2nd half: p2, p2tog, p to end.

Continue to work, alternating WS Dec Row and RS Dec Row until 16 sts remain per half, ending after a WS Row.

Switch back to working RS Dec Rows and WS Even Rows until 8 sts remain per half, ending after a WS Row.

Shoulder Straps:

RS Rows: k1, p2, wyif sl 2 pwise, p2, k1.

WS Rows: k3, p2, k3.

Work these 2 rows until each strap measures 14" slightly stretched (or, if you can try the shirt on at this point, long enough to comfortably reach the held sts on the back).

Last WS row, p even, then graft to sts on holders. The piece should resemble a bra at this point.

Optional (but recommended):To reduce the amount of curling around the top edge, with crochet hook of comparable size, work a single row of single crochet stitches around all top edges.

BOTTOM:

With circular needles, beginning at seam, pick up and knit around band edge: (appx) 125 sts.

Increase Row: *k 3, m1, k 4, m1* repeat around, placing marker at beginning of row and after 80 sts to separate front and back - 160 sts total.

Pattern = Fabric Stitch w/ Slip Stitch Edge:

Row 1: sl 1st st kwise; *wyif sl 1 pwise, k1* to last st; sl 1 st kwise.

Row 2: sl 1 st pwise; k to last st; sl 1 st pwise.

Row 3: k 1; *k 1, sl 1 st pwise* to last st; k 1.

Row 4: k across.

Row 1 = Setup Row: Back - k 25, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 30 sts, place marker, k 25 to marker. Front - k 16, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 16 sts, place marker, k 16, place marker, work Row 1 of patt across 16 sts, place marker, k 16.

Continue to work as established: Back - k 25, work patt between markers, k 25; Front - k 16, work patt between markers, k 16, work pattern between markers, k 16.

Continue in this manner until bottom measures 8" long, ending after row 4 of pattern.

Hip shaping:

Increase Row: Back - k 8, m1, knit/work in patt as established between markers to last 8 sts of back, m1, k 8. Front - repeat.

Alternate this increase row with 1 regular row for a total of 4 increase rows; end after row 4/regular row.

Work 1 row p even, with 1 additional m1 to achieve an odd # of total sts.

Work in seed st for 1". BO in patt (k1 p1 BO).

Bettie's Worst Nightmare

2007-08-08T20:46:00.000-04:00

But it sure is adorable!

Absence

2007-07-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

It has, officially, been an entire month since I last posted. Shame on me.

Here's the thing though. I go to work every day and spend eight hours or so staring at a computer screen. When I go home at night, well, I don't really feel like doing the very same thing.

There are, of course, other factors directly and indirectly responsible for my absence from this blog. The weather has played a large part. When the heat index is in the hundreds and I break a sweat between my car and the front door, well, wool does not rank highly on my agenda. This is not to say I haven't been knitting at all in the last month, because I have, and even a little crocheting, too. In fact I have two active projects and one on the back burner, and there are even two FOs that I haven't posted yet. But I haven't been knitting fiendishly like a woman possessed by her frosty toes; just maybe an hour a day, for the sake of restless fingers more than anything else. The disinterest, if you want to call it that (and, frankly, it would be accurate to do so), is largely attributable to the Florida heat, and also the overall lack of time in my day - damn full-time job, seriously takes away from my "me time." But I feel there is something more sinister at work here...

Because, to be honest, this same disinterest has not just been affecting my knitting, but my general state of being. I have entered a sort of stagnant period, where one day is pretty much the same as the next day, and little changes from week to week. I haven't been working *toward* anything, pursuing any goals. I don't have anything major going on in my life, and my job, while alright, is not really what I'd call stimulating, or even particularly satisfying, in any meaningful way. I'll put it this way: With the knowledge that I'm only going to live in this area for another year before the Navy moves us again, it's fine, and I am not planning to actively seek alternatives. If it were open-ended, that's a different story. My coworkers are for the most part pretty likeable, and I get along well with my boss - but there are massive communication issues and a terrifying turnover rate. There is no challenge, and probably no chance of promotion (since they know how long I'm going to be here, too). I wake up Monday mornings anxious for the weekend, and with every day so predictable, the time flies by.

Among the symptoms of this stagnation has been a withdrawal, not just from this blog, but from a lot of my social outlets. I have lost touch with my knitting group, mostly because my Saturdays are typically overbooked, since I don't get much free time during the week. I have barely been online to keep up with my old friends in other parts of the country, mostly because of the lack of desire to spend all day AND all night on a computer. I have basically stopped reading other knitting blogs, with the same excuse.

I don't mention all of this for pity, or for anyone to get worried about me. It's just a slump. I'm sure it's even common in early adulthood - periods of being either stagnant or overwhelmed before one works out a good balance. Anyway, I've been working on setting myself up for a brand new challenge: getting a Masters in Library Science (online). I'm hoping to start it next spring, which means I'll soon be getting into the application process. I've ordered myself a GRE prep book, and last week I submitted an application to volunteer at one of the libraries a couple weekends a month, to get some hands-on experience before diving headlong into this - and I mentioned in my cover letter to the library that I would be open to accepting a paid position (don't tell my boss!). Now I'm waiting for those things to materialize before proceeding further.

I really believe that once this new project is really in motion, once I break out of this lull, then my interest in other things (like blogging!) will be rekindled. I'm going to try to get at least one, hopfully both of those FO posts up this weekend... but I wouldn't expect any real jump in my postings until the temperature backs down a bit.

Sorry.

My Present

2007-06-18T20:34:00.001-04:00

Lookit what my husband made for me!! He's got his crafty streak too.

Here it is folded flat for easy storage... Did you guess what it is?

A hand-made swift! Hooray! It's pretty fantastic. My husband must love me. I think he may be worth keeping around.

(Now if I only had a ball winder...)

By the way, curious about that skein being wound? I just got it. It's....

ShibuiKnits Sock in "Sand."

Now... I ordered this and received it about a week before reading this recent article at Knitters Review. I was a little surprised to read that ShibuiKnits is "just making its debut" and their yarns "will be making their way to a yarn store near you in the not-too-distant future" - since I already had 2 skeins of it in my hands. Then I discovered (in the same article) that the Knit Purl yarn shop, where I happened to have purchased the yarn online, was operated by the people behind this yarn. Who knew? I was just online buying sock yarn at a website where I have previously bought other sock yarn, and thought this ShibuiKnits looked pretty yummy. I hadn't heard of it before, but didn't realize it was 'exclusive.'

I do have to say, they have a lot more colorways listed this week than they had up 2 weeks ago...

Harry's "Got Style"

2007-06-08T11:45:00.000-04:00

*A sweater by Ann R.*

I am very excited to post these pictures of a quite striking version of my Doggy's Got Style sweater. Harry (the lucky dachsund recipient) certainly looks handsome in his new duds!

As you can tell, from the cables, rolled collar and button belt, Ann took my pattern and made it her own. And I must say, I have been outdone! Hers certainly is chic. I am impressed, and proud to have inspired such lovely work.

Perhaps Ann and Harry may encourage others to flex their 'creativity muscle,' whether it be with one of mine or any other knitting pattern. There is no limit to what you can make with a little bit of imagination and a lot of persistence!

(Just so we're clear on this, these pictures were posted with Ann's enthusiastic permission. If you think Ann did a fantabulous job, make her day and LET HER KNOW it!)

Eye Candy Friday

2007-06-01T07:26:00.001-04:00

Roseate Spoonbill.

(Photo taken by my husband, Monday May 28 at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.)

Ouch! They Got Me!

2007-05-23T11:20:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged! Don't I feel special.

((( Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog. I've been tagged by outdoorknitter at The Local Needle. )))

1. I like the color pink way more than can probably be considered healthy. Purple too. My husband fears the day I buy pink paint for the house.

2. I was born in Georgia, and have lived in North Carolina, southern Virginia, North Carolina again, southern Virginia again, and now north Florida. I am a bona fide Southern Girl. During the 10 weeks I lived in the Northeast, I gained an entirely new appreciation for the South and missed it a lot more than I expected.

3. In spite of #2, I do not have a noticeable southern accent - and I am very proud of this fact. However, any time I talk on the phone with my mom's relatives, this ceases to be true.

4. I love food. I love going out to new and different restaurants, as well as cooking at home. I watch the Food Network all the time. Alton Brown is my favorite Food Network personality.

5. Because of #4, I spend about half of every year trying to lose 10 lbs. A quarter of each year is spent indulging and not caring, and the other quarter is spent trying to lose 20 lbs instead of 10. There is a cycle.

6. I am terrible with plants. I have no trouble taking care of my dog and my cat, but I can't seem to keep a fern alive. I wish I had a garden where I could grow my own veggies and herbs, but, well, I don't think it would work out.

7. I drive a pickup truck. Yep. A little blue one.

How's that for random? Now, who to tag...

Bethany
Corgimom
Dove
Jen
Skully
Stephanie
Teresa

I Can SEE You!

2007-05-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

My best friend (aside from my husband, I suppose) just got a Mac. Pretty much the same one as mine. And last night we figured out how to do video chats. It's way cool and has rekindled the novelty of having a Mac in the first place.

Yay technology.

Koigu

2007-05-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah. I bought some yarn.

In general, yarn purchases are not an extremely big deal. But this is my first yarn purchase since January. I said I would try and last until April; I set a resolution and I stuck to it. I placed this order the last weekend in April, and it arrived a week and a half later.

Koigu KPPPM color 608, 3 skeins, from Knit Purl. It took longer than expected to receive my order - but when it came, there was a handwritten note that they were waiting on a backordered pair of needles I ordered. So, I can go ahead and promote their site after all!

(These two skeins are labeled as the same dye lot, but, they most certainly are not. They're still lovely though.)

The majority of this yarn will be a pair of toe-up socks. Specifically, the "On-Your-Toes Socks" by Ann Budd in the Summer Interweave Knits. It's a simple pattern, but this being my first pair of toe-up socks, it'll be helpful around the tricky parts. Note that though it is the 7th pair of socks I've made now, but the first pair I'll have made for myself.

It is, in fact, quite a bit farther along than this picture. This picture was taken with the nice camera, which B took with him when he got underway. I could get the old camera out, but... nah. Just imagine this, but longer.

Kitty Squid Does Its Part

2007-05-06T21:02:00.000-04:00

This modest little cat toy pattern will soon be helping kitties in need.

Back in October I made my first one of these and posted the pattern. It's made its way into various collections and brought a large percentage of the visitors to this site. But it looks like this little guy was meant for a much larger purpose than generating blog traffic and amusing kitties I know personally.

The nice people at Maine Coon Adoptions, a cat rescue organization in the San Francisco East Bay area and a part of SAFE (stands for Saving Animals From Euthanasia), contacted me to kindly ask permission to use this pattern to promote their cause. And of course, since I'm a big softie for animals in need, I said, Absolutely! The toys are going to be made for fundraising, and additionally the organization is going to put together kits including the pattern (with my blog address snuck onto it), yarn, hook, and a picture of the final product (what a neat idea, huh?). All the money raised will go toward helping the cats - I hear last year the organization rescued over 160 kitties.

I am proud to play this small part in helping their organization. And you can help, too! If you can crochet and want to help some kitties (and the people dedicated to their cause!), all you need is some leftover yarn and perhaps a couple hours of your time. Make one - or several - of these simple toys and send it to this address:

Maine Coon Adoptions

2527 Carmel Street
Oakland, CA 94602

* Once again, the pattern is HERE. *

And visit their website, and see the other great things they are doing! Read stories, donate, volunteer, adopt a fantastic new family member!

I hope those California kitties like their squids as much as Bettie likes hers.

Killer Instincts

2007-04-22T11:32:00.000-04:00

Warning: There is no yarn content whatsoever in this post. But it is pretty entertaining.

This morning, as has been my normal routine the last few weeks, I woke up at about 9:15, brushed my teeth, and left the bedroom in my pajamas to take care of the animals. So I had only been out of bed for about 10 minutes when the following disturbing scene took place.

As soon as I opened the bedroom door, Bettie darted in and under the bed, with Riley barking at her heels. I scolded him and shuffled him into the living room and toward the back door. In typical Riley fashion, he hesitated in the doorway (I'm guessing, he's unsure that the 20 year old wood will support his weight.. but who knows). With the door wide open, I try and goad him outside, when all of a sudden the cat - an indoor-only cat for the month or so we've had her now - flies past me, past Riley, and out onto the deck.

At this point, she's unsure what to do next. She's apparently shocked to have made it outside, when all her previous attempts at escape have been blocked. So she just stands there a moment, getting her bearings, and I start to call to her in an attempt to keep her from moving long enough that I can snag her. And then, a lizard I had not yet spotted decides it's going to make a run from under the patio table toward the trees.

Bettie saw the lizard at the same time I did, and what happened next looked like something you might see on the Discovery Channel. There was a leap into the air, a somersault, and the next thing I knew, the rear half of the lizard was dangling from Bettie's mouth. The tail was flailing about, but I couldn't tell whether the thing was actually alive and struggling or if it was the involuntary last movements of a severed spinal cord. Again she froze, perhaps impressed by her own hunting prowess, perhaps trying to determine whether Riley or I was a threat to her kill. It was long enough that I was able to grab her by the scruff of the neck. I attempted to shake her a bit, then picked her up, but the prey was not about to be released. And I was definitely not going to grab it and pull, for the fear that I would end up with half a lizard in my hand. (Ew!)

So I couldn't make her drop the lizard, but I didn't want to let go of her and have her run off into the yard. So I quickly carried her into the house, hurried through the living room, thrust her and her giant mouthful into the guest bathroom and shut the door.

Half an hour later, I tentatively cracked the door on a strikingly clean bathroom and a cat eager to be released. There was no blood, but a little black blob of unidentified lizard innards... I coated the bathroom in Clorox.

Riley was so bewildered by the whole episode that he completely forgot he needed to pee in the first place. As for me, I'm pretty convinced that Bettie's former life was pretty exciting, and probably involved more than a couple of lizardy meals. Yum.

*On a completely different note, I am now employed! I start work - full time! - on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

F'Argyle Socks

2007-04-16T16:25:00.000-04:00

These socks are a very basic sock pattern embellished with a simple "Faux Argyle" - or "F'Argyle" - pattern band and contrasting color heel and toe. If you've never tried two-color knitting before, this might be a good place to start. They originally were supposed to have a more complex pattern around the ankle; then I discovered that stranding that stretches is beyond my personal knitting limits. So, this is what I wound up with. Fits an average size man's foot.

Yarn: KnitPicks Essential Sock Yarn (75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon) - 2 balls Ash (MC), 1 ball Navy (CC)

Needles: US Size 1 & 3 (DPNs or circulars depending on your preferred sock-making method)

Gauge: appx. 36 sts x 24 rows = 4"

Pattern:
(Warning: I realize the pattern may not be written using perfect terminology, so let me know if it doesn't make any sense.)

With MC and size 1 needles, CO 84 sts.

Cuff: Work in the round in K2P2 ribbing for 1.5".

Leg: Change to SS and continue for 1".

Pattern Band: Switch to size 3 needles (to accommodate for non-stretchiness of stranding), attach CC, and work pattern (7 reps around) over next 13 rows.
(Black = Navy/CC, White = Ash/MC)

Leg (Cont'd): Switch back to size 1 needles. Within the next few rows, dec 4 sts = 80 sts total, and if necessary, rearrange your needles so that the "jog" in the pattern lies in the center of the back of the sock.

Work in SS for 3" or until leg of sock is desired length.

Heel: Divide sts in half, front and back, 40 sts per half. Place 40 front sts on stitch holder. Attach CC, K 1 row even across back, then turn, sl 1st st, P across, turn. Work heel flap as follows:
Row 1 - *Sl 1, K1* across
Row 2 - Sl 1st st, P across
Row 3 - Sl 1st st, *Sl 1, K 1* to last st, K 1
Row 4 - Sl 1st st, P across
Repeat these 4 rows until heel flap meas 2.25"

Turn heel - K across 23 sts, SSK, K1, turn. P 8, P2tog, P1, turn. Continue to work in this manner, slipping 1st st of each row, decreasing across the gap, until all sts have been worked - 24 sts remain on needle. Cut CC.

Pick Up row: With MC, pick up 21 sts along side of heel flap; K even across 24 heel sts, pick up 21 sts along opposite side of heel flap, K even across 40 front sts. Arrange needles as makes you comfortable depending on your sock-knitting method, keeping 40 designated front sts.

Foot:
beg of rows = beg of back "half"
Dec row - K 1, SSK, K to last 3 sts of back "half," K2tog, K 1. K front even.

Alternate 1 dec row, 1 K even row, until 40 sts remain on back half.

Continue to work even in SS until foot measures appx. 2" less than the intended recipient's foot.

Toe:
Dec row - (Back) K 1, SSK, K to last 3 sts of back half, K2tog, K 1; (Front) K 1, SSK, K to last 3 sts of front half, K2tog, K1

Alternate 1 dec row, 1 K even row, for 1", then change to CC and continue to alternate 1 dec row, 1 K even row, until 20 sts remain each half/40 sts total.

Graft toe together and weave in ends.

An Absolute Tragedy

2007-04-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

This weekend, the Jacksonville Humane Society - the very same one that Bettie came to us from - suffered a terrible fire.

200 animals were inside when the fire began. The Fire Department apparently rescued many dogs, but it appears that a lot of the cats were killed, and most of the ones that were freed ran off into the woods, some of them injured, all of them completely terrified.

The Humane Society faces a million dollars' worth of damage. They are accepting donations.

A couple articles:
Several Animals Dead After Humane Society Fire
Jacksonville Humane Society Recovering After Devastating Fire
Jacksonville Humane Society Website

I just can't imagine the fear of those poor animals, trapped in their cages and kennels... And the families who (like us) had visited, picked out their new pet, and had to leave it there while they waited on permission from their landlord or some other issue... How do you tell your kids about something like that?

Lots To Cover

2007-04-02T13:20:00.000-04:00

First of all, Bettie is doing wonderfully. She still spends a good part of the day lurking under the bed, but isn't that what cats do? And she hangs out with us looking for attention pretty often - especially when I'm trying to knit, or Brendon's on his computer, or somebody's generally trying to focus on something other than her. Again, typical cat.

She and Riley are doing about as well as expected together. She is rather timid when he's around, and he's alternately jealous of the attention she gets and fascinated whenever she moves at all. Basically, the dog has been operating on high alert since we got her, to the point where I finally had to remove her jingling collar so everybody could get a moment's peace. They are still working out their dominance balance, and there have been some stand-offs but so far no injuries. Then there are occasional harmonious moments like this.

And she is the recipient of a new crochet project. ("Recipient of," "excuse for," call it what you like.) Bettie's blankie! Currently it's a dining mat, but the food dish setup is still in a temporary state, and eventually the blankie will probably end up on the couch as a cat hair buffer, instead of picking up cat food crumbs.

It's so small and so basic (HDC's worked in a square with a shell edge), and took me so little time (2 evenings), and made of such a non-notable yarn (I lost the ball band but I think it's So Soft) that it doesn't even warrant FO status - just worth mentioning in passing. Especially since there hasn't been much crochet content recently... But I wanted to prove I still break out the hooks every so often.

My other current projects are a little more deserving of attention. I got re-motivated on B's socks; the first one is done and I've just finished the pattern part of the second. And they actually fit over his heel! Hooray.

Up close:

But since I didn't feel like dragging this sock to any more knitting group get-togethers, and have just been working on it at home, I've been working on this in the company of others.

So far it's just a bra, but eventually it's going to be a sleeveless cotton top. The band up close:

So, that's what I've been up to yarn-wise.

Sharp readers will perhaps have noticed a sudden increase in photo quality. That's because B got himself a fancy birthday present. I've played with it a little; B has taken probably close to a thousand pictures in the last week. Turn my head and there's a camera pointed at me. It's a bit unnerving. But after spending that much on a new toy, I'd be highly concerned if he didn't play with it incessantly.

And I apologize for not keeping up with this thing on a regular basis. I blame two things. Number one, I've been doing a lot more social knitting, and I think perhaps when I go out and share my knitting with others and they share theirs with me - in person - well, I don't feel as strong a need to do the exact same thing online. Number two, my biggest frustrations lately have not been about knitting, and I haven't wanted to post about them on my knitting blog (but mostly they have to do with not having a job, and not being able to do much about it, while I wait on one thing so I can wait on another..). I will try and do better, but until I have some other life changes, I make no promises.

A New Mouth To Feed

2007-03-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

Meet Bettie.

She just came home from the Jacksonville Humane Society. Now she's hiding inside my desk.

Don't worry, we'll bring her out of her shell soon enough.

Getting Acquainted With My Singer

2007-03-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

Among my house-related projects, this one really let me venture into largely new territory. I've had my sewing machine for a couple years now but its efforts have mostly gone to hems and tiny mending jobs. This thrift-store chair is my first venture into three-dimensional sewing.

From a distance it looks darn good, I'd say. Just don't look at it up close. Particularly around the zippers.

And even with all the (major) imperfections, the new cushions are still a humongous improvement over the old ones.

For some reason I didn't get a "before" picture of the chair itself. I'll let you imagine the dings and scratches that have been covered up by this glossy coat of black paint.

Knitting update: I finished that first argyle sock... and it wouldn't fit over B's heel. So I frogged the whole thing and I've started over with a simpler, stretchier pattern. Still, the whole thing has been fairly frustrating, and has led my knitting attention to wander to other projects. I've been working in a pretty non-committal fashion on three different projects over the last couple of days. Once I start moving confidently in any one direction, I'll post something of substance.

Central Park

2007-03-12T10:17:00.000-04:00

Pattern: "Central Park" from Fall 2006 Knitscene. (KAL!)

Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran in color 141, "Blossom," 85% merino wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere. 11 balls total. A birthday gift from my mom (thanks Mom!). It's a great yarn, if a bit on the pricey side. Very natural look to it, lightweight yet warm, and it shows off the cables superbly, plus it's nice and soft especially after blocking with a 1/2 cup of white vinegar.

Time Spent: Approximately 2 weeks, though I had an unusually high amount of knitting time within those 2 weeks. I was knitting like a fiend! It's taken me as long to get these finished pictures taken as it took me to knit the thing.

Notes: I made the 36" size and am very pleased with the finished fit. Pre-blocking, the sleeves seemed a bit tight, but this yarn definitely loosened up and stretched out in the blocking process. There are a couple of errors in the pattern, but Knitscene has given corrections and they are posted on the KAL's website: on the Left Front, Row 2 of ribbing should read "K2, P2" rather than vice versa; the Right Front, Row 2 of ribbing should read "P2, K2" rather than vice versa; under Finishing, Hood, Dec row should read "...k2tog, k1, sl m, k1, ssk..." instead of sl 1. These little errors were pretty obvious though, I thought. Modifications, well, I didn't have any, though I did opt to put buttons on it (given in the pattern as optional).

I think it turned out beautifully, and it might be my favorite thing I've knit. It could easily be mistaken for storebought, which I consider an achievement in my knitting.

My Poor Neglected Blog

2007-03-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

It has been way too long since I posted. In fact, I haven't even been keeping up with the blogs I read. It's shameful.

I chalk it up to the dedication I've been putting toward getting my house together. I'm declaring my house one massive WIP. In addition to the unpacking and organizing (now done! except a few boxes for B to go through when he gets home on Friday), I've been doing a lot of cleaning, yard work, refinishing furniture, sewing (yes, it's true), and so forth. There's also been job hunting, errands galore, and even meeting some new friends.

It's hard to find time for KnitBlogLand in there.

Not to say there hasn't been any knitting, because there's been a little.

An "argyle variations" sock for B. Definitely not expecting to finish the pair before he gets home in a couple days, but I might get through this first one.

PS, yes, I know, I owe an FO post on the Central Park. At this point, I'm waiting until B comes home so he can take better pictures than I would take in the bathroom mirror (again). So, Saturday? After that, my mother-in-law and her mother are coming to visit us for a few days next week. So it's doubtful that the posting will get much more frequent in the immediate future.

Getting Some Sunlight

2007-02-28T21:52:00.000-05:00

I bought plants. And planted them around my mailbox.

I have never purchased plants before. Not for planting. I've never had a yard or a garden of my own.

Bromeliads, Crotons, and Snapdragons. They will probably die. They are probably not suited to the soil/ amount of sunlight/ temperature/ something. Because I don't know anything about plants. But I think they look nice, and I am proud of myself. If for nothing else, than for spending time outdoors.

Now, about that dead grass surrounding them... That waits until B is home from his underway.

Zigzag Necklace

2007-02-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

After the hoodie was all put together and soaked in the tub (and yes, I know I still owe another post on that sweater!), I figured it was time to craft in a slightly new direction.

Beaded wire crochet!

Pattern: "Zigzag Necklace" from Nancie Wiseman's Crochet With Wire, published by Interweave Press.

Materials: Artistic Wire, 28-gauge, in Plum; crystal beads; clasp and findings; size 4 hook.

Time Spent: A couple of hours.

My mother in law gave me this book for my birthday last year - along with all the supplies to make this necklace. And it slipped to the bottom of my stash. Oops. But, hey, I finished before my birthday this year! I hadn't ever crocheted or knitted with wire before, but I enjoyed it. Now I need to buy more wire so I can make more of the projects. (Does wire count against my vow to not purchase yarn until April? Hmm. Probably does.) I have another beaded crochet book (yarn/thread/fiber, not wire) that my former boss gave me that I also need to delve into. So many things on my project list...

I Heart My Hoodie

2007-02-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

Oh, my. I adore my Central Park Hoodie so much. So much, that I could not stop working on it, because I had to HAVE IT NOW, and I finished it in exactly 2 weeks. I've made socks that took 2 weeks. Socks!

Photo Shoot:

Artsy shot. Pretty buttons.

Obligatory bathroom mirror shot. (B is out on his new ship, so I have to model AND take the pictures. Ugh.)

You can see how nicely the hood lies. You can also see that the sleeves are a little snug. I think the blocking will work it out. Yes, I always block pieces after they're all the way done, seamed and everything. I know some people block pieces and then seam. I can't get a handle on what problems my blocking needs to address until after I've put the thing on.

Obligatory headless bathroom mirror shot. Check out those cables!

A sopping soapy mess. I block with Woolite, and for this one I threw in a bit of vinegar hoping to soften it up. It wasn't really harsh, just slightly scratchy on my arms.

Laid out to dry on the giant beach blanket.

The official FO post shall come after it's dry. I will try to find somebody to take pictures for me, since B doesn't come home for almost 2 more weeks.

*If you happen to become smitten with the Central Park Hoodie, check out the CPH KAL. See other knitters' gorgeous finished hoodies, and if you decide to go for it (and you should!) you can get any help you may need.

New Friends

2007-02-25T13:59:00.000-05:00

In the past two days I have had to good fortune to attend two separate social knitting functions. The first was a "knit-in" at the LYS, on Friday night, and the second was a Jaxknits meeting, yesterday afternoon. When I was in Jacksonville house hunting, I went to the same knit-in, but yesterday was my first opportunity to go to a stitch-n-bitch type function since moving here, and I really had a lot of fun - even if the cafe at Borders was currently closed and we had to swipe chairs and congregate in the middle of the self help section. Met some awesome and talented ladies (who had some very nice things to say about my hoodie-in-progress) and made some good headway on my project.

The Jaxknits ladies are contributing socks to the Socks for Children in Common charity project, making socks for kids living in orphanages in eastern Europe. The pattern can be found here, if anyone out there would like to participate!

Eye Candy Friday

2007-02-23T14:11:00.000-05:00

Garden Dragon

Pile O' Pink

2007-02-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

See? I have been knitting!

This pile of pink cabled pieces is the back, both fronts, and one sleeve of the Central Park. I have been working on this about a week and a half. Proving, once and for all, that I actually am a reasonably fast knitter, and Leo just existed in some sort of vortex, in which I could knit and knit and not make any progress........

A Change Of Pace

2007-02-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

Every so often, my creativity demands expression via non-yarn avenues. So last week I busted out my bead stash.

Admittedly, they are still yarn related - they're stitch markers! They came out a bit heavy to dangle from straight yarn, probably, but most of the time when I use stitch markers at all, it's with circular needles, and the markers are suspended from the needle cord - and they should work just fine for that. By the way, these beads came from Bead Hawk here in Jacksonville - great store.

Next, this project.

I realize it's hard to tell much from this picture... It's a bookcase, and I'm staining it. It's too close to the wall in the garage for me to get a wide enough angle for a good picture - and I wasn't about to move it for the sake of photography. I've never stained before but I think it's going pretty well. Upon the advice of the very friendly guys at the unfinished furniture store - called Wood You, also here in Jacksonville, also highly recommended - I'm doing the staining with rags rather than brushes. The process is almost a sensual one, just hand against wood with no brush adding distance.

Note: We had to purchase a bookcase because our movers threw our previous bookcase down the stairs as they were packing up our apartment. Oops.

This isn't to say that I haven't been knitting. I have. Update on the new project soon.

Also, I have attempted to join two new webrings (pending acceptance, of course). Florida Knitters, and Knitters with Minis. Technically it's my husband's Mini, but that still counts, right? It's in my driveway, and I drive it every once in a while...

Like I said though, I attempted to join these two rings. After submitting my info to RingSurf on the Mini ring, RingSurf brought up a page saying the ring is not currently accepting new members... But I did receive an email confirmation providing me with the code... So... I don't know. Maybe I'll leave the code up for a little while and see if I hear anything.

Leo Sweater

2007-02-17T20:37:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Leo, by Kristi Porter, from Knitty's issue Fall 04.

Yarn: KnitPicks Andean Silk in "Cinnamon" - personally, I would not have named this color Cinnamon. Perhaps Caramel. The yarn is rather soft and for the most part pleasant to work with, but, well, you get what you pay for I suppose. My stitches didn't look quite as even as they usually do, and the original neck was... saggy... (see previous post). But the neck looks good now, and blocking fixed the majority of my unevenness issues, and in the end I'm pleased with the yarn for the price.

Time Spent: Must I admit this? I bought the yarn back in August... Then it was going to be a Christmas present... Now I guess I can call it a Valentines present. Of course, this was not my only project for that entire time. It was one of those that I kept putting off, and putting off... Thank goodness it's over now.

Notes: There has already been one post about my love-hate relationship with this sweater in detail; I won't go into it again here. And don't get me wrong; it's a great pattern. Everything the conservative-but-trendy guy wants in a pullover. The final product looks rather nice, if I do say so myself. I think B was a little surprised by how stylish it looks. It just took FOREVER. Size 3 and 4 needles? It's like the designer was trying to kill me.

Still, now that it's done and has even been worn in public, it was just about worth it.

My only modification to the pattern is the neck. The roll wasn't working out for me, so I did an inch and a half of 1x1 ribbing with double decreases every other row on the front center.

And now, we may all move on with our lives. And mend our marriages.

(Just kidding.)

Happy V Day

2007-02-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

Nothing says "I love you" like a bunch of cupcakes stuffed with pink berry goop.

Giada de Laurentiis, Raspberry Cream Cupcakes.

It Smells Like Wet Livestock In Here

2007-02-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

55% like wet alpaca and 22% like wet merino sheep, to be exact, and then 23% like wet silk, too. Because that's the blend of the KnitPicks Andean Silk that went into B's Leo... Which is now probably pretty close to dry, after being blocked on Sunday.

It's finally finished.

And stinky.

(Sorry about the blurry picture. It was either a blurry picture or a dark one.)

It was finished Saturday night at about 1:30 am. (I just haven't had the chance to blog about it until today.) And don't think the monster gave in to completion without a fight. OH, NO - there was a gruesome and bloody battle. Ok, maybe not bloody, but definitely hairy.

See, when I first started the sweater, I asked B if he liked the neck in the pattern, because I didn't think it looked like his style, and if he told me early then I'd have no problem changing things around to better suit him... But he had to let me know then, so I could do the necessary alterations of the front and possibly back parts of the sweater. He looked at the picture and said, no, that neck looks fine. He has no recollection of this conversation, apparently, because on Saturday morning I finished the pattern as written, and he tried it on, and hated the neck.

Granted, it looks a little floppy and unwieldy here, but I feel that probably would have calmed down in blocking. Either way, it was a no-go. I know if he doesn't like the neck, he's not going to be wearing the sweater, and so this whole 6 month sweater-making ordeal would have been pointless. So, I frogged the neck.

There was only so much that could be done without tearing up parts of the body, which I was not especially willing to do. So, it's a conservative 1x1 ribbed neck with a very slight V; barely even a V, more of just a series of decreases at the center of the front to make the thing lie flat. He says he likes it. Hopefully he means it and isn't just trying to prevent my head exploding.

When it's dry, I'll have him put it on, and then I'll do an official FO post.

I Am Still Alive

2007-02-08T19:42:00.000-05:00

And I am in Florida!! Yay.

And I have internet again!! Double yay.

Every morning since we've gotten here, I've woken up, looked out the window at the palm tree in the yard, and thought: "Man, it's a ridiculously gorgeous day outside."

Followed by the thought, "If it's this pleasant and warm in February, what will it be like in July??"

There is way too much to do right now (read: unpacking!) for me to spend time blogging. I just wanted to put everyone's mind at ease: I have, in fact, not dropped off the face of the earth.

And in a couple more days... A long-awaited FO post.

My Two Cents On "The Sweater Curse"

2007-01-31T17:50:00.000-05:00

Alternate Title:
I Married An Ape-Man!

What else am I supposed to think when the first completed Leo sleeve measures a solid 28 inches from end to end?? He's got to be at least one-eighth orangutan.

"Call me 'Pongo'."
(Sorry, that's a taxonomy joke.)

(So you don't become unduly frightened, I shall clarify that the sleeve is only 20" from wrist to armpit, but the sleeve cap bit is another 8 inches.)

The first of the mega sleeves is, as you can see, finished. I thought perhaps it would never end.

And now I fear the same might be true of the second. After two solid days of working on it, it is approximately 1/3 total length.

So as to this sweater curse business, which I mentioned in a recent post. First of all, my marriage is definitely not in jeopardy, but there is a little latent hostility floating around in regards to this sweater. Particularly, from his side, because it isn't finished yet; from my side, because I have ceased to enjoy working on it - which is why it isn't finished yet. It's a cyclical thing.

I have read many opinions on the sweater curse - whether it exists, is complete BS, what the possible explanations might be, testimonials of its dark power, etc. There is, in fact, a Wikipedia entry on it, which is well worth perusing. My favorite explanation can be found here - about the tendency of a knitter to pester and nag the recipient about the minutiae of sweater-knitting until the recipient realizes that the knitter is, in fact, a CrazyPerson. I had based my sweater-curse belief system around that theory, but now I'm beginning to have ideas of my own swirling around... I'm sure this does not apply in every case, but I believe it may be a viable hypothesis that I have not actually seen proposed before. Here goes.

A sweater is a large, involved, long-term type of project. And many men have - I won't say plain, and certainly not boring - but simple taste in sweaters. Which leads, in many cases, to a large, involved, long-term DULL and REPETITIVE project. For instance, while a very classic and attractive sweater, the Leo is pretty much continuous 5x3 ribbing, knit on size 3 and 4 needles. It gets a bit old.

This leads to a couple of things. First of all, a project like that ceases to be enjoyable around the time the first half of the body is done. The knitter's love for the recipient may carry the knitter through further, but the knitting itself is no longer interesting. After a while, even the color is unattractive. Disdain for the project starts to arise. Then, the knitter becomes tempted by other projects. A new issue of a knitting magazine comes out, and the knitter starts fantasizing about new patterns, with different, interesting features, like cables, or Fair Isle, or - well, not the same old ribbing. A friend's birthday is coming up, and the knitter "cheats" on the sweater to work on a scarf or pair of socks.

Then repercussions are felt in the relationship. The recipient sees the knitter casting on for other projects - possibly even "selfish" ones - while his sweater sits pitifully unfinished, and he is understandably hurt. Often the blame for the sweater-curse-breakup is placed on the recipient, but I believe that the knitter may start to transpose the negative feelings they hold toward the project onto the recipient himself. Likely without realizing they are doing so. The knitter feels oppressed by the project, and the recipient feels neglected when it is not finished in a timely manner. He starts making snide remarks about how it was supposed to be a Christmas present. She starts making excuses. Bitterness emerges. The relationship must be truly strong to survive something like this.

Of course, as far as my circumstances go, this is MASSIVE exaggeration. But I can see where it could happen. There will certainly be a huge wave of relief when it is done, though. Right now:

The rest of that sleeve, seaming the sleeves, and the neck. Ohhhh it sounds like a lot.

So I continue to knit. Leo, and nothing else until Leo is no more.

Dad's Socks, Done

2007-01-29T18:31:00.000-05:00

Ta da. A sock.

Modeled by my husband. Helpful guy that he is. I'll have to make a trip to the UPS store this week and send them on their way to Daddy.

Pattern: The decorative band is half of the "Rosemary and Sage" pattern from Stitchionary Vol. 3. The sock construction is, um, a basic sock. With a contrasting color heel and toe. (Check out Knitty's Socks 101 Tutorial if you have never made a sock before.) Size 1 and 3 needles, magic loop method (my new favorite thing).

Yarn: KnitPicks Essential sock yarn (75% Superwash wool, 25% Nylon) in Navy, Dusk and Ash. Very nice stuff for a basic machine washable sock yarn - and yes, they have been put through my washer and dryer, and they came out exactly the same as they went in. Except smelling like dryer sheets.

Time spent: An embarrassing two weeks. Come on, it shouldn't take that long to make a pair of socks! Even if they are huge socks!

Notes: For the future, I must keep in mind that stranding doesn't stretch. I am extremely pleased with these socks except for the fact that they're rather difficult to get on past one's heel. Maybe (hope!) my dad's heel is slightly smaller than Brendon's, but I kinda doubt it. Once on the foot, they seem to fit B rather perfectly...

How do you solve this problem? I went up two needle sizes for the pattern section, and it certainly helped, but it's still not ideal. What am I doing wrong?

I'd say they look pretty good though.

Riley is helping. By shedding white hair all over them.

Grand Intentions

2007-01-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

First of all:

I love it when a swatch measures up! Particularly when making yarn substitutions. And I don't think I could be more in love with the texture. Or the little color flecks - not just grey and white, but bright pink and lilac too.

However, there are more important things to be discussed - and goals to be set.

First and foremost:

I will not purchase any more yarn until April.

Not because I have a ridiculous number of UFOs or a years-old stash that needs cleaning out. No, it's because I've been on a yarn shopping spree over the last month or so, and have spend wayyy too much money and purchased for, well, enough projects to last me until the spring.

To keep me on task, I'm even going to set up a tentative timeline.
My dad's socks shall be finished this weekend.
Brendon's Leo shall be finished (and blocked!) by Feb. 9.
My Central Park hoodie shall be finished by Mar. 2. (My birthday. Remember my mom bought me the yarn for a birthday present? I mean to make good on my part of that deal.)
After that's done, the next couple of weeks will be put toward a pair of argyle socks for B, and then, the knitting bag! It would be higher up on the list, but, I want to be able to wear the hoodie a couple of times before it gets scorchingly hot in Florida.

Sounds like April to me. And if not, I also have some cotton for a couple of summertime tops. Perhaps I can even push the no-yarn-buying rule back to May... but I'm not prepared to commit to that.

Also, I resolve that I will not knit another selfish stitch until the Leo is done. It's getting to be a sore subject around my house, that it isn't done yet. (Sweater curse, I believe in your black magic. And I may have a post in store for you.)

I have lots of other things I'll have to tackle in the next couple of months, though, that have nothing to do with knitting. I have the move, a major job hunt, and the task of filling up twice the square footage of my previous home - furniture and decorations will need to be purchased. Also, I've been strongly considering getting an online masters degree in Library & Information Science, so I'll be investigating programs and financial aid opportunities. All of this, and adjusting to a brand new city BY MYSELF. (That's right, pretty much as soon as we show up in Florida, Brendon's going to be gone with his new ship for approximately a month. At least, probably. Still don't know for sure. The Navy likes to keep you guessing like that. I really don't appreciate it.)

Now that I've written all of this down and put it "out there" as it were, I'll have to really commit to it, right? And if you see me straying, mentioning that I'm longing to go hit the LYS (knit-ins don't count, alright?) or starting my sweater before Brendon's is stitched together, I want you to yell at me, okay?? Help me out.

**Edited to add - I almost forgot another commitment I need to make. I will be losing 15 lbs or so. I don't actually know how much of the weight I lost last year has been regained since living in RI, because I don't have a scale with me here. But 15 should be plenty for fitting (easily) back into all those new pairs of pants that I got when I'd lost the weight. New England does not promote healthy eating habits, I'm afraid. Florida does, though. Especially since you have to walk around all summer practically naked. I hear it's mandatory there.**

Daddy's Socks

2007-01-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

Voila, my current project.

These socks mark the first time I've used three colors at once, in a non-striping type of situation. And, since it has been a learning type of project, I am coming out of it with important new knowledge: stranding takes away all of the stretch. I got halfway through the pattern bit before I realized that it would no longer go over my foot, and certainly wouldn't go over my father's. Oops. So I ripped back, and went up to size 3 needles for the colorwork (the rest is worked in size 1). I don't know if that's the normal way to accommodate for the lack of stretch; any other recommendations? It's still rather tight over the heel, but definitely better, and it fits well around the ankle, so... I dunno what to do.

Now for the funny story. I was working on these in Florida last week, in the hotel room, at the knit-in, and on the airplanes and so forth, originally intending to be finished by the time I got back to RI and my dad flew out for a long weekend visit - but I didn't even have the first one done. Oops. This left me working on the socks in his presence, while watching the playoffs on my couch, etc.

While doing this knitting in front of him, I didn't exactly mention what I was doing or who I was doing it for... and he never asked about it. He's used to me knitting and just accepts it as-is, I guess. Then I started giving "hints" - as I was getting near the toe, I started holding it up to his foot to compare. And he laughs and turns to my mom and says, "I'm a foot model!"

Du-uhh.

So when I finish that first sock, he's working on his laptop catching up on work email, and I drape the sock over the top of the computer. He says, "That sure is a big sock." To which I reply, "Well, my foot model has big feet." Still not quite getting it, he asks who they're for anyway, and then I finally tell him outright. At which point we all have a big hearty laugh and he feels a little silly.

In his defense, playoff games and work emails are quite distracting.

So he flies back home, and this is where it stands. Guess I'll be putting them in the mail...

My Very Own

2007-01-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

In less than two weeks, I will be living here.

So we may not be homeowners just yet, but we are moving up in the world: renting a real, actual house - no apartment, no townhouse, no condo, no duplex, but a REAL HOUSE, on a real cul-de-sac, with a yard and a deck and a garage and and and -

(And I will be purchasing some exercise equipment. Man, that's an unflattering picture.)

So, yes, the Jacksonville trip's mission was completed successfully. In addition, I made some new friends! Since finding a house went so smoothly, my mom and I had some extra time on our hands, and (since she's a knitter too) we were able to hit up the knit-in at KnitWitz, where I had the pleasure of spending a few hours knitting and chatting with several lovely ladies, including a couple of members of a knitting group that I'll be joining. I'm so excited!

We visited a second LYS as well, plus two bead stores, and then ANOTHER yarn/bead-store-in-one once we got back to RI. Many skeins and beads were purchased between us. Most of my loot was left at the Jax house - a strategic move on my part, to hopefully keep me focused on B's damned Leo sweater for the time being. (The sweater didn't go to FL with me; instead I had a pair of socks for my dad to work on, and they will most certainly be the subject of my next post.) I did bring one single ball of this back with me:

Have I mentioned I'm a sucker for pink? Purple, too. Girly colors, you know. I had picked out a nice neutral shade, a nice rich taupey color, but my mom talked me into the pink. This little guy (and his 11 brothers and sisters who were left in the Sunshine State) will be my new Central Park hoodie. My mom bought the yarn as a "birthday present" for me; my birthday is at the beginning of March, and it's not outside the realm of possibility that the sweater will be finished by then.

If so, I might even be able to wear it once or twice this year. Possibly not though - it hit 80 degrees while we were down there. Sheesh. I can't even imagine what July will be like. And then we came back to Newport and this business:

Seriously. B and I are here for a total of just under 3 months, and the ONE SINGLE morning with snow on the ground has to be the very same morning that B has his final written exam, and I have to drive my parents to the airport 20 miles away (in my truck with it's worn-out tires). Amazingly, no problems, but still - the audacity of the weather. Can you believe it?! Of all the nerve...

Off to Warmer Climes

2007-01-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm headed to Jacksonville to go look at rental houses. Fly tomorrow morning, there until Friday, then after that my parents will be staying with us in Newport for a couple of days.

Why is this relevant to a knitting blog?

Because, if there is actually anybody out there (other than real-life friends of mine that use this to keep up with me) who actually reads on a regular basis, be prepared for no new blog entries for the next week and a half. Sorry. I hope I don't break any hearts.

I will actually have my laptop in Florida with me, so if I have anything especially relevant to blog about, or an emergency blog type situation, you might actually hear from me. But really, I expect to stay pretty busy.

See ya in a week and a half!

BFF Socks

2007-01-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

Since I know the recipient (my mom) is currently boarding her plane to come here and therefore posting this won't ruin the surprise, here it is. The latest FO. Finished this morning.

Pattern: Cookie A.'s BFF Socks. Appropriate since my mom pretty much fills that role.

Yarn: J. Knits Superwash Sock yarn in "Columbus" colorway (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, hand-dyed).

Time Spent: Started last Thursday, finished this morning = approximately a week.

Notes: A very pleasant knitting experience. The pattern was interesting enough that I didn't get bored, but not so complicated as to prohibit multi-tasking. The yarn, while a touch on the expensive side ($22 for a 4 oz skein at my LYS), is gorgeous, machine washable, and pretty friendly to work with - except for the nightmare of a time I had trying to wind it into a ball with no swift or ballwinder. (This is one of the first issues I'll address upon moving.)

Also noteworthy is that this was my first pair of socks worked with the "Magic Loop" method, and I'm loving that.

And I think they turned out pretty well, too.

YarnQuest and Miscellaneous

2007-01-06T16:28:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot going on yarn-wise this past week, and since I've been a bit remiss in my blogging, there is plenty to catch up on.

Tuesday, my darling husband was sweet enough to accompany me on "YarnQuest: Rhode Island" - wherein we hit 4 yarn stores in the greater Providence area in about two hours. Well, alright, technically it was only three stores because we couldn't find the fourth. We found where it was supposed to be, and saw the sign for it in front of the shopping center, but we circled and circled and it was just not there. Still, I know I just lauded B a mere week or so ago for being awesome and patient and supportive of my obsession, but... props to him once more. I hope you knitters out in KnitBlogLand have good supportive significant others like I do.

Anyhow, between the trip and the KnitPicks order that arrived the following day, I have lots to keep me busy.

The haul.

Let's see, there's a bunch of manly colored sock yarn, several balls of lavender KnitPicks 100% wool, 2 skeins of Kureyon, a ball of Berroco Pure Merino in black (not pictured: ditto that in red - by the time I got my camera out, it was already being worked into the Ferrari scarf, since, as you remember, that was too short), and assorted needles and blocking pins.

I didn't find "the yarn" for my Central Park hoodie, but I guess I have enough projects to keep myself occupied until the right stuff comes along. The Ferrari scarf is done (again), and one of these days I'll make a matching hat.

Then there's this beast, which may never be done...

Body...

Seam? What seam?

Half a sleeve.

And because, as good as my intentions may be, I just can't seem to focus on one project at a time, there's this:

Artsy shot only, since this is still top-secret.

AND, as if that's not enough, I can't stop thinking about my plans for my bag, even though I know I can't make that much progress on it until we move at the end of the month and I get my sewing machine back. But I'm really looking forward to it. I mean, look at this yarn combo.

Actually, the picture doesn't really do justice to the colors together, so you'll have to trust that it's awesome. Also, there you can kind of see the results of my polymer clay experimentations. There are a few other bits and pieces too, I haven't decided yet what I'm using.

I couldn't resist a bit of swatching.

Looking Back

2007-01-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

Feeling reflective on New Year's Day is probably considered a massive cliche, but really, who can help it? It's practically a cultural obligation.

Not much of the information from my college Classical history classes has really stuck with me, but one fascinating tidbit I remember is this: that the Ancient Greeks' concept of time was remarkably different from the way we think of time these days. We modern folks tend to imagine that we're moving forward through time, facing the future, with the past retreating behind us. Contrarily, in the Greek mind, the future comes from behind us while we stand facing the past. If you can manage to separate yourself from the way you're used to thinking of such things, the Greek idea actually makes a lot of sense. History is visible, the future is unseen.

Either way, time is a human fabrication, subjective and pretty much meaningless on a grand scale. But the Greek view works really well with the reflective mood of the New Year - who can say what '07 is going to bring? All I can do with certainty is to look back over what I've accomplished this year. With that in mind, and Dove's New Year's post as further inspiration, I bring you My 2006 Knitting Sum-Up.

Yarn-wise, well, it's been a pretty good year. Like Dove, and probably a lot of you out there, the year was full of firsts. I started knitting around the late summer of '05 after a couple years of being an occasional crocheter - so there was LOTS to learn in '06. First socks, first sweater, first cables, first intarsia, first trip to a LYS, first discovery of people like Debbie Stoller, Yarn Harlot, and the massive network of KnitBlogLand. Et cetera. Basically, 2006 was a journey from a beginner knitting rectangles back and forth, to an intermediate one not afraid of shaping or pattern jargon or intricate cables or anything else you might throw my way. Also, this year marked the birth of my blog. I'm having kind of a hard time reaching all the way back to my projects last winter, or really before I started tracking them on the blog, but as best I recall here's my big list of the year's completed projects (in no particular order):

a couple of novelty yarn scarves, because that's how they suck you into learning to knit in the first place
a handful of slightly more respectable scarves: 2 crocheted lacy ones, a knitted tubular one, and then the Ferrari scarf
2 knitted helmet liners for the Marines in Afghanistan
2 bags - a felted green monster for my mom and a little crocheted wristlet purse
5 hats
3 pairs of Fetching Convertible Mittens
one amigurumi kitty baby toy
one squid cat toy
3 completed sweaters - Kimono, Jolly Roger, and one beast of a thing that I wore once and likely never again
one dog sweater
3 pairs of socks
one headband

And I've seamed together the front and back of B's Leo. There are a few other UFO's that I may or may not pick up again. Out of everything, I am proudest of the Kimono Sweater, though each FO is an accomplishment. Looking back on my intended knitting, the list I posted in October, I feel pretty good about what I've done, even if not everything was finished on schedule. I'm a little disappointed not to have Leo finished yet, but... soon. Anything else on that list that remains undone was a conscious decision.

2007... Dare I attempt to predict the knitting future?

My project list is pretty short at the moment. After Leo's done, I have a handful of socks I've already bought/ordered yarn for, and I still really want to make myself a Central Park hoodie, and then my sari silk and felted wool project bag... That alone should get me pretty close to the spring. After that I foresee a lot of sleeveless tops and cotton yarn in my Floridian future. Next winter, possibly a couple more sweaters. All in all, the upcoming year's project plans are still pretty nebulous, for now.

Goals for '07 include more experimentation in colorwork and fancy cables, perhaps some more involved original pattern-composing, and hopefully delving into lace knitting.

That's it for reflections. Happy New Year to everyone, and good luck in your own knitting goals this year!

True Love

2006-12-29T14:25:00.000-05:00

Today has been a lovely knitterly day, and Brendon gets just about all the credit.

I shall preface by saying that my eBay score of Recycled Sari Silk came today. Yay! Look how lovely!

An entire kilogram of the stuff for $30 - that's with shipping included. I definitely couldn't get that price anywhere but eBay. Rock. It is a little smelly... musty, I guess... it kind of reminds me of my grandma's house. B says it smells horrible but I don't really mind it. Particularly since I don't intend to wear the stuff, it's going towards my upcoming dream-bag project. The colors are completely unmatching, but that's to be expected. I haven't gotten my needles into it yet, but that will happen in the very near future, I can promise.

Brendon gets some thanks for this, since he let me buy it with his credit card (since I'm, you know, currently unemployed) and he drove me to the post office to pick it up. But that is only a mere fraction of his spousal selflessness today. You may remember this unfortunate photo:

After finding out that this happened amidst a gift for him, and that it happened because of his unannounced early arrival, he felt bad and decided he was going to replace them as a belated Christmas gift. So after he checked in with his Navy people this morning, he went over to the LYS all by himself to search for a pair. No luck there, but the owner told him where the next closest store was - a bigger store with larger inventory that I had not come across anywhere on the internet. Rather than think, "Hm, that might be dangerous for our household budget if she discovered that store," he came home and told me what he'd found out.

We went out for a late-ish breakfast, and then, since it was so close by the diner, we stopped at Michael's. I'd been thinking of getting some polymer clay to make and bake some buttons for the sari silk bag, so I took the opportunity to pick up a handful of squares of "Sculpey." The B&N is in the same strip as the Michael's and it was time for a new Car magazine, so we popped in. Of course I got distracted in the craft section - I've been wanting to make hubby a pair of argyle socks - and I came out with Vogue Knitting Stitchionary 3: Color Knitting. What a beautiful book. Again, paid for out of B's bank account.

And then, THEN, as if this was not enough, he was kind enough (or bored enough - nothing else planned today, after all) to agree to seek out the new yarn store. Which was easily found, and awesome. A super helpful woman was working there, she had a great selection... I touched and caressed and sniffed many many lovely yarns. I even picked up an angora blend that truly smelled like rabbits. (I had a roommate with bunnies in college, I know what rabbits smell like. Mostly like cedar shavings.)

I got a skein of hand dyed superwash J. Knits sock yarn for a new secret project, AND I got my new rosewoods! Reynolds brand, size 6. LOVE 'em. They are beauties. Here's the sum total of the day's treasures:

You know, B teases me all the time about my hobby/obsession, but in the end he goes far beyond what would be expected of any average man to support my knitting addiction. Not just with his money, or time, or willingness to be embarrassed at being seen in a yarn store - he doesn't just humor me, but actually seems to take interest. He is starting to learn to identify garter vs. stockinette stitch even in storebought items, I believe he knows the difference between Fair Isle and Intarsia, he understands the process behind cables. He recognizes and can translate many of the acronyms. He'll take pictures of me holding or wearing yarn with no questions asked. He likes to go to my blog's counter to see where the hits are coming from. He even knows several of the blogs I read regularly, if not by bloggers' first names, then by a nickname or notable project or featured pet. What more could I ask for?

He does, on occasion, benefit from my knitting, too. It's a reciprocal sort of thing, after all. For instance, this morning I bound off the front section of his Leo sweater.

Front and back are done. As you can see, the ends are still dangling all over the front, but that's next on my to-do list. Maybe by the end of the evening the two will be seamed together. And then, bring on Sleeve Hell. I think I'm ready.

Gift Knitting, Revealed

2006-12-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

Since all presents have been opened, I can now take a moment to show off this year's gift projects!

You already saw my brother's socks. They were accompanied by two other pairs.

Gramma Belle's

My Mother-In-Law's

Detail shot.

Gramma's (I'm from the South, okay? I can spell it that way if I want.) socks are based on the stitch pattern from Hello Yarn's Cable Twist Socks, and the construction from Knitty's Socks 101 Tutorial. My mother-in-law's socks are, strangely enough, the Mother-In-Law's Socks from Knitaddicted, with slight modification to the pattern: after the stitch pattern given, I flipped it around so the zig-zags are twice as wide. Both are made of Classic Worsted LP from Universal Yarn Inc., and both were made two at a time on two size 3 circular needles.

Then there was the scarf. The Ferrari Scarf.

Think he likes it? Alright, it needs to be lengthened. Here's the whole thing.

See, I hadn't fully planned it out before purchasing yarn, and I ran out. I would have had enough for the length, but the intarsia parts are double-sided.

I knit one intarsia panel, with the border, then turned it around, picked up stitches, and knit a second one, then seamed together at the top and sides. You can see why I wanted to cover this reverse side up as best I could.

So I ran out of red. And the LYS here doesn't carry this stuff - I actually bought it in CA while visiting my parents in November. Still, I went ahead and false-finished it, because I wanted to have something decent to present on Christmas morning. By the way, it is pretty difficult to knit a surprise for somebody who lives in the same house. That's actually how I snapped that Rosewood needle - he came home from school early and I tried too hard to make everything disappear. (Sorry I wasn't forthcoming about this earlier, but B actually does read my blog. On a regular basis. And goes through my counter to investigate where my hits are coming from. It's kind of funny.)

So, anyway, specs: Intarsia chart is found here. Obviously, I did the prancing horse only - no shield/crest. It's slightly puffy around the pony's edges but since this is my first *real* intarsia project, I'd say it went pretty well. The length of the scarf is done in seed stitch, and there's a bit of ribbing traveling up the sides to keep it from curling. Yarn is Berroco Pure Merino, knit on size 6 straights. By the way, I really really dig this yarn. Very soft, machine washable, and amazing stitch definition. And now it's serving as an excuse to get in the car with another of my Christmas presents - our new Garmin GPS - and go seek out all the yarn stores in the state. Brendon's lucky Rhode Island is a small state.

Yeah, I could order another ball of the red online, but I have some other projects I'm hunting up yarn for as well. I bought some recycled Sari Silk on eBay a couple days ago, and as soon as that arrives, the trip is on. I can't wait!

Christmas Eve In Newport

2006-12-24T16:15:00.000-05:00

Just got in from an afternoon at Brenton Point State Park, just down the peninsula from downtown Newport. What a gorgeous place. Windy, but gorgeous.

Riley, 10 years old and an East Coast dweller all his life, had never before seen the ocean. You may recall that he's not a big fan of water, plus he's pretty neurotic and easily distressed in general. But he was awesome today. Perhaps his adventurous attitude was stirred by the wind, the nip in the air, the smell of the salt water, the Christmas spirit... who knows.

But there he was, off leash, eagerly hopping rocks, dipping his toes in the tidepools, ears perky and eyes shining. Made me proud, I tell ya. He could have passed for a young and agile doggy.

Newport sure is pretty, though I'm a little disappointed there's no chance of a white Christmas. After all, we're only here one winter, and then it's down to Florida where people live their whole lives without ever seeing snow.

B and I are spending the entire holiday season just the two of us, since he burned up all of his leave in between Norfolk and here. That's alright, though. Low stress that way. Besides, I'll be seeing my parents in mid-January, when me and my mom head to Jacksonville for house hunting (booked the trip yesterday). We'll have a good time on our own anyhow. We sure won't be skimping on the Christmas dinner part. Brendon's making a salt and mustard encrusted prime rib with horseradish sauce, and I'm making sides and dessert - marinated portabellas, sweet potato casserole, and Paula Deen's chocolate bread pudding. Yummy! And I'm sure wine will be involved. Fantabulous.

Oh, and since this is a knitting blog, I guess I should mention my current WIPs. Actually there's just one - I finished all my (very limited amount of) Christmas knitting pretty early this year, at least by my standards. And by Tuesday I'll be able to post pictures. Since then, I've been plugging away on Brendon's Leo. I've got about 14-15" of the front. 16.5" and I can start the armhole shaping. Whee. No pictures right now. It looks like a big cinnamon colored rectangle, okay? (I will be so happy when this sweater is done. It's The Project That Never Ends.)

Google-icious

2006-12-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I just had to point out how awesome/hilarious it is that today Google is using an image of kangaroos knitting to portray their holiday festiveness. That's creative right there.

Decidedly UN-Eye Candy Friday

2006-12-22T08:24:00.000-05:00

That would be a broken Lantern Moon rosewood needle, US 6/4 mm. A tragedy. Those were my favorites.

I'm not even sure exactly what happened. I feel pretty confident, though, placing blame on my knitting storage situation, which looks like this:

One Rubbermaid tub, jammed full of everything: yarn, needles, tools, books, project bags, etc, etc. I've probably mentioned that most of our stuff is in storage in Florida; what we have in Rhode Island is pretty much confined to tubs like these. So when digging through there to find a specific yarn or stitch marker or whatever, well, you can imagine what might happen if a delicate wooden needle got loose amongst the mess, got one end jammed securely in a corner behind a book, got the other end through a loop of yarn, and was pulled or pushed too hard... Or maybe you don't have to imagine - just refer to the first picture.

When I get to Jacksonville, I will be organized, and things like this should not happen anymore. Then again, I am a gigantic klutz, so in reality these little accidental tragedies will probably continue the rest of my life. Sigh.

Encouraging Words

2006-12-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Hey all you knitters out there: the final countdown to the big X is on. One week to go. And you have to ask yourself... Is your knitting finished yet?

Because everyone knows this is the busiest week of the year for UPS, FedEx, the USPS, and the Honey Baked Ham people. But what non-knitters don't realize is, this is also the most frenzied, hand-cramped, extra-tight-gauged week of the year for knitters, too!

I know you're all out there trying to weave in a thousand ends on Fair Isle mittens for your cousins, and a stockinette stocking for your cat, and a big ol' cable motif sweater for your bestest friend or your dad or your hubby - or, more likely, frantically trying to reach that weaving-in stage, because then you'd be practically finished, when in reality, you still haven't started that first sleeve! And I know that in the next seven days you'll drive yourself loony-tunes, staying up into the wee hours of the morning, cursing your fingers for not moving faster, cursing the yarn for not cooperating, cursing the pattern designers for, well, all the things they do... Just cursing in general, I imagine, because you didn't start early enough, or you're trying to cram too many projects into too little time, or because you forgot about getting a gift for your great aunt Margo until too late so you have to turn to your stash and try to remember what her favorite color is... I believe the illustrious Harlot refers to this Chrismastime knitting madness in The Secret Life of a Knitter as, simply, "It," because it's too terrible to try to name.

Whoa. Okay guys (er, gals), take a minute and step back. Breathe.

Before you give yourself carpal tunnel and use so many under-your-breath obscenities that Santa will no longer be stopping by your house this year, let's try and think for a second just exactly what knitting (or crocheting) Christmas presents is all about. Aren't you doing it out of love? Isn't the point of a hand made gift to show that you care about the recipient so much that you wanted to give not only from your wallet, but from your talent, creativity, time, and heart?

Not to be cliche about it, but every stitch ought to be made with love, not with expletives. Your giftknitting projects shouldn't be marred by frustration and anger, because then that frustration and anger is worked into the object, and in a way stays embedded within it - in the tight stitches, uneven edges, and other symptoms of knitting that was rushed rather than enjoyed - and that would be a tragedy. So stop stressing out about it. Calm down. Take it easy. Relax. Remember why you wanted to make this person something in the first place. I'm sure if you care enough about them to want to hand knit a gift for them, they probably care enough about you that it's no big deal if you aren't done until after New Years.

(At least, this is what I've been trying to tell myself, as I breathe the fragrant odor of orange juice blended with wool - see previous post - and develop a permanent squint.)

Oops

2006-12-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to talk much about my gift knitting until after Xmas, for a couple reasons. First, I don't know if any of the people who I'm knitting for might happen to read my blog, which would then spoil the surprise. By the way, yes my brother's socks are a Xmas present, but he knew about them in advance, hence no qualms about that. Second, though, if I talk about Xmas knitting then I worry friends or family reading the blog might get their hopes up that I'm knitting for them when I'm actually not. I'm really only making a handful of gifts this year, okay? And referring back to issue #1, I think only one of my recipients even possibly reads my blog, and that person not frequently, so odds are high that if you know me and are reading this, I'm not making you anything for Xmas. Sorry. I love you though.

HOWEVER, I feel compelled to write this post about gift knitting where I own up to an Act of Extreme Stupidity.

This morning, I fixed myself breakfast - oatmeal and orange juice. I carried said breakfast into the living room, whereupon I sat down on the couch and placed my bowl and glass on the coffee table, right next to one of my gift projects. Then I picked up my computer, situated it on my lap - and in the midst of checking email, I apparently forgot where I was and I put my feet up on the coffee table. (You may see where this is going.)

That's when I kicked the glass of OJ and sent it gushing all over my knitting. IDIOT! Oh my god. I. Suck. The best, most stupidest part of all, is that when I was rinsing my big ol' orange handled scissors in the sink, I sliced my pinky finger open. I tell ya, I'm feeling like a winner.

The good news is that the OJ was the pulp-free variety, plus the yarn is washable, and it's variegated so even if the orangeness doesn't come out 100% - which it should, it's already most of the way out thanks to my Tide To Go pen, though a little fuzzed up because of it - it shouldn't be noticeable. So a quick spin in the laundry, and the recipient will hopefully never know. Because I won't say which gift it is. Ha.

Just wanted to let everybody in KnitBlogLand know, I am a complete dumbass.

Will's Socks

2006-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've officially completed my knitting initiation - I've made my first pair of socks. I admit, for a while there, I was doubtful about knitting socks. Like non-knitters say, why spend all that time and extra money to hand knit socks, when you can buy a perfectly good pair that will probably last a lot longer for less? But I've been converted.

They're on my feet now, but these socks are headed off to warm my bro's toes.

I used Knitty's Socks 101 Tutorial and a basic 4x2 ribbing for the leg. Really basic, and in a solid color, but my brother is a basic sock guy, and it let me focus on the sock construction. My next pair will be more visually interesting. But these turned out nice, I think.

Even the heel went smoothly.

The yarn is something anonymous (okay, I accidentally threw away the label, but it was something from my LYS that I hadn't heard of before), navy and washable, with much less wool content than I'd like. Or, any. Still, they're warm, stretchy yet snug, and comfy. On me. Hopefully they are on him too.

Size 3 needles - 2 circulars. Took me about a week, including a few false starts.

And now, off they go.

All wrapped up.

And ready to go.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like..

2006-12-11T13:32:00.000-05:00

Yes indeedy. On Saturday B and I headed to Portsmouth RI to a really nice family owned nursery, to pick up some festiveness.

Door adornment.

Christmas tree substitute.

That second picture was taken Saturday, and after a couple deliveries and a bit of shopping yesterday, there are several more presents under there. Many of them will be shipped away, though, since B and I have already "opened" our big presents to each other.

As indicated by my post on Friday, my Mac is here!

I'm getting used to it. I've been a PC gal up until now so it's a little alien, but I'm figuring it all out. The only thing bothering me now is that when I power it down and back up, it isn't saving my settings. I'm working on that one.

And UPS brought Brendon's today:

Anybody into cooking might recognize this big guy - it's a Ken Onion chef's knife by Shun. It's dangerous, I tell ya, but it's pretty awesome. I mean, there will be no minor injuries with this baby. The littlest slip could end up as a severed digit.

And I'm about to do a separate finished project post for my bro's socks - yay!

Eye Candy Friday

2006-12-08T15:23:00.000-05:00

I Am An Internet-Shopping-Hermit

2006-12-07T14:56:00.000-05:00

I love the internet. I can hardly imagine trying to function without it. One symptom of my internet addiction is the fact that the vast majority of the Christmas presents I'm giving this year - pretty much all the gifts that aren't hand knitted! - have been or will be purchased online.

This is mighty convenient, yes, as far as the actual shopping and comparing right from home to find exactly what I want to get. However.. now I'm stuck here. At home. Waiting for deliveries! Right now I'm expecting MY Christmas present, which looks a lot like this:

Woohoo!!

As well as a rather large order (that I then have to divvy up and reship to assorted people), PLUS a package my mom told me she sent out last week. (I got my 2 skeins of Pure Merino in the mail yesterday, so at least I'm not worried about that any more.) Now, the doorbell at my condo doesn't actually work, and since the place is a rental we can't exactly go out and buy a new one and then screw around with the wiring in this 100+ year old house. Complicating this fact is that the house is set up so that it's split into two condos, with an entryway leading out to the front door, meaning that unless somebody knocks REALLY HARD on the outside door I'm likely not going to hear it. Fortunately at the moment nobody is renting the second floor condo, so I can leave my door open to increase the chances that I'll hear a knock. It's great and all, except that it ruins that extra bit of insulation keeping the heat in... nevermind.

On top of that, though, is the feeling that I can't leave the house at all during the day - at least until I've seen the UPS truck and the FedEx truck both drive by without stopping at least a couple times. I panic a little at the thought of even being in the shower for longer than it takes to wash my hair. I'm reluctant to turn the tv volume up too loud. It's a psychosis, I tell you.

I know that if I don't answer the door, they'll redeliver the next day. But I'm so eager to get the Mac, in particular, that I don't want to miss the first chance. Besides, our UPS guy doesn't fill in the part on the redelivery slip that says what approximate time their next attempt will be, so that next day I'll be even more on edge all day long.

Add to all this delivery anticipation the fact that I'm still waiting on my last paycheck from work to come (it's been almost 6 weeks since I left!) plus the Netflix dvd that was supposed to come yesterday did not come yesterday OR today - and I really hate having to call customer service about anything - it makes me rather neurotic. Much more so than usual.

Perhaps it's this obsessive tendency that makes me a good candidate for knitting.

Speaking of which, I still have 4 projects on the needles at the moment, and that's not helping my stress level.

Jolly Holly

2006-12-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

This picture, taken right outside my front door a half hour ago, totally puts me in the holiday spirit!

I know the novelty of spending a whole winter filled with real live genuine snow may wear off before too long.. But for right now it makes me want to drink hot tea and knit Christmas presents. So that's what I'm doing!

Answer: Very Little

2006-12-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

What is, "What I have to show for a week's worth of knitting," Alex?

Ding ding ding!

Sigh..

In my blog-before-last, I sort of promised that my next post was going to be the dog sweater pattern, and that ended up taking even longer than I ever imagined to write out. (By the way, I wrote that pattern out using Word before copy & pasting to Blogger, and on Word, WITHOUT PICTURES, it was 6 pages long. Eech.) I've had things to say since that blog-before-last, but I knew that if I posted non-pattern blog entries, that would reduce my pattern writing motivation even further.

By the way, if you want to make the dog sweater, don't be deterred by the lengthy instructions or the frustrations I've had throughout pattern writing. The knitting, for the most part, isn't hard at all. There are a couple parts where you have to think, but mostly, once you get your measurements and plans hammered out, it's pretty simple stuff. About 5 of the 6 pages are about planning. And they're really long winded. I tried to err on the side of TOO thorough.

So catch everybody up on what I've been doing BESIDES composing an annoyingly long pattern, well, there's been about as many setbacks as there's been progress.

As you may recall, I've been planning to make my brother some socks for Christmas. And yes, he already knows about those plans, so even if he wanted to read my knitting blog I would not have just ruined the surprise. I showed off the yarn I meant to use in a post last week, some nice soft navy merino with just a little touch of nylon...

And then, gradually, the little voice inside my head saying "It doesn't matter how nice the yarn is, your 21-year-old skater punk brother is NOT going to hand wash socks!" finally convinced me. So I put that yarn into the as-yet-undetermined part of the stash, and decided it was a good excuse to seek out the LYS in the next town over, Middletown (because I'd already checked out Newport's LYS, and it's nice, but it's a little small). Mind you, I found the address for this store in the Wool Works listings. Besides, even though I've never actually knitted any socks before (I know, how can I even call myself a knitter??), I wanted to try out the 2 socks on 2 circs method, because I like a good challenge; and to do so I needed to get an additional size 3 circular needle. So I hopped in the truck and set out... only to find that there is, in fact, no store there at all. I found the address, I found the building, but I found no trace of fiber anywhere. Alas.

On the way back from where the LYS should have been, there's a craft store which I will not name... but it's a popular boy's name. I figured, since I'm looking for a simple washable yarn and a pair of needles, I might as well go in. That's pretty straightforward stuff... No dice. No circs smaller than size 8!! Can you believe it??

So I went home, parked the truck, and walked to the Newport LYS, "Knitting Needles." There is, apparently, no web site. Like I said, it's a little small, and the selection is likewise; but it's well laid out, organized, and the staff is friendly. The only circular option was Susan Bates, which aren't my favorite, but they'll do. I was able to find some yarn for the socks, though there's a much higher nylon content than I'd like, as well as some fun stuff for a project I won't mention just yet. And it was less than 10 minutes' walk from my front door. Not so bad, I guess.

I went home and cast on, which was tricky enough in itself, having never tried this 2 needle trick. Finally I got both socks pointed in the same direction, knit about an inch, and then remembered my brother is not in fact 9 feet tall with a size 23 shoe. Rather, he's only a little taller than I am. So I had to frog and start over. Casting on went better this time, and the size was good, but I didn't like the way the ribbing looked. And when you're doing a basic ribbed sock, for a basic-ribbed-sock-kind of guy, the ribbing is pretty important. So I frogged again.

Here's what I have now. I'm pleased with how it's going, except that it isn't going faster.

Needless to say, the whole project is taking a LOT more effort than a couple of plain ribbed socks ought to. But then, just when I needed it most, an attitude boost showed up in the mail:

After seeing Carrieoke's Central Park, I've decided I have to have one. I'm not sure I can live without it... Well, I mean, I'll have to for a little while since I've got too many other projects going on, and December is not really a knitting-for-oneself month... But it will be the next big thing I make for ME. So I had to get the Fall 06 Knitscene from Interweave.

...And while I was at it, I had to order the Spring issue too! Supposedly - according to the website - it doesn't even hit newsstands until Dec. 12. But there it is on my coffee table!

There are several things I may make. We'll see. This post is not about showing you everything the magazine has inside.

I'm still waiting on my black Berroco Pure Merino to come. I ordered it at the same time... Not that I'm ready to start on that project now. First I need to finish this.

The Leo. The front is now 5 whole inches long. My goal on it is a minimum of 8 rows a day, which isn't much, I know. A single inch. But that's 8 rows across 145 sts with size 4 needles.. 8 rows a day is still just about enough to give me carpal tunnel.

Once again though, these 5 inches are not the whole story. I've been having trouble keeping my stitches even on this project. Particularly the stitches along the left side of the ribs. They've been puffing up a little. What the heck is that about?? After three inches, I got frustrated and frogged it and started over, only to have the same thing happen again. This is not something I usually have trouble with. I generally have very consistent stitches! It's usually my edges I hate, or my sizing, or.. or.. or.. not my stitch evenness. Raaarrr. But I pulled out the back of the sweater, you know, the one that I finished in.. like.. September - and it looks the same way. I think I'll chalk it up to the yarn and just deal with it. It makes it look so much less storebought. And somehow, I'll convince B that's a good thing.

And then there's this little bastard. Crochet a row, frog half. Crochet 2 rows, frog 3. I said I wasn't going to post any pictures of this bag while it looks like a doily, but now it has moved past looking like a doily and just looks like a mess.

So this weekend, to cheer me up, I needed a quickie project that I could accomplish with no problems. I found it in that Spring Knitscene. What is it?

Why, it's a retro looking headband!

Okay, I couldn't seem to take a picture that would both flatter me and show off the headband, so here's one that does neither. I look like a hospital patient. I'm perfectly healthy, I promise - just pale!

So there it is, a whole week. This week I knitted (and crocheted) many, many inches - dare I say feet - and what do I have to show for it?

Very little.

...But I did get that dog sweater pattern posted!!

"Doggy's Got Style" Sweater

2006-12-03T19:16:00.002-05:00

I designed this sweater for my Pembroke Corgi, Riley, when we moved from Virginia to Rhode Island in November. Riley’s getting older now, and the New England winter could be harsh on his arthritis. So he needed a little added warmth to protect him from the cold and snow.

The Corgi is a classy dog, very “British” in style – so I wanted to create a sweater that would reflect that innate quality. This dog sweater is knit in a modified Mosaic Garter Stitch, giving it a classic look, with a background of understated dark colors accented by a bright blue, adding cheerfulness on dreary days. It is knit in machine washable wool, for utmost warmth combined with easy care.

Because dogs come in all sizes and shapes, the following is much more of a formula than a pattern, per se. In fact, I’m not even going to give any of the numbers I used, because a corgi is a very strangely shaped dog – and even if you’re making this for another corgi, well, Riley’s a bit of a “chunky” little guy, so his dimensions likely won’t match your corgi’s. So, while this sweater is a cinch to knit, it can be a bit of a chore to plan. Don’t worry, though; I’m including a few diagrams and (hopefully) pretty detailed instructions to help guide you along. I’ll break down the math parts as much as I can, for those knitters who aren’t mathematically inclined.

Update 1/31/10: This pattern is available as a Ravelry download, if you prefer PDFs. The download includes the pattern instructions minus the photos seen in this blog post, as well as a second PDF that is a worksheet where you can enter your calculations.

Materials:
- KnitPicks Swish Superwash (worsted weight, 100% superwash wool, 110 yds/50 g ball)
*any worsted weight washable wool should work just fine, but KnitPicks is both soft and inexpensive*
- 2 skeins “Capri” = CC
- 2 skeins “Truffle” = C1
- 2 skeins “Dark Navy” = C2
- 3 skeins “Dublin” = C3

(The number of skeins of each color suggested in the pattern is the amount used for a medium sized dog of about 50 lbs. If you have a much larger or much smaller dog, your required amounts of total yarn will vary.)

- 4 buttons, at least 1” diameter, to match your colors and style. Make sure they are washable!
- Size 7 needles, preferably circular. (Note: For the trim, which is added at the end, I used several circular needle cords from an interchangeable set, connected together, PLUS an additional size 7 circular, but alternatively the trim may be worked in sections and seamed together.)
- Large-eyed needle for sewing up ends.
- Sewing needle & thread for attaching buttons.
- Measuring tape.
- Calculator.
- The following diagrams: feel free to print them out, or, draw your own:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Basic Construction:

The sweater is worked in two pieces – back (in pattern with contrasting color) and belly (in modified pattern without contrasting color).

These two panels are joined around the neck, then a ribbed trim is picked up first around the body (in one piece if you have several pairs of circular needles, or in several sections and joined if you prefer to work with straight), then a matching trim is worked separately around the neck.

Note that around the legs, the trim is meant to stick out and sit along the front and sides of the legs, but to lie flat against the body behind the legs (so as not to irritate armpits when walking).

Buttonholes are added when working the trim, and buttons are sewn on at the end. Therefore the trim pieces overlap along the ribs.

Stitch Pattern:

This pattern, adapted from Sarah Bradberry’s “Mosaic Garter Stitch” pattern, is very thick and warm, and sturdy enough to hold up to lots of doggy romping. The back and belly differ slightly, in the color changes and the right/wrong side.

Back – Odd rows are RS, even rows are WS.
Rows 1 & 2: w/ C1, k across
Rows 3 & 4: w/ CC, *k1, sl 1 p-wise* rep across
Rows 5 & 6: w/ C2, k across
Rows 7 & 8: rep rows 3 & 4
Rows 9 & 10: w/ C3, k across
Rows 11 & 12: rep rows 3 & 4

(Back Detail)

Belly – Odd rows are WS, even rows are RS. (Colors are in reverse order because belly section is worked neck to tail instead of tail to neck, as in back section.)
Row 1: w/ C3, *k1, sl 1 p-wise* rep across
Rows 2 & 3: w/ C3, k across
Row 4: w/ C3, *k1, sl 1 p-wise* rep across
Rows 5-8: rep rows 1-4 w/ C2
Rows 9-12: rep rows 1-4 w/ C1

(Belly Detail)

*Yarn may be carried/stranded along WS of work when not in use to reduce the number of ends to weave in; just be mindful of corners when stranding.*

Instructions:

It is VERY important that you CHECK YOUR GAUGE. I cannot stress this enough. This from a knitter notoriously bad about swatching. This pattern will NOT work if you guess! Calculate your stitches per inch (from now on, this number will be referred to as “X”) and your rows per inch (“Y”) in the stitch pattern given.

Next, get out your measuring tape and MEASURE YOUR DOG. Figure 1, above, will help with this stage. The measurements you need (i.e. write this down), which correspond with the numbers on the diagram, are as follows:

1 = Length along back, base of neck to base of tail – where you want the sweater ends to lie. Measurement 1 is divided into 2, 3, 4, and 5:

2 = Distance between base of neck and front of leg.

3 = Length front to back of leg.

4 = Distance from back of leg to navel.

5 = Distance from navel to base of tail.

6 = Circumference around dog at chest or widest part. Measurement 6 is divided into 7, 8, and 9:

7 = Distance across shoulders from outside of one front leg to outside of the other.

8 = (Times 2) Width of each front leg, from frontal view.

9 = Distance between front legs, armpit to armpit.

10 = Circumference around neck below collar, where you wish the neck of the sweater to lie.

Now that your dog is sufficiently concerned about what exactly you have planned, use the diagrams and a calculator if necessary to plan your sweater’s dimensions, beginning with the belly in Figure 2. The letters below correspond to the letters in the diagram; numbers refer to your measurements from Figure 1, except when an inch indication (”) is given, in which case numbers refer to actual inches. (Inches are given to account for an inch-wide trim.)

A = #2 + #3 + #4 – 2”
B = #4 – 1.5”
C = #3 – 0.5”
D = #2 – 1”
E = #9
F = #8 + #9 – 2”
G = #8 + #9

Use these calculations in addition to your Figure 1 measurements to help you find the dimensions for the back of the sweater, Figure 3. Letters refer to the above calculations; numbers are the same as before.

H = #1 – 2”
I = D (or #2 – 1”)
J = C (or #3 – 0.5”)
K = #4 – 0.5”
L = #5 – 3”
M = 2”
N = #7
O = #6 – G (or #8 + #9)

*From now on, any time in the instructions I mention a letter A-O, it refers to these calculations. If I mention X, that’s stitches per inch (remember?) and Y, that’s rows per inch.*

Once you have all of this worked out and written down on your printed-out diagrams or your own drawings, you are JUST ABOUT ready to start knitting! All you have to do now is calculate stitches.

BACK:

Knitting begins with the sweater back, at the tail. First you need to calculate stitches for the widest part – multiply O x X (rounded up to the nearest whole number). That gives you the number of stitches you need for the K section – I’ll call this the Target Number. Write it down somewhere. Now you have to work backward a little bit to get your CO number. You’ll notice that the L section of the sweater is an increasing section. Increasing is done by 2 stitches per row on knitted rows, with no increases on the sl st rows – averaging an increase of 4 stitches every 4 rows, which works out to one stitch per row. Your calculation Y will therefore tell you how many stitches you’ll increase per inch. Multiply Y x L to get the total number of stitches you’ll be increasing in the L section. Then subtract this number from your Target Number, and you find your cast on number! Yay.

Cast on this number of stitches in CC.

Work even in pattern (as given for the back) for 2 inches or Y x 2 rows, ending with a WS row. (M section)

Increasing: (L section)

Increases are worked on knitted rows (with C1, 2, 3) only – not on CC sl st rows.

Increase rows are as follows: k2, k2 in same st, k across to last 3 sts, k2 in same st, k2.

Work increase rows in pattern for L inches or Y x L rows, until you have reached your Target Number of stitches, ending with a WS row.

Work even in pattern for K inches or Y x K rows, ending with a WS row. (K section)

Leg holes:

To calculate the number of stitches to bind off, first multiply X x N, then subtract this number from your Target Number.

At the beg of the next row, BO ½ of the number you just calculated.

At beg of the following row, BO the same number – you should now have X x N sts.

Work even in pattern for J inches or Y x J rows, ending with a WS row.

At the end of the next row, CO the same number of sts that you bound off at the beginning of the leg hole.

At end of the following row, CO that number of sts again – you should be back to your Target Number of sts.

Neck:

The neck involves decreasing; decreasing, like increasing, is worked only on knitted rows, not the CC sl st rows, decreasing 2 sts per row. You can work all your decreases as k2tog, since the stitch pattern will obscure the slant.

Decrease rows are as follows: k2, k2tog, k across to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2.

Work decrease rows in pattern for I inches, or Y x I rows.

With CC, BO.

The back is done! Rock on.

BELLY:

Not as much calculation needed to cast on here. The belly section is worked from the neck down, in the opposite direction of the back, for a change of pace. Just multiply F x X to get your stitch number.

W/ CC, CO this number of sts.

Work even in pattern (as given for the belly) for D inches or D x Y rows, ending with a WS row.

Leg holes:

Works just like before. To calculate the number of stitches to bind off, first multiply X x E, then subtract this number from the number of sts you worked in F.

At the beg of the next row, BO ½ of the number you just calculated.

At beg of the following row, BO the same number – you should now have X x E sts.

Work even in pattern for C inches or C x Y rows, ending with a WS row.

Section B is 2” wider then section D, because a little added tightness before the front legs will help keep the sweater in place. Therefore you cast on an additional inch on each side when you switch from section C to B.

In other words, at the end of the next row, CO the number of sts you bound off at the beg of leg hole PLUS X.

At the end of following row, CO this number of sts once more.

Work even in pattern for B inches or B x Y rows.

W/ CC, BO.

Seam together the two pieces around the neck, joining D to I.

TRIM:

The trim will require patience and some inventiveness. Basically, I picked up sts evenly around all edges in CC with as many circular needles as it took, then switched to C3 and worked in a 4x2 rib for an inch all the way around, and then w/ C2, BO. (You don’t have to do the crazy color changes if you don’t want, I really did that to conserve yarn more than anything.) I did the body first, then the neck.

There are a few twists though. First, you may not have enough length of circular needle cords to get all the way around. In that case, rather than run out and buy more needles, you may choose to work the trim in sections and then seam together. Good luck.

Second, the corners require increases or decreases in order for the trim to lie flat. My corners aren’t perfect, and if you would prefer to use a different method, that’s fine, but at each corner I used 2 M1 increases, or 2 k2tog decreases, 1 st away from the corner on either side, doing my best to keep up the ribbing. EXCEPT – I worked even around the corners at the top and bottom of the front of the leg (not the back, I decreased at the back of the leg) so that the trim would stick out and act like a little bit of a sleeve.

Third, the buttonholes. Determine where you want the buttons – I suggest right behind the leg and at the end corners of the sweater belly. On the 2^nd row of the trim, BO 1 or 2 sts fewer than you think you need to (depending on the tightness of your gauge and the give of your yarn) to accommodate your button. Do this 4 times, since you have 4 buttons. On the next row, CO that many sts again. Ta da, button holes.

Fourth, you will probably have to work decreases in the neck trim to accommodate the shape of your dog (unless your dog has a really thick neck!). Eventually you’re trying to achieve that #10 measurement you took of the doggy’s neck. I recommend you actually measure the neck of the sweater as it is before you begin the trim, and subtract the #10 measurement of your dog’s neck where you want the trim to end. You may want to go back and double check how many sts and rows the body trim took to get to 1” because it will likely be different from your original X & Y measurements, since the stitch pattern is different. Multiply the sts per inch by the difference in neck measurements to get the number of sts you need to decrease total, then divide that number by the rows per inch to get the number of sts you need to decrease per row. (Sound complicated? It is, a little, but you can do it - you're a knitter!) Anyway, you will likely want to do 2/3 to 3/4 of your decreases on the lower half of the neck, since most dogs’ bodies vary more sharply between chest and neck than between back and neck. Otherwise work them as evenly as possible, keeping in pattern as much as you can.

Whew!

Once you’ve fought your way through the trim, you’re practically done – you just have to weave in any leftover ends and sew on those buttons with a needle and thread.

Then stuff your dog into the sweater and tease him/her to pieces.

(This is Riley unappreciative of all the teasing.)

(And this is how relieved you'll feel when it's over!)

***By the way, if you ever make this or any other pattern that may appear on my blog - send me pictures and I'll post them here!***

****See Harry's "Got Style"!****

Project Catchup & On the Horizon

2006-11-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Lest readers think that I have been remiss in my knitting as of late... Well, I hadn't been doing quite as much as usual due to the overload of real-world stresses that were going on, I'll admit, but there was SOME knitting happening. And now those stresses are behind me so let the deluge of yarn commence!

First and foremost, proof that I have, in fact, finished Riley's sweater, despite the fact that I keep talking about putting the pattern up and it hasn't happened yet.

That facial expression is what we call "grumpy." But perhaps he will not feel quite so grumpy about wearing the sweater when it's 20 degrees F outside and he has to go tinkle. It kinda makes him look extra fat (or at least emphasizes just how fat he is), so I may decide to break it up with embroidery or a patch of some kind or a pocket... Something. Anyway, there it is, I did make it. It's just that I've been attempting to design diagrams for the pattern, and all I have is Paintbrush, which is extremely frustrating to try to work with. I will be working on the pattern today, but don't expect it to show up here until tomorrow at the earliest.

In the "Current Projects" department, 2 items.

I have actually cast on the front of Brendon's Leo sweater.

Ta da. He griped and griped about how he can't just wear the BACK of a sweater - a sweater that was promised to him back in August - so I finally took some action on it. And remembered why it was such a pain. TEENY NEEDLES - AAAGGHHH. But it will be done. By Christmas. Really.

Also, this little crochet bag.

This purse, which may look like it's all-but-finished, is actually less than halfway done. That's because it is intended to be a versatile purse/mesh market bag engineering phenomenon.
How will it all work together? You'll have to wait and see. The part you see here was done on the plane home from California, I just hadn't gotten around to taking pictures of it until now. And I actually have begun the mesh bag part, but currently it looks like a doily, and I can't have the world thinking I'm sitting here crocheting doilies, so - no pictures of that.

Upcoming projects: there are also two of those.

My brother's big fuzzy snowboard socks.

This yarn is very soft. And there's barely a word of English on the labels.

Also, B's Ferrari scarf.

There will also be black in there, but I had a helluva time finding this stuff in black - I went to FOUR LYS's without success and finally ordered it on eBay. I found a chart of the Ferrari prancing pony, and... well, he has a thing for Ferrari. What can I say.

By the way, this blanket may creep into some of these or future pictures, and I thought I would give it a formal introduction.

This was among my earliest crochet projects, and it is a HOSS. The weight is spectacular. I made it for B long long ago (like 2 and 1/2 years!), and it has been living on the ship making his icky ship bed feel a little more like home - but now he has no ship, therefore no ship bed, so for the time being it's on our couch and I get to enjoy it too. I don't even remember what I made it out of, something I bought at A.C. Moore, but it's rather soft.

Hopefully there will be a dog sweater pattern in the next post. Wish me luck.

School Days

2006-11-27T11:12:00.000-05:00

Brendon started his school today. Saying that makes me feel like he's five years old. As does this picture:(That's him in NC a couple weeks ago, playing with one of our high school friends' son's Tinker Toys. I'm so proud.)

Having B starting class means a lot of things. First, obviously, it's the end of his leave/vacation. It was a great vacation, I'm sad to see it go. It also means a lot of starts and ends, like the end of him having scruffy facial hair, and the start of hearing the alarm go off at ten minutes to 6 every morning; the end of getting up and walking to breakfast without showering, and the start of a new diet and exercise program.

It also signifies a lot of alone time for me. I may have mentioned this in earlier posts, but I've chosen to not look for any type of employment while staying here in Newport, because the only type of job I expect I could be hired for a three-month tenure is, well, wrapping Christmas presents or dressing up like an elf. And, come on, really. I am college educated. But it may mean I have to cut back on my yarn purchasing over the next couple months, until we get to Florida and I do seek gainful employment. It also means I will be spending the weekdays without anywhere I have to be, and with only my dog for company unless I venture out into public. Sounds like a great time to set my creativity flowing and get as many projects accomplished as I can stand!

First among these projects today was downloading some pictures from my camera from the last few weeks. Some of them are worth sharing. Here's a couple of shots from our most recent visit to NC, of my KIP (mom and dad - that's "knitting in public") with Bethany at Borders. She was learning how to use DPNs (double pointed needles).

Here's our table. My dog sweater belly, and her scarf. Plus some festive holiday coffee drinks. Yummy!

The DPN lesson clicks:

See the light bulb over her head? Form will come later, but at least the theory is down! She's gonna make a great pair of socks.

Next, some nice shots of the boxed-up chaos of moving out of the apartment.

Remember how B and I spent all that time and effort packing up some stuff ourselves? Trying to be helpful? Well, apparently (we were never informed of this) the military won't move any owner-packed boxes. Damn. So they unpacked and repacked all those boxes. Their stacks look much more organized than ours ever did, though.

When it was all packed up like that, I seriously had to wonder how in the world all that stuff ever fit into that tiny space to begin with. Wow.

The new place is so refreshingly different from the old one. We went from a one bedroom in an apartment supercomplex built in 2004, tucked away behind the MALL, to a furnished condo encompassing the entire first floor of a house that's gotta date back to 18-- at least (we need to ask the owner how old it is next time we see her). Walking through the neighborhood here, every fourth house or so has a plaque noting that it's on the National Register of Historic Places, and just up the road about 2 or 3 blocks is a gorgeous Catholic church where John F. Kennedy and Jackie were married. Plus there are a zillion awesome restaurants, shops, pubs... There was zilch within walking distance from the apartment in VA. And across the street:

A park! Riley can run and play! People have their dogs out there off-leash all the time. I'm thinking perhaps sometime when it isn't too cold out (and it really hasn't been THAT cold) I'll sit out there, let him wander around leashless, while I knit on a bench. Brendon thinks that would make me a little old lady, but whatever. I may instead walk up to the awesomest coffee shop ever, Empire, and knit there while drinking some sort of wonderful hot chocolate/cider/bubble tea. I sense a new habit coming on...

A couple more pictures of the new house - my spot:

And the "ghettofied" computer setup:

To finish it all off, I know it's a bit late for these, but what the heck. Our Thanksgiving dinner turned out beautiful:

Too bad it may (or may not!) have given B a very mild case of salmonella. He's okay now, and it was probably just a stomach ache. And besides, it was delicious.

I have a lot of pictures of yarn, but I'm saving them for another post. This one has gone on way too long as it is. By the way, I have in fact finished the doggy sweater - it was done Saturday night - but I haven't gotten up the stamina/attention span for writing out the pattern. So I'm lazy. So sue me.

Gobble Gobble!

2006-11-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey Day!!

B and I have already enjoyed two separate Thanksgiving dinners this month, one in California and one in NC, so we're doing a quiet dinner just the two of us tonight. But quiet doesn't mean simple or bland! Tonight's menu:

Maple-glazed Cornish hens stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, sausage, and sour cherries, served over a watercress salad;
Butternut squash with maple syrup and allspice;
Sizzled green beans with crispy prosciutto and pine nuts;
Rich chocoholic pudding;
and this 2002 Cohn cabernet sauvignon we picked up in wine country.

Yum.

Everything but the green beans are from Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks by Linda Carucci - a recent purchase that we haven't yet tried out - and the beans are from the Oct/Nov issue of Eating Well magazine.

Sorry I don't have knitting pictures. This weekend (I hope) I'll be able to do a great big dog sweater post. If I get motivated. If and when I ever finish that project, posting the pattern will be very involved.

And yes, I know, I need to put pictures of Newport and the condo on here, but I've just now put fresh batteries in the camera and it's dreary outside. Not an ideal photography day.

See, that's what it currently looks like out my kitchen window. I guess that's November for ya.

Up (North) and Running

2006-11-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

I have made it to Newport, and the internet is successfully hooked up.

We're still busy unpacking, and I have had NO time for yarn - but I have located the LYS and it's within walking distance!

More later. I promise.

Rachel's Amigurumi Kitty

2006-11-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Amigurumi Dude from Crochet Me.

Materials: Bernat Cottontots in Wonder Dream, plus a little scrap mint colored yarn and a bunch of polyfill stuffing.

Time Spent: Approximately 6 hours; aka the plane trip from Norfolk to Houston to Oakland (minus a couple of Sudokus and the last third of Running With Scissors, the book), plus an hour of embroidering the face and claws and about half an hour of stuffing and seaming together at home.

I altered the pattern for the head slightly to make the muzzle stick out so it looks more feline than fungal, but I can't actually remember how many stitches I added where... Oops. Should have written that down. Also I added very basic ears and a tail. The sleepy face was embroidered on, which was the most difficult part - symmetry is not as easy to achieve as you may think. One ear got a little squished in the suitcase so it folds over slightly more than the other, but I'm sure it won't be the worst abuse this guy sees in his lifetime, being made for an infant and all.

The yarn is a little cheap, sure, but it's cotton, it's soft, it's washable, it shouldn't fuzz in baby's mouth when gummed upon... Really I think it's quite apt for the project, and I like it. The color can work for either sex, which was important since I will be several states away by the time Rachel finds out what it'll be.

I think she liked it. Hopefully baby likes it too!

Knitting Blues

2006-11-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

But that's not a bad thing!

I'm feeling a tad famous after finding out that I helped in some way to inspire a whole KAL. That has definitely never happened to me before. I didn't even realize anybody read my blog. It's a warm fuzzy feeling, and to a yarn addict, warm fuzzy feelings are extra special.

So everybody should go visit it, the KAL for Knitting Democrats, Knit Blue. Hooray.

Item #2: What's going on in the real world.

By the way, I'm home from California. Here's one last vacation picture, to demonstrate what happens when wineries have unlimited budgets. (B, parents, and I spent a couple days in Sonoma and Napa, where we all got somewhat tipsy before noon and then kept right on drinking - excuse me, it's not drinking, it's tasting.)

We're "home" for another couple days, that is. The packing crew comes tomorrow morning, and the movers on Wednesday. B and I have been scrambling the last couple days to get everything organized, separate things out to take to Newport, canceling utilities and assorted memberships, changing addresses. It's been chaotic. The cable gets cut off tomorrow, so this is my last post from VA. We will be at the mother-in-law's Thursday through Sunday, so I may get to post then, and after that... I'm not sure exactly what the internet situation will be. I'll get it worked out eventually.

Item #3: On the yarn front.

So here's the finished surprise gift project:

An Amigurumi kitty doll! Based on this pattern. It's for my friend Rachel, who's due to have her first baby next summer. She's convinced it's twins, in which case I may have to make a second toy. I owe this guy his own finished objects post, which I will attempt to do while in NC this week. I just don't have the time at this second.

On the plane ride home I began working on another crochet project, the mesh shopping bag. I don't have pictures because my situation is just too chaotic and, well, I'm not exactly sure where the project is at the moment among the bins, boxes, suitcases, bags... It will make it with me to RI though, where I will finish it, experimental engineering and all.

The Riley sweater is also still in the works. I am happy to report that even though I worked through almost the entire back section with the dog on the extreme opposite sides of the country, my measurements worked out to be pretty accurate and it looks like it will fit just like I wanted. Again, I don't have new pictures, (I'm SUCH a bad blogger!) but I am going to try to finish the thing while in NC, and then there shall be pictures galore, of the sweater and my dog looking miserable in it.

Well, I suppose this is goodbye for now. So long Chesapeake, VA. It's been.. Well, not all that interesting, to tell you the truth. Here's to the future - cheers!

A Great Day in History

2006-11-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

- The House is definitively Democrat.
- We will have our first female Speaker of the House.
- With Yahoo just now reporting the Democratic victory in Montana, and a win for Webb looking likely in my recent home state of VA, they now have half and I'm counting on edging out a majority in the Senate.
- The governors' races leaned heavily towards Democrats, too, and now 28 states are governed by Dems, 20 by GOP, with 2 currently still undecided. (Sad to say my future home of FL is still, well, let's just say it's unfortunate.)
And....
- As of right now, I'm watching Bush on CNN announcing Rumsfeld's resignation!!

It's no secret where my politics lie. I won't go off on any further tangent, but to say I'm now looking forward to '08 even more eagerly.

I watched all the coverage on the west coast, feeling a sense of being the last to know despite the live coverage, since CNN and all news networks are so east-coast biased. This 3-hours-behind thing is kind of a pain, if you ask me. My sleeping schedule has just now come around, after being here a week; long-distance phone calls are tricky; and the television is all screwed up. Come on, in California we never got a live broadcast of the "live" Daily Show/Colbert Report Special. Since I changed the channel from CNN to Comedy Central to watch it, the information I had was already 3 hours beyond their information. Still, Dan Rather was great.

The time zone woes are ameliorated by the awesomeness of the surroundings here. This is a shot taken from a hike on the hill behind my parents' house, looking back. You can faintly see where I've circled the house. Check out that scenery, huh? And that's just an average, everyday view.

And because I feel strongly that my parents' dogs ought to be famous, I'll post their pictures too. They are ridiculous dogs.

Kumar (who doesn't like his picture taken)

Louie

They make me appreciate how great a dog Riley is. Not that they're bad, they just have character. Speaking of Riley, I'm moving right along on his sweater. I don't have any new pictures, since it pretty much looks the same as before except bigger. I am to the arm holes currently. I've been getting in quite a bit of knitting time, maybe not quite as much as anticipated, but that's in part because of the new Sudoku book I bought...

Other knitting items: 1) There was a girl on the train into San Francisco who was knitting, and it made me happy. She was making 2 socks at the same time using double circular needles, and she was doing it Continental style and was VERY fast. *Jealousy.* I can sort of work in Continental style, but my gauge gets a lot tighter. I'm practicing though. 2) We tried to go to what looked like a really fantastic fiber store in Half Moon Bay yesterday, and it is CLOSED on Tuesdays. What kind of crap is that? Now I'll have to go home with no more yarn than I came with.

Lastly, we finally heard from our Navy movers! Took their sweet time about it, I tell you what. They are coming to pack us out on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meaning, since we get home from CA late Saturday night, that we will be frantically scrambling to get everything in order in 2 days. I'm feeling overwhelmed. But at least they didn't schedule us while we're here, or after Brendon's already supposed to be in class in Newport, or not at all. The blog will likely continue to be pretty quiet next week, though, so heads up to loyal readers, if there are any.

Who Wants To See Vacation Pictures?!?!

2006-11-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

(Insert maniacal laugh here.)

I have been too busy/too isolated from technology to post for a while now. B and I are still in California at my parents' house, and will be for another week yet. We're having a lazy day today though, so I can grace the internet with a brief appearance.

After battling with the unfamiliar computer here and finally getting it to recognize and open my camera, I am pleased to bring you a summary of what I've been up to - ta da!

I got bunches of crocheting done on the plane. Crocheting is a far better plane activity than knitting. Only one tool to worry about, and it's not even a pointy tool. I'm not yet ready to reveal what this will be, but once it's put together and in the hands of the recipient, I will be happy to show it off.

Our first day here, Brendon and my brother went off on their own to the Blackhawk Museum, which is a car museum within a couple of miles of my parents' house. Brendon took my camera, and returned it to me "full." Lots of pictures that look like this. The green one is an Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, at least that's what I'm told.

This one is a Mercedes 540K. Which is worth more than a million. I'm impressed, how 'bout you? (There are lots and lots of pictures of cars, I just picked 2 random ones.)

Thursday we picked up a rental Explorer and headed south. There was a stop at Monterey to see the fishies and the Navy college there that B wants to go to.

From there we continued south along Highway 1, where we drove past some of the most amazing scenery in the country.

All 5 of us spent the night in this little inn near Big Sur that was very rustic and cut off from the world. No cell phone reception, no alarm clocks in the room, nothin’ but some peace and quiet and a lovely view of the Pacific.

On the way back to the house, we stopped to gawk at a pile of elephant seals congregating on a beach.

There, I touched a very friendly squirrel.

Before we made it home, we stopped one more time to take advantage of my dad’s discount to prepare a little for Newport.

Overall, we spent several hours in the car, which allowed me to make some great headway on Riley’s sweater.

Detail shot.

Happy Halloween and Happy Vacation!!

2006-10-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Yep, yesterday was my last day at work. My lovely coworkers surprised me with a gorgeous pottery bowl, plus 3 sets of needles and 3 skeins of yarn. The needles are Boye straights and the yarn is Bernat Disco, which is a novelty fur yarn but it's SPARKLY. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but something. It was very nice of them.

I don't plan to be employed again until at least February.

Brendon has been sitting around the house playing video games on leave since last Monday, so he is completely in vacation mode already.

Today we're flying to California to spend 11 days at my parents' house. San Fran East Bay area. I will be taking my camera and the USB cord for it, so I will post, but not on a daily basis most likely, unless I can't adjust to the time change and have nothing better to do when I'm awake at 6 am every morning. I have a crochet project (okay, 2) to take on the plane. Crochet seems more airplane-friendly to me. Especially with a plastic hook.

Since it's Halloween, I suggested going in costume to the airport. You know, a turban for B, a burka for me, a black briefcase... B didn't think it was very funny. Somehow being in the military makes you lose your sense of humor concerning things like that. Oh well. The security people at the airport probably have that same gap in their sense of humor, so I guess it's for the best.

See you on the West Coast!

Fetching Convertible Mittens

2006-10-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

I have finished my mom's Converted Convertible Fetching mittens - hooray! And a full 24 hours before I see her.

Back:

Palms:

Open:

For comparison, and because (somewhat unfortunately) I think they came out so much better, here are the original Converted Convertibles that I made for myself.

They're better only because the yarn is more appropriate for the pattern. They hold their shape better, you can actually see the cables, etc. Still, my mom's are like sliding your hands into a warm puffy cloud. So soft. So nice. Just not as pretty or stout. Also, the cream-colored ones have buttons so they actually stay closed and therefore toasty. The brown ones will have buttons too, but not yet. (Yes, though the picture quality suggests otherwise, these are the cream ones.)

If you want the pattern for the mods I made, I wrote it out in haste as I was going along, and I will attempt to transcribe it here in a more intelligible format, though it isn't really a standard-abbreviation type format. I won't promise that it actually works as written, but it should...

**This pattern is for the cream-colored version, since I don't really recommend using the brown yarn, or anything of its weight or other general characteristics, for future mitten-making. The feel of the Misti Alpaca is wonderful, but it would be better suited for something with less structure.**

* * * The Pattern * * *

First, follow the pattern for Fetching (which of course is copyrighted by Knitty), but do not work the thumbs. (I did a regular bind off, too, instead of the picot bind off, but you can go either way.)

Thumb:
Pick up the 17 sts as instructed in the original pattern.
Knit 7 rows.
Row 8:
(Left thumb) K 12, BO 5 sts
(Right thumb) K 7, BO 5 sts, K 5
Row 9:
(Left thumb) K 12, CO 5 sts - 17 sts total
(Right thumb) K7, CO 5 sts, K 5 - 17 sts total
Knit 7 rows.
Decreasing -
Row 1: 1st needle, K2tog 3 times, K 1; 2nd/3rd needle, K2tog 2 times, K 1.
Row 2: 1st needle, K2tog 2 times; 2nd/3rd needle, K2tog, K 1 - 2 sts per needle.
Cut yarn, thread tail through yarn needle and draw through all 6 loops, pull closed and weave in end.

Convertible Tops:
*Assuming there are 45 sts around your mitten in a 4x1 rib pattern*
Pick up 22 sts across back half of mitten, just above the last cable. CO 23 sts for front/palm of top flap and join to beginning. Sts should be divided across 4 dpns, with "Palm Side" on 2 needles and "Knuckle Side" on 2 needles.

Work 4 rows in 4x1 rib.
Work cable row as given in original pattern.
Work 5 rows in 4x1 rib.
Work cable row.
Work 12 rows in 4x1 rib.
Decreasing -
Row 1: Knuckle side - K 4, K2tog, K to last 6 sts, K2tog, K 4; Palm Side - K 4, K2tog, K to center, K2tog, K to last 6 sts, K2tog, K 4.
Row 2: Knuckle side - K 4, K2tog, K to last 6 sts, K2tog, K 4; Palm Side - Repeat Knuckle Side.
Row 3: Repeat row 2.
Row 4 & 5: Knuckle side - K 3, K2tog, K to last 5 sts, K2tog, K 3; Palm Side - Repeat Knuckle Side.
Row 6: Knuckle side - K 2, K2tog, K to last 4 sts, K2tog, K 2; Palm Side - Repeat.
Row 7: Knuckle side - K1, K2tog, K to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1; Palm Side - Repeat.
Cut yarn, thread tail through yarn needle, carefully turn mitten cap inside out. Run tail through sts, alternating between Knuckle and Palm Side sts for a straight seam across fingertips.

Attach buttons as desired to hold flap closed.

Life After the Sweater's Completion

2006-10-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

The Kimono Sweater is done, and yet the knitting goes on without missing a beat.

But before I even get started talking about new projects, I'd like to dive off into tangent-ness for a moment to talk about wearing hand-made items. I wore the new sweater to my gallery's opening Friday night. I always feel especially self-aware when I'm wearing things I've made, and particularly so when wearing them for the first time. I have a bunch of jewelry and a scarf or two, maybe a hat, etc, that I made so long ago that these things are now very much ingrained into my rotation of accessories, and these I wear now without a second thought (at least until somebody comments on them), but recently finished projects... I look down at the sleeve and relive every stitch; there's novelty in how the item drapes and feels and smells; I worry about what will happen if I get caught wearing it in the rain.

Only one person (my boss Nicole, who knows I knit) commented on the sweater Friday night to ask if I had made it myself, but I take that as a compliment - it looked nice enough to pass as storebought.

Anyhow, the world turns and I must move on into new endeavors. So... what's that brown lump over there? Hm?

Why, it's a Fetching fingerless glove, turned into a convertible mitten!!

Here's the top-up shot.

And here's the top down - back:

...and front.

These are for my mom, and hopefully they'll be done by the time I fly out to see her on Tuesday. Shouldn't be a problem, the first is finished and I'm making headway on the second. See? A whole cuff already.

They'll need buttons sewn on so that they hold closed a bit better, but I'll let her pick those out and I'll sew them on while I'm visiting.

The yarn is Misti Alpaca Sport, 100% baby alpaca, which I bought at Ewe Knits in Virginia Beach. Misti Alpaca's website says it's the "softest yarn ever" and that just may be true. It is not, however, the ideal yarn for this pattern. It's dark and fuzzy so it doesn't show off the cables or ribbing all that well, and it's a sport weight so I had to go and reconfigure the pattern for that, and the mitten is still a little, er, lacier than I wanted. Nonetheless, it is SOOO soft and putting it on my hand is a very pleasant experience. And it's very warm regardless of the slightly open stitches. Besides, my mom picked it out.

After that, I get into this stuff, but I'm not saying what it will be because it's a surprise for a friend.