Reckless Glue

in which I ramble...

2009-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

There's been lots of knitting going on behind the scenes, I promise! I've just been so swamped lately --fall seems like a crazy time for everyone, and things are really ramping up for me at work lately (and socially if I'm being honest...) though I can finally see the light at the end of this particular tunnel. We also had a liitle rescue on our hands who sucked up A LOT of my spare time:

This is Gary. Yes, he is as adorable as he seems. We found him abandonned in a field near our house on (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend. More pics/details can be seen on my flickr, but the short story is that we've adopted him out to some friends of ours now, even though I really REALLY wanted to keep him. The timing's not right for us, and truthfully I'm still just not over this guy's passing.

If nothing else though it's shown me that there's likely to be more kittens in my future (maybe after Poncho's gone) and I look forward to that day with less anguish than before.

So in lieu of any knitting of my own to share right now, I thought I'd post a few fibre-related items I'm drooling over right now.

I know I've mentionned before how much I love that Kate Spade's doing a clothing line now. I was never much for her purses but her clothing is mod and fabulous --totally my thing, and she has the funnest accessories and knitwear:

um, is it wrong for me to say that I totally plan to knock these off for myself?

and this fabulous Fox pullover from Brit designer Peter Jensen:

Of course Gravity Pope wants $400 for it so I'm thinking it's not likely to ever be in my future, short of charting it out myself (which let's face it, i'll have lost interest by the time I EVER get around to that!)

and finally, howz this for some Holiday stash busting ideas?

These adorable yarn wreaths are from Agnes Blum at Knockknocing.

Think about all those yarn bits you have languishning in your stash that you'll never actually knit with!

Or you could just go buy one here.

I actually kind of went a little crazy buying patterns online the other day, mostly silly things it seems, but I've been dying to knit this little guy for ages, and finally caved and bought the pattern:

What can I say? I spent 5 years in Germany, and growing up an army brat who WORE A DIRNDL (oh yes, I did...) it's kind of left me with (if nothing else) a penchant for all.things.kitsch.from.the.Black.Forest. I'm not lying, it's kind of a problem I have...have you seen my cuckoo clock wall?

Anyway, kind of an old picture, but you get the idea (and as usual I totally just got derailed from what I was talking about originally...)

The Bunny patterns and all the clothes are by Barbara Prime, and she has some seriously adorable knits for sale. I tend to leave all the "toy" knitting to my mother, since that is definitely her passion, but for freakin' lederhosen I simply have to make an exception...

Happy Halloween everyone!

back to basics (again and again)

2009-10-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I really thought I'd at least be able to squeeze out another post still in the month of September, but well you know how that goes...how is it October already???

Today marked the first morning I've actually had to wear MITTS in the car on my drive in to work (ok they were fingerless, but still that steering wheel was FRIGID), and I know that it's unseasonably cold around these parts right now, but today is definitely a day for snuggling under my big down comforter with a mug of tea in hand and a good book.

And casting off on some cozy alpaca just in time.

There's not a lot I can say about this scarf, apart from the fact that it's very simple, and gorgeously soft and will no doubt get tons of wear. It's taken me a while to knit simply because it's been my "at work" knitting. I'd bust out a couple rows every lunch hour or so on 3.25mm needles. Many times at work I would hear "you're STILL knitting that?!" Really, where do the non-knitters get off criticizing? But now that it's done I'm back to crosswords until I come up with something similar to taunt me at my desk every day.

The yarn is from Bonne Mines, a local Alpaca farm in Quebec, and was a gift from my sister. I think I cast on 40 sts and the border is about 7 sts of seed stitch both sides. I used up the full two hanks.

Now, that said I am definitely allergic to it. But like all animals (my own pets included) you learn to live with what you love. And you learn to live with what you love stealing your scarves from you as well:

Now, in cowl news...y'all KNOW how much I love a good cowl. It's the one thing I've consistently knit and worn over and over since the beginning of my knitting career. As knitters we've long been doing the cowl thing. Have you noticed this year that they appear to be everywhere in fashion?

I meant to scan a few pics from the last Vogue (but as with most things lately never got around to it) as there are quite a few awesome chunky cowls from designers in there. And really, why pay $500 when you can just knit your own? Granted, things seem to be taking on larger, more "snood-esque" proportions this year. In fact miss knit lit just posted about this very thing as well. (head on over there and check her out if you haven't already, her eye for fashion is amazing!)

Though I am currently digging the über-simplicity of this cowl spotted on Mila Jovovich at a Louis Vuitton show:

That would definitely go up likety split. I do find the bind-off a bit strange though --would it not have looked nicer to bind it off "in pattern?", but then I guess I'm no designer and that's why I'm not smart enough to get rich off these things.

Rodarte Fall 2009

via doucement le matin

Dries Van Noten Fall 2009

Anyway, you get the idea. Cowls aside it seems like the chunky knits are everywhere for designers this year.

And if you ARE looking for a cowl of your own to knit but would rather have an amazing pattern already thought out, allow me to plug this amazing 'lil number from my friend Michele over at knitting is kneat-o.

Only 4 bucks on etsy for this gorgeous snood! I'm headin' there now myself...

There's a lot of cute knitwear out there this season (yet I don't seem to be doing much knitting myself these days--what's up with that?) but I think that all deserves another post of it's own. We'll all be gearing up for some Christmas knitting soon and I for one know that I could use as many fresh new ideas as possible!

meow

2009-09-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Indulge me in some pictures of my fluffy beast, will you? They are sort of knitting related...he recently discovered the comfort of laying in my WIP basket.

Though I likely won't let it happen again.

In ACTUAL knitting news, this cowl:

free pattern: birthday cowl
yarn: 1.5 balls of Sublime Cash Merino Silk DK in "Ink" (leftover from the Raglan Wrap sweater
needles: 4mm

LOVE it. I really love a good cowl.

that is all.

"not everything is flat on the Prairies"...

2009-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

...I used to have a t-shirt with that very slogan that went right across my chest. Yeah, that's right, I'm a classy lassy. (Though in my defence I never really wore it out in public).

Bet you thought you'd NEVER see these done:

They've been sitting over there on my toolbar under "hibernating" for about a year and a half now. One boot completely done, the other just the sole. And there they sat all this time until I finally just got so SICK of looking at it and cranked out it's mate.

And cranked I did. I seriously feel like it took about two seconds to knit so I'm all the more confounded as to why I put it off for so long.

pattern: Prairie Boots from Coco Knits
yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Olive (knit double-stranded) and some random Lopi (single-stranded) for the soles
needles: US #10
buttons: random. I really just wanted to get these done so I couldn't bring myself to go out and buy new and matching ones.

When I first bought this pattern I think I really fancied myself a pair of those "knit-style" uggs that were in all the stores at the time. Like these, but I didn't fancy the $150 price tag. I know, I know --Uggs?! uggs, you say?! It's a love/hate thing for sure. For the record, I've never owned a pair of Uggs. I did however have a cheap knock off set and Sweet Marie they were THE BEST. 40 below outside and need to warm up the car in ten feet of snow? No laces? Awesome. I am not ashamed. Fortunately the bloom fell off the rose before I forked out any money and I decided to knit myself the nearest facsimile.

The main problem with waiting a year and a half to finish a second boot: apparently my gauge is much MUCH different now. Boot number two is about two sizes bigger than the first. That sucks a little bit since boot #1 is pretty much a perfect fit! But no matter --they will pretty much just be worn as slouchy/warm/around the house booties anyway. (Though note to self: glue dots for the bottom of these as I'm wiping out LARGE on the hardwood floors).

Also on the sticks right now is a cabled pillow. After two sad attempts at using this Manos,

sad attempt #1:

sad attempt #2:

I'm going for a third and already fearing a lack of yarn. And I really, really don't want to buy more of it.

This is a free Drops pattern btw--already mine is looking nothing like the original (seen here PO-005), and I basically had to re-write it before I could even get going on it. It's been a while since I've knit from a pattern in "British" English (I'm Canadian --aren't we speaking the same language? or is this a Norwegian translation?) But I forgot how much more general or "assumed" things are. i.e K1 in the pattern --simple --"knit one" right? wrong. Knit seems to be used in a much more general way. Like "go" "make this sweater". Aye yi yi. But once I got into the mind of it again, all was right with the world. NOW I get it: purl means knit, knit means garter, up is down and hamburgers eat PEOPLE. got it!

I may just need to accept that this lumpy-ass yarn is quite possibly, cursed. Or really, scrap this pillow in favour of another.

bow-nanza!

2009-08-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think I am juuuuuust about caught up on everyone's blogs and officially ready to get back into the knit-swing of things again.

I am rested, back to work, and more importantly: back to knitting baby! My wrist pains appear to have subsided. (knock wood)

And in honour of that small miracle I hunkered down and finally finished off the BEHEMOTH that is Laura Irwin's Alpaca Silk Bow scarf.

not sure what this expression is saying...

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk (50% silk/50% Alpaca). About 5.5 balls of the "Chestnut" brown, and less than one of the "Mandarin".
needles: 3.75 mm

This is even the yarn that the pattern calls for so it was a real splurge for me. It is seriously beautiful and gorgeously soft and silky.

Scarf-y here also marks the fourth item that I've knit from this book --the others being the Raglan Wrap sweater; and both the sideways grande and side slip cloches. ALL fabulous, well-written and "sure-are-purty" patterns from Laura Irwin.

So, even though this is the yarn the pattern called for, I'm not sure if it was necessarily the best choice. It is just SO drapey that it really makes weaving in the ends a pain in the butt (though possibly I am seriously bad at this task and it's just me...), the silkyness equals ends-that-pop-out-just-when-you-think-they're-woven-in-perfectly.

For a normal scarf the prospect of a couple of yarn ends sticking out here and there might be all well and good, but this was intarsia. My FIRST attempt at intarsia. Sure-- intarsia, as it turns out, is easy. But it is also totally maddening. Every six inches look like this:

My one consolation here is that I was smart enough to weave the ends in as I went. Had I left them all until the end, this scarf would still be incomplete. Permanently.

And indeed so floppy that any hopes of a bow like this...

...are immediately dashed.
hahahahahahahaha.

See!? It's a BOW.

Oh, who am I kidding, I am literally never going to wear it that way anyway. I will likely just wear it in the usual "drape-it-around-my-neck-way" that most of us just wear our scarves anyway.

Though, knowing this NOW does not really help me.

(And might I add I kind of feel like this particular project was what was really keeping me from knitting anything else --I didn't really want to be working on it, but at the same time didn't really want to stray too far from it either--which essentially amounts to: hardly ever knitting it OR anything else). Had I known months ago when I started this scarf that I wouldn't wear it in "bow-format" I would have made the following changes:

a) ALL ribbing. There are two sections of it that are knit in stockinette, you can kind of see those changes in this photo:

The stockinette is the flat part that allows the bow to be more, uh "bow-tastic". Again, it's also so drapey that I don't think it matters that much. Plus if you did it all in ribbing it wouldn't look quite so odd when you did just decide to wear it a more "normal" way.

b) Sweet Jesus I would have made it shorter. A LOT shorter. Not sure if the photos really divulge how many times this thing is wrapped around my neck (while still having ends that hang below my hips). I think even about three feet shorter would still mean substantial length and a decent bow. But again, perhaps this is just down to my own gauge (which I know is loose, even though I repeatedly check it). Plus there are just so many ends that tearing it out to salvage the yarn for other things is just pointless.

Perhaps you need some empirical evidence of it's length...some perspective maybe?

BAM!

(N.B---this was before I blocked it even...I tried to block it out a bit wider/shorter, but it's still groooooowwwwiiiing)

It's meant to be 9 feet, it's definitely longer than that and by the time I get home it may have eaten my cat and anyone I ever cared about.

But all ribbing aside (yeah, pun intended), it really is a beautiful thing to behold. It felt like a major undertaking for me, and the fact that only one other person on ravelry appears to have knit it should have been my first clue. People often say to me "how can you knit so many scarves?" --I know they are virtually like knitting a sweater sometimes, but this is really the first time I was feeling like "yeah this scarf is taking forever, I may need to take a take a break from these".

Now that it's done I can laguish in its gorgeous-ness, as the memory of all it's hard work floats away.

And you know, cuz I can never have enough crap around my neck it seems, I've started another cowl.

Perhaps someone would like to buy me this $1300 Nylon "knitting bag" from Dolce & Gabbana to carry it around in?

cute knit overload dot com

2009-08-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I am presently M.I.A.

And this post: purely fluff, I'm warning you now. Just popping in to say: "I haven't died, I'm on vacation, I'm lazy, new knitting is coming, please forgive me".

By way of apology, please enjoy these adorable animals in knitwear:

(this guinea pig is enough to make me change my mind about crochet...er, yeah.)

All images courtesy of cuteoverload.com, naturally. If you've never been on that site something is seriously wrong with you. I am pretty much obsessively there on a weekly basis. (Maybe the problem is mine?...I also subscribe to Maru's blog). Ok, confession time: lately my cuteness obsession has extended to "favouriting" cute bunny photos on flickr. I am obviously a softie at heart.

like this:

(flickr i.d: Little Bay Poo)

and this:

But then that would be me getting away from knitting...

If nothing else I can stop agonizing over what to knit as these sites have provided me with the perfect wedding shrug pattern:

kitteh shrug! (image also courtesy of cute overload)

Tommorrow I am off to soak up some cottage-style rays with my knitter-in-crime Julia. Par for the course we will likely obligingly pull out the knitting for 5 minutes before abandoning it all for beer, board games and charred veggie dogs.

Can't wait!

Sweet Marie, she knit something!

2009-07-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

in an effort to try and get some of my knitting mojo BACK, I busted out a quick hat.

free pattern: Robin's egg blue hat from Rachel Lufer
yarn: leftover Patons Shetland Chunky in "wine" (less that 1 ball?)
needles: 5mm
vintage button from an antique sale.

At this point in my knitting career I have ENTIRELY too many hats. It's time to do a serious purge.

This one's very cute and is a great well-written pattern (and did I mention free?!), though kinda not really my style. I think it'll make an excellent gift, and I will likely stash-bust out a few more as prezzies. I've had a moratorium on all yarn purchases lately, due to some very recent (and questionable) spending on my part, so it's time I re-visisted the possible surprises in my stash anyway!

It's July? are you sure? My sister bought me that shirt at Giant Tiger for 4 bucks--I kind of feel a bit like I'm channeling Flight of the Conchords in it, but she bought it more as an homage to this (if you have some time and want a laugh, read the reviews on amazon.)

Ironic t-shirts aside, I wish I could chalk my non-attempts at knitting up to summer-time frolicking (in truth this is partly true) but mostly it is that my dreaded Carpel Tunnel has reared it's ugly head again. I'm hoping it'll all just heal up on it's own before it gets to the point that I need surgery or something.

I've really only started one new thing...

...and the times that I do pick it up are fleeting at best. It's another attempt at a wedding shrug, not unlike this one, so that's not very exciting.

I'm pretty much just countin' down the days until my summer vay-cay at this point.

knitwear designers/artists

2009-07-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

So, some of you know that I'm a bit of a design junkie. Usually this is within the confines of the mid-century realm, and that does extend into lots of things...furniture, architecture, art, fonts, you name it. And as you likely also know, that while I'm "into" fashion, for the most part it's nothing that I take too seriously (also there's that whole not-being-able-to-afford-most-of-it thing I've got going on). Oh yeah, and also: I'm a slob.

Very rarely do I make a truly expensive "designer" purchase (though I won't lie and say it hasn't happened on occasion ahem). It is often a discussion with the man of the house that I will turn my nose up at something if it costs more than three dollars (that is the thrift/junk/curbside re-appropriation/dirty picker in me!), and then turn around and buy a $300 (or worse but we won't go there) item in the same breath. What can I say, I'm an enigma.

But I am ALSO: queen of the knock off. If I can make it myself, I generally will. As knitters we are no strangers to the adaptation of patterns, or the desire to knit it yourself if you've seen it in a store. Seriously, since I've started knitting, when was the last time I purchased an actual "knit" sweater? Honestly, I can't remember.

So to that end I offer you: things we can't afford, but can probably make ourselves.

First up, from Kate Spade:

Ok, I am absolutely in love with these, and will definitely be attempting the Taxi ones, if not both pairs. Kate spade...hmmm, kinda not usually my thing--though I do think she does mod well when she does do it. Normally I might rant about the price of these basic mittens simply because "she's a designer" but apparently the sale of these mitts went towards the support of the women in Bosnia and Herzogovina who made them. Then I had an attack of conscience and felt really bad about even thinking about making my own pair.

In the end, they were sold out so I couldn't buy them anyway.

Also within the same hilarious/adorable/crafty realm from Jack Spade, these moustache gloves:

Fabulous. (and currently on sale...)

Or for the more adventurous, how 'bout you take some knitting inspiration from UK designer Lauren Jennings:

wow.

And if I wasn't already knitter, this amazing textile art from Aurelie Mathigot would still have caught my eye:

(found via Wool and the Gang --also newish knitwear designers (with their own line of yarn and knit kits you've probably seen by now) you should all check them out---they are even making me want a (gasp!) poncho)

And still one more non-sequitor for you (but still within the knit realm...) Phildar is having a SALE right now! I just bought three patterns books (in English for those of you concerned about that...) for about 15 euros (including shipping). Exchange rate or not, that's still a smokin' deal. You can buy yours HERE. The older the catalogue, the cheaper it is, so if there were some previous patterns you were drooling over, now may be your opportunity to get 'em for a song.

happy knitting! (oh and happy belated Canada Day and early 4th of July!)

free pattern alert!

2009-06-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

I always love coming across free knitting patterns that I never knew existed. Actually maybe I should amend that to free modern knitting patterns (why is it only ever patterns from the nineties I seem to stumble upon?) And, I'm hurting for some inspiration these days so this couldn't have come at a better time.

Found this one via my friends over at Desire to Inspire.

The Puff Daddy knitted stool from Pickles.

Have any of you ever been on this site before? It appears to be Norwegian. Though like most Norwegians, there is some flawless English spoken there too. Personally I know how to say about three things in Norwegian (apart from hello of course):

1) turn up the music
2) I have to pee
3) you have beautiful eyes and I want you SO much

So, at least I have the fundamentals covered, but that still wouldn't really help me if I had to read an actual knitting pattern in said language.

This stool also appeals to me, as some of you might remember this post from awhile back about these poufs:

but at $1600 apiece, I think i'll just take Pickles' free pattern instead, thanks.

Other cute things from pickles:

and lots and lots of adorable kids' things:

Head on over and check Pickles out if you haven't already...I think there's something for all--craft tutorials, crochet patterns, sewing patterns (there is an adorable pattern for a bike seat cover I'm eyeing...) and oh yeah: CUPCAKES.

Sweet Marie I wish I was devouring about a half-dozen of those right now.

help m-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e

2009-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

I think I am beyond help on this one. But here's my latest white whale.

Much like the aforementionned Moby Dick's white whale, this scarf is virtually all I'm capable of focusing on right now. Though unlike Ishmael, I'm going after this thing in a really half-assed way.

Ok I will stop now with the Moby Dick symbolism. I've never actually read that book (it's the former Literature-major in me...I am prone to sudden bouts of bullshitting my way through essay-type questions). It took me many years to learn how to self edit and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you start seeing my blog posts in point form.

I mean, this is typically the point where handmade scarves CEASE to be knit. It's SIX FEET long already.

So uh, yeah. Six feet long already and I'm not half-way done yet??? Something is seriously wrong here. I know it's supposed to go to 9 feet, but it'll be more like 12 at this rate. I may have to seriously shorten the center section if ths thing is to be at all wearable in the end.

It's a bit of a conundrum for me right now. I have zero interest in starting anything new until it's done, yet I also have zero interest in knitting this thing too. I pick it up every evening and knit about a centimetre in length. What's wrong with me? I know I've been busy lately, and it's summer now but still...I seem to find myself either reading books or flipping through magazines in the evenings when I'm home. Anything to avoid this beast.

Even the S.O commented last night "you've lost interest in knitting?". Is he right? Or is this just a phase? I'm one of those knitters that never suffers from "startitis". More like "finish-itis". Even when I know something is horrible (and don't get me wrong ---this scarf isn't). I am still compelled to see things through to the end. I am incapable of abandonning any kind of project until it is completely done (then I usually forget about it forever). I am very obedient. I always do what I am told, and this scarf is no exception. See---I told you I needed a magazine rack for all of my issues....

So to that end, I think I need to spend some quality time trolling new patterns that will inspire me to actually pick up the needles again.
Though preferably small, fast and satisfying projects.

Cara's mittens

2009-05-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

My dirty secret: I am a closet Twilight fan. There, I said it...let us never speak of this again.

What can I say, it speaks to the repressed 13 year old girl still buried deep within. If I was still 11 Edward would be my new John Taylor from Duran Duran.

But regardless of whether I've read all 4 books, including the Edward-only-perspective-version of the first book online, and on-demand-ed the movie the day it went to DVD (right...TMI) I would still have wanted to knit these super sweet mitts.

free pattern: Bella's mittens from subliminalrabbit --a thousand thank-yous for making this super cute pattern FREE!!
yarn: stash-busted Patons Classic Merino (100% wool) not quite two balls (knit double-stranded) in "chestnut brown"
needles: 4mm
mods: I knit to a tighter gauge to make the mitts smaller for my child-sized hands.

I am not actually as obsessed as I sound...there is no question that that movie was lame. I do not even remember seeing those mitts in the film (though I do remember there being a barage of gortex jackets, which given that movie's location shoot of my former home of Vancouver, is no surprise) Gortex is in essence, fashion suicide. Sure, it keeps you dry I guess.

But I am definitely not in a position to make fun of any Twi-hards out there. Particularly NOT given the ever-so-relentlessly-sliding-me-to-insanity scale of crap TV, pop culture, cheesy books, bad groupie bios and underground comics that yours truly likes to consume with regularity and without impunity. I'm Cara, and I have NO SHAME. Consider yourselves my support group.

I was excited to use up some stash yarn for this project. As with most of my stash-busting knitting, I ran out of yarn about half-way through the second mitt. (Sigh). So after putting it down for a few days trying to decide whether I would actually BUY more or abandon them forever, I hopped on my bike and sped off to my mom's house to route through HER stash. And SUCCESS, I came up with a couple small balls of leftover Chestnut Brown classic. Jackpot! I biked home and finished up the mitts. Then I biked BACK to give her what was leftover of that yarn, as I refused to keep it in MY own stash (anal much?). Suffice it to say that there are at least three different lot numbers of yarn in these mitts. I guess the fact that I was knitting them double-stranded probably accounted for why it all seemed to blend together pretty perfectly.

My only hiccup came about three-quarters of the way through the second mitt when I glanced down to dicover that I had somehow twisted one of the cables the wrong way. Grrrr. I had to rip back down past the wrist. But no matter, they went up pretty quickly in the end.

It was only after I'd FINISHED them and was about to block that I discovered that in ripping back I had apparently begun knitting again at a different spot. All this essentially means is that one mitt has one less cable repeat. When I tried them on, one was about an inch and a half shorter than the other. BLOCKING to the rescue! Now they are both the same length, regardless of the number of cable repeats.

Other than that there hasn't been much knitting around these parts (still inching along on that brown and orange scarf...). Mostly "gardening", but I won't bore you with those details. We're in a row townhouse, so it's not much of a backyard. It's more of a ditch, really. And by "gardening" I actually mean about three weeks worth of hauling off dirt (our backyard is apparently made of ROCKS)under cover of darkness and replacing it all with topsoil. A month later we are finally at a stage where we can actually begin planting things, though I am possibly now too sore and exhausted to do so.

C'est la vie. Hopefully soon we'll actually be able to enjoy the space back there a bit more.

Meanwhile, one MONTH later...

2009-05-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm back and all healed-up thank you very much! My wrist issues kind of went away on their own over time (and well a bit of massage therapy and icing thrown in there too...er, not cake icing though I imagine I've eaten my fill of that this last month to boot), but it quite literally took the better part of the month to come round for me.

Proof positive that I am officially back in the zone:

A finished knit!

AND might I add, a fab new camera so's I can dazzle ya'll with (for the most part...)some non-blurry images for once.

Head/hair flip notwithstanding, at least the shrug is in focus! I haven't entirely figured out how the stinking thing works yet I must say...and when I think back to all the SLR photography courses I took in college NONE of those seem relevant now.

But I digress, this has been wedding shrug experiment numero deux...

the deets:

yarn: about 2.5 balls worth of Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy in "Sunflower" (I think? somewhere else this colour appears to be listed as "citrine" hmmmm) 41% cotton, 34% hemp, 25% modal.
needles: 4mm and 4.5mm
pattern: Two-tone ribbed shrug from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits 16 inch size
mods: smaller yarn, slightly smaller needles and shorter sleeves.

I was looking for an excuse to knit with Hempathy. Why did I need an excuse? um, I guess cuz I never really knit with summer-weight yarns, and I've definitely never knit with Hemp before. Anything knit, reagrdless of what it's made of is going to be hot as far as I'm concerned. Around these parts there is simply no relief from a 50 degree humidex, so what's the point? Well, Vegas may be a different story. It's hot there, but it's not sauna hot. A girl can cover up a tattoo in a place like Vegas...

Hempathy is predicatably scratchy. But also, it's not. There is a roughness to it that is not unpleasing. Never fear, there are no dreadlocks in my future... Plus, it likely softens up with a good blocking (which I didn't bother with --maybe later).

And this pattern...straight forward and well-written. It went up like a charm. This was actually the first thing I've knit out of this book. When I first bought it a couple years ago I felt like there were many patterns in it that I was drawn to, but in the end, not so much. Maybe my knitting tastes have changed? Maybe I got tired of looking at that weird waist-band included in every sweater? Who knows, but the bloom was defintely off THAT rose for me. When I went though it again though it seemed like there was a lot I'd over-looked.

Was this the best yarn choice for it? Again, not sure. (The pattern calls for worsted weight) so I was pretty much just knitting a bigger size on only slightly smaller needles. It came out fine, I love the colour, the airy-ness etc. but the collar definitely does not stand up the same way it should with a thicker yarn. And I feel like all my woven-in yarn ends are highly visible (they likely are not but I'm definitely aware of them).

In the end a cute shrug, but far too casual for a wedding I think (also tattoo pretty much visible through it...) in that plain stockinette. The drama factor I was hoping for with the collar didn't really pan out in the somewhat drapier yarn.

I think I might have to stick to a lace pattern if I am indeed going to go the shrug-route. But for now I'm going to hold off a bit.

Plus it's almost SUMMER...I have more relevant things to knit like uh, mittens:

(why I suddenly became obsessed with having to knit these I have no idea, but I'm glad I did and they are WAY cute)

and scarves...

Just when I thought I was getting somewhere on this last one I got to the middle section in the pattern that states: "now carry on in this ribbing for 47 inches". SAY WHAT???? 47 inches before I can even begin the final 3 feet???? I thought it HAD to be a type-o.

Nope. I went back and checked out the final measurements. You are supposed to knit this scarf for NINE FEET. Presumably so that there is lots of length to tie it into a bow, but come on. Ugh this is going to be a long-ass slog. See you in September.

Just kidding. All this scarf knitting is peripherary as far as I'm concerned. I'm currently debating on what sweater project to sink my teeth into. And some hats.

Essentially I plan to ignore the fact the summer's coming and continue to knit like it's still winter. Suck on that one mother nature.

new shrug city

2009-04-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

I promise you people --NO wedding talk. Especially given that this thing is a year away...how sick of me would you be?
Ummm except I have to mention the wedding where it pertains to knitting, right?

My quest to find a dress with some kind of cute, sassy sleeve (i.e flutter sleeve, or shorter "puff" sleeve NOT wrist-length mormon-esque LACE sleeve ugh ugh ugh!) is apparently tantamount to finding the HOLY GRAIL in a mall. I don't want to knit a shrug to go with a sleeveless dress...I don't really even like shrugs.

Yet, here I am --in full-on "just in case" mode.

So to wit, shrug experiment #1:

note excellent tattoo coverage!

but quoiiii? (not sure if you could tell but I couldn't even be bothered to weave in the ends). Also note, that is *not* my wedding dress. I'm still hunting. I do have a green dress as a back-up (I am not so into white...) and this was one of THREE I bought from J.Crew. It arrived that day, I tried it on with the shrug, took those pics, boxed it up and sent it back. It was too big (note major bra-less boob gappage). And also, there is not a strapless bra in the world that will help me with a strapless dress I don't think. Anyway, TBD. Ummm, am I talking about my boobs a lot lately?

I figure at the very least I'll be able to shove it in my purse and have it on hand when trying on other sleeveless dresses --reagrdless of whether it's even close to what I need or want.

Here's how I did it. I knit and blocked a lace scarf comme ça:

ok, maybe kinda too short to function as a true scarf for me...

yarn: 1 skein of Butterfly 100% mercerized cotton Super 10 (colour #3727)
needles: 4 & 4.5mm

The pattern was simply stolen bits from here and there. Let's call her Frankenstein, shall we?

I Cast on 56 stitches and knit 4 rows in garter stitch (on the smaller needles).
I then switched to the larger needles and knit using the lace pattern found HERE..."Convertible" from knitty.com (also adding K2 at the beginning and end of each row). Though I will still spell it out for you here:

lace pattern:
Row 1 [RS]: K2 [K2, skp, k4, k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo] to last 2 sts, K2.
Even-numbered Rows 2-12 [WS]: P all sts.
Row 3 [RS]: K2 [Yo, k2, skp, k2, k2tog, k2, yo, k3] to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 5 [RS]: K2 [K1, yo, k2, skp, k2tog, k2, yo, k4] to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 7 [RS]: K2 [Yo, k1, yo, k2, skp, k4, k2tog, k2] to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 9 [RS]: K2 [K3, yo, k2, skp, k2, k2tog, k2, yo] to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 11 [RS]: K2 [K4, yo, k2, skp, k2tog, k2, yo, k1] to last 2 sts, K2.
Repeat these 12 rows for Lace Pattern.
(from Vogue Knitting, 1989 edition)

I essentially just repeated the lace pattern until it was as long as I wanted it (around 25 inches maybe?) and then knit another 4 rows in garter stitch (on smaller needles again)and bound off. You can then just seam the arms up as high as you need/want and weave in your ends.

Now, I wish I could say this was all MY genius idea, but the reality is that I was inspired by someone else on Ravelry who clearly has the same wedding/tattoo dilemmas as I do:

ravelry username: kellyrelish

And uh, look how FREAKIN' gorgeous she (and shrug) turned out on her wedding day! She gave me hope that this could be done.

So, I mean regardless of whether I even end up going with a pattern like this (right now I'm saying likely not...) it's still spurring me on with the potential possibilities.

So much so that I've cast on for another shrug, and we'll see how that one goes.

(note Starbucks "knit" mugs I picked up for Mother's Day...clearance-- woot!)

In more annoying news though: I am on a knitting hiatus right now. I'm not sure what I've done to my right wrist (please God not carpel tunnel!) but I'm in pain. I'm hoping that knitting is not the cause, just the aggravation and that a proper rest will cure it. Even typing this right now is sending my arm into spasm.

As such it might be a while before I can crank out any new knits for the blog (hopefully not, but you never know..). I might have to actually pick up a BOOK for once. (Since I began knitting a couple of years ago my voracious appetite for reading has been seriously quelled, and I seem to be limiting myself solely to the half-hour in bed prior to passing out cold!)

Why must we suffer for our art? ;)

Hooters sweater

2009-04-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Yup it's a Hooters sweater. Because of the owls? I suppose...but more because it makes my bazooms look gigantic.

(I promise you, in real life they are more distracting --um, in this sweater that is)

And I'm a d-cup as it is, so I definitely do not need them looking any bigger...I'm really more of a "play them down" type than a sweater-girl type. When I wear V-neck sweaters I often worry that I am "busting out". Boobs are a serious pain in the ass to me.

I will stop talking about my boobs now and give you the deets:
pattern: Owls by Katie Davies
yarn: Sirdar Tweedie Chunky in "Cedar" (6 balls? maybe a bit more...) --I knit the s/m (3rd size in)
needles: 6.5mm

So I mean what can I say...the pattern is free and "owls" have been the new black in the indie craft world for years now I would venture. Really, aren't they done? Owls are the new fawns? Owls are the old Octopii? I dunno. Cute animals...who can get enough, really? About 800 people on ravelry have knit this sweater.

Check out this version:

(adorable! from EricaG on ravelry)

Fortunately it was a fun and fast knit, with very little finishing. Sort of. Sewing on the thirty six button eyes was an entire evening's work. I despise sewing on even ONE button, so this was not a task I enjoyed.

In the end though, still a cute sweater...just incredibly unflattering on me --the curse of the chunky yarn (when will I learn?). I couldn't be bothered to block it, which may have helped in that regard, and the dark green tweed was difficult to photograph with any real success in the details. Still, there are so many of them knit on ravelry that there is no shortage to look at.

I tried to go for a green button that would essentially blend--I pretty much do this with all buttons/sweaters...after all that knitting I never want the buttons to somehow beome a focal point!

Knitting a sweater top up really limits your ability to try it on as well. I added an extra inch in the length of the body. Not a good idea in the end. My sweater is virtually a crotch-covering tunic. Even the arms wound up being longer than anticipated, even though I was endlessly trying them on as I went.

Now the question remains: to frog or not to frog? I think it may still be a banging around the house go-to sweater. However now that it's done, I definitely know that I don't have enough yarn leftover to complete this:

and really, given the unflattering nature of the yarn itself, could I even be bothered to put that yarn towards ANY other sweater? le sigh.

I think whatever's left of that wool is destined to become hats and mitts...

Julia probably has the right idea: use a thinner yarn and knit a larger size. I am presently trying to employ this principle in a winter shrug I am attempting to "summer-ify". Shrug experiment number 2 that is. But more on that to come.

m-m-m-m-mustard

2009-04-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

I am in love with the colour of this yarn.

I had bought it a couple years ago knowing that I wanted to knit it into some sort of cowl, or have it up around my face somehow, but at the time knit it into a hideous-too-thick-unwearable-monster-cowl. Monster cowl formerly seen here.

I finally tore apart the monster cowl(and it was knit triple-stranded, so trying to "de-ply" it was a frustrating two-person job...), and off I went on the Mustard scarf.

pattern: Mustard Scarf by Jane Richmond which is available on Ravelry as a free download...not sure if it is elsewhere on the internet or not.
yarn: Cascade 220 handpaints/hand-dyed, less than one skein --colourway (uh? not sure)
needles: 10mm
button: vintage

The abalone button I got last fall at the twice yearly Ottawa Antique sale. The Antique sale in general was a bit of a bust for me (not my usual kitschy flea market fare and too TOO rich for my blood) but I did manage to get a handful of big vintage buttons, which at the time for two and three dollars a pop seemed steep to me. I went back once more last week when the event rolled into town again hoping for more, but that same seller wasn't back this time. Big vintage buttons are always good for those one off hats and cowls that require large, singular notions. I plan to keep my eyes peeled for more from here on in.

Though that said the loosey-goosey nature of this lacey thing made sewing the button on a bit annoying. I still feel like it's not very secure, but for now it'll do.

I also have tons of this yarn leftover so I may do more. This pattern may be the perfect Xmas knit. It's not a very long scarf and I think it went up in a couple of evenings only. It's going to be a great stash buster for single skeins in the stash next fall.

apparently there is a real art to taking pictures of yourself that I have yet to master...

As the owl sweater nears completion I find I'm now starved for smaller projects again. I am even considering something I swore up and down I would never do: a wedding shrug that will hide tattoos. Sigh.

speaking of which: anyone have the pattern for the "little silk shrug" from lace style that they'd be willing to throw my way? (I would happily exchange for something in my library...). Bah. I suppose I am not above buying the book or winging it though. I'm starting to run out of room on my bookshelf.

the end.

Nautical Disaster

2009-03-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

actually no, no disaster, I just really wanted to say that. It is somewhat of an inside joke.

I think I finshed knitting this hat about three weeks ago. Just an example of how behind/lazy I am in the blogging realm these days.

Even my hair is much shorter now (finally).

I knit this hot on the heels of finishing off the Raglan Wrap with those anchor buttons --I was in the zooooooone of all things Navy and White and Nautical. And suffice to say, like most of my obsessions: fleeting. (yes, I just made a nautical pun there too.)

I love the teeny little tassle on it. Not sure why really as I'm generally anti- tassle. Yes, bet you didn't know there was an anti-tassle movement, did you?

Sooooo, I don't know what it is about this hat exactly--it seems to sit a little weird on my head. I guess I'm used to more of a beret shape?

free pattern: Rochefort Chapeau from the purl bee
yarn: Mission Falls 136 Merino Superwash DK --less than one ball each in White and Navy
needles: 3.75mm
mods: none. I got my A & B colours mixed up, so I kind of went the reverse of what the pattern called for (though I think I prefer a Navy band to a white one anyway?)

I did not even make an attempt at a seamless jog/join or anything like that. For whatever reason the join is barely off at all and the striping is really consistent. I'm not sure if that's down to me being a loose knitter, or this yarn, or what. It was kind of a happy surprise. For the most part ANYTHING that I knit in the round always winds up with some kind of ladder at the join regardless of how tight I'm cinching it. Possibly this is just my knitting cross to bear... but I have accepted this as my knit-lot in life.

Also, this yarn? Smooth and fabulous. Pointe finale. I plan to make it a definite go-to yarn for my next DK-weight sweater, it is JUST that nice. I liked it way better than any of the other Mission Falls yarns I've tried so far. Putting this hat on feels really nice. There is something comforting about it.

Though, that said...not sure if i'll wear it. It may well wind up on the gift pile. I plan to do the same yarn/striping in more of a floppy beret, but for now i'll leave it as it stands. That particular hat had been in my queue for a really, really long time. It went up fast too so I'm not sure why I'd put it off for so long. Also, why am I ever surprised when hats "go up fast"?

Also, speaking of Navy and White(ish) --ok grey I am pushing it... New Phildar eye candy anyone?

This first one is positively SCREAMING my name.

These are all new to me, so I'm not sure exactly how "new" these patterns actually are. I'm finding the whole neutral colour palette they are using and these long basic/baggy/boxy/eighties-style tunics so soothing, I want to knit them all! (or at least wear them all)

enjoy!

more bandwagonning!

2009-03-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

bandwagonning...surely (not) a word?

Regardless, prepare to get SICK of this yarn. Let me preface that by saying I bought about 14 (13?) balls of this for the Nati sweater from "dimanche chez moi" (I was planning to knit with that yarn double-stranded).

Then a dose of sanity leaked into my brain and I denied myself another chunky bat-winged sweater. Honestly what am I thinking? This is why my closet has about TEN BLACK CARDIGANS. I am forever searching for the perfect one. No doubt this also applies to me forever knitting (essentially) the same sweater over and over again.

Return the yarn you say? NEVAHHHHH. Instead I decided to play "which-free-pattern-already-in-my-possession-can-I-use-it-for?"

And here is what I've come up with. The aforementionned "bandwagon" sweater:

Yes, more owls.

And seriously, that one is going up lickety-split, so it's already pretty satisfying.

And a Phildar cowl neck sweater from their Winter 06/07 Tendances catalogue:

Will I have enough yarn for both? hmmmm. Won't it be ironic (and entirely probable) when I have to go and purchase MORE of this yarn that I'm desperate to get rid of?

What if I also try to squeeze out a hat too?

pattern: Julia beret
yarn: my overkill Sirdar Tweedie Chunky in "Cedar" (less than one ball)
needles: 6 and 6.5mm
deets: I knit the small for my pea-sized head and then added one extra row in the repeats section for a 'lil more slouch.

would it have killed me to wipe down the table before taking pictures?

This yarn is actually green with yellow and blue flecks running through it, not sure if that's showin' up in those pics. It's a blend. It's been a while since I've knit with anything that was about 40% synthetic (the rest is wool and alpaca). I hate to be a snob, but I was hating it at first. Now I guess I'm used to it. So.sickeningly.used to.this.yarn.

Though I must say that I am SO feeling the Tweed right now. Dare I say that I wish it was fall again? (Don't kill me). But whatever, 'round these parts I likely have another few weeks wear of some wool hats anyway. Even saying that has likely just queued a 40+ humidex for me. Ah well.

Regardless, another cute hat pattern from my friend and yours Miss Muffy!

I am WAY behind on my blogging of late. I've actually got a couple smaller knits I am long overdue in posting about. Still it'll have to wait. Because much like all that yarn, I have now also grown weary of typing.

knittin' on the bandwagon

2009-03-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Because I don't have enough scarves in my life...

pattern: Lace Ribbon scarf from Knitty Spring 2008
yarn: 4 balls of Patons Silk Bamboo (20% silk, 80% bamboo) in "Stone"
needles: 3.25mm

Though I guess a girl can't own enough scarves right? RIGHT? ugh, time to pare down some of the older ones I think...

I just checked on Ravelry to see how many people on there had actually knit this scarf. Three thousand, one hundred & sixteen! And now that I've knit it I can see why it's so popular. It is HIGHLY wearable and is already in heavy rotation in my wardrobe. In less humid climates I could see this being a regular summertime accessory as well. So many people seem to have knit it in fact that I was about to declare it the new Clapotis (two of which I have already knit for myself and I am STILL now contemplating a third...), so off to Ravelry I went again to check out those particular stats. How many peeps have knit the clapotis you ask? (on ravelry alone that is...) 10,400!!!! Sweet, merciful crap! How is this possible???

Blocking the lace ribbon scarf though I would say, a definite necessity. It completely brought it to life.

The pattern came alive, it came out smooth, beautiful and virtually perfect. Anyone I've shown this scarf too can't believe that it's hand knit (is that a compliment or not? is it a dig that everything else I knit looks too "handmade/craptacular"? haha).

And this yarn? fabulous. Leave it to Patons to create another reliable yarn...silk and bamboo for less than 5 bucks a ball with decent yardage. It didn't split and I think in four balls I encountered maybe one knot. My one complaint here might be the weight of it overall. Though I'm not sure if that's down to the fact that there is 80 inches of scarf here, but it is not heavy by any means...I feel more like it is a thing of substance. Which is great for me, but someone looking for something slightly more airy might want to use just straight bamboo.

I'd like to be able to say that I was done with scarves for a bit (especially now that Spring is rolling in) but I've actually just finished another and two more are on the sticks. huh? Yeah, that's right.

So if you were ever thinking of knitting this one, and judging from the 5000plus people who have it in their queue I could very well be talking to YOU, all I can say is DO IT. You won't be disappointed. And as lace patterns go, this is an easy enough one to commit to memory.

Wranglin' the wrap

2009-03-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Finally, something to post about --and a newsflash for you: Seaming sucks. Especially when you screw it up as often as I did knitting this baby:

pattern: Raglan Wrap from Laura Irwin's Boutique Knits
yarn: 9 balls of Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK in "ink" for the size M.
needles: 3.75mm
buttons: bought on ebay --Vintage anchor (peacoat) buttons
mods: buttons sewn through both front pieces with the exception of at the neck and waistband (still used the snaps there), and I blocked it out a little longer than called for to try to get a little more length in the body.

um, ok --I think I might be in love with this sweater. I am DEFINITELY in love with the yarn. Though I bought too much. The pattern specified 8 balls for the small, and then 13 (????????) balls for the medium. Ok, it wasn't worded quite like that but that's what the medium instructions essentially amounted to: you will need 9 to 13 balls. Uhhhh, what do you do in that situation--shoot for a mid-point? I erred on the side of caution and bought all 13. I now have 4 leftover. Or, I WOULD have if I hadn't had to tear it out (twice) to keep re-seaming it. I used 9 balls exactly. Then when I had to seam it up for the final time I had to dip into the tenth ball for that reason alone. So now I suppose I could return the three remaining for something else, but enh? It's beautiful yarn. There may be a cowl (or two) in my (and someone else's)future.

I will spare you the long story about my seaming issues other than to say that originally I seamed the sleeves all the way up to the armpits (seen in my previous post). I had woven everything in before changing my mind. At one point I even mistakenly CUT THROUGH (gasp!) knit stitches thinking that they were the seaming yarn. (Cursed dark yarn), but in the end it all came together beautifully --and I think I may have finally mastered the mattress stitch. It is definitely my best seam-job to date. Why does that sound dirty?

And before anyone asks --it is meant to be reverse stockinette --I haven't inadvertently seamed this sweater together inside out. Though with my track record, would it really be a surprise if I did? I grappled with whether I even liked the reverse ST stitch, but I think the border is "fancy" enough that it actually kind of works here.

In short, this sweater might actually get some wear. Though after some great advice from miss Puffin, I think that I am OFFICIALLY done with anything remotely resembling a batwing. Yes, you now have that in writing, and any previous plans to knit Nati are now dead in the water.

Though now the question remains: "what the hell am I going to do with all that yarn for it???"

I had the world's laziest weekend, spent mostly thrifting and walkin' around in our sudden Spring-like temperatures around these parts (though as I type this it is now snowing again...) so our knitting "photoshoot" on Saturday deteriorated into some serious silliness, and as such subsequent photos of the sweater itself were not the best and look more like this:

Ah well. Consider it the sweater in action.

winter doldrums

2009-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone else see this?

Twinkle's contribution to the Barbie 50th anniversary fashion show during New York fashion week. I guess this might be old news, but I only just saw that picture (and being touted for fall '09?)

I was thinking the other day that a chunky/speedy knit might be in order for me soon and that I should re-visit those Twinkle books again. Then I saw that picture and thought "ok if the Barbie-esque model is making that thing marginal, what hope do I have?" Still, I can't help but be drawn to her stuff over and over again.

It is nice to see something a bit "sunny" in terms of knitting right now, especially in the midst of this sea of navy of mine (fortunately drawing to a close...)

(this pic is pretty washed out...)

It dawned on me as I was attempting to sew this together the other night that I could not see a FREAKING thing I was doing. A combination of dark yarn and a poorly lit living room begat an impromptu trip to Ikea in the hopes of finding some kind of knitting specific wall sconce so that I could actually knit every evening without somehow relying on "intuition" or "the force". I am not too proud to tell you that I strapped a headlamp to my head just to get started on the seaming. Who knew those things could be as useful for fiberarts as they are for "spelunking". (yeah, I just busted out that word pffft.)

And still more blah-coloured knitting:

At this point I am already itching to start something new.

Did you miss me?

2009-02-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have NO knitting to speak of after my last couple week's absence. A few photos from my trip can be found HERE if you're interested. After my five hour drive from San Diego to Las Vegas it dawned on me as we were pulling into our hotel that "what the --I didn't knit ANYTHING on the drive!!!" (and I wasn't the one driving) so that left me a bit befuddled. I had it all organized and rarin' to go too. harumph. I just completely forgot.

I did however make up for it on the drive back to San Diego, subsequent drives from S.D to L.A, and then my plane ride back to Chicago. You really never do get as much knitting done on a trip as you think you will, do you? Plus I was severly thwarted by a "change to larger needles" pattern direction when I realized I had no such needles in my carry-on. drat. I just always think it's a miracle that my needles don't get confiscated at customs in the first place. Now THAT would be brutal (for the love of god mister/miss customs officer pleeeeeaaassssse don't break up my interchangeable set!)

So all that to say I got far less knitting done than I'd hoped, and the second my plane landed on home turf I was immediately thrown down for the count with a cold and have been basically good for nothing for several days now.

I am still blindly sloggng away at the raglan wrap,

The pieces are blocking as I type this, but I have a feeling that the piecing together may be a bit of a nightmare so it could very well be a while still before it sees the light of day. Not to mention buttons --though I took the easy road and just ordered some vintage peacoat anchor buttons on ebay. Hopefully they will do the trick.

So in lieu of any new knitting of my own to post, how 'bout some new Phildar? (no doubt you've seen these already) but here are my faves:

I am really digging all the big droopy cowl-neck sweaters (I know, that's a shocker..).

And YES this particular book of patterns is available in English, though I must say...still a vastly superior selection on the French sie of things...

one last thing

2009-02-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

Just a wee cowl before I head off on vacation...well ok, a wee chunky cowl:

I used up the last of my Mirasol Sulka for this cowl, probably about 2.5 skeins worth... maybe not even that much.

Really not much to say here...I think I cast on 62 stitches on 6.5mm needles, joined and knit in the round in a 1x1 rib for about 12 inches. I like the sort of stiff (yet soft) turtle-neckish collar look of it, but am thinking I may tear it out anyway in favour of either a looser cowl or knit lit Kate's oh so fabulous Anthropologie inspired scarflette:

I really love it and I think the Sulka will be a perfect fit for that particular pattern. It definitely needs to be whipped up into something at least a bit drapier.

I'm trying whole-heartedly not to over-pack knitting projects for this trip, yet am still hoping to at least have a couple of things completed when all is said and done. My six hour drive both to and from San Diego to Las Vegas should probably take care of the bulk of that (it'll be nice to be a passenger for once!). Unfortunately so far the weather forecast is looking like rain, rain and more rain.

I'm hoping to apply my 2009 mantra "I'd rather light a candle than curse the darkness" to life's pettier trials too, like the weather.

See you all in a couple of weeks!

cloche-fest 2009!

2009-01-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

It is definitely time for me to get back to the business of knitting...

Both of these are from Laura Irwin's Boutique Knits.

The Sideways Grande Cloche,

yarn: 1.5 skeins of Mirasol Sulka (60% wool, 20% alpaca, 20% silk). A fabulous chunky weight yarn that is super warm and super soft, and just enough silk to make it "fancy". Simply gorgeous. (This is the yarn the BF picked out all on his lonesome...) You can read all about the Mirasol project and their fabulous yarns HERE. Colour #214 (cinnamon)

needles: this pattern calls for 4 different sizes (US# 7, 8, 9 & 10 I think) and I basically had to go down a size for each one.
Mods: the only mods I made were to account for the heavier yarn...I cast on 30 sts --I think the pattern calls for 42.

baby it's c-c-c-cold outside!

It's quite an ingenious pattern actually, and the finished product is definitely a keeper as far as I'm concerned. It's knit flat and seamed with the stitches picked up for the crown (hmmm not unlike a certain Jenny Cloche which I've also knit in the same yarn!). But the really neat part is the fake cable at the side...it's just a couple of ribbed strips twisted together. Simple and genius!

And then there was the "Side Slip cloche":

yarn: Blue Sky alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes (about 1.5 skeins) in "Chocolate" (ironic given that in person this yarn simply looks grey).
needles: 3.75mm --I pretty much went down as far as I could in order to get gauge. Clearly all worsteds are not created equal.

Is it cute? gah...I dunno. On ravelry I threatened to tear it all apart but several people emailed me begging me not to which I thought was kind of funny! The BF refered to this as my "conductor's hat" (jerk.) presumably due to the puffiness on top. So now I'm not so sure. It is simultaneously too big *and* a perfect fit.

More annoying is the fact that I had to send away for a second ball of this stuff from Purl Soho to even complete this hat, so the fact that I don't really like it is an extra twist of the knife. One ball of blue sky alpacas plus exchange rate and shipping to Canada borders on thirty five bucks (honestly why do I ever buy ONE of anything in the first place?).

Anyway, I think the pattern is entirely too "precious" for my taste. And the poof on top adds a certain little-house-on-the-prairie-ness too it that is just not me. AND the yarn is too nice not to be re-used into something that I will actually wear. So, those are my excuses three. Though I am thinking I may give it a bit of a blocking first before I officially commit to its final demise.

It's nice to be back on the knitting train again. It's been hard having an Archie-less lap while I'm knitting, but I'm getting used to it. Plus I have my other big 'ol beast who is now getting (and needing) extra attention these days. Don't know what I'd do without him (oh yeah I do...I'd be forced to get a house full of kittens!)

lookit that menacing fang!

thank you

2009-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

I really want to thank all of you for you amazing, incredible, supportive and understanding comments on my last post about the untimely passing of my cat Archie.

Your words meant more to me than you will ever know, and those of you who shared your stories about the loss of your own furry friends really, REALLY helped me through this, and for that I will be eternally thankful. It is all the more meaningful to me because I know that's not why most of you come here, and that those of you who do read here are likely knitters, so the fact that you took that time is really humbling for me. We are all connected in so many fundamental ways.

As I begin to come out of the haze of this last week I am trying to move forward with a new perspective on (many) things, and am endeavouring not to dwell on it (particularly here) as a total Debbie Downer. I just really did not want you to go unacknowledged in all of this...A thousand hugs and a thousand heartfelt thank-yous!!!!

The art of getting back to "business as usual" is a bit of a process for me, as I know it should be. If nothing else this kitty business has proven to me that I could never. have. kids (!) And suffice to say I have not knit a stitch all week (nor really slept or eaten, but it's all slowly starting to get better). I had some new WIPS started before this all went down, so for lack of any real description, maybe i'll post the pretty, happy pictures here for you:

a chunky ribbed cowl

sideways grande cloche

the Raglan Wrap cardi

the Nati sweater

Anyway, there is lots for me to eventually get back around to. I'm also heading off to California and Las Vegas in a couple of weeks so have some serious travel knitting ahead of me.

I'm excited that Patons has come out with this silk bamboo...and see myself knitting it into Knitty's lace ribbons scarf somewhere on my road trip through the desert...

This trip could basically not have come at a better time.
XXXXXXXOOOOOOO

Archie

2009-01-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

2004-2009

I can barely type this but am hoping that forcing myself to do so will help me deal with all of this.

We lost our beloved Archie in the middle of the night, taken from us too too soon.

Archie had a heart condition, which I always knew we would be dealing with eventually but all yearly check-ups pointed to many, many years down the road from now. We awoke to Archie coughing up blood and thrashing and beginning to seize early this morning and all my attempts to resucitate him and administer cpr failed as he died in my arms somewhere before 1am. Just moments earlier he had been pressed up against my feet purring at the foot of the bed.

The shock of all of this is still so raw and I feel like I don't know what I'm saying or doing. It was all over so horribly, excrutiatingly fast that I still kept expecting him to just shake it off and snap out of it.

People who aren't rampant animal lovers as I am may never understand that Archie was essentially my baby boy and at times the only thing that would make me smile on any given day. I would rush home from work knowing that every day like clockwork he would run down to the door to greet me and purr in my arms for ten minutes before I was finally able to take my coat off.

I've never had a cat as sweet tempered and lovingly dispositioned as Archie. He was quiet and loving and when he dolled out affection you felt like you were the only person in the world. He will be sorely missed.

I am hurting so much right now and absolutely everything in this house and everywhere I look reminds me of him. I take solace in knowing that he led a life full of fun and love and that he had us with him at the end. As agonizing as that may have been I would have hated to have not been there and forever wondering what happened and what I could have done, instead of what I'm left with: "could I have done more?" It is all so painful and the scenes keep replaying over and over in my head in slow motion.

Archie, I love you and will think about you every day for the rest of my life. You were my special little guy and there will never be another one like you.