Smit pix

Here are the finished Garter Gloves. I'm not sure people are as crazy about the colorway as I am, but it is just so pretty to knit, moving from palest pink/white to deepest burgundy with all sorts of rosy colors in between. And soft? You'd better believe it!

And here is the Lala Scarf for your viewing pleasure, and you can see all the yarn "left over". Now, if I can just figure out how to gracefully finish the top, we'll be in business. I tried picking up and knitting then binding off today at lunch, and about halfway across I'm at 12", but it should be more like 16.5". Sigh. Guess I'm going to have to learn how to be a loose crocheter. Hehe. A loose hooker.

Oh, I think the color balance may be a little off on the new Nikon. Something to futz around with at some point. The body of the Lala Scarf is Candy Girl, which is a blazing hot pink, not red. I will fix at some point.

Anneland22 was impressed with my mohair frogging. I tell you, I'm just an obsessive kind of girl! Hey, be sure to check out her new podcast, Moonlight Stitches. Congratulations on Episode 2! I've got it on the 'pod and will listen to it tomorrow (helps to plug the darned thing in and download the latest episode when you tell someone you've subscribed to their 'cast at iTunes!).

Smit

Deep smit. Why would anyone knit with yarn other than Malabrigo? Lime was right when she said that it cures eczema. It is the wonder yarn. Soooo soft. And the Little Lovely colorway is just beautiful. I scored a skein at Windsor Button Friday as the snow storm got underway and turned it into some garter gloves, since my Sheep 1 pair were lost in the dog recovery adventures at the end of January. Can you believe I've been wearing store-bought gloves for the past six weeks?!? Crazy.

Anyway, I whipped up those gloves this weekend and started a matching cowl/collar thingy with the leftovers last night. I have Purl scarf in this yarn from last winter, but it hasn't aged well, so I need something else. If I have any leftover leftovers, I think I may knit a flower to put on my Blizzard hat.

Of course the only problem with softly-spun, single-ply Malabrigo is that it pills like no one's beeswax. But pulling pills gives you something to do when you can't knit!

I also finished up the little Lala Scarf from Greetings from Knit Cafe. Only problem is I, apparently, am the world's tightest crocheter. The shawlette is supposed to end up approximately 14 x 33", but, after I crocheted along the top edge, it was more like 14 x 14". So, yes, I frogged mohair last night. Ugh. I have two choices (well, three - the third to be to just leave it as is): Redo the crochet edge but try to do so loosely (I had even gone up a hook size, since it was all I had on-hand) or pick up/knit/bind off the edge. Thoughts?

N.B. While the pattern for the Lala Scarf calls for three skeins of yarn, I barely put a dent in any of them. Which means leftover KSH! Yippeee! Oh, that picot bindoff is sort of a pain but ends up just so pretty. Worth it.

Kid in a Candy Store

So, after a painful Ashtanga (I thought it was Vinyasa, which would have been bad enough!) Yoga class on Sunday, I helped out the ladies at Yarns in the Farms by taking care of the shop for the afternoon. As always it was a lot of fun. I got to fondle yarn, dawdle over patterns, help a few people with projects (two, count 'em, two paying customers!), and hang out with no small creatures to worry about thanks to Peter staying home with the kitten/puppy/toddler show.

I cast on a sleeve for the Alpaca Cardigan, which I decided was the better pattern for my Alpaca Regal. At least with a cardigan you have the option of opening for ventilation. The beautiful Trumpet sweater with it's exaggerated cowl could be a roaster, even if I am more apt to shiver than broil. I'll have to find another yarn down the line for that one.

The yarn is yummy and knits up very nicely (and quickly!). I decided to start with a sleeve since it's smaller (I can re-check gauge without having to destroy half the project), and they can get tedious due to lack of "stuff" (ooh, increase at both sides every ninth row - be still, my beating heart), so why not start with that? When you're all excited about the project anyway, why not work on a moderately tedious part of said project? Then when you need the excitement of waist shaping to keep your interest, after the novelty of the luscious yarn has worn off (that's not possible, darling Alpaca Regal; I'll never tire of you), you've got it.

After I'd done a couple of repeats I realized that I should have done both sleeves at the same time, but I'm too far along now, and It will all be fine. I supposed I could go back and start the other sleeve, work to the same point, then alternate, since I have the lovely Plymouth Bamboo Sister Needle Set from Peter and can change circular length with the flick of a wrist. But I think I'll do one at a time. Wrangling two skeins in my household is probably a recipe for disaster at this point.

Back to the fondling and dawdling, though. I have been mooning over Eiffel since checking out the Sexy Knitters Club, who are doing this as one of their KALs (Knitalongs). I've considered doing it in the suggested yarn, Hemp6, but I think I'd like something warmer, though the properties of hemp sound interesting. What about Blue Sky Alpacas' Alpaca Silk? I think it has a similar drape but with more warmth and sheen. There are a number of hanks in Blue (surprise!) at the shop. But I had also thought of that yarn for another Hourglass Sweater, knowing what I now know about the pattern (make it longer and consider alternatives to the turned hems). But the Alpaca Silk might be too drapey for the pattern.

What about Schaefer Nancy? 600 yards per skein in some astounding colorways. Though I have to say, having mooned over the skeins at the shop yesterday, the color cards on Schaeffer's website are terrible. As are a lot of online yarn shops. Wow. But back to Nancy... Slightly finer than Elaine but same bumpy, thick and thin texture. I'm thinking Jane Addams from Memorable Women VI, which has vibrant fuchsia and some forest green. Don't look at the color card, which doesn't show nearly as much rose as the skeins of Elaine at the shop. There are no skeins of Jane Addams in Nancy at the shop, so I had to use the ol' imagination. But I think it would make a cosy Hourglass Sweater.

I like spelling it "cosy", don't you? Such the anglophile.

I think I'd love the Emily Dickinson or Catherine the Great colorways, but they only come in silk.

But back to the yarn. Two skeins should make a sweater, no? I mean that's 1200 yards of worsted weight yarn. I think the gauge is spot-on to the Cash Iroha used in the book. I don't know why some of the online purveryors say you need three or four. Maybe if you're making something enormous. Oh, and I loved the online store that told you to contact them for information on how many skeins a sweater would require. Come on. They probably teach a sweater class without giving out the pattern. You have to go back each week to progress.

And then there is the Jo Sharp Alpaca Lustre. That is some seriously yummy yarn. I wouldn't wear the orange, but it is so luscious. And the Reynolds Odyssey is alluring: 100% Merino in these multi colorways.

Of course, I still have to finish the Alpaca Cardigan and the unpatterned Handpaintedyarn Boucle. And some Fetchings, a hat for Peter in Malabrigo, a sweater for Isobel in Malabrigo, my grandmother's shawl, a new winter hat for me in Sheep Shop 1. I should participate in the Knit From Your Stash-along, but where's the fun in that? I also need to get some pictures up on this plain, white blog, no?

Ooh, I did finish two pairs of Garter Gloves for Isobel's Toddler Room teachers over the weekend. They were almost dry this morning, so I should be able to wrap them up tonight and gift them tomorrow!

Garter Gloves

I'm on the mate to the first pair for Isobel's teachers in the Toddler Room, using Araucania Nature Wool Chunky in a dusty pink color. That yarn isn't very chunky. But they're coming out nicely. The other pair will be in a dusty lavender shade, and they can duke it out over who gets what color. Not really. I hope they like them. And I can't believe Isobel is leaving the Toddler Room for Preschool! She seems to have made the transition easily, but Peter said one of the teachers didn't want to talk about her cubby having moved this morning at drop-off.

I tried changing the pattern to stockinette but found the knitting too tight. Might work at a larger needle size, but rather than fiddle a lot with all that, I switched back to garter stitch. The funny thing is that when we bought the yarn (Isobel helped me at A.C. Moore), I didn't realize that the pattern specified the NWC as an option. How convenient!

I found a couple of patterns that might work for the alpaca: Trumpet from the girl from auntie of Rogue fame (she's brill) and a cute zip cardie from Blue Sky Alpacas. I'd probably do something other than a zipper for the closure, perhaps some sort of lace-up with ribbon. Though that might be difficult to get in and out of. Must ponder that.

FO display

Took some FOs to Knit Night last night: Clapotis, Asymmetrical Cable Hat, and Sheep Shop Garter Gloves. It's always nice to have experienced knitters appreciate your work. I finished one of the Last Minute Knitted Gifts wristlet, but I just did a straight bindoff, and I think it's too tight. Must assess coworker's hands, but I think I'm going to have to tink back the castoff row and cast off on larger needles or something else. I think I must have cast off in rib when I made these last year for Isobel's teachers. Maybe that's what I should do.

Man, I need to snap some pics of all these FOs. It's so nice to finish things. I should also write up those summary posts I see other bloggers using. They're nice for future reference.

More thoughts on the year of knitting for me (mama needs some sweaters and socks!): just received Sahara come-on from Stitch Diva. Beautiful! I might need to make that one. But not with Tilli Tomas yarn, ya know.

I visited Seed Stitch in Salem last week, and it's a lovely space. The owner seems very nice and has a thoughtful selection of yarns. I like the work table down the center of the shop. Just wish they were more convenient to Gloucester. They have the orange Malabrigo I wrote about yesterday and are open from 6-8 this evening. I might have to hop in the car after Isobel goes to bed.

In stash enhancement news, I hope to score some Kidsilk Haze and DB Cashmerino Aran from someone's Destash sale. What is it with the KSH? Total crack. I'm not even sure what I'll do with it, but three skeins in the camel color want to come home to mama.

Finis!

I've dropped the last stitch, woven in the @#$% ends, and she is complete. Now, I just need to wash and block the Clapotis, and it's ready for giving. It really is lovely. I know many folks don't block theirs, but I'd like to gain some length on this one. I'll post a picture after the bathing.

I also cast on and off one of these cute garter stitch gloves in Sheep Shop #1. That took about 2.5 hours to do. I might just have to make more for gifts, though my cow-orker basically asked for some wrist warmers today. I'm wearing an old pair I made from Manos waaaay back at the beginning of my knitting. As FOs, they're pretty awful, but they do the trick in my air-conditioned office today (yes, it was 60 degrees in here earlier - craziness).

Isobel refused to wear her birthday sweater yesterday, except for a brief foray outside when I insisted she wear a sweater. Guess it isn't one of my more successful knits for her. Today she wore her First Birthday Sweater (Shocking Pink Malabrigo Placket Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts - great pattern and super soft yarn. Perhaps I'll make another one for her in another Malabrigo color. The merino is just so lovely, even if it does pill.