29 March 2007

I Heart Knit Night

I'm sure I've mentioned how wonderful and amazing my Wednesday night knitting group at Yarns in the Farms is, but I must do so again. Wonderful. Amazing. I love these women. I have always appreciated their mad skills, their cameraderie, their kindness and laughter, but last night I got to appreciate their love and support and well wishes. Thank you, ladies, from the bottom of my heart. Your friendship means so much to me, and I hope that the next time I'm in the area it will be on a Wednesday night.

So, we made it to Chicago without incident today, except for many tears on my part. Isobel was a champ on the airplane (she even let me knit a few rows on the Mermaid Sweater, while she watched some Miffy, which is one of the lovelier toddler shows out there, if you're in the market), and loooooved Jill's Popsicle Pony. Thanks, Jill, that one's going into heavy rotation, I can tell! Then my parents met us at O'Hare with open arms.

I've already discovered that La Harlot is coming to town shortly, so I plan to drag my best friend to meet her on 3 April. Yikes! That's coming up. Thank goodness I taught my BFF to knit last summer. She may still be in the hat and scarf stage (what is that, like, larval?), but she remembered that I'd mentioned the Harlot one time, and she's up for anything for me.

I hope to find some good yarn shops here and a knitting group ASAP. No one can take the place of my Knit Night dear ones, but, as we know, knitters everywhere are good people, so I should be able to find someone who understands how insane it is to have a yen for lace shawls when you live with a toddler. Many thanks, Suzanne, for the old shale pattern. I brought the yarn in my carry-on and will let you know when I cast on.

I hope to be better at pictures but I won't make any promises today. I'll keep you posted. Love you!

27 March 2007

Life

Life has gotten in the way again.

Isobel and I are leaving for Chicago on Thursday morning. I don't know what I'll do about the blog title, since I will not be in Gloucester any more, but that can wait.

In the meantime I'm knitting away (and doesn't my wrist know it!) on the Mermaid sweater and have started the waist-shaping increases and am most of the way through the second skein on the body. Miles of stockinette with the prospect of a sweater at the end is good knitting.

So, if you know of anyone who needs a kick-a** art director in Chicagoland, lemme know. And keep knitting.

23 March 2007

FO sighting - Lala Scarf

I promise I'll post a picture tomorrow. I finished this cutie pie with a sc, c1 bindoff (single crochet, chain one for those who don't speak crochet, not that I do), which worked perfectly. I might do this one again but use smaller needles and go farther to make a bigger one. Only concern then would be the bindoff, which takes a loooong time but is very pretty. I like it, but the fabric is very open, as you'll see tomorrow.

Slip Slip asked about my Hourglass Sweater in the Queue post, but since it's a WIP (work in progress), it has moved out of the queue and into the work bag! I cast on for the bottom of the Mermaid variation last night and completed one repeat of the lace pattern WITHOUT INCIDENT! Yay, me! One more repeat, then perhaps a couple of spaced-out repeats: I went from solid lace to lace every other "stack" on the sleeve so will probably do the same at the hem of the body. Then, smooth sailing stockinette with occasional decreases for a while. Ah, the kind of soothing knitting that we all need sometimes.

Did you know there was a new Yarnival last month? Me, neither. I've got to figure out how to stay on top of that, probably Bloglines.

22 March 2007

Queue Up

For M E
Sand Dollar Shrug (Capecho) from VK in Sylvan Spirit "Moonlight" (have two hanks, need 4? more)
Reversible Socks from the Rockin' Sock Club in STR Midweight "Monsoon"
Icarus from IK in 100purewool "Blue Knots" (?)
Slouchy Cardigan from Greetings from Knit Cafe in Sheep 3 (once it comes in)
Beret from Greetings from Knit Cafe in BSA Alpaca Silk
Beaded Gloves from Handknit Holidays in BSA Alpaca Silk
Turtleneck Sweater from my own pattern (TK) in 100purewool "Sky"
Minisweater from Glampyre in 100purewool "Pasionaria"
En Garde from my own pattern (TK) in handpaintedwool Boucle "Natura"
Print o' the Wave stole from Eunny Jang in handpaintedwool Merino laceweight "Black"
Kiri from Polly/All Tangled Up in Kidsilk Haze "Caramel"
Reading In Bed Shrug from IK in BSA Brushed Suri "Toasted Marshmallow"
Newsboy Cap from YITF in Sheep #1 "Light Blue"
Socks in CTH "Blues"
Counterpane Pouch from Handknit Holidays in Alchemy Silk Purse "San Francisco Sky"
Raglan Duster in Alchemy Haiku "San Francisco Sky"
Long Gloves in BSA Sport Weight "Turquoise"
Neck Warmer in Malabrigo "Little Lovely"
Brea bag in Reynolds Alpaca Regal "Blue"

For I S O B E L
Children's Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts in Malabrigo "Purple Mystery"

S T A S H I N N E E D O F A P R O J E C T
almost one skein of Manos del Uruguay "Flame" (leftover from a felted hot water bottle cover)
three skeins of Cashmerino (DB and otherwise) "Grey", "Navy", "Silver" [Fetchings spring to mind, of course]
partial skeins of Kidsilk Haze "Candy Girl", "Fondant", "Trance"
two partial skeins of K1C2 Douceur et Soie "Cornflower"
two skeins of Kidsilk Haze in "Heavenly"
one skein Misti Alpaca lace "Grey"
one skein CTH Suri Lace "Northern Lights"
three-ish skeins Imperiale Super Kid Mohair "White"
bag of Rowan Calmer "White", "Powder Puff", "Sour" (given to me)
14 skeins undyed Lopi (given to me)
two skeins Araucania Atacama "Aqua Mint Blue"
almost one skein Malabrigo "Shocking Pink"
one skein Blue Heron Chenille "Cayman" (?)
almost two skeins each BSA Organic Cotton "Bone" and "Sand"
one skein BSA Bulky Hand Dye "Light Blue"
two skeins SWTC Bamboo "Tequila" (gift)
indeterminate amount of Richesse et Soie "Soft Sunrise"
one skein Malabrigo forgotten-color-name-orange
one skein Jade Sapphire cashmere 2-ply "Robin's Egg"
one skein Reynolds Blizzard "Grey"
remnants Reynolds Blizzard "White" and "Caramel"

P R O J E C T S I N N E E D O F Y A R N
Anemoi Mittens
variation on Rowan Brocade sweater
IK Top-Down Cable Raglan by Glampyre
Wing o' the Moth
Alexander McQueen mammoth sweater
Seraphim
hats
Fisherman Christmas Stocking
Aran Tree Skirt (am I nuts?)

The Joy of Knit Night

I am so glad to be able to attend Knit Night regularly again! How amazing are these women? I had such a good time visiting with everyone and checking out their WIPs that I hardly knit at all. I did shop, though! If you're in the neighborhood, be sure to grab a new Bamboo Sisterhood 3/4 sleeve t-shirt - I got my asphalt one last night with red and silver printing and am wearing it today. My colleagues remarked upon my fantastic rock 'n' roll appearance today. Ha!

I also bought the Interweave Knits with Icarus. The directions seem clear here, so I may be OK without Miriam's help that would come with buying the pattern from her directly. BUT I saw Carole's gorgeous Seraphim on her blog this morning. Doesn't she look fantastic? And, as if the shawl weren't lovely enough, she knit it from her own handspun in two weeks! "Impressed" doesn't even begin to cover it. So, add Seraphim to the queue. [I feel a post about the queue coming up.]

My destashed KSH in Heavenly arrived yesterday in the mail. It is a heavenly shade of blue. What will I do with it? You mean, besides pet and look at it? No idea yet, but I couldn't pass it up.

Oh, and the Schaeffer yarn? It is Nancy, not Elaine. Did I get that right? It doesn't really matter. The bumpy yarn (both worsted and bulky weights) is great! I need to wash that swatch, so I can figure out that sweater.

19 March 2007

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.

16 March 2007

More crack

I should post this over on the Kidsilk-along, but I'm lazy with the snowstorm and all.

I bought two skeins of KSH (click link for colors on Webs' yarn.com) in Heavenly off Destash this morning. And then I went to Woolcott at lunch (helping a friend "return" an unknit skein - you know it was an exchange), and they had a skein of KSH in Fondant, which will look gorgeous with the Candy Girl I'm knitting up into one of those Lala Scarves Kat Coyle designed for Greetings from Knit Cafe. And I have a skein of Knit One, Crochet Two's Douceur et Soie in Cornflower from forever ago, which will make a great edge. Yum.

I was between Fondant and Grace and am so glad I went with Fondant. Grace is very pretty but too ethereal next to Candy Girl. I wish they'd had some Jelly or Villain or Liqueur. Those colors are delish.

So, what will I do with that destashed Heavenly? I don't know, but it will be something heavenly, I'm sure!

In other knitting news, I'm swatching for the Hourglass Sweater in Schaeffer Elaine. I think I keep saying it's Nancy, but it's Elaine, and it has 600 yards in a skein. Craziness. I was thinking of going top-down raglan on this sweater, but I'm not sure what I want to do with the neck, so I think I'm going to end up doing a bottom-up shaped raglan and figure the neckline/collar out lately. Maybe I'll knit up a separate cowl...

14 March 2007

Shrugfest

I seem to be on a shrug or small sweater kick at the moment. Perhaps it's an instant gratification thing. Or a sign of spring that I don't need to be completely covered in wool. Except perhaps for the Schaeffer Elaine. Man, that's some soft Merino. But we won't be working on that one until the Sheep 3 Shrug is finished. It really should be called a mini-cardi, since it has sleeves and a separate waistband and sides in the front.

Anyway, I had to frog the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater, since it stopped about mid-bust. I added another inch of stockinette last night and started the ribbing again. I'm getting close to the end of the skein but figure finishing the armholes will take only two smidges of yarn, so I should make it. It's just that this is one skein (again with the one-skein wonders), and I'm loathe to cut it. I know: wimp.

Anyway, the yarn is awesome. Can't wait until it's really available.

13 March 2007

One-skein Shrug Wonder

With a little tinking I ended up doing the Reading-in-bed Shrug in one skein of Brushed Suri. I ended up with about 8" left over. Eep! Oh, and two rows less of ribbing on one armhole. But with this fluffy yarn, you can't tell. What a great little shrug! Just the right amount of cosy.

So, now I have this other skein of Brushed Suri. Options are to swap it for another shade and make another one of these for myself. Or as a gift. Or exchange it for something else. Or ... ? Well, maybe just pet it. But that yarn is even better knit up.

I don't think YITF has the Earl Grey color in stock, which looks very pretty. Whipped Cream would be yummy, as would Toasted Marshmallow or Lollipop. I'm getting hungry.

Woolapalooza details

Spring lambs! Hope to see you there!

Woolapalooza
Saturday, March 31
Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773

10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Adults: $9/member, $12/non-member
Children: $7/member, $10 non-member, kids under 3 free

* Join Drumlin Farm for a day to celebrate sheep with fiber crafters, food, and fun! There's something for everyone at this one-of-a-kind event.
* Kids will love visiting our resident sheep and our cute-as-can-be new spring lambs, the stars of the show.
* Visit the Sheep to Sweater interpretive trail for hands-on experiences with wool. Try your hands at all stages of wool production including carding, spinning, felting, and dyeing. You'll literally follow the wool from sheep to product!
* Purchase beautiful hand made natural fiber products from local crafters-cashmere scarves, wool sweaters, and much more. And you won't want to leave without a visit to the country store for natural Drumlin Farm-made products like goat's milk soap and yarn from our sheep.
* See live sheep shearing, and watch border collies herd sheep.
* Sample delicious all natural, locally-grown and harvested Drumlin Farm food.
* Bask in the beauty of Drumlin Farm, the perfect setting to celebrate the coming of spring.

Visit www.massaudubon.org/drumlin for more information. Call 781.259.2206 for tickets.

Events run rain or shine, tickets are non-refundable. Your ticket price provides critical support for our education and conservation programs.

12 March 2007

Isobel scarf

No, not a scarf for my beloved Miss Isobel, but a lacey scarf named Isobel. I just found it here as I was wondering what to do with one skein of Misti Alpaca laceweight yarn or some of the other lacey fibers I have in the stash. I have to organize the stash so I know what I have. Anyway, this is very pretty and may be a good next lace project. Some day I will knit one of those amazing from the center out circle shawls where every row is different just to have done it. I am crazy.

IMOnday: Yarns in the Farms, Beverly Farms, Massachusetts

Shop: Yarns in the Farms
Location: 641 Hale Street, Beverly Farms, Massachusetts
Telephone: 978 927 2108
Website: yarnsinthefarms
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12-5, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-4; Knit Nights Tuesday & Wednesday 7-9 ($5)
Payment: Cash, Check, Credit Card (starting 3/13/07!)
Other: Great classes; private instruction available; buttons, bags, belts, and books

OK, close your eyes and think of a cosy place filled with yummy fibers (many of which are hand-dyed), handmade buttons, tea and treats, comfy couches, and two super-friendly owners. Put it in a former antique/flower/sweet shop with a mural of angels behind the counter. Add friendly shoppers, great music, and a new art show every few months. And you've got yourself the best little yarn shop around. Oh, don't forget to put a little kids table in the corner with markers, paper, and toys.

No, they don't have every colorway of every yarn you've ever heard of, but that's not really the point here.

Now, open your eyes.

They do have GGH, Blue Sky Alpacas, Jo Sharp, Noro, Blue Heron, Green Mountain Spinnery, Cherry Tree Hill, Sheep Shop (#3 is coming any day!), Frog Tree, Reynolds, Louet, Schaeffer, Reynolds, and more; needles and notions from Bryspun, Susan Bates, and Addi (Turbo and Natura, not sure about the lace needles). They also have a thoughtful selection of books and patterns to get you started on anything. They even have some lovely rugs and toys from Crispina, which are made from recycled sweaters.

Some yarn is displayed in old wine cases, some in baskets, and quite a bit on boxy white shelves that show the yarn to advantage while keeping it from spilling out everywhere. There are lots of samples so you can see just what can be done with all that fibery goodness. The lighting is natural from all the windows, as well as some incandescents and little halogen spots on the ceiling, which makes for an uplifting shopping experience. (I find fluorescent lighting in yarn shops awful.)

But the truly wonderful thing about Yarns in the Farms is the people. Carolyn and Jill are just about the nicest people you could find and they have made a truly inviting shop. It seems Carolyn may be allergic to wool, so she's starting to work with a lot of "alternative" fibers. Of course, they have a new shipment of No Sheep for You, Tofutsies, and Euroflax. Jill is an artist, and you can see some of her amazing needle felting projects around the shop.

I've included pictures from a Knit Night a couple of months back, but you really need to come see for yourself. You could even take the Commuter Rail up to the Pride's Crossing station and walk over. However you get yourself there, do stop by.







$100 for a hat

Have you seen this hat? It's retailing for $100. Amazing.

[Somehow this item didn't get published in January...]

Softness

You can't imagine how soft the Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri is until it's knit up. Oh. My. Goodness. Like a cloud, my friends. But that bit of bamboo gives it strength. I've just started my seventh repeat of the traveling leaf lace pattern on Pam Allen's Reading-In-Bed Shrug (opens the PDF), and it is so soft and sweet, though the color has an underlying dustiness that keeps it from being saccharine.

BTW, have you heard the news about Interweave Knits? Eunny Jang is the new editor! How fantastic is that. If you haven't come across Eunny's blog, please check it out. She is an indefatigable knitter and amazing instructress. Congratulations, Eunny, and I look forward to great things in future issues.

Cowls

They're going to be huge for fall, people. Check out Andrea's post on knitted cowls for fall. Of course, the color for fall is grey, but then the cowl can probably be another color.

I have my eye on some Malabrigo Super Bulky, perhaps. Damask or Tuscan Sky for color? Paris Night or Plata for grey? I heart Malabrigo - it's so soft. But there is a downside to the softness: It pills.

But maybe I should find a non-thick-and-thin yarn for this. What about Blizzard? Yarns in the Farms carries it (always a quality indicator), and it comes in a nice heathery grey. My first hats were from this, and I still wear mine, though it gets a little stretchy. Alpaca may not have the sproinginess I'm looking for. What? I say it's a word.

YITF also carries Misti Alpaca Chunky, which also comes in a dark, heathery grey, and is a heavy-worsted, plied yarn.

Blue Sky Alpacas has their bulky yarns, which come in lovely shades, including a grey fox in the naturals that I rather like. But, again, the alpaca may not be the right fiber for this project. And a multi-ply yarn might be helpful, too. I think the cowl should be somewhat crisp.

But I should probably hold off on any decisions until the Lobster Pot Yarns come in. Oops! Was I allowed to tell?

09 March 2007

Shawl Decision (?)

Seeing The Daily Purl's Icarus is pushing me towards selecting this pattern for my first lace shawl. Now the debate becomes buy the back issue of Interweave Knits or the pattern from Miriam Felton directly. There's not a whole lot else in that issue of the magazine that's calling to me. The Fairy Net Blouse is pretty, but I may be Blue Sky Alpaca Silk'ed out by the time I finish the Mermaid Sweater. If I buy it directly from Miriam, I would be supporting her directly (she was already paid by the magazine directly, so she wouldn't get anything else out of my mag purchase), and it looks like she offers full pattern support in return. Guess I'm leaning towards direct purchase. But that will happen later.

Yes, btw, I do have a job and should get back to it!

B is for Brocade

I had thought of a sweater sort of like this some time ago and just found it on Jenna's blog. Hers is Kaffe Fassett's Brocade from Rowan 38, and it looks lovely. My idea is to do something more fitted and without the baroque motif centered squarely over the girls.

It used to be that the girls were ... robust, so that design would have been a bit much. Now, post-child, they are smaller. Note: Moms who have yet to wean their wee ones, when I say "smaller", I mean SMALLER. Most of the other things that happened to this ol' piece of clay pre- and post-natal I knew about, thanks to books, the 'net, and most importantly my fecund friends. But no one mentioned that I'd end up down a cup size from my pre-pregnancy self.

I guess it's a good thing I only took up knitting just before getting pregnant. If I had a bunch of sweaters that now were too big, I'd be quite peeved. As it is some exciting bra shopping (exciting because the petite cheri was with me and took her shirt off, too) has salved my ego somewhat. I always wanted to be a "B".

So, back to Brocade. I'm not quite ready to plunge into colorwork (and have far too many projects in the queue at the moment) but will be someday. When I first saw Jenna's sweater, I contemplated knitting it in the round, but that really wouldn't be possible. I envision the motif (whatever it ends up being) wrapping around the sweater from front to back, perhaps even twining up the neck. This would make shaping the sweater a little more challenging, though doable. My new idea is to knit the body in one piece, only flat, which would ensure there wouldn't be any jogs on the side that has the motif. My skillz continue to improve with each project but I'd rather not have to rely on my seaming technique there. I'd seam it up on the "blank" side.

I would have to work out how to do the armholes, but I definitely think this can be done.

BTW, did you see the picture of the inside of Jenna's sweater? Amazing.

More Capecho Mods

What I've gleaned from the Craftster forum:

  • Knit at least one size smaller
  • Knit on a smaller needle, perhaps even finer yarn
  • Eliminate one (#7, though I think eliminating #4 might work) to four (#1, 9, 7, 8) pentagons
  • The pentagons are easier than you think
  • Getting gauge is no help (Vogue Knitting, who do you think you are publishing a pattern like this?!?)
  • The pentagons stretch more once they're together

    Sooo, the Sylvan Spirit is DK. If I did it on US5s, it might just work.
  • Woolapalooza!

    Squee! Local fiber festival at Drumlin Farm on 31 March. Check out the deets here.

    The Knitting Life

    Cara mentioned today that she and a friend felt sorry for people who don't knit. And I must agree. Looking back, lo these many (three) years, I try to remember what I used to do with my time B.K. (Before Knitting, of course), and it seems I wasted a lot of time. Not wasted per se but did not do things as efficiently as possible, since I'm doing most of the same stuff plus knitting and raising a toddler and living in a big house far away from my job. Okay, so my life is radically different from what it was when I learned to knit in our tiny apartment in Boston's South End. But I still think of all the knitting I could have done.

    By the way, massive thanks to Emily for teaching me to knit in the first place. She is such a dear friend, and she was so patient with me. I think it took half the day to learn how to cast on. For some reason I did not get it. It's all come together, now, and I even know more than one way to cast on (though I still favor Long-Tail). Thank you, Emily, for helping me start on this path.

    So, knitting has kept me free of the devil's workshop and warmed up many loved ones since 2003. And it has certainly helped me through my current travails. I was knitting one of Mini's Muppetheads when Spenser returned from his sojourn in the woods. And I made my husband a pair of Bearfoot Mountain Colors socks for his return from rehab. And I've knit the bottom of the Mermaid Sweater how many times in the last month? But when I messed up, I ripped and started again.

    For me knitting is as much process as it is product. The yarn winding through your fingers. The stitches stacking up so nicely. Or the yarnovers and k2togs suddenly turning into something other than a jumbled mess. And when you finish, you get something. And you get to begin again on another yarny adventure.

    And then there are the people you meet when you knit. From colleagues who take time out of their busy schedules once a week to sit down and lunch and knit and get to know one another to the super fabulous women at my LYS/Knit Night to the amazing folks out in the blogosphere. The projects we conquer, and the yarn stashes we amass, and the things we go through, and the support we offer one another, unconditionally, are amazing.

    When I attended the Family Wellness Weekend, we had an Al-Anon meeting come to us, which was helpful to get a feel for what such meetings are like. But about halfway through I had a little revelation: "These people should take up knitting!" Now, I know this was simplistic and self-serving, but I really did, once again, feel the healing power of knitting, particularly in a group.

    I only made it to one Knit Night while my husband was away, due to travel, lack of babysitting, and, of course, sheer exhaustion. But that one KN I attended was balm for my soul. For two hours I was enveloped in that warm, kind, woolly friendship that comes out of a great knitting group. Not everyone knew what was going on in my life, and that was fine. The ones who did gave me a hug and let me get down to the knitting at hand. And for a little while I was able to think about something other than the state of my life, to neatly stack up some stitches, and to decide that knitting up Blue Sky Alpaca Silk on US8s was going to leave nothing to the imagination, which gave those sitting near me a chuckle. I do prefer some modesty, creatures under three feet tall in the loo with me every time to the contrary.

    Thank goodness for knitting and knitters. My life is all the richer for them.

    Marvelous Mohair Sheila Cape

    Yarns in the Farms has an elegant toffee shade of Steadfast Fibers's Marvelous Mohair on sale, and I may need to make myself one of these. It would be lovely in other colors, too, of course.

    08 March 2007

    Capecho Mods

    Just found this and don't want to forget about it. I love that she thought Norah must have been drunk when she did the construction!

    Ooh, and here it is in a dark grey as done by Laura (cosmicpluto).

    More mods here.

    Spring Knitty!

    It's here! Some very nice projects.

    Yarn Choice for Capecho

    Isobel and I stopped by Yarns in the Farms on our way home yesterday to say "hi!", since I wouldn't be able to attend Knit Night with Peter being back (Isobel was very excited for him to come home, by the way - "Yay!" and hand-clapping when I told her we were going to the airport to pick him up). While there I helped a woman make color choices for a felted bag along the lines of the diaper bag in Knitting for Baby that she was going to have her mother knit for her. We ended up with a lovely combination of deep olive green (F29), some light green (F31), and a skein of a beautiful, springy, variegated yarn (G123) in Sheep 2.

    Anyway, I realized that I could do the Capecho in Green Mountain Spinnery's Sylvan Spirit, a merino/tencel blend. I have two skeins of Luminosity (when that yarn came in the shop, I went gaga) already and would probably need only three more. I think the tencel, which gives an amazing pearly sheen to the stitches, according toClara, would give a wonderful effect and enhance stitch definition. I'll have to give it a swatch.

    Speaking of swatches, I wound up a skein of Schaeffer Elaine the other night. It overflowed the ballwinder, being 600 yards, and I had to wind up the rest of it by hand. I guess I could have pulled the cake off the winder and then started from the other end of yarn left on the swift to make two cakes, but it was kind of fun to actually wind some of the yarn by hand. Man, is that stuff soft! It's also finer than it may appear in the skein. I started swatching with US8s and immediately found the stitches too open with the thin parts of the yarn. The US7 swatch is better and probably what I'll use, though I may do a quick swatch on US6s to see what that would look like.

    Stockinette is fine in this yarn, but I think garter or reverse stockinette really shows off the bumpiness, so I am planning to go top-down in the round and then turn the whole thing inside-out a la Wendy's Last-Minute Purled Beret.

    I've made some more progress on the Sheep 3 Shrug but am really keen on something woolly with all this super-cold weather. I had hoped to do the Jane Addams sweater on a larger needle so it would go faster, but I'll just knit as fast as I can!

    06 March 2007

    Mooore Yaaarn!!!

    Hopefully, this will be the last of the SABLE stuff until I'm able to knit the stash down a bit. My Rockin' Sock Club kit arrived yesterday. Squee! The yarn is beautiful and a colorway I wouldn't have chosen myself. You can really see how it will work in the reskeined Emergency Sock Yarn skein. How cute!

    I didn't even have time to read through everything in my binder last night, but I did put my Rockin' Sock Club pin (looks like the colorway on the pin is Rhodonite)on my knitting bag, which is bright pink.

    The reason for the lack of reading? More progress on the Sheep 3 shrug.

    Sheep 3 is a gorgeous yarn! The silk gives it the most amazing shimmer. And I'm a sucker for anything shimmery or sparkly. Ask anyone. And, of course, I'm in love with this turquoise, variegated colorway. The hand of the yarn is a little dry, almost crisp, when knitting, due to the silk, I guess. But the finished knitting is soft and lovely. Can't wait to finish this one.

    As for the Capecho yarn decision? Bridget is absolutely no help! Thanks a lot. Hehe. I'm tabling the decision for a little while but will keep you posted.

    05 March 2007

    Capecho

    What a horrible name for a beautiful-looking pattern. Why didn't Norah Gaughan call it the Starfish Shrug or something? Anyway, would someone, please, for the love of wool, take my computer away from me? I am obsessing over yarn choices for the Capecho at Webs, thanks to listening to Ready, Set, Knit on the way in to work this morning. They have the original yarn (Berocco Pure Merino) but only have four balls of ecru (24 balls of ice grey). They also have Queensland Uruguay DK on clearance, and enough of the cream color to work. I made the first Hourglass Sweater from #8 (the pale blue), and it's a nice yarn. Then there is Vermont Organic's O-Wool in either Oatmeal or Sky. I love the idea of this yarn, and it has good yardage for the price. But I have been seeing a lot of grey for fall out in the fashion world, so maybe grey is the way to go. It would have to be a light grey, since I want the cables and construction to show nicely. Oh, man, what about Valley Yarns Colrain in Steel? The Tencel gives it a nice sheen, no? When I make this, I think I'll go longer on the sleeves.

    I finished up the socks for my husband from the Yankee Knitter Classic Sock Pattern. They came out nicely, though I had a couple of holes on one side of the second sock where I must have picked up the stitches funny. I fixed 'em up afterwards, and it will be our little secret.

    The Sheep 3 Shrug is coming along nicely after I frogged the first attempt. I just wasn't feeling the love, so I did some more math and adjusted stitch counts and whatnot. I also added some yarnovers between the neck ribbing and stockinette sections, which I may use to thread a ribbon for closure or just leave alone. Remember the ribbon obsession? I may call this the YO shrug. Teehee.

    Oh, the reason someone should take the computer away? I have more than enough yarn, people! I picked up my Schaeffer Elaine in Jane Adams order Thursday afternoon at Yarns in the Farms and grabbed a couple of skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri in Pink Lemonade to do Pam Allen's lace shrug from the Spring Interweave Knits Staff Projects. I like the GGH Soft Kid called for in the pattern but have longed to find something to do with that Brushed Suri (suri, merino, and bamboo, for wool's sake!). And I'm excited for the color and a chance to do some lace, since I don't have time in my life right now to commit to a shawl.

    Icarus? Kiri? Print o' the Wave? Stop that.