19 February 2008

Malaise

We're down for the count chez Purly. Nick and I both seem to have come down with some odd ailment, while Isobel is healthy as a horse. It's not the flu. The best way to describe it is that we don't feel like ourselves, we're tired (I took a three-hour nap on Sunday, and I do not nap), and we have low-grade fevers at the end of the day.

So, yesterday I needed a break from the yummy but endless stockinette that is my brother's Malabrigo EZ EPS Raglan and decided to do some of the finishing work on the Cable Ribwarmer from VK. It was such an easy knit, but there are a lot of seams to put this strip together. It's cool. But apparently I have created some sort of useless mobius somehow:


See that? Not right. Well, not left. It shouldn't twist like that in the upper left corner of the photo. I discovered the problem when I decided to slip it on yesterday out of curiosity now that it was in it's final shape. And discovered this twist. So, now I'm going to have to rip out my lovely seams.

That center rib in the back is seamed together. Could you tell? You probably could, but I'm still proud of how far my finishing has come along thanks to Maggie Righetti's Knitting in Plain English.

Anyway, in my malaise I threw the offending object across the room and am thinking of casting on that Drops jacket everyone is making. It is very cute, and I have decided to frog that top-down raglan sweater I made last spring. It really needs some short-row shoulder shaping to be wearable. I was thinking of doing another Hourglass, since I've seen some lovely Hourglass sweaters in Malabrigo (100purewool is very similar) on Ravelry. But I have two Hourglass sweaters already; I've been wearing the heck out of my two cardis this winter; and the Drops jacket seems to be a fast knit, which is always good.

But I do have to finish my brother's sweater first. I'm about two-thirds up the torso and have one sleeve done to the join. My Ravelry estimate is that I'm about 60% of the way there, and I've only used three skeins of yarn so far. I think this will use less than six, so I'll have two leftover to play with.

E.T.A. photos! It looks like the problem may have been user error (impatience). Oops.
P.S. Blogger is not playing nice, so I can't seem to add photos. Will do so ASAP.

14 February 2008

Weather

So, I got smug the other day that the weather in NYC has been so much more amenable than in the Midwest and New England, as if Mother Nature were confirming the wisdom of our move. And then we got a snow storm on Tuesday, which changed to rain as I was walking back from my new knitting group at Yarntopia. It's nice to have found a new group, though I miss the ladies at Yarns in the Farms. It made me realize that I need some woolly mittens (Anemoi or something bulkier?) and some sock yarn gloves with all the gorgeous sock yarn I've amassed in the last year even though I don't like knitting socks. Heresy, I know.

But rather than cast on something to keep an extremity warm (I could also use some other scarves to go with various winter gear and maybe a hat or two), I cast on a Swallowtail Shawl with that Intenso Malabrigo lace I bought at Close Knit in the fall. I will take pictures tomorrow. I will. I will. I will. Seriously.

And I'm working on my brother's EPS Raglan Sweater (his Christmas present - he got a bag of yarn) in more Malabrigo. Yum. It's in the Paris Night colorway, which is the same one I used to make my mom's laceweight Clapotis way back when. The color is amazing - grey, purple, navy, black - just gorgeous. I've got one sleeve done (my usual knit-in-the-round gauge swatch) and am slogging my way up the body, having knit up about four inches.

So, the lace work takes the edge off all that stockinette.

But the big excitement is that Nick bought me an Expedit bookcase to house the stash. I need more boxes/baskets to corral everything, but it is very exciting to have all the yarn and books and mags and tools and whatnot in one spot.

31 January 2008

ABD*

*All But Divorced

Yes, the lawyers have done their thing, the ex-to-be showed up at court, and the judge didn't object to anything, so now I just have to wait four months for the divorce to be final. Apparently the four-month waiting period is some sort of 19th century sop to all those opposed to divorce. In case we change our minds or something. Not going to happen here, though I suppose it could in some other cases.

Enough of that.

I have been knitting, though not as focusedly as I might like. I'm about halfway through a Kaleidoscope cardigan with some Blue Moonstone Heavyweight sock yarn from the lovely ladies at The Fold/Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I have to find some suitable waste yarn to provisionally cast on for the sleeves before I can move ahead, and I don't seem to have anything in the stash that will work. That's what happens when you have such a woolly stash, I guess. I'll have to get my hands on some sort of cotton.

To keep the hands busy, I cast on for another of Kat Coyle's Berets from Greetings from Knit Cafe in the called-for Alpaca Silk in a lovely, deep pumpkin color for my grandmother. The color is very her, and it should be a quick, portable knit, as Isobel has a pediatrician appointment tomorrow, and we all know how long one can wait at the doctor's office. Thank goodness her stomach bug has passed. Tuesday night was not fun.

Anyway, I also have to cast on for my brother's Christmas present pullover next. He said he'll wait until next winter, but it should go pretty quickly once I do my EZ math, as it's in Malabrigo worsted. And I'd like him to be able to wear it this winter. As we all know winter goes on for quite some time into the year if you live in the Northern half of the country.

I have started the job search and have even found a couple of things to apply for but for some reason I'm moving as slowly as ... molasses in January. Hopefully February will give me some momentum.

Oh, and I have to say I wear my Slouchy Cardi at least twice a week. Love it. Nick says he'll take pictures any time, so I just have to submit to posing.

04 January 2008

Happy Belated New Year

So, it seems we had a bit of a hiatus here in Purlyworld. Life has been moving very quickly, though I'm still jobless in the City. Well, aside from that whole "best job in the world" to Miss Isobel. We've been back and forth to Chicago a couple of times; I was up to Gloucester; Mr. (almost) Ex was down to see Isobel; and we're off to Hawaii. Yes, life is difficult.

And there has been a lot of knitting!
-just finished the slouchy cardi (sans hood, which needs to be re-knit but is optional) in Zephyr DK from Greetings from Knit Cafe
-an Ostrich Feather patterned wrap/poncho from IK's Poncho Staff Projects in Indigo Malabrigo for my sister who heads back to Afghanistan tonight (wah!)
-a pair of garter gauntlets in Ultra Alpaca from Weekend Knitting to warm said sister up
-a mohair singlet in Heavenly (blue) Kidsilk Haze for my good-sister
-an elf hat for me in Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky (cream and hand-dye pale blue) from Handknit Holidays
-a Reading (Nursing) in Bed Shrug for my BFF in Earl Grey Blue Sky Alpaca Brushed Suri
-that grey Aran baby sweater in Encore for my BFF's bebe from Knitting for Baby
-one more Beret from the lovely Kat Coyle's pattern in Greetings from Knit Cafe in Blue Sky Alpaca Silk (rich orange colorway) that is in process for my lovely grandmother
-a placket pullover from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts in Purple Mystery Malabrigo to be knit for Miss Isobel
-a raglan pullover from EZ's Knitting Without Tears in Paris Night Malabrigo to be knit for my brother

And some more yarn was acquired:
-two skeins of STR Heavyweight in Blue Moonstone to make the Kaleidoscope cardi from Magknits
-two skeins of BMFA's Geisha in Downpour for some delovely sweater I have yet to discover/unvent (this yarn is so gorgeous)
-two skeins of Malabrigo lace in Amoroso for some other delightful project I have yet to figure out

I'm sure more yarn has leapt into my stash but those are the highlights. The first two joined the family from The Fold in Marengo (the benefit to visiting my grandmother is stopping at The Fold on the way back.

After Hawaii I promise to get on the stick about the blog and actually post pictures. Until then, Aloha!

24 November 2007

I'm still here!

But we have no internet access in New York (and it's difficult to shlep your child and laptop to an internet cafe - she's just not that into lattes) thanks to the brilliant contractors who renovated the apartment. They neglected to connect the inside wiring to the building wiring.

Anyway, things are going well so far. It's actually been somewhat freeing to be internet-less for a few weeks, though it's put a hitch in the job search. I've been knitting a bit, though I must ask *the* question: If a knitblogger knits when she is temporarily blogless, does it count? Hehe. Of course!

I finished up another one of those Alpaca Silk berets by the lovely Kat Coyle from Greetings from Knit Cafe. My only issue is that I used up every scrap of that skein to make the hat and had to increase the rate of decrease at the top, and I used a smaller needle for the cast-on and ribbing. Guess I should recheck my gauge on that. But it came out nicely in a rich chocolate brown. And I wear the one I made for myself in blue leftover from the Mermaid Hourglass Sweater this spring all the time (partly because I haven't knit myself a new winter hat yet, which I need to do).

I also knit up another of those adorable cabled baby sweaters from Knitting for Baby in grey Encore Worsted for my best friend's baby boy, Christopher Matthew, who joined the world on 12 November. There will be pictures at some point, though I made the six-month size, so it may be a little while before he sports it. He slept the entire time I held him (over an hour), so we got along like gangbusters. We'll see how things go next time.

I'm about halfway through the first of Eunny's Endpaper Mitts with leftover Clapotis yarn (Koigu) and a skein of brown Koigu. I did a long-tail cast-on because I didn't have the instructions with me for the better Tubular version. Seems fine, so far. I'm wrangling the two yarns fairly well, I think, though my Continental knitting needs some work. Tensioning the yarn in my left hand is the challenge.

And before we moved to New York I whipped up some mittens and a beret for Isobel in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino with help from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. She looks very cute, if I do say so myself, and I'll have to snap some shots of her. She'll need a warmer hat and mittens for real winter, but I'll wait until we get her a new parka to decide on yarn for that. She says she's keen for me to make her a new sweater for Christmas, so we'll have to survey the stash in Manhattan when we return on Monday.

In my NYC adventures I've been to Purl Soho, which is much smaller than I would have thought, though very cute, and the staff were young and cool and interesting to chat with - they were putting out the new Manos del Uruguay wool/silk DK yarn, and we all fondled it and compared it to Sheep 3 from Sheep Shop Yarn Company. The main difference (besides colorways) is that the Manos is a single ply, while I believe Sheep 3 is three-ply. I may have bought some Blue Sky Alpacas Royal to possibly make something like a scarf for someone special. Maybe. Ahem. I believe the color is Cafe au Lait, but this skein didn't have a tag. As Isobel often says "That's O.K. Things happen."

I also checked out The Yarn Co., which was very busy when I was there on a weekday afternoon (my sweetie pretty much kicked me out of the apartment for the afternoon). Somehow I came home without five sale skeins of Noro Cash Iroha in a pretty pool color because I couldn't figure out what to do with it and didn't want to have to go on the hunt for dyelot matches. They had a huge selection of Manos and a good variety of yarn, there were quite a few staff members helping people out and a busy communal work table, but I didn't quite feel at home.

You know where I did feel at home? Yarns in the Farms, when I stopped by for a few minutes the weekend before Thanksgiving. Nick had a conference in Providence, so we drove up on Sunday to get kitty Riley and some of Isobel's toys (and my toys: YARN) from the house. Even though it was past Isobel's naptime, and we still hadn't eaten lunch, I couldn't be in the 'hood without stopping my MY LYS. There is another yarn shop I need to check out near Columbia that may work. It's not far from the apartment and has a knit night. I'll let you all know how Yarntopia works out. Well, once we have internet access or Isobel expresses an interest in hanging out at a cafe.

25 October 2007

The Cliffs of Insanity!

I only have ten yards of yarn left for the Slouchy Cardi after casting off the hood. I am nuts. And I still have to seam it up. But I have laceweight (2/8) in the same yarn and colorway, so I can use that for seaming. For those playing along at home, this is 4/8 Jaggerspun Zephyr ("DK" weight according to those good people, more like Light Worsted to my mind). I am thrilled to have completed miles and miles of stockinette because I know (if it fits) that this will be one of those go-to sweaters in my wardrobe. That's the thing, isn't it. We moan about miles of stockinette, but it makes for eminently wearable sweaters.

So, what's next for Purly? I'm glad you asked.

For the needles I'm not quite sure, though I've got a ton of stuff queued up on Ravelry and other ideas in my head.

For real life, we have a real move.

Yes, Isobel and I are moving to Manhattan on 1 November. Which means that the post should be titled "The Skyscrapers of Insanity", no? And it also means that I am leaving the Suburbs of Insanity. Not really, but really. I love my family and friends here in the Midwest, but I've become an East Coast girl and long to get back. Watching the Red Sox kick tuchus is not the same here, you know?

And Riley is going to come live with us, too, as I told Bridget the other day (her Garden Kitty looks a lot like Riley-kins). Spenser has gone back to live with his breeder until she can find him a new home, which is for the best. Now, if we could just find someone to buy the house and get my soon-to-be-ex-husband to get his act together enough to participate in divorce proceedings, we'd be all set. Until then my darling Intended and I will have to wait to make things official.

But it's all for real. Someone pinch me. Yet if I wake up I might have to deal with R.O.U.S.es. Eep. They probably have those in New York.

And, no, I haven't seen The Princess Bride lately. Maybe I should.

FO: Log Cabin Socks


Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays for my brother in Berrocco Pure Merino shade 8522 Aubergine (3.5 skeins) on US6s
I made the Men's size and they fit his US 12 feet! I made them a little longer than the pattern called for after consulting a shoe size to inches chart somewhere on the 'net. Very nice yarn - soft and squishy, only snagged a few times with it's multi-multi-ply construction. I may consider this yarn for Norah Gaughan's Capecho from last year's Vogue Knitting (the yarn called for in the pattern). It's also washable, which makes it more viable for a winter white accessory. And certainly makes it more viable for a brother, even if he is married (they have a small person and both work full-time, so they don't have a lot of time to coddle handknits). Each sock took me a couple of days to knit, and I didn't work on them 'round the clock. I might need a pair for myself - we'll see.

So, NaKniSweMo is November, and I'm thinking of participating (I should do NaNoBloMo and post every day). Perhaps it's time to knit Eunny's Venezia? I still have to do the Endpaper Mitts to go along with my Clapotis (and have to post over at Second-Wave Clapotis about my lovely shawl that I wear almost daily now that we've got seasonable weather) to get started on stranded knitting. And Isobel needs a hat and mittens (I have some cherry-colored Debbie Bliss Cashmerino for those). And I want a little vest out of the Alpaca with a Twist I bought last month. And I want a Razor Shell Cami out of some of my burgeoning stash of sock yarn (I can't wait for my Rockin' Sock Club yarn to arrive, hopefully, today). And I really want to buy some of the Webs Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere cloeseout yarn, though I scoffed at the Cocktail Capelet from Spring's IK when I first saw it ($90 worth of cashmere seems a little crazy for a little capelet, but $45 to play with pure cashmere seems slightly less crazy - slightly). And and and...

Closing in on the end of the hood for my Slouchy Cardi clearly means it's time to find the next project, if only to constructively avoid seaming. Hehe. I made a deal with myself that I couldn't knit anything else until I finished Michael's sock, and I ended up spending a lot of time on Ravelry looking for next projects. I'm good at avoidance, eh? I still remember alphabetizing my books freshman year of college at American University (I transferred to Washington University in St. Louis after that first year) to procrastinate studying for finals. I do a little better now.