Learner's Per-knit . . . A Learning-to-Knit Saga

On family

2012-01-27T10:48:00.010-05:00

I'm an aunt again! Sometimes I forget that I'm a tía at all, because CP's entire family lives on another continent. I've met my nephews, brother-in-law and sister-in-law exactly one time, so thinking of them as family still seems a little odd. And since we never see them, no one ever calls me Tía Kristen (which, by the way, doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). But, with the newest addition to their brood making her appearance yesterday, I was reminded that I am, in fact, an aunt, and should be knitting accordingly.

The good news is, we will be visiting Peru next month, and my mother-in-law is going to meet us there, so if I finish a baby sweater in time, I can give it to her to pass along. Which of these seems like I might be able to finish it in two weeks?

Baby Sophisticate

Baby Poonam

Cascade

Maile Sweater

I'll be knitting a 6 month size, since that's about when the weather will turn cold in Santiago. I'm thinking Baby Sophisticate looks simplest, but is it too boring? And more importantly, do I have yarn for any of these sweaters? I guess I'll have to answer that question myself.

(As a side note, I fully understand that children born in Spanish-speaking countries will, obviously, speak Spanish. It is just as normal, run-of-the-mill, everyday as the fact that I was born in the U.S. and therefore speak English. But as someone who learned Spanish as a foreign language, part of me still finds it astounding when small children speak it--like they're little linguistics geniuses tottering around speaking in tongues.)

On learning

2012-01-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I was just as bad at knitting when I first started, though it seems impossible that anyone could be this bad at anything.

The fiber is corriedale, which looked lovely in the bag, lovely sitting my lap, and lovely allllllll the way up until I actually started spinning it, at which point I realized it looked like I was spinning my own hair.

My homework it to keep trying to make my bag of fiber look like yarn, and then next week, we tackle plying, which I'm assured will really improve the look of this mess. I sure hope so.

(I would also like to note for the record that when I got to Fibre Space, I only purchased supplies for the class. No other yarn. No books. No patterns. No gadgets or tools. How strong am I?)

(What? Madelinetosh Magnolia Society Yarn Club? I have no idea what you're talking about . . .)

Friday's Muse

2012-01-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

When I was 15, I fell in love.

With the Beatles.

Was this because I liked a boy who was obsessed with the Beatles? Possibly. But the boy came and went, and the Beatles stayed.

(Well, stayed in my heart, anyway; they'd broken up long before I was born, and poor John left us when I was just 2 months old.)

I got to see Sir Paul McCartney in concert a couple of years ago, it was the highlight of my day, week, summer, possibly year.

There's just something about Sir Paul.

This photo has been making the rounds on Pinterest, and who's surprised? A young, scruffy Sir Paul, rocking a seriously inspiring fair isle sweater--how can you not swoon?

I will not rest until I own this sweater.

(This photo may have prompted me to pin a series of photos of Sir Paul wearing fair isle sweater vests. He's a knitter's dreamboat.)

On sock yarn (warning: many pictures, possibly too many)

2012-01-18T11:09:00.000-05:00

Come for the sweaters, stay for the socks.

I think this sums up my and many other knitters' experience with knitting. You start because you imagine yourself parading around town in a new handknit sweater every week, and before you know it, you're looking at a basket full of dismembered cardigan bits wondering where you went wrong. The sweater wardrobe is an illusion.

Socks, on the other hand, are doable. You probably never imagined yourself knitting them, and now find yourself with drawers full of sock yarn. Socks you can finish. Socks don't fill your lap with heaps of wool in July. Socks don't care if you've gained 10 pounds. Socks are the new sweaters.

Sock yarns get a lot of attention because they're pretty, colorful, and versatile. What's not apparent from a session of snorgling the sock yarn is how well the yarn will wear which, at the end of the day, is kind of the important thing. So today, we're going to take a look at a few different yarns and see how they've fared over the last year or so.

Up to bat: The Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga!; Sundara Sock Yarn; Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select; Madelintosh Tosh Sock; and Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM)

A note on care: I have a front loading washing machine, which they say won't felt wool (haha!), and all of these sock yarns are superwash, so I generally wear each pair a few times, then wash them in the machine on the gentle cycle, and hang them on a drying rack. They never go in the dryer.

(And I know I shouldn't, but I do wear my socks with shoes, which roughs them up.)

Let's start with Skinny Bugga! (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon)

Then:

I finished these socks in January 2011.

Now:

Color has faded a bit, and there's a lot of shedding/pilling on the heel and sole. I've already taken a sweater stone to this pair once earlier this year.

I finished this pair in July:

And they've met a similar fate; color is still bright, but a fair bit of shedding.

That said, Skinny Bugga! has 10% cashmere, so it's a trade off--softer socks = more shedding. The faded color is a little disappointing, but keeping them out of the washing machine might help. A sweater stone will help get rid of the fuzz, but remember, you're basically shaving off fiber, which will ultimately weaken the fabric, and probably result in holes in the long run.
I don't know what the future holds for The Verdant Gryphon and Cephalopod Yarns, the two companies born of the ashes of the Sanguine Gryphon (I believe the story is they will still be selling separate colorways of the Bugga! and Skinny Bugga! bases). Just make a note that you might want to make Bugga! and Skinny Bugga! socks your house-only socks.

Let's see, what's next? How about Madelinetosh Tosh Sock? (100% merino)

Then:

These socks were finished in June (gosh, I really miss my basil).

Now:

A bit of fading, particularly on the sole, but overall, they've held up well. Let's take a closer look:

Just a hint of fuzz on the heels.

I'm quite pleased with these socks--the yarn isn't as soft as some sock yarns, but it's quite sturdy. Note to self: buy more Tosh Sock.

Let's look at another pair of summer socks, made in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select (100% merino).

Then:

Finished in May.

Now:

Unfortunately these aren't easy to photograph--they're the Skew socks, so they don't have the same shape as a standard sock. What we're interested in is the yarn, though, and it's held up pretty darn well. Not much fading (though the colorway was more muted to begin with) and very little wear, just some light fuzz on the heel again:

So, another sturdy yarn. The Tosh Sock is softer than this one, though, and seems to wear about as well.

And my last pair of summer socks, knit in Sundara Sock Yarn (100% merino).
(The yellow; the green is leftover Bugga!)

Then:

Finished in July.

Now:

Not bad! Minimal fading, few signs of wear, even close up:

(I will note that I've probably worn this pair the least, so that may factor in.)

The Sundara sock yarn appears to be wearing well, but it's thinner than I prefer for sock yarn, and the yardage is low compared to others (370yds/skein).

And now, we're going to look at my oldest pair of socks, knit in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (100% merino).

Then:

Finished in February 2010.

Now:

I'm ready to go out on a limb here and say this is nothing short of amazing. I wear these socks all the time. I'm wearing them right now. For nearly a year, they were the only handknit socks I owned. They should, by all rights, be falling apart by now.

They've faded a bit. I think they may have shrunk a little too. But heels, soles and toes are all in great shape:

KPPPM isn't ultra soft, and it comes in 175yd skeins, so you have to buy 2 or 3 for a pair of socks, but it gets a thumbs up from me as far as wear. I haven't bought any since I made these socks, but I think I might have to invest in some for everyday wear socks.

Another non-resolution, more-of-a-general-goal-type-deal I have for 2012 is to do more with the blog than ramble about my knitting. I've been busy thinking up ideas for making my blog more useful for knitters (without making it a carbon copy of other knitting blogs) and today's sock yarn review was the first in what I hope will be an ongoing series of topical posts. What do you think?

On theory

2012-01-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

I always enjoy browsing other bloggers' WIP Wednesday posts, but I never wanted to jump directly onto that bandwagon. I was more interested in an adjacent bandwagon--something just a bit different. Of course, when you're showing off half-finished knitwear, there's not a whole lot you can do to stand out. Blobs of knitting look like blobs of knitting. So that leaves me with little more than a name change. But I will soldier on nonetheless.

Introducing . . . .

Theoretical Thursdays!

As in, theoretically, the following blobs of knitting will someday actually be something.

This project has been on the needles since the dawn of time. Or so it seems. This is a Trellis baby sweater. When the month started, I had a finished body and one sleeve, but had little motivation to knit the second sleeve because I'd already had to knit the first sleeve twice (which I blame on the myriad possible interpretations of the phrase "as established"). But the baby the sweater is intended for made his debut last week, so I bravely pushed forward, and now have a 2nd sleeve and have started in on the collar.

A quick note on this one: the seed stitch pattern is shown as "k1, p1," but for the sleeves, you need to start with a purl stitch, or the cuff won't transition into the cable section correctly.

This one is a new project, and another from Knitty: the Achilles Heal socks, which have a unique construction--the leg and foot of the sock are completed first, then you go back and do the heel and gusset. This, theoretically, enables you to replace this section in its entirety if it wears out before the rest of your sock. My sock currently has a gaping hole in the middle for this reason. It's certainly an interesting idea, but I don't know if it's worth all of the extra fiddling and futzing (moving stitches to waste yarn, provisional cast-ons, etc.). Time will tell.

And last, but certainly not least, the Wildflower Cardigan! So far, so good--my only concern is that curling on the bottom edge, which I sincerely hope will block out.

In other news, I've decided to start playing on Twitter. You can follow me at @mediaperuana. Will I have anything interesting to say? I sure hope so.

On measurements

2012-01-06T10:06:00.000-05:00

I don't think it would be inaccurate to assume that most of my readers are female, and based on that assumption, to further deduce that we've all experienced the horror that is trying to buy clothes that fit. It may even be the reason that some of us learned to knit in the first place.

The sizing system used for women's clothes in the U.S. (and possibly elsewhere, but I'll talk about what I know) is based on meaningless numbers. Like 4. What is 4? 4 has absolutely no meaning. There are no standards. Each manufacturer can slap a "4" label on whatever size pants they feel like. And every year, 4 seems to get just a little bit bigger around the world.

In the last 2 years, I've gained about 10 pounds. This is not an absurd amount of weight, and it doesn't make me morbidly obese, but logic leads me to believe I should be buying a larger pants size, or, at the very least, that my usual pants size should be feeling a bit snugger.

It's not.

I don't know if manufacturers are trying to boost my self-esteem, or if they just think I'm really bad at math.

One of the articles of clothing we hear women complaining about more than any other is jeans. But I thought I had nipped this problem in the bud a few years ago when I discovered Lucky Brand jeans. They come in a variety of cuts and styles, 4 lengths, and most importantly, are sold by waist size. 2 = 26", 4=27", and so on. It's right there on the label. (They are a little pricey, but at least twice a year Lucky has sales that will chop about $40 off the price tag.)

Waist size is great. It is not meaningless. 27 inches is 27 inches. It is a measurement. There are standards. If something is labeled 27 inches, I can measure and verify that it is, in fact, 27 inches.

Or so I thought. For the last 3 years, I have been living firm in the belief that 27 inches has a universal significance. (Even if you use the obviously superior metric system, 27 inches still has a significance, it just may not mean anything to you personally. And really, it shouldn't, because the metric system is practically perfect in every way, and I don't know why we don't use. But that's a different post for another time.)

This belief came crashing down around me on Christmas Day.

Every year for Christmas, my sister and I buy each other a pair of Lucky Brand jeans. Because, of course, there's no need to try the jeans on--if you have a 27" waist, you buy 27" pants, done.

Ha ha.

Here we have, on top, my oldest pair of Lucky Brand jeans, purchased approximately 3 years ago, maybe 4. And beneath them, the pair of jeans I bought my sister for Christmas, which are enormous on her, and huge on me.

Both pairs of jeans are labeled 27". And what's more absurd is that the top pair are low rise, which means you might expect the waist to be larger since they're meant to fall closer to the hips, while the bottom pair are "easy rider," which are meant to fall at the waist.

Now, given the different cuts Lucky Brand sells, all of their jeans are clearly not going to fit the exact same way, that's expected. But I whipped out my handy tape measurer and discovered that the waist on the bottom pair of jeans is nearly 32"! Thirty. Two. Inches.

And, to add insult to injury, the jeans my sister bought me, also 27", fit perfectly. So not only has Lucky Brand fallen prey to the universal plot to make women feel better about themselves by slapping meaningless numbers on their jeans, 27" is now not even a standard measurement within the brand!

I feel lost, adrift in an ocean of ill-fitting clothing. I had bucked the system. I had found jeans that I knew would fit correctly. It was all mine. For a brief shining moment.

Prospero año y felicidad

2012-01-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

A new year. Despite the fact that I despise January, I do like the sound of a new year. It holds so much promise. Anything can happen. I could climb Mt. Everest! I'm pretty sure I won't, but in January, I hate to count anything out.

As a knitter, I look forward to a whole year of projects: clothes for me, new designs, birthday and Christmas gifts. Maybe this year is the year I can KNIT ALL THE THINGS.

(If you're not reading Hyperbole and a Half, you should be. Start here. I'm 97% sure Allie sucked this story right out of my brain while I slept. And don't miss The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas.)

A few days after Christmas, I wound up bunches of yarn for new projects:

(I even have this photo as my iPad wallpaper now--all that yarn holds so much promise.)

And look, swatches!

So, what will I be knitting in 2012? For starters, I thought joining the 12 Socks in 2012 group on Ravelry would be a fantastic idea. Some knitters are signing themselves up for one sock per month, but I'm going full tilt, giving myself the ludicrous challenge of knitting 12 pair. And they're all for me!

Bwah ha ha ha!

And you all know I haven't been able to stop obsessing over the Wildflower Cardigan since I got my copy of Coastal Knits. I finally settled on Madelinetosh Tosh Sport for the sweater--same great colors, but about 2/3 the cost of Pashmina.

Not without its troubles, though. The gauge Alana calls for is 7st/in on sz 5 needles--how she's achieving this astounding feat, I have no idea. I'm pretty sure it defies the laws of physics. I started on 5s, then moved down to 4s, and still couldn't best 6.5st/in. At this gauge, the fabric was already losing its drape, so moving down the 3s wasn't an option. I briefly considered switching to sock yarn, but ultimately decided to knit the smallest size at the larger gauge. Math, though not generally my friend, assures me that the resulting sweater will be 34-35". I sincerely hope math isn't lying to me.

Beyond that, rather than challenge myself with a specific number of projects in varying categories, I'm going to focus on 2 primary goals for 2012:

Knit from stash
Learn to spin

I'm not crazy enough to think I won't buy any yarn, but I have quite a collection as it is. (I may have also wiggled around this stipulation a smidge by signing up for Tanis Fiber Arts' Year in Color during the final days of 2011. Oops.) But I will make a concerted effort to stop giving The Loopy Ewe, KnitPicks and WEBS half my paycheck.

And I'm ready to make use of my drop spindle. I really, truly, don't have a clue what I'm doing, but at one point, the same was true about knitting, so I have high hopes!

What are your New Year's knitolutions?

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-31T15:37:00.000-05:00

Yup. Another year. It seems the older I get, the faster time goes, so I fully expect to be 90 sometime next week.

2011 was full of ups and downs, highlights being marrying my amazing husband, visiting Santiago, and releasing my first patterns, and lows being mom's cancer and laryngectomy, the neighbor flooding our condo immediately after I moved myself and the cats in, and still being stuck in a job I hate. I'm hoping for all highlights in 2012!

Knitting-wise, things looked pretty good:

That's 28 completed projects, and doesn't include the super long scarf for my sister that has still not been photographed, and which she's probably already ruined by putting through the washer/dryer.

But how did I do on the unrealistic goals front? Let's review the promises I made in January 2011:

10 pair of socks FOR ME! -- I managed 7 pair of adult socks, and 2 baby pairs; not too shabby!
Finish the Deep V Argyle vest -- oops. no.
Two adult sweaters PLUS two adult, um, "tops" for want of a better word--meaning summery-type floaty camisole things.--I finished 2 sweaters, though both short-sleeved, and 1 camisole; again, not too shabby
Colorwork mittens of some kind for next winter. -- oops. again, no.
Design and publish TWO patterns -- success!

Stay tuned for more ridiculous promises for 2012!

Winning Christmas

2011-12-28T16:32:00.000-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I report tragic news: Christmas has come and gone.

Christmas is my very favorite time of year, and it always passes in a flash. Sure, my decorations are still up, and Christmas music is still spilling from my stereo as the season winds down, but the Big Dance is over, and I'm feeling a little glum.

January is always a miserable month for me.

(Shhhh, don't tell my sister--I always put on a brave, I'm-totally-ok-with-Christmas-being-over face for her birthday.)

Still, I've come to report happy news as well: all Christmas knitting was finished and delivered on schedule. Even this:

I got two hugs for this one, and if number of hugs is a fair measure of appreciation, then I'd say the guitar strap was a success. Dad used it for Christmas Eve mass as hoped, and even encouraged me to sell them to guitarist--maybe even for $50!

I'm also getting a better handle on using my fancy camera (though the colors are coming out a smidge wonky on Flickr).

I also managed to finish up the insanely long scarf my sister requested, though I skipped the part where I was supposed to take pictures of it first. Oops.

CP gets to spend the rest of the winter snuggling into this fuzzy looking cowl:

The pattern is Thermis, knit in Cascade Eco Duo, an incredibly soft alpaca blend. The neutral colors are ever so slightly variegated, you can see some gray and camel tones spread throughout.

As for me, I actually didn't get too many knitting or yarn gifts, but I am now the proud owner of an iPad and a shirt so awesome, there are no words:

On handknit socks and high heels

2011-12-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

What I do when I've worn office-inappropriate walking shoes to work, and then need to leave my desk for any reason that isn't a meeting with international diplomats:

Incidentally, a colleague was justifying his purchase of an insanely expensive camera by wandering through the office taking photos, and he caught me in my Puff-sleeved Feminine Cardi:

Not the most accurate office photo, since usually I look like I want to murder someone, but the sweater looks pretty cute (and you can also see a hint of the fingerless mitts I'm wearing--Susie's Reading Mitts, which I finished a couple weeks ago but didn't bother telling you all about because everyone and their brother owns a pair. MadTosh, Logwood.) Hmmm, what else do we see? Wedding photo, paper flower I made while bored, box of tea, LOLcat, photo of my two favorite Orioles . . . at least I've made my desk my home.

Gut check time

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

Less than a week until Christmas. I'm not panicking, but I am planning to sleep a little less this week. I'm sure I can make up for it with 2 long weekends in a row. My shopping is done, but holiday knitting, not so much.

Let me show you the ONE gift I've managed to finish.

This is the Bramble Beret from one of last year's Knitty issues, knit up in DIC Classy (or is it Smooshy? I can never remember which is worsted and which is fingering. It's whichever is worsted weight.). The colorway is emerald . . . something, and I knit the medium size, medium length, with considerably less than 1 skein.

This was a delightfully quick knit, finished in a week with plenty of other projects worked on simultaneously. But more importantly, hidden in the pattern is what I consider to be a gem of a blocking trick:

"To prevent stretching the ribbed hat band, waste yarn was basted in a running stitch along the round between the ribbed band and the hat body. After the hat was soaked and placed over the blocking form, the waste yarn was cinched, to firmly stretch the cabled hat body."

I always block beret-style hats over a plate, and despite trying to be quick quick quick slipping the plate inside, the band always seems to get overstretched in the process, and smoothing it back into place never tightened it up enough. I tried this little trick on the hat above, with excellent results--slouchy hat, close-fitting brim.

I think I'll use some of my holiday break time to test this out on older hats to see if I can work them back into shape.

Work on the guitar strap continues. I'd put it at 75%, not too shabby. Today, though, my brain tried to sabotage my efforts by repeatedly whispering about how I absolutely needed to include a guitar motif. Just a little acoustic guitar, how hard could it be? Ultimately I became convinced that not only did the strap need a guitar, but also my dad's monogram! And if I don't include them, my brain assures me that the whole project will be RUINED.

I puttered around on Excel all morning (fortunately my sole work responsibility today was sending e-seasons greetings to my country contacts, and washing the mug I used for oatmeal last week and forgot about), charting out a final section for the strap.

At first it was fun, kinda like an algebra equation--whatever you do on one side, you also do on the other. It quickly became apparent that this is easier said then done--which also reminded me that I hate math, especially equations.

And you know, it's hard to make curvy letters with square blocks.

But if it all works out as charted, I think Dad will love it.

What are the odds I'll remember to knit it upside down, so that it comes out right side up on the finished strap?

Bad ideas

2011-12-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

(I don't think anyone in my family reads my blog, mostly because they don't know it exists, but I did inadvertently mention it on Facebook a couple months ago, so just in case, DAD STOP READING RIGHT NOW, I'M GOING TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT!

There. That oughta do it.)

Approximately 11ty years ago, I made the mistake of asking my dad what he would like me to knit for him. This came about, first and foremost, because I make bad decisions. The secondary reason is that I had knit my dad a few things I had rarely seen him use, so I didn't want to waste any more time knitting things to line his dresser drawers or keep his guitar necks warm or whatever.

He told me what he wanted, and I quickly tossed his idea out as impossible and knit him a hat instead.

The good news is, he really liked the hat. The bad news is, he still wanted that other thing.

The "thing" in question is a guitar strap. I had numerous reasons for immediately discounting this idea:

Guitar straps are designed to hold the guitar in front of you at the exact height at which is comfortable for you to play the guitar. This can vary, which is why guitar straps are usually adjustable. Wool is stretchy--if you hang a guitar from a scrap of wool, it's going to stretch out, and ultimately the stretched yarn will break, the scrap will unravel and your guitar will wind up on the floor, where it's much harder to play.

Guitar straps have, for lack of a better term, doohickeys on either end to attach them to the guitar. Fashioning doohickeys out of wool would be difficult at best, and sounded like a recipe for more guitar-on-the-floor disasters.

The guitar strap in question was supposed to be colorful. This sounded to me like striping, which I loathe.

Guitar straps are boring. They're just skinny scarves. Zzzzzzz.

Still, I'm pretty fond of my dad, and also I really hate to disappoint people, so I kept the idea in the back of my mind, trying to piece together a way to make it work. And eventually, I had a brain wave.

I could purchase a sturdy nylon guitar strap (WITH doohickeys), and knit a cover for it.

And to mitigate the boredom factor, I could liven it up with some fair isle.

So, that's just what I'm doing:

I'm using the charts from the Ultimate Stashbuster Vest, and picked out some blues and browns I thought were more "my dad." If I'm lucky, I'm about 1/4 done. (And unfortunately this is the one gift that needs to be done, wrapped and ready to gift on Christmas EVE so I can give it to dad to use for mass. So, in news that should come as a surprise to no one, I really should've started this thing much earlier.)

This isn't a bad first fair isle project--there's no shaping, no worries about long floats getting caught on anything, certainly no steeking. It's just one long tube.

But there are a LOT of ends. A lot. A million. My original plan was to finish, turn the whole thing inside out and spend a day weaving them all in, but this weekend I decided on a different approach where I knit a few inches, then turn the top inside out and weave. I think this might save my sanity if and when the whole project is complete.

13 days 'til Christmas!

If you haven't got a friendly cat may God bless you!

2011-12-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

Well, it's December already.

I'm not entirely certain how that happened. The last thing I remember, it was October.

But suddenly my 12 Days of Cookies from the Food Network is arriving in my inbox, and most of my meals seem to be candy, both unmistakable indicators that the holidays are upon us.

Not that I'm complaining--this is my favorite time of year. I'm just surprised to see it here already.

I'm sure we're all in the same boat, frantically knitting away on projects that absolutely must be done by December 25. Or December 24, so we have time to wrap them.

This year my sister wants a scarf, Dad is getting a guitar strap, CP needs a cowl, and Mom's gift is still a mystery because whatever it is will just be stashed in a dresser drawer, so I'm finding it hard to pick anything worthy of that fate.

I've also added my aunt to my knitting list, since she's gotten in the habit of giving me yarn for gift-giving occasions--it would be more exciting if the yarn weren't 100% acrylic and purchased at Rite Aid in 1986, but it's the thought that counts.

(Yes, seriously, the price tag on the yarn is from Rite Aid.)

The good news is, I'm free to work on all of those projects, because I finished Umaro!

Pattern: Umaro, by Jared Flood
Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky, 9.25 skeins (WEBS' website is being a grinch and won't load so I can link--sorry!)
Needles: Sz 13

I tried to artfully drape the blanket across the bed, but unfortunately it looks more rumpled than anything else.

Finished, my blanket wound up about the width of a full size bed, and about a foot shy of the length, perfect for snuggling under on the couch.

I cast on 12 extra stitches to start, adding a pattern repeat, because I couldn't stomach knitting on size 15 needles, and moved down to 13. I did the exact number of chart repeats called for in the pattern, but could've easily added another with the amount of yarn I had--I was just ready to be done knitting.

Just look at the many squishy layers of warmth (and also, cat fur):

I already told you guys I didn't really have fun knitting this blanket, but as predicted, I love the blanket itself. So warm. So snuggly. Such a sense of accomplishment. A whole blanket!

And here he is in his happy little home inside my coffee table / trunk:

He truthfully hasn't spent much time there because I've been using him so much (as has CP, who wears short sleeves year round and then complains about the cold), but I love seeing him folded up in there nonetheless--a dream partially achieved!

Completely unrelated: cherry cordial M&Ms--not that good. Stick with the Hershey Kisses version.

Pattern: 17th Street

2011-11-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

While most people try to burn off all their extra Thanksgiving calories by taking hikes or riding bikes, I put my weekend efforts into something a little less cardio intensive, but hopefully equally rewarding.

A new pattern!

Pattern: 17th Street
Project page
Yarn: 250-300 yds DK weight (I used Pigeonroof Studios Cassiopeia DK)
Needles: US sz 6
Sizes: small/medium - 7.5" hand circumference; medium/large - 8.5" hand circumference

These gloves have been in the works for a few months, though the idea for them came to me much earlier in the year. Back when I was still living in Maryland and riding the subway into D.C., I spotted another commuter in a darling coat with ruffles on the outside of the forearm. I thought something similar would be cute on gloves, but couldn't quite figure out how to put them together. Fortunately, I managed to puzzle out my idea over the course of the year, and my gloves came to life.

The cuffs on these are knit flat, with an i-cord edge at the bottom. Stitches are picked up around the opposite edge and joined to work in the round. From there on, it's a fairly straightforward glove, with just a hint of detail in the column of eyelet stitches on the finger. Buttons on the cuffs allow for opening and closing, so you can tuck your shirt sleeves in and fasten the cuffs over them--extra warm!

This is the first pattern I'm offering for sale on Ravelry! I've priced it at $3.99, but I've got a special deal for my blog readers--enter the coupon code LPK11 to receive $1 off the purchase price, through December 4. This promo will hopefully work automatically if you click right here! Or, if I've screwed that up, you can enter the code during checkout.

Thanks as always to each of your for your continued support of both my blog and my design aspirations!

Thanks, Gracias, Merci

2011-11-23T14:35:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will have a house full of relatives (well, ok, just my mom, dad and sister), and be frantically trying to time all of the dinner dishes to be ready at the exact same time, so I'll take a few minutes today to tell you what I'm thankful for.

My husband--even when he asks me crazy things like, "Will the kitchen tell me when it's ready?"
(No, dear, I don't think the kitchen is going to tell you anything. Ever.)

My dad--for being a rock for our family

My mom--thankful she's still with us after a difficult year

My sister--for helping me deal with my crazy mom

My friends--I don't get to see them as often as I would like, but I never laugh more than when we're all together

My kitties--a constant source of amusement and tummy snuggles (well, occasionally)

Yarn--obviously

The Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup, and Hufflepuff House--an amazingly rewarding and uplifting online community to be a part of

The Big Bang Theory--it's never not funny (Bazinga!)

Pumpkin--is there anything it can't do?

Wine--yum

Lip balm--I can't imagine life without it

You--my readers. Thank you so much for caring about what I have to say, it's wonderful to know there are people out there listening. You guys are full of win.

Slow slog (now with crappy iPhone photos!)

2011-11-18T14:51:00.001-05:00

I've been working on this project seemingly forever. For. Ev. Er.

(Sandlot!!! No? Hmmmmm.)

It all started when we bought the Hunter Trunk.

I'd been in love with this coffee table / storage trunk for at least a year when we finally bought it, and after some annoyances with Crate and Barrel's inability to foresee that we wouldn't want a trunk with a giant crack down one side (nor would we be willing to haul the broken thing back and pick up a new, supposedly undamaged piece of furniture), I was proud to call it mine.

The real selling point is the built in storage--3 different sections open up, so you can throw all kinds of crap in there.

I had visions of filling at least one compartment with cozy, fluffy, snuggly blankets, to be pulled out with exuberant joy the instant a chill was in the air. (Or the air conditioning was turned up too high.)

The problem was, we didn't own any cozy, fluffly, snuggly blankets. We had a couple of ratty old fleece blankets, and that was it.

So I decided, of course, that I would make the cozy, fluffy, snuggly blankets.

I would just try to block out that little voice in my head saying, "But that will take forever. For. Ev. Er!"

I perused blanket patterns on Ravelry, queuing a few here and there, and finally settling on the coziest, fluffiest, snuggliest looking one, Jared Flood's Umaro. I knew it was the right one because I could practically feel the yarn squishing between my fingers in the photos. Also, super bulky yarn and large needles meant it would be a much better bet than something knit in DK weight, which would take forever x infinity to finish.

Pattern in hand, I set about finding the right yarn--Jared used Cascade Lana Grande, but 12 balls of yarn at $7/each was more than I was willing to spend.

(Sometimes I find the logic I use in making yarn purchases baffling--I'm absolutely contemplating buying 5 skeins of madelinetosh pashmina for Alana Dakos' Wildflower Cardigan, which will run me well over $100, but $80 for a much larger blanket is somehow out of the question. I might be crazy.)

I settled on one of WEBS in-house yarns, Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky--a more reasonable $5/ball with slightly more yardage, and includes a smidge of alpaca for a lovely halo and extra snuggliness.

Finally, I was ready to whip out my blanket--of course it wouldn't take long, I was using yarn as thick as a horse's tail, and needles with a diameter rivaling white board markers. Easy peasy. Piece of cake. (Or "piece of pie," as CP sometimes says; yes, he also says "easy as cake." I know, we should have a sitcom.)

I started out with size 15 needles, but quickly had to give them up. They felt horribly unwieldy, I couldn't get any kind of rhythm going--mostly I wanted to throw the whole project against the wall, which isn't the most productive way to get a blanket. Unfortunately.

After hemming and hawing for a few days, I moved down to size 13 needles, which felt slightly more sane, and added an extra pattern repeat to make up for any size discrepancy.

(Seriously, I want this thing big enough to fit my bed.)

And so I've been knitting.

And knitting.

And knitting.

It just seems to be taking . . . what's the word? Oh, I know--FOREVER! I'm not enjoying it. I will enjoy the blanket, but I'm not enjoying the process. I knit a row, set it down, move to another project, force myself back to the blanket, knit another row, lather, rinse, repeat. I make bargains with myself: OK, 6 rows on the blanket and then you can work on your Dahlia Cardigan. 6 rows on the blanket, and you can play on Pinterest. 6 rows on the blanket and you can book that Alaskan cruise!

Today, though, I'm happy to report that I'm finally halfway done. And you know, it does take up most of my bed:

Catching up

2011-11-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

I seem to have finally managed to catch up on the every day life stuff after our lovely vineyard wedding and subsequent relaxing Jamaica trip (the thank you notes are even written! Though, not mailed.), so now I can get back to the fun stuff, like rambling about knitting.

I promised you guys a post/review about the class I took at Rhinebeck, Norwegian Cutting Techniques.

I signed up for this class because I wanted to learn about steeking. Last year, I started a Deep V Argyle Vest, and while I'm still not done knitting it, I might someday actually finish it, and when that day comes, I want to be prepared for cutting it open and watching its metaphorical guts spill onto the floor.

(Or, my couch. I don't sit on the floor while knitting.)

Now, it's entirely possible that I wasn't paying close attention when I signed up, but as I recall, the information available about the exact topics covered at that point was minimal. It said "cutting techniques," I foolishly assumed we would cover a number of techniques.

Which is why I was a smidge disappointed to show up for class and realize it was only going to address machine stitching.

I don't own a sewing machine.

(And frankly, if you do already own a sewing machine, I'm not sure you need a whole class to learn how to use it to do steeks--sew 2 lines of stitches, cut between them, voila!)

Still, I tried to keep an open mind--it's not like I couldn't buy a sewing machine if it seemed like it would be useful. Although learning to use a sewing machine would probably be a prerequisite.

I had done my homework, knitting a small baby-sized pullover and sleeves, so I was ready to learn.

The class consisted of about 14 students (two of whom apparently signed up for no conceivable reason, because they spent the whole class yapping instead of listening to the instructor, and generally being a distraction. I guess that's your choice, but what a waste of $70. And also, rude.).

The instructor showed us various samples of her steeking work (lovely!), and then set up the machine so we could start stitching. The assumption seemed to be that we would already know how to use a sewing machine, which of course I didn't. So I opted to wait at the back of line while watching other people tackle the monster.

When my turn came, I managed to sew 2 very crooked lines onto my sweater, in the general vicinity of the areas I had marked, and then deftly sliced it open--exhilarating. And of course, as predicted, the machine stitches held the raw edges together, so no unraveling. I worked on picking up stitches for the placket and then--the class was over.

The instructor gave us a brief overview of how we might go about steeking the armholes and attaching the sleeves at home--presumably with my non-existent sewing machine--but when asked if she could provide some kind of written instructions for the 86 steps she had glossed over in 5 minutes, she directed us to her book.

Um, no thanks.

So to sum up, I could not recommend this particular class, because the time allotted was not sufficient to allow students to actually learn all the steps, which is presumably the point (the instructor said several times she would prefer a longer class, so I assume this was the festival organizers' decision and not hers). It's especially not worth your time if you don't own (or have access to) and know how to use a sewing machine. And if you do, my completely uninformed opinion is that you don't need this class.

But that said, I've never taken a knitting class before in my life, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet other knitters, look at their work, and interact with an instructor. The class itself didn't do much for me, but made the idea of taking classes in general much more appealing. Next Sunday, I'll be taking a "design with confidence" workshop with Cirilia Rose, and I can't wait!

And now . . . animals!

Home again, home again

2011-11-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

Jiggity jig.

Yes, I've made it back from Jamaica. I'm not tan. At all. But I am rested, relaxed, and ready to KNIT ALL THE THINGS in November.

We'll see how that plan goes.

As you saw in my last post, I was a smidge busy in October, getting ready to marry a wonderful man. As I posted about before, my Ravelry ID and design pseudonym, MediaPeruana, means half Peruvian, a nod to my shameful adoption of a heritage not at all my own--hubby was born and raised in Lima. He moved to the U.S. about 11 years ago, and now we share a happy, culturally mixed up household. Sometimes this means I get to eat tasty Peruvian food, like ceviche and pisco sours. Sometimes it means hubby will wake up in the middle of the night and tell me he has acid and I'll have absolutely no idea what on earth he's talking about (heartburn, apparently). Sometimes it means acting as an interpreter during family events. It means all of my in-laws live in another country (which I'm sure many readers can appreciate), and we take amazing vacations in order to visit them.

So to sum up, it's pretty spectacular.

(Hubby shall henceforth be known on this blog as CompletamentePeruano--or CP, because let's face it, that's a lot of letters to type).

But, onto the knitting front: October wasn't a great month for new knitting, as I worked to finish 2 new designs--a pair of gloves and a pair of socks. Here's just a sneak peak:

(I'm aware that these aren't the world's greatest photos; learning to use my new camera is also on my Fall to-do list.)

With the actual knitting for these projects more-or-less done, in November I hope to have more time for knitting Christmas gifts and the Dahlia Cardigan, which I delusionally hope to have done in time to wear for Thanksgiving dinner--which I'm also hosting this year! How does a nearly-vegetarian cook a turkey? We're going to find out!

Busy weekend

2011-10-24T21:36:00.000-04:00

Catch you all when we get back from Jamaica!

Rhinebeck, part the 2nd

2011-10-18T17:27:00.000-04:00

Wow.

That sums up my Rhinebeck experience.

But I suppose it doesn't really convey that experience adequately to the reader, so I'll expound a bit.

Rhinebeck. was. awesome.

And I hate to say it, but better than MD Sheep and Wool.

First, the weather. It's hard to get excited about wool and knitwear when it's 80 degrees, which is the standard temperature for MDSW (and 2 years ago it was 90!). But we had perfect fall weather for Rhinebeck, cool and crisp, with some blustery winds tossing fallen leaves about. It was like a postcard from autumn. It made me want to move to Poughkeepsie, and forget that it's probably nothing like that 10 months of the year.

And the crowds. Maybe it's just that there seems to be more open space at Rhinebeck, but I thought it much less crowded than MDSW. The vendor stalls were still a bit crazy (especially Sanguine Gryphon), but in general, there was room to walk. I did not fear being trampled. I could look at some yarns in relative peace. There was room outside to wander, benches and tables for meals, and very few children to trip over.

I have few comments on the food--it looked like there was more variety--not everything screamed LAMB!--but I didn't eat much. I wanted an apple cider doughnut and heard rumors of their existence, but didn't find any. (I did spy Connie Chang Chinchio--or her identical twin--in line for fried artichoke hearts!)

"Yeah yeah yeah, but where's the yarn?"

Here it is!

My rule of thumb at these festivals is to buy things I CAN'T buy online or at my LYS. Which is exactly why I didn't waste hours of my life standing in line for Sanguine Gryphon (though I would've loved to get some Zaftig Bugga!, which debuted at Rhinebeck. But even so, I could've ordered it when it went live this morning in their online shop--but at $32/195yds, I decided to wait.). So some of this stuff is a bit obscure and since it's not sitting next to me, I don't know exactly what it is. But I'll do my best to guess!

Let's see, that first lighter blue one is a fingering weight from Miss Babs, and the orange-y brown one is also Miss Babs (which they do sell a bit of at Fibre Space, but limited quantities / varieties). (Oddly enough, the Miss Babs booth was completely reasonable when I spotted it, and I could browse at leisure!) The blue/brown Ravenclaw-ish skein is a sock yarn, and the blue-y purple mix is a big hank of worsted weight. The red one is from Dirty Water Dye Works, I've been wanting to give their yarns a whirl. And the yellow and black skeins are DK weight that The Boy bought me all on his own, for a Hufflepuff scarf (or two!).

But wait, there's more!

Apparently I was one of the first some-odd number of people to sign up for a workshop, so I got this swag bag:

It mostly had catalogs and flyers, but came with a few useful coupons, and a free skein of Knit Picks Simply Cotton!

And aside from the yarn, there were awesome people! Most importantly, I got to meet this fantastic group of Ravelers from the HPKCHC group:

(I've shamelessly stolen this photo from one of them. Oops! Thanks CathyCake!)

Other famous knitters spotted include Deborah and Melanie from the Savvy Girls podcast, Casey, Jess, and Mary Heather from Ravelry, and Ysolda! In fact, I actually spoke with Deborah and Melanie, and they recorded some brilliant commentary from El Peruano. If you hear that in the next podcast, rest assured that I do not subscribe to his beliefs on guinea pigs as pets!

The only bummer was that I didn't get to meet up with Leann from Forbidden Woolery--we just didn't get our schedules worked out. :( She'll be at Stitches East this weekend, so if you're going, be sure to visit her for me!

Next time, I'll fill you guys in on the details of my workshop on Norwegian Cutting Techniques!

(I never spell Norwegian right.)

RHINEBECK

2011-10-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

It's true, it's true, I'm finally going to Rhinebeck! I can hardly wait. I'm taking a steeking class Saturday morning, and then wandering about during the afternoon--hope to see some familiar faces there! And some familiar knits.

Have a great weekend all!

(p.s. Saturday's my birthday! If anyone wants to bring birthday cupcakes to Rhinebeck in my honor, I won't be opposed.)

Pattern: Son of a Sailor

2011-10-11T15:27:00.000-04:00

I am reclaiming this day.

Rage and hopelessness are trying to snatch it from me, but I refuse to let that happen.

It all started this morning, when I rolled out of bed and thought I would block my Whippoorwill shawl before heading into the office.

I've been working on this one since August, using a cream for the main body and wine for the trim. It's not a complicated shawl--actually quite the opposite. It's a lot of stockinette, so it was a slow slog. But I finished it up last night and was eager to see it pinned out.

I bet you figured out where this was going, right after you read "cream" and "wine."

And if you thought, "That wine colored yarn is totally going to bleed all over the cream and ruin the whole thing, and boy is Kristen going to be pissed," you'd be right.

Pink splotches. Dancing all over the cream section.

They're not dark, but they're there.

See?

Ok, maybe you don't see, because apparently the splotches are paparazzi-shy and didn't want to be photographed.

But they're there.

And I have no idea what to do about it.

If I soak it again, the wine will bleed more. But how can I only wash the white part? Impossible. I already tried blotting, it didn't do much good.

I tried crying, and not only did it have no effect on the splotches, it didn't really make me feel any better, and it made my face puffy to boot.

But as I said, I'm reclaiming this day.

I'm releasing a pattern!

October 11, 2011 will NOT go down in history as the day I ruined a shawl, but as the day I released my 3rd pattern.

Pattern: Son of a Sailor socks
Sizes: 9-12 months (5" foot circ) and 12-15 months (6" foot circ)--size are (very) approximate; measure your baby! More notes on sizing available in the pattern download.
Yarn: Fingering weight in contrast colors, 75yds of each (I used The Loopy Ewe Solid Series in cerulean and navy)
Needles: 2 US sz 2 24" circulars (or size needed to obtain gauge--and I'm a tight knitter, so be prepared to go down to 1.5 or 1!)
Gauge: 8st/inch

When my friend Catherine (hi Catherine!!) gave me a tour of her darling baby Tyler's nursery, all decked out in sailing motifs, I immediately started planning sailing-themed socks for the little man.

And then about a year later, I actually got around to knitting them.

This pattern is a great way to use up leftover fingering weight yarn from adult socks, since you need just 75 yds of each color (although I actually did not do that myself, because I wanted marine colors).

They are knit toe-up, and feature a short row heel and small colorwork motif--so they're also a great way to practice all of those possibly-new-to-you techniques without committing to a pair of full-sized adult socks.
(This project boasts the 2nd most colorwork I've ever completed in my life, if that gives you any idea of my colorwork skills.)

(As you can see, Tyler's socks are a wee big on him, but he's sure to grow into them...I hope!)

And even if you don't have an adorable baby of your own, you could always knit one and toss it on the Christmas tree!

(Sock, that is, not baby.)

Pattern available for free here, and soon to be up on Ravelry as well.

Take that, lousy day!

The Next Level

2011-10-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

Remember how excited I was when Jordana Paige commented on my Delysia Camisole?

I have reached a whole new level of excitement--there's now a whole post about my Camisole on Jordana's blog!!

I can't find words to express how special this makes me feel, so I'm not even going to bother. I'm sure you guys get it.

Many, many thanks to Jordana and her assistant, Rebecca, for showcasing my project, I am truly honored.

October is here!

2011-10-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to announce that my favorite month of the year is here!

There's nothing I don't like about October: cooler weather, pumpkin everything, the playoffs (which of course I would enjoy much more if the Orioles ever made an appearance), my birthday (I suppose that might not last for too much longer), Halloween, and the reappearance of my handknits as I snuggle into warm socks and cozy cowls for the first time since April.

I have a busy month ahead of me this October, but I can't wait.

I expect my knitting productivity will drop this month (I really want to make the Dahlia Cardigan, but I haven't even managed to wind the yarn yet), so I'm happy to show off a big project I finished in September:

Pattern: Backward Cable Pullover, from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits

Sz: Small, 36.5"

Yarn: Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool, 6.67 skeins

Needles: sz 5 and 7

Rav link

I love the look of this sweater, with the high neck in the front, and deep scoop neck in the back.

(Which I guess you wouldn't be able to see as much if the hairdresser hadn't cut my hair too short, so I guess it was actually a good thing.) A lot of Ravelers moved the scoop neck to the front, but I just love that this looks so different this way.

This is the second pattern I've knit from the book, and while my Tuxedo Vest turned out enormous, this fits to a T. Or is it 'tee'? Whatever. Fits perfectly. My gauge was slightly off, so I knit the 36", figuring it would come out closer to 35", and for once, I was right!

My only concern was that the instructions for the short rows on the neck don't seem to work. Maybe I was just misreading them, but I had to rip out and re-knit three times before I finally just cobbled something together myself. The way the directions are written, at least in my interpretation, you end up wrapping more stitches on one side than the other, and that can't be right. I mean, I guess it could be right if you wanted one side of the neck lower than the other, but I'm pretty sure the goal is to make the center of the neck rise higher than both sides.

The yarn is delightfully soft--which is a good thing, as this was intended to be a close-fitting sweater--but it's a bit pilly . . . I have serious doubts about weather it will hold up over the long term, but I don't see any obvious solution for that, so I'll just have to be extra careful with this one.

(Occasionally I should at least consider brushing my hair before taking these knitwear photos. Sigh.)

Pattern: Deep Creek cowl

2011-09-25T11:49:00.001-04:00

Last time I gave you a sneak peak of what I said was my new design--and it is!--but what I didn't tell you is that I have another new design as well! And I'm going to release this one first while the other finishes making the rounds through pattern testing.

Deep Creek Cowl

Pattern details:

Yarn: approx 150 yds aran or bulky weight

Needles: US size 10, 24" circular or DPNs

Gauge: Irrelevant!

Rav link

This is a quick-to-knit cowl perfect for a skein of extra-squooshy, chunky yarn--I used madelinetosh tosh chunky (colorway: Olivia). The stitch pattern is simple and easy to memorize, and creates a snuggly, unisex cowl. Check out my handsome model:

The ribbing in the design pulls the fabric in toward your neck (be sure not to block the cowl aggressively, just a light spritz with some water to even out stitches should suffice), and it's got plenty of stretch to accommodate various noggin sizes.

This one isn't lightweight, it's designed to keep you warm through fall and winter. Use an extra-soft yarn and you'll never want to take it off!

Download this cowl pattern here.

When autumn leaves start to fall

2011-09-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to report that it's FINALLY starting to feel like fall around here. The air is cooler, the leaves are starting to turn, I made my first butternut squash lasagna this weekend, and put out all of my fall decorations (which consist of 2 pumpkin candle holders, a pumpkin-shaped candle, and a mini scarecrow . . . I think I need to do some shopping). True, highs this week will be stuck in the 70s, which is a smidge too warm for fall, but since I'm stuck in the over-air conditioned office 8.5 hours each day, I'll hardly notice.

Fall weather makes it seem a lot less silly to be parked on the couch with a lap full of wool. I'm determined to get two sweaters done before the cold weather really kicks in, so I've been knitting away as I watch the Orioles' miserable last stand.

In the midst of sweater knitting, I have managed to fit in a few smaller projects, like this:

Pattern: Bramble Beret, from Vintage Modern Knits
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios, in Azul Profundo, 2/3 skein
Needles: szs 5 and 7
Rav link

I love the classic-with-a-modern-twist vibe of Vintage Modern Knits (check out all the patterns here). This hat has a modern fit and styling, but the bobbles and moss stitch give it a rustic look as well. Sadly, I'm not keeping it, but I'm going to model it for you anyway:

You absolutely have to have a good handle on chart reading for this pattern--no written directions. Add to that one of those tricky traveling start-of-round markers, and this one is a bit of a challenge. The moving marker is explained fairly well for the main body of the hat, moving 1 stitch right or left, but for the top, it moves 2 stitches, and that wasn't as clear. Still, it was fairly quick to puzzle out. And I love how the cables intersect and entangle at the crown.

The Rios is not as soft as Malabrigo Worsted, of course, but is a bit sturdier, giving you better stitch definition. The very subtle color variation in this colorway is perfect for this hat, too.

As usual, I'm very happy with this project, and sad to be giving it away. But here's something that cheers me up--a little sneak peak of my new design!

Dyeing to Knit

2011-09-13T10:14:00.001-04:00

Thus far in my knitting "career," I've carefully avoided going beyond knitting. There are so many add-on crafts--dyeing, spinning, raising sheep--and it wasn't really that I thought I wouldn't enjoy them (especially raising sheep), but rather that knitting takes up quite enough of my time and eats more than enough of my paycheck. So I abstained.

It seems though, that my resolve is showing some cracks. A few months back, I received a "learn to dye" swap kit. I tucked it away with my crafts supplies, and then moved apartments and misplaced it for a few decades. I rediscovered it earlier this month, and decided I shouldn't let it go to waste.

I wasn't going to start Dyeing Yarn, really, I just needed to use up those gifts! That's all! It's not a new hobby!

And so began the great Dyeing Experiment.

I started with this bare silk/merino blend:

And this bulky KnitPicks wool in a light shade of gray:

My kit had a variety of dyes, but didn't want to try anything too complicated, so I opted for the Kool Aid as the dye least likely to stain parts of my kitchen and person permanently.

I had forgotten how stinky Kool Aid is.

Now, most people starting a new ~~hobby~~ ~~pasttime~~ adventure in dyeing might do some research on color theory, take some time to ponder how the colors will mix, and what effect the fiber content of the yarn might have on the outcome.

They might try to remember something learned in their (rather expensive) high school art classes about primary and secondary colors so they don't wind up with brown sludge-looking mixtures.

I just sort of winged it.

For the bare merino, I mixed black cherry and pineapple, hoping for an reddish orange.

And for the other, I stirred up some grape, pineapple and lemonade--I don't really know what I was going for . . . a warm purple? I got something with a greenish tinge:

Eh.

But I soldiered on.

And given the completely uninformed manner in which I went about this whole project, I don't think things turned out too badly:

Other than not really giving any consideration to how to mix colors, my primary mistake was tying the skeins too tightly--the red yarn has white bands all around it where the dye didn't reach the yarn. Oops.

I don't think this will become a regular hobby, but it's definitely something I'm going to keep in mind when I find yarn in hiding in my stash that could use a fresh look.

And you know what else I have hiding my craft bin?

A drop spindle.

Gallery III and PRIZE WINNERS!

2011-09-07T10:09:00.000-04:00

Here are the last stoma covers received in the drive, courtesy of Carrie, Pauline and Betty!

Big, huge, enormous and unending thanks to everyone who sent a cover, I'm amazed by your generosity, and mom is so thrilled with her cover wardrobe--especially now that the weather is cooling off and she'll be able to wear them! (Even cotton is uncomfortable during a hot, humid Baltimore summer)

And now, prizes!

Wheeee!

Wooohoooo!

I have 4 of them to give away, so let's get started.

Betty was kind enough to donate a prize, this gorgeous skein of Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool, 250yds worsted weight , in the Blue Spruce colorway:

And this is going to LINDA!

Leann at Forbidden Woolery also donated a prize, a skein of her aptly named Gluttony sportweight yarn, in the Forever in Blue Jeans colorway:

(Leann actually sent me 2 skeins of this yarn, 1 for me to use in a project, and one to give away; it was really hard to choose which to keep!)

This gorgeous skein is going to none other than BETTY!

Deirdre from the Confessions of a Clumsy Knitter blog donated a prize as well, a kit from A Verb for Keeping Warm. This kit includes the High Road pattern, and a beautiful skein of yarn to complete it.

The lucky winner of this kit is CARRIE!

And finally.

The moment you've all been waiting for.

The Wollmeise.

Cue chorus of angels

This skein comes with a sock pattern of the winner's choosing (provided I can gift it to you through Ravelry!).

And that winner is . . . .

.
.
.
.
.
PAULINE!

And that's it! Thanks again to everyone who participated, donated prizes and generally thought good thoughts for my mom. Winners, please contact me through Ravelry (mediaperuana) or send me an email at kristen.jancuk at gmail so I can get your addresses and send out your prizes.

Now we'll be back to our regularly scheduled blogging--I dyed yarn this weekend, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Shortage

2011-09-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Last night I visited the ~~butcher shop~~ hair salon, and a super hipster named Kody ~~hacked off~~ trimmed a smidge too much hair. About 3 inches shorter than I requested. Or thought I requested.

My hair was nearly at my waist. And now it's . . . not:

Kody was adorable and reminded me quite a bit of my dear friend Gerard, so it's hard to be mad at him--my hair doesn't look bad. There's just not enough of it.

(Washed out iPhone photo made extra hispter-y with Instagram)

On the plus side, my head feels a lot lighter. I bet I lost 2 pounds of hair. Maybe it'll even stop getting caught in my knitting. Must look at the bright side.

And what could be brighter than a sweet shawlette in a vibrant green? Um . . . well, probably lots of stuff, but we're going to focus on the shawlette.

Pattern: Batik, by Kitman Figueroa, size small
Yarn: Forbidden Woolery Twinkle fingering weight (65% merino, 35% bamboo) in Emerald City
Needles: Knit Picks something or other. Whatever size the pattern calls for.
Rav link

Have you guys checked out Leann's shop, Forbidden Woolery? It's full of gorgeous yarn (and roving, if you're into that kind of thing) inspired by legends, stories, and fairy tales. In fact, this yarn is so awesome, Leann's going to be showing off her wares at several shows this fall!

I think Leann was the first knitter I "met" on the Internets--she found my blog when I just started, and still couldn't believe anyone would want to read endless rambling about yarn. So a few months ago when she put out a call for some sample knits to take on tour with her, I jumped right up and said, "Uh, I could probably knit . . . something?" Eventually I managed to cough out the more fully-formed shawl idea, and we decided on the Twinkle yarn, a merino/bamboo mix with drape and sheen perfect for a shawl.

I really enjoyed knitting Kitman Figueroa's Damask shawl, so I decided I would try another of her patterns this time. Everything is perfectly charted, and she includes written instructions as well, so whether you're a chart lover or hater, you'll be happy with her designs. I've never seen mixing of cables and lace in a shawl before, this was a fun pattern to work up.

As always, judicious use of stitch markers is recommended.

This is the small, which is closer to "shawlette" than shawl sized, but still large enough to drape around your shoulders (although maybe your photographer will actually tell you the shawl is bunched up at the back of the neck, and offer to fix it for you. Hmph.)

And the yarn was, of course, a dream to work with--no splitting, no itching. And I want to add, when I went to wind the skein, it did not turn into a snarled spiderweb of riotous wool. I don't know why some yarn purveyors think it's funny to wrap up their skeins in such a way that the strands instantly tangle when you bring them in the vicinity of your swift, but it happens far too often for my taste and drives me into a murderous rage.

(Or, almost-murderous; no one's died. Yet.)

Batik has now made its way to Leann, so mission accomplished, I'm on to another project. Or three.

(Actually, I have 5 projects currently on the needles. At least.)

You give me fever

2011-08-31T15:24:00.000-04:00

To say it's been busy here is a bit of an understatement. You might've heard about the surprise earthquake. And perhaps the visit from our good friend Irene. I'm hoping we can make it through the week without any other unexpected guests.

(And I just want to clear up a misconception--there's been a lot of Internet mockery of East Coast-ers for panicking about what was ultimately a mild earthquake. So I'd just like you to keep a couple of things in mind:
1. I'd say 95% of the people who experienced last week's earthquake had never experienced an earthquake before in their entire lives--so it wasn't "Oh praise Jesus, an earthquake!!"; it was "Oh, dear God, WHAT IS THAT?"
2. If you've never experienced an earthquake before, live in an area that rarely experiences earthquakes, and that area happens to be Washington, D.C., when the building starts rattling and the lights start swinging, you don't think earthquake. You think terrorism. Bombs. Buildings collapsing. That's enough to panic anyone.
3. Our infrastructure wasn't designed to withstand earthquakes; even a relatively mild tremor could've caused significant damage, though, thankfully, it appears that wasn't the case.
4. Imagine how Los Angeles would react if it found itself unexpectedly buried under 3 feet of snow.)

In the wake of those disasters, I seem to have come down with some kind of fever.

It's . . .

Hexapuff Fever!

It's taken the knitting-verse by storm, and I'm afraid I've caught it.

In case you're living snugly under a rock and are unaware, Hexapuffs are the tiny hexagons of knitty goodness that comprise the Beekeeper's Quilt. This thing is bound to take me years to complete, but the individual puffs are portable and can be made with scrap yarn, so it's an easy project to add to over time.

The hexagons could not be easier to knit, but I keep doing the most absurd things to mess them up. Once I managed to do the 3-needle bind off without binding off--I just the stitches together and then stared blankly at my needles wondering why I still had live stitches.

Another time I knit the puff and bound off without stuffing it.

What can I say, over-complicating easy knitting is my thing. Apparently.

STOMA COVER DRIVE UPDATE:

Today is the last day of the stoma cover drive--I'll share the last batch of covers and announce prize winners later this week!

Mom has been thrilled to receive these covers--she's still quite unhappy with her appearance after the surgery (she's very swollen and also, you know, has a hole in her neck), so she wouldn't permit me to take any pictures of her parading around in her new neck wardrobe, but rest assured, she's overjoyed with your gifts!

Stoma Covers: Gallery II

2011-08-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

I have some more great stoma covers to show you guys, from Lynn, Pauline and Carrie!

You are all amazing, my mom's stoma cover wardrobe is just gorgeous!

I've also got a photo of the scarflet I knit up for my mom that I mentioned in a previous post (If you have strong powers of observation, you'll note that I took the photos of the last cover and this one IN the car, on the way to deliver them to my mom. Because I, um, don't plan ahead.):

Don't forget, I've extended the deadline for this contest to AUGUST 31, so you still have about 10 days to knit something up and get it in the mail. And I've got some good news: we have another prize! The lovely Betty has offered to donate a skein of Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool to the prize mix, so we're up to 4 prizes.
Also, several crafters have pointed out an important omission on my part--I forgot to mention that my mom's name is Mary--and a card addressed to "Kristen's mom" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. So, there you go.

(My dad's name is Joseph. But no, no baby brothers named Jesus.)

Finally, you might notice that I finally got my act together to create a little badge for this project, over there on the right-hand sidebar. Feel free to use on your blog or wherever--the original file can be found here on flickr.

A Rant

2011-08-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

I'm just popping onto my willing little Internet soapbox for a minute here to cybernetically take a Miss Peg Aloi to task. I'm unhappy with this opinion piece, and I'm sure, once you read it, you will be too.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

Ok, ready?

It's not so much that I take issue with her categorizing knitting as weak, and not "badass" enough (although, I do--who made her the "badass" police? I bet she wouldn't feel that way if I stabbed her with a knitting needle.).

What's really aggravating me here is that she's missing the entire point of feminism. It's sailed right over her head.

Feminism isn't about women behaving like men. It never was. It's about women having the same right as men to choose how they behave.

It's about women knitting because they want to, and not because they have to. Ditto for baking cupcakes and growing heirloom tomatoes and homeschooling their kids. And having jobs, playing with guns, riding motorcycles and burning their bras.

It's about the ability to create your own life and not have it thrust upon you.

And here's Peg Aloi, unleashing her rallying cry for a reinvigoration of feminism by . . . yelling at us for making the "wrong" choice?

Gee, that sounds familiar.

FO Friday (note: not a weekly, biweekly or even monthly feature)

2011-08-12T16:13:00.001-04:00

Something very exciting happened to me recently, and I simply must share with you guys.

Jordana Paige commented on my knitting.

Jordana Paige! My knitting!

Let me backtrack a bit to share my theory of knitwear designers. I figure, there are 2 kinds: beginners like me who release a pattern and then spend the next week and a half checking Ravelry every day to see how many hearts it has; and veterans who are old pros at designing, and far too busy creating new designs and generally being awesome to obsess over their patterns on Ravelry as if they're babies in some kind of Parents Magazine photo contest. That's the category I think Jordana fits into. Hundreds of people have knit her patterns, how could she find time to look at all that?

But, she must make time, because she commented on my recently finished Delysia Camisole!

Pattern: Jordana's Paige's Delysia Camisole, from Brave New Knits
Yarn: Brooks Farm Solo Silk, approx 700 yards
Sz: 34"
Rav link

Knitting-wise, this is an easy pattern--start at the top with the lace border, then knit miles and miles of stockinette with eyelets every 4th row, then 4 inches of ribbing (I only did 3), and that's the whole body. It was almost too easy (if a little tedious--I couldn't just knit stockinette mindlessly because of the eyelets, I had to pay enough attention to space them correctly, which made things move a little more slowly; also, the yarn is sport weight. Sixteen inches of almost plain stockinette in sport weight . . . )

The straps are knit in looooong strips, and attached to the body by weaving a ribbon through the eyelets.

The ribbon was, by far, the hardest part.

Made more difficult by the fact that I knew in my heart of hearts I should've done 18 repeats for each strap and, instead, only did 17. And even worse, I didn't block them to the correct length before attaching them.

I don't know why I insist on making my life so unnecessarily taxing.

There was, well, a bit of cursing, a lot of de-ribboning, and some freaking out when, yes, I found the cat sleeping on my camisole while it was blocking.

(I have a photo somewhere.)

But, at the end of the day, it all worked out. The bind off is a leeeeeetle tight, but not worth ripping out and redoing.

I've picked out an upcoming special occasion to wear this one--wool camisoles are tricky to time. Far too hot in the summer, and you'd freeze in the winter, so fall should be the peak time for this one.

(p.s. Jordana said it was "pretty!")

Stuff my cat is on

2011-08-08T15:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I think about starting a blog in the spirit of Stuff on My Cat, only it would be Stuff My Cat is On. And that "stuff" would be my knitting:

(Yes, she's using a ball of yarn as a pillow!)

I know--I just KNOW--if I actually knit something specifically for her to lay on, she'd ignore it completely.

(And before anyone asks, the craft room / office / second bedroom happens to be where one of two litterpans is kept, which is why I cannot shut her out--well, I could, but the resulting mess just wouldn't be worth it.)
Now that you've had a good chuckle at my expense, I have good news to share--mom is home from the hospital! She has lots of recovering left to do, but at least she can do it in her own bed.

And she still needs those covers, so keep crafting--in fact, I've decided to extend the deadline for the contest to August 31. So, if you were toying with the idea of making a cover, but didn't think you'd get it in before the deadline, you've now got two extra weeks! I whipped up an Anthro-inspired Scarflet in exactly one day (I even went down to DK weight yarn), so if you want an entry into this contest, rest assured it really won't take much crafting time to earn one!

When will I ever use this in real life?

2011-08-05T12:16:00.000-04:00

Remember asking that about math? Not adding and subtracting, obviously, but equations. Percentages. Geometry. Graphing. Once they started adding letters (and requiring calculators that cost more than a car), I was toast. Not really, I guess, I made it all the way through pre-Calc with reasonable grades, but math was never easy again, and I dropped it as soon as I could.

(Actually, I liked Geometry, the logic of angles and shapes spoke to me. I remember a very specific class where the teacher put a so-called diagram up on the overhead, but it resembled nothing so much as a blob of ink, causing us all to giggle as she tried to teach us while repeatedly referencing said meaningless blob, ultimately leading her to pitch a huge fit. I want to feel bad for her now, but we were a rather well-behaved group of advanced math students in a stuffy all-girls Catholic school, so a few giggles about blobs on the overhead are barely a blip on the radar given all of the atrocious behavior she could've been experiencing as a teacher.)

(Do they still have overhead projectors?)

It turns out, though, that you need math as a knitter. At least, if you're concerned about your clothes actually fitting. No quadratic equations or anything, but a few basics. If your gauge is x stitches per inch, and you want your garment to be Y inches wide, you'll need to cast on X x Y stitches. Decreasing, ie, subtracting evenly across a row of stitches. Counting. I was ok with all of that. The idea of doing math was scary, but in practice, it was doable.

But now, trying to design, I'm finding the need for even MORE math.

I don't like it.

Math for making different sizes. Math for adding cables. Math for switching stitch patterns. Math. Math. Math.

My head is spinning a little bit, as I try to design a pair of socks. This could take a while.

In the meantime, I've finished two pair of socks someone else spent hours fretting over designing.

Pattern: Boyfriend socks, sz medium
Yarn: Malabrigo sock in Cordovan
Rav link

You may recognize these because I started knitting them last July. Oops. I guess I got distracted.

Oh well, better late than never, right?

Easy, straightforward pattern, short row heel, cabled without a cable needle as usual. I made the cuffs extra long as that's what El Peruano prefers, and ta da:

Sadly, I did not love the Malabrigo sock. Too thin for my taste, I feel like these will wear out quickly. (El Peruano has been instructed to never, EVER put these in the laundry; let's see how long it takes him to forget.

This yarn is more my style:

Pattern: Diamonds and Cables socks, from Wendy Johnson's Toe-up Socks for Everybody
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Lubber Grasshopper
Rav link

The trickiest part of this sock was a difficult cable in the middle--slip 2 stitches to the cable needle, hold in back; knit 1 stitch through the back loop from the left-hand needle; slip left-most stitch from cable needle back to the left hand needle, purl; k last stitch on cable needle through the back loop.

Since I refuse to use a cable needle unless absolutely necessary, trying to use one for this cross really slowed me down at first (mostly the bit about not dropping anything while slipping those stitches around). Once I reached a suitable level of totally-fed-up, I decided to put all my brain power into figuring out how to do it without the cable needle, and I'm happy to say, I succeeded: follow the standard technique for cabling sans needle, then, after slipping both stitches back to the left needle, purl into the second stitch, then knit into the back of the first stitch, drop both from needle.

I know, not rocket science, but I'm still proud. I figured something out without Google-ing.

These socks were the last completed for a personal challenge I established in May to knit 8 socks by the end of July (3 complete pair and 2 singles). And I'm happy to say, I did it! Eight socks in 3 months!

Now I've got 4 new pair of socks snuggled up in my knitwear drawer, waiting for me to wear them once the weather turns cool.

Today's high: only 88!

Gallery 1: Stoma covers!

2011-08-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to natter on today, I'm just going to post the photos of the amazing stoma covers I've received from ClumsyKnitter, Tia and Linda, and let them speak for themselves:

Impressive, huh? A million thanks to these knitters for these gorgeous covers, and a reminder to all that we still have a little over 2 weeks in this drive, so get those stoma covers to me, and earn your chance to win a prize--maybe WOLLMEISE!

Be still my heart

2011-07-27T14:56:00.000-04:00

I am in love.

With a yarn.

I adore yarn in the general sense of course, but a very specific yarn has stolen my heart.

Ok, I won't keep you in suspense. Here it is.

The Fibre Company, Road to China Light.

It's light as air, like knitting with wisps of cotton candy, only probably less sticky. And the colors . . . muted jewel tones and neutrals, I can't find a single one I think would be unflattering.

The content is 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel + 10% cashmere. With that amount of softness, you can imagine it's not cheap. You can see in the photo I paid $16.75/skein--not exactly a price at which I could afford to knit a RtCL sweater.

I can stomach that price for a hat or cowl, though, and that's exactly what I did:

Pattern: Cloudy Day, by Alana Dakos
Yarn: Road to China Light in Blue Tourmaline, 1.3 skeins.
Rav link

This hat is so soft, I could sleep on it. I could swaddle a newborn in it. Polish silver. Or clean my glasses. The drape is gorgeous. Fall cannot come soon enough to wear this hat. I'm seriously considering plodding around the house in it on the weekends.

(I should really start dressing better for my knitwear photo shoots)

The pattern is flawless, as Alana's patterns always are. Clear, with charts, gorgeous photography. I'm not usually a bobble fan, but this hat was calling out to me, so I decided to go for it. Honestly, I don't love the way my bobbles turned out. Some are better than others, but none have the pop that Alana's seem to. In fact, many of them seemed determined to protrude on the inside of the hat, rather than the outside, but I'm not too fussed about it, the hat is still a little fall-ish luxury.

Too bad Washington, D.C. hasn't seen a daytime high lower than 90 in the last month.

In other non-hat news, mom's surgery was yesterday, and she made it through. She'll be in intensive care for a few days, and then hopefully moved into a regular room for the remainder of her hospital stay--which could last anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks, depending on how quickly she heals. The voice prosthesis has already been inserted, so once she heals, she can start to learn to use it. Until then, no talking (which is really going to make calling to check on her difficult), and no eating, though she has a port so they can pump in her nutrition.

When I visited her room yesterday just after surgery, she frankly looked a bit like Frankenstein's monster. There are staples all around her neck that almost appear to be holding her head on, which is a bit disconcerting. Her jaw area is also swollen, making her head look more square than round. No bolts, though.

It's quite odd to watch her breathing. She has an oxygen mask, which is of course perched over the hole in her neck, rather than over her mouth (which really threw my dad for a loop at first--we all knew she would be a so-called neck-breather after surgery, but somehow, it's not quite clicking), and it fogs up as each breath exits her neck. It will certainly take some getting used to.

I haven't told mom about the great Stoma Cover Project yet, but my dad and sister both love the idea, so keep those covers coming! You can read the details here, and I'll be photographing the covers I've already received tonight to share with you all later this week!

Summa- summa- summatime

2011-07-24T08:47:00.000-04:00

Fear not, I've returned. I took a much-needed vacation last week, and now I'm home and trying to get back into the swing of things. I have knitting to share, I may have bought yarn (oops), and the stoma covers have started rolling in--and I'll be attempting to show off each and every one. But first, laundry.

In the meantime, check out this adorable picture of my best friend's daughter, Ella (dressed as a strawberry!), and my boy--apparently he could be trusted to take her down to the water:

Best foot forward

2011-07-13T12:15:00.000-04:00

We're going to try something a little different today. We're not going to talk about cancer. I know, it's crazy. But since this is supposed to be a knitting blog, I thought I'd try talking about knitting!

What kind of insanity will I come up with next?

I have been knitting up a storm lately--baseball on TV gives me a solid few hours of knitting time most nights, especially since the team's performance is so atrocious, I don't actually want to look at the TV. This month, I managed to finish up 2 pairs of socks.

The first, I actually started LAST July, on my trip to the beach. So they've been a year in the making.

Pattern: Cachoeira, by Kristi Geraci, Knitty, Spring 2009
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Cedar
Rav link

I love that these socks are extra long--or, at least, longer than I usually make my socks, because I get bored. I couldn't easily memorize the pattern, though, so I suspect that contributed to the inexcusable length of time it took me to finish them.

The Tosh Sock is not the absolute softest sock yarn I've ever used, but it's plenty comfy, and sturdy. And you really just can't beat her colors (well, Sanguine Gryphon's colorways are pretty fantastic too--tough call).

Pair #2 involves something totally new to me: colorwork in socks.

(Well, that's not entirely true. A long, long, long time ago, I started a pair of Windowpane Socks. I think I made it through 2/3 of the leg and then screwed something up and couldn't . . . un-screw it up? So the sock is hiding in a bag somewhere, hoping I never find it and ruin it further.)

Pattern: Sockstravaganza, by Kirsten Kapur, in Brave New Knits
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Autumn Tiger Beetle, and Sundara sock yarn in Cactus Flower
Rav link

I posted earlier that I recently decided it would be a brilliant idea to knit my way through Brave New Knits, and since I'm still thinking it's a pretty good idea, this is one of the patterns I decided to start with. I always do Kirsten's Socktober Mystery Sock-a-longs (I don't do them in a timely fashion, but I do them), and love the final results, so I'm not surprised that these socks are one of my favorite patterns in the book.

The colorwork section went by surprisingly quickly on these, and from then on, smooth sailing for the cables. And I especially love the stripey toe. The Sundara sock yarn has less yardage than, for example, Bugga! or Tosh Sock, so I thought it would be a good choice for the main color in this pair, and sock leftovers are perfect for the contrast color.

The only problem with these is that it's hard to take a right-side-up picture of your own feet, so you guys are seeing the colorwork hearts upside down. Trust me, they're equally cute right side up.

Now, all I need is some cool weather so I can actually wear my new socks . . . although, to be honest, I also love going into my handknits drawer and seeing all my socks folded up sweetly and waiting to be worn.

And can you believe I actually have one more FO to show you? Told you it's been a busy month. Next time!

The Long and Winding Road

2011-07-11T12:39:00.001-04:00

(Just to keep the Beatles theme going. I'm a huge Beatles fan. In high school, my cousins and I became obsessed with them, conveniently right around the time the Anthology was released. I still collect Beatles LPs. I got some awesome obsure Spanish-language ones in Mexico City. I saw Paul McCartney in concert last year, and it was easily the best day in the history of mankind. This is all kind of irrelevant, but I wanted to post some light-hearted information before we start talking about cancer again.)

This is going to be a quick post, just to thank you all so far for your generous response to my previous post. I knew I could count on knitters and crocheters to help put together a great new neckwear wardrobe for my mom.

I've had a few questions about designs, colors, etc. Perhaps this website will help to inspire you, this person sells many different styles of stoma covers and assorted neckwear, many of them crocheted.

The stoma will be located at the base of the neck, near that depression where your collar bones meet, so the key is to make something long enough to cover that spot. (Anyone who's curious to find out more about laryngectomies should check out www.webwhispers.org, an online community of laryngectomees, with lots of helpful information.)

This is beautiful, isn't it? I think it would work, hits in just the right location.

Maybe something like this.

This is pretty adorable too.

And of course, there are plenty of gorgeous free cowl and scarflette patterns on Ravelry. (:Cough: Someone I know may have done one. :Cough:)

And as for what not to make, well, I really don't think mom would like this very much (cute as it may be for a baby).

As far as colors, I think it would be great to have a variety, to match various outfits, so please use whatever yarn you have on hand! (Except probably fun fur--I'm sure errant fibers would find their way into her lungs, which is a no-no.)

I also have some exciting news--two awesome bloggy friends of mine have offered additional prizes for this giveaway! Deirdre, over at Confessions of a Clumsy Knitter, has a kit from A Verb for Keeping Warm for a lucky winner, and Leann, who dyes up gorgeous yarn for her Etsy shop, Forbidden Woolery, is offering up a skein of yarn for a prize winner as well. So, boom, your odds of winning just increased!

Thanks again everyone, and keep spreading the word!

Help! I need somebody!

2011-07-07T11:53:00.001-04:00

It's a crazy, crazy life I'm leading these days, most of which I don't share on the blog, just because I view it as a bit of an escape to write about knitting and yarn and nothing too serious or mentally taxing. (Although, yarn is serious business. But you know what I mean.)

But I'm making an exception today because I want to ask for your help.

My family recently received both good and bad news. The bad news was that my mom's throat cancer has returned. The good news is that it hasn't spread to her lungs (some spots found there were leftover from her bout with pneumonia earlier this year), so we're still just dealing with cancer in the throat now.

As she has already undergone a round of radiation and chemotherapy, her best hope for treatment now is surgery, specifically a laryngectomy, removal of the larynx. Most of us would refer to our larynx as the voicebox, so as you can imagine, once they take that out, no more voice--after healing, laryngectomees have to re-learn how to talk through other means. This procedure also means rerouting the trachea, so my mom will no longer breath through her mouth and nose, but instead, out of a hole in her throat.

(Yes, a hole in her throat. If this isn't an excellent PSA for not smoking, I don't know what is. Seriously, quit it right now.)

This gaping hole in the throat can be, well, a little horrific to look at. It also poses a risk because debris can get in there much more easily than it can you nose or mouth--unless you're one of those people who never shuts their mouth, which kinda describes my mom, but is really a different issue.

So mom needs stoma covers. This is where you guys come in.

I'm asking you to make stoma covers and send them to me. Knit, crochet or sewn. Cowls. Scarves. Bibs. Ascots. Basically anything that can be worn around the lower part of the neck to cover the stoma. (You'll find a few pattern ideas at the bottom of the page here, but hey, this is a great time to be creative!) Cotton is recommended because it breathes, but a soft wool knit at a looser gauge should work too. And I'm sure mom would appreciate a little flair--nothing too industrial looking.

I know we're all busy with our many (many, many) projects--I hate to ask you to take a break from your regularly-scheduled crafting to make odd neckwear items for a stranger you've never met. But your efforts will certainly be most appreciated (especially by me, as I'll go insane if I try to make my mom 20 stoma covers all by my lonesome). And to express my thanks, I'm going to offer you a little treat. Everyone who sends me a stoma cover will be entered into a drawing to win this:

That's a skein of Wollmeise Sockenwolle 80/20 Twin in Neptun. That's how much this means to me, I'm going to voluntarily give away Wollmeise. And I'll include a sock pattern of your choosing (from those available for purchase online) to go along with it.

ETA: Exciting news--two awesome bloggy friends of mine have offered additional prizes for this giveaway! Deirdre, over at Confessions of a Clumsy Knitter, has a kit from A Verb for Keeping Warm for a lucky winner, and Leann, who dyes up gorgeous yarn for her Etsy shop, Forbidden Woolery, is offering up a skein of yarn for a prize winner as well. So, boom, your odds of winning just increased!

I'll leave it open until, hmmm, August 17, that's my mom's birthday (of course, anyone who wants to send covers after that date certainly can, but I can't let the giveaway go on indefinitely, because that would defeat the purpose). If you want to send a cover, email me at kristen dot jancuk at gmail.com and I'll send my mailing address. (Get well cards and notes for mom are also encouraged, but not mandatory.)

Thanks in advance for your support, and please, share this with all the crafters you know!

Shelter from the Storm

2011-07-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

I just discovered an enormous roach in the ladies' room here at the office--and I'm from Baltimore, I've seen roaches the size of small mice before, so when I say enormous, I mean it. It was lurking silently on the back of a toilet, just waiting to attack. I sure hope I don't have to use the restroom for the rest of the afternoon--he could easily sneak to another toilet. Perhaps I'll be trudging down to the 7th floor to use their presumably-roach-free bathroom.

As you might expect, I did not intend to post about roaches on my blog today, but I'm just so grossed out, I had to share. You're welcome!

So let's move on to what I really came here to tell you about, which is knitting. And yarn.

Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket, by Debbie Bliss
Size: 6-9 months
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Almanac, just under 2 skeins
Rav link

There are many babies in my life these days--4 friends have babies, and 3 are currently pregnant--but this actually wasn't knit for any of those babies or soon-to-be babies specifically. I was looking for a small project to use up the 3 skeins of Shelter I bought, and thought this would fit the bill nicely (although in the end, it actually only used 2 skeins, so I have a random skein leftover and now need to find yet another project calling for 140 yds of worsted weight). Since people are always having babies--and I might try it eventually myself--there's always plenty of use for a small sweater.

The pattern is very straight forward, and there is minimal seaming. The only modification I made was to add button loops, because I loved the look of lauraleeknitter's sweater. I used some buttons I purchased a couple years ago, 2 of which had already made their way onto my Every Way Wrap. With all said and done, the sweater looks a little manly with the tweedy, rustic yarn, but I think it would work for a girl as well.

(Don't you love my coffee table? It's the Hunter Trunk from Crate and Barrel and I want to marry it. I dream of filling it with cozy, handknit blankets for the winter.)

What I really want to tell you guys about is the yarn. Brooklyn Tweed / Jared Flood debuted this yarn somewhat recently, and it's exactly what you'd expect from him, after looking at his projects. Worsted weight, rustic, 100% wool, a little scruffy, very home-y. It was a little rough to knit with, but softened up a bit after washing (still, I probably wouldn't wear it around my neck--too scratchy for my taste). The stitches came out fairly even, but it still has that slightly homespun look, which doesn't work for everything, but I think plays out well in this project.

Being 100% wool, I thought this would spit-splice well, but for some reason, I could not get it to felt. I don't know what I was doing wrong, as plenty of Ravelry users have waxed poetic about the ease with which it felts, so I'll assume user error on my part. Maybe I wasn't spitty enough.

My only complaint is breakage. Even with this small project done in one piece, several seams had to be sewn, and the yarn broke numerous times, which was very frustrating (particularly because of my aforementioned inability to spit-splice the yarn). Seaming does generally involve a little tugging and pulling, particularly with a rougher yarn, and this just wasn't up to it. For that reason, I would hesitate to recommend this yarn for any project done in pieces, or with multiple seams--seaming is generally unpleasant enough without adding yarn breakage into the equation. But I bet it would be lovely for a warm, cozy blanket, if you can swing the price ($12/skein).

Incredibly, in addition to this sweater I finished 2 other projects during the last week of June, so I'll probably be a real chatterbox this week. Stay tuned!

Go with the flow

2011-06-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

(Type too small to read? Click for the full size on Flickr)

Gimme Shelter

2011-06-23T09:49:00.000-04:00

I would opine that at least half the fun of knitting--maybe more--is buying the yarn. I frequently buy online because of the convenience factor, but can't pass up the occasional trip to my LYS, where I wander dreamily through the aisles, petting skeins of yarn and hugging them lovingly to my chest, as if someone is going to walk up and forcibly take them away from me. Which I guess might happen if tried to exit the store without paying, but as I would never go yarn shopping unarmed--ie., without a credit card--that seems unlikely.

There's just so much potential in those many, many skeins--what will they become? And will they fight me in my efforts to shape their destiny?

Since I moved earlier this year, my LYS just happens to be the fantastically awesome Fibre Space. And it is beautiful. Their yarn selection is outstanding, the employees are friendly and the store is bright and airy. I could move in.

They probably wouldn't like that, though.

And I don't know if there's a kitchen. You can't really eat yarn.

Anyway, I visited the store a few weeks ago and picked a few stash additions. Just a few. Including this:

And this (squeee):

Maybe this:

And finally, this:

This last one is something I didn't know existed. In fact, I didn't know you could buy Pigeonroof Studios anywhere other than Etsy. I'm really out of the loop. But you can. And this is a gorgeous skein of Cassiopeia DK weight (I knew nothing of PRS other than fingering). It's going to become a pair of gloves. That I design!

Well, the best laid plans and all that . . .

Word to the wise

2011-06-16T14:42:00.000-04:00

I'm back, with four fewer teeth, but hopefully still retaining some wisdom. If I had any to begin with.

I want to start by marveling a bit at sedation dentistry. It works so well, it's a little disconcerting. It requires such deep faith in a doctor you've probably met twice at most and know next to nothing about.

Doctor: "I'm going to put you to sleep, but I swear, I'll wake you back up. And in between, I'm going to yank some teeth out of your head, but I promise not to harm you in any other way, or steal the contents of your purse, even though, let's face it, how would you know?"

Patient: "Ok, doc, whatever you say. Please shoot me full of unknown drugs, I see no conceivable way this could end badly."

Scary, huh?

But, that's pretty much what happened. I hopped into the chair, they strapped my arms down (I guess sedated patients sometimes flail, try to punch the dentist, etc.), and in the IV went. I felt a little light-headed, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up again, IV gone and a mouth full of bloody gauze.

I'm sorry to say that as far as I know, I didn't do anything spectacularly funny--I didn't try to carry on a conversation with an inanimate object, engage in a game of charades with my own shadow, or sing show tunes into a dental apparatus masquerading as a microphone. Not that I enjoy embarrassing myself, but those kinds of stories are always fun to share after the fact. But alas, I'm not that interesting. The best I could do was nab a photo of myself, slightly puffed up and woozy, waiting for the pharmacist to dispense my drugs:

Pretty, huh?

(I don't wear my glasses often, what do you think? Try to imagine them without the chipmunk cheeks and dilated pupils.)

I've been laid up for a few days, though I'm not in severe pain. I took my vicodin the first day, but since then, regular pain killers have been keeping things in check. The main problem is that I'm exhausted, and the soft food diet isn't exactly fulfilling my nutritional or caloric needs. My inner child was really excited about eating ice cream for every meal, but Adult Kristen got over it real quickly. My diet for the last few days has consisted of primarily soup, mashed potatoes, eggs and V8 juice--and trying to eat them slowly, while keeping tiny bits and morsels out of my wounds makes dining decidedly miserable. So far I've managed to lose 4 pounds, despite barely moving all week, so I guess if you're looking for a quick diet plan, this might work for you. Hopefully by this weekend I can graduate to, you know, chewing.

I have been doing some knitting--not as much as I had hoped because knitting almost feels like exercise, but I've made some decent progress on a few different projects. Now, if I go hunting for the camera, I might be attacked by a spontaneous nap, so here's an iPhone grab of the knitting situation surrounding me:

There's a baby sweater, a camisole and a sock in there, plus a hat pattern I haven't actually cast on yet. I'd better get to work, because if I don't complete at least one project, the surprise oral surgery and ensuing "vacation" will have been wasted.

In too much pain to be creative

2011-06-13T17:37:00.000-04:00

June is a great month for events, don't you agree? Weddings. Graduations. Dental surgery.

Tomorrow I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. I can hardly wait. Hopefully this will mean a few days of extra knitting time, but mostly I'll be happy if I can just get a solid night's sleep.

(It's really amazing how quickly sleep deprivation can get to you--just one sleepless, painful night and I'm ready to confess to all manner of sins just to get some shut eye. I would not hold up well under torture.)

I'm totally freaking out about being sedated, so think some positive, wake-up-again thoughts for me!

(Blogiversary prize winners, bear with me; I've been slow about getting your prizes out because I couldn't find any packing materials--I like to reuse them--and now I'm going to be laid up a few days. I promise they'll be out by the end of the week!)

FO: Skew

2011-06-07T12:09:00.000-04:00

Rather than bore you guys to death with a story about the astounding incompetence of the people repairing our condo (don't worry, I'll bore you with that another day. A day when I'm less consumed with rage.), I'm going to jump right into a good old-fashioned FO post.

Pattern: Skew, Lana Holden, Knitty winter 2009
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select, in African Gray
Needles: Addi turbos, size 1.5 (maybe. Somewhere between 1 and 2, anyway)
Rav project page

I originally thought these were going to be an insane challenge, especially since I was determined to knit them in less than a month, but honestly, if you can increase and decrease, you can knit these socks. That's really all there is to it--the construction is genius, but you don't have to be Elizabeth Zimmerman to tackle these, there's nothing complicated about the stitches themselves. The key is, clear your mind of everything you know about sock knitting.

Well, actually, you should probably hang onto your preferred cast-on method for toe up socks. These are knit from the toe up, with increases and decreases placed so that the one side is much longer, causing the yarn colors to skew. The two sides are kitchenered at the heel and then the leg of the sock is again knit with mismatched increases, and finally evened out with short rows.

The only modification I made was to knit standard M1R and M1L increases, rather than knitting into the stitch 2 rows below, which always gives me trouble.

I love the colorway I used for these. I don't usually buy super-variegated yarns because I don't like the way the color changes obscure stitch patterns. But this skein just spoke to me, so I grabbed it and figured I'd find a use for it later. Finally, arbitrary yarn selection actually works out in my favor!
These almost make me wish for cool weather so I could start wearing them. But alas, tomorrow's forecast high is 97.

You say it's your Blogiversary!

2011-06-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

And another year of Learner’s Per-knit has gone by. It has now been an incredible 4 years since I started this blog, which is just astounding.

But before I start the wistful rambling about the year-that-was in knitting, let’s hand out some prizes, shall we?

I want to note that while in the past I have promoted my blog contests heavily in various groups on Ravelry, I didn’t do that this time. I wanted to make sure these prizes went to regular readers and internet friends, not random crafters cruising for freebies (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, that just wasn’t my target audience this time.)

So, the 3 winners chosen at random are nwheatley (Norah Gaughan pattern book), clumsyknitter (DIC Smooshy) and mindingmyownstitches (Knitting Notions laceweight skeins)! If your blogger profile contains some contact info, I’ll try to get in touch with you that way, or if you’re so overwhelmed with prize-winning joy that you must contact me immediately (or you know I’ll never be able to locate you through Google or Ravelry), you can email me at kristen dot jancuk @ gmail dot com.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, more rambling! Erm, what should I talk about?

Oh, I know! Knitting! Specifically, finishing my knitting! Since my last blogiversary, I’ve managed to complete what I think is a fairly impressive 34 projects. Of course, some of them were ultimately epic disasters (that means you, Mina’s Tuxedo Vest), but many of them I think on quite fondly (Damask Shawl, Vine Yoke Cardigan, Puff-sleeved Feminine Cardigan). I look forward to churning out many more before my next blogiversary. (I also look forward to swatches not lying to me. Devious little bastards.)

I also managed my first design, the Dungarees cowl, which I hope will lead me on to bigger and better things. (Gloves are currently stewing in my brain, just need to find the time to puzzle them out. I have the yarn. It’s lovely. Look for it in an upcoming blog post about fighting ninjas in a heroic battle for control over Our Nation’s Capital. Or about a Memorial Day Weekend shopping trip. One or the other, they’re so easy to confuse.)

No, I haven’t tried steeking yet, and fair isle is still pretty hit or miss. I don’t magic loop, and I can’t crochet more than a simple chain (and even that’s a generous interpretation of “chain”), but overall, I truly feel like I’m celebrating this blogiversary.

Yes we're going to a party, party
Yes we're going to a party, party
I would like you to dance
Take a ch-ch-ch-chance!
Unintelligible screaming
Thanks for celebrating with me!

That's a wrap

2011-06-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

Or maybe a scarf. I'm really not quite sure, but what I do know is that I finished Saroyan:

Pattern: Saroyan
Yarn: Valley Yarns Stockbridge in soft grape, 2.75 skeins
Needles: size 8
Mods: zip, zero, zilch

This isn't exactly a summer knit, although I guess you could make the argument that leaves = summer. Worsted weight wool/alpaca blend does not. But I zipped through it so quickly, the heaviness wasn't really an issue. This is an easy knit, mostly stockinette, with the leaf edging to keep things interesting.

It's wide enough at its widest point to be more of a shoulder wrap, but also perfectly usable as a scarf.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend modeling it outside in 80-degree weather, but I'm so dedicated, I'm always willing to suffer for my art:

Today's the last day to enter my blogiversary contest, so don't forget to visit this post over here and leave a comment!

A place for everything . . .

2011-05-27T11:03:00.001-04:00

I love how some people's blogs are so organized, particularly when they have regular features: WIP Wednesday, FO Friday, Temper Tantrum* Tuesday . . . I'd love to do this kind of thing with my blog, but I feel like all the "good" categories are taken, and I hate to be a copy cat. I'd have to come up with something really original: Mundane Mondays? Tangible Tuesdays? Waffling Wednesdays? What kind of feature would you like to see?

Hmm, maybe I should've made that the question to answer for my blogiversary contest. Hind sight is 20/20.

I finished up my Saroyan scarf last night, and pinned it out this morning, so photos of that one soon. Then I'm shipping it off to a lucky recipient in the latest swap I joined that I didn't really have the time or money for.

A commenter on my last post asked about what needles I use, so I think I'll wax poetic for a few minutes about knitting needles.

For the most part, I use KnitPicks, either fixed circulars or interchangeables. What I find particularly practical about the KnitPicks interchangeables is that you can use any of their three kinds of needle tips--nickel plated, acrylic or bamboo--with the cables. So you can buy one set of the interchangeables with the tips you prefer, and then collect additional tips as you go along with no compatibility issues. I primarily use the metal tips, but have also started collecting the bamboo ones, which I find useful for colorwork projects (you know, all TWO that I've completed).

I think the price tag on the KnitPicks needles is fair. They aren't perfect, but on the few occasions where I've had a cable break loose from the join, they've sent me a replacement at no cost, no questions asked, and shipped it quickly too.

That said, I have not tried the Addi Clicks interchangeables, or the new-ish Signature Needle Arts circulars, primarily because I bought my KnitPicks interchangeables about 4 years ago, before those were available. And also because the price tag makes me clutch at my pearls. My guess is there's probably a legitimate reason they're more expensive, and if you don't already have a large needle collection, you might want to invest in them, if you can stomach the price. For me, there's no reason to change at this point (although anyone who wants to send them to me for FREE is welcome to).

Erin over at the Anatomy of Knitting podcast recently did a review of the SNA needles, and it was quite glowing, so check out her latest episode to hear that.

For socks, though, I do use Addi Turbos. I don't think you can beat the tips, the cable is flexible, and they keep the stitches moving. If you knit your socks on 2 circular needles, Addis are the way to go.

(I recently bought a pair of size 2 KnitPicks bamboo fixed circulars to try out on a pair of fair isle socks I plan to do next month, so I'll let you guys know what I think.)

Now, I don't want to write an entire post without a picture, so here's my rotten cat Dory, sleeping on a hat I knit:

I bought her a bed. A lovely bed, with high sides, and a soft squishy pillow in the middle. She just turns her nose up at it. Knitwear is THE place to doze.

Don't forget to pop over to my recent post, And I Feel Fine, and enter my blogiversary contest. You have until Wednesday.

Hope everyone has a great long weekend!

*Did you know there is a rather tasty red wine called TempraTantrum? Each variety blends tempranillo with another grape, delicious. And I really enjoy puns and wordplay, so that's another fantastic reason to buy it. Speaking of, if you're ever in Ocean City, MD, there's a fantastic TexMex restaurant called Tequila Mockingbird. He he he.

WIPs at Work

2011-05-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

Here I am, getting in a little stealth knitting at the office.

(I gotta say, the iPhone takes pretty good photos)

This is a Saroyan shawlette/scarf, knit in Valley Yarns something or other . . . well, I'll be sure to have the exact name of the yarn when I do an FO post.

This is easy, mindless knitting, particularly the middle section, which is all one length. (Or width. However you prefer to refer to it.) The finished scarf is similar to Alana Dakos' Cedar Leaf Shawlette, but the construction is totally different--and I want to say easier, for beginning knitters. In fact, I think this would be a great "first chart" project--the majority is knit in stockinette or garter, you refer to the chart only for the leaves; each leaf is just one repeat per row and 14 rows.

I do a little knitting at my desk occasionally as the lunch hour winds down. I think I'm in the minority, but I really don't like the lunch hour. I'd much rather gulp down a sandwich at my desk and leave the office an hour earlier. (Strangely, my boss doesn't agree) Perhaps it's because I'm in D.C., and there's not really any place to go and eat a relaxing lunch--it's crowded outside, particularly during tourist season, and the traffic noise drowns out all but the loudest yappers. In the winter, you're pretty much stuck inside, unless you want to brave the cold to go buy an overpriced sandwich ($9 for hummus and avocado on white?? I don't care that you baked sunflower seeds into the crust, that's highway robbery. Darn kids! Get off my lawn!!)

Speaking of lunch, last week I was in a meeting around lunchtime when we all started smelling something burning. Sure enough, the fire alarm went off a few minutes later, and we all traipsed outside like good little soldiers so we wouldn't burn to death. Turns out someone put something wrapped in FOIL in the microwave. Didn't we all learn that microwave + metal = horrific disaster when we were about 8 years old? And then for good measure, this person also threw a paper towel in there, which promptly caught fire. And to add insult to injury, Lunchtime Lughead abandoned the scene of the crime, so we have no idea who should be ponying up the cash for a new microwave (Lunchtime Lughead apparently has no conscience, so s/he hasn't snuck in at night to deliver a shiny new microwave either).

I wasn't really going anywhere with that story, you know, just sharing.

Don't forget about my blog contest--leave a comment on this post if you haven't already, and maybe win a prize!

. . . And I Feel Fine

2011-05-22T08:55:00.000-04:00

Welcome, welcome to those who have not been raptured, and are stuck on earth with the rest of us sinners!

And if you know anyone who was raptured, don't forget to loot their stash. Let's be practical--we don't want that yarn to go to waste!

The good news about being damned to earth to struggle through the apocalypse is that you'll have the chance to enter my blogiversary contest! See, always a silver lining.

(Also, it's sunny and 70 degrees here right now--it's not looking too . . . apocalypty? apocalyptical? apocalyptious?)

This year I'm giving away three prizes to three lucky winners, as a thank you for reading my blog and sticking with me through the last year's knitting triumphs and disasters.

(I'd rather think about which one there were more of.)

Ready? Here we go.

The first is a copy of Norah Gaughan, Vol. 4, "Flower Child."

Twelve beautiful patterns in here, summery tops perfect for knitting this time of year.

Prize #2 is a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy, in the colorway Wisterious:

This may not be the best photo of this lovely pink and purple yarn, but plenty of yarn stores have this in stock, so check online for a good pic.

And prize #3 is two skeins of Knitting Notions Classic Merino Lace, one in Pumpkin Spice, and one in Dark Rose (388yds ea).

I'm giving these away together because, um, I don't know, it seemed like a good idea.

So, how can you win one of these lovely prizes? Leave a comment on this post, and tell me why you read knitting blogs. That's it! You have until Wednesday, June 1st, and I'll announce winners on my blogiversary.

Good luck!

One more super-spectacular, extra-magical, extra-fantastical year!

2011-05-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

If you know where I shameless stole my title from, extra points to you! And, um, you're kind of a dork.

So, guess what's coming up in just about 2 weeks? That's right, my blogiversary! Another year full of knitwear and yarn-y disasters has passed. Incredible. I'll wax poetic about that more later, but for now, I want to let you guys know that, of course, I'm going to have a blogiversary contest! So keep your web browsers pointed here, I'll do the official post in the next few days.

You know the deal: post a comment, you're entered to win, and I'll announce winners on my blogiversary, which is June 2. I'm sure I'll be giving away yarn and possibly a pattern or two, so stay tuned!

GOAL!

2011-05-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

When it comes to knitting, I love to set personal goals for myself. Remember earlier this year when I said I was going to knit 10 pair of socks, 2 sweaters, 2 tops and finishing the Deep V Argyle Vest? Clearly my personal goals are not always realistic, but I do like to set them. This is also called Being Naive, and sometimes, Setting Myself Up for Failure.

(I'm not even going to provide an update on the aforementioned objectives. Just . . . sigh.)

Given my tendency to establish lofty, unreachable goals, I could hardly ignore a new group on Ravelry that would give me the opportunity to toss a few more unrealistic aspirations into the mix.

Cover to Cover Quest is a group for knitters and crocheters who are going to attempt to complete all the patterns in a book (or magazine, Knitty issue, etc.). That's right, all the patterns. Which means I could've chosen a book with a reasonable number of projects, but that would be very unlike me. So instead, I've opted for Brave New Knits, which has 26 patterns, including several large jackets. (You can check out all the patterns on Ravelry here.)

The good news is, I've already completed one project (the Orchid Thief Shawlette), cast on for a second (Sockstravaganza) and purchased yarn for a third (Delysia Camisole). So I'm not starting from scratch here. There's also no timeline for this challenge--the group is intended to be a place where people can find support for their own personal challenge, not a competition.

So, come craft with us!

(I also may or may not have decided that in the midst of this project, and another project where I try to knit 4 pair of socks by the end of the July, I should also participate in Wendy's mystery shawlette KAL. Apparently the knitting part of my brain, and the portion in charge of the remainder of my day-to-day life do not communicate. For example, I'm pretty sure knitting brain is unaware that I am employed.)

The Mod Squad

2011-05-14T10:50:00.001-04:00

Perhaps, and if so, alas, I don't have much vision. Rarely do I look at a pattern and think, "Gosh, I'd love this sweater . . . if the neckline were lower, the stitch pattern were different, the sleeves were shorter, the waist were shaped differently, and it had a belt!" So I guess that means I don't have much imagination, or maybe I'm just lazy. But at any rate, the result is that I usually don't modify patterns too much. I will make small changes here or there--usually to avoid doing a technique I detest--and I will often employ other people's modifications, if I like the look, but for the most part, I knit things as written.

But last week I made an exception. Am I growing up? Am I ready for my knitter's license? Perhaps. I mean, I voluntarily added short rows to something. That's the kind of crazy that ultimately turns you into a Real Knitter, I think.

The pattern in question is the Ribbed Lace Bolero, from Kelly Maher. There are over 2,000 of these on Ravlery, so it's quite a popular little number. Here's how mine turned out:

I selected a completely different lace pattern, and added short rows to the collar (partly because I wanted more coverage at the back of the neck, and partly because I knew I was going to run short of yarn, so I wanted to best utilize what I had left, and not waste it on ribbing that would wind up under the arm where no one could see it).

Of course, given that this shrug is knit flat as a rectangle, these mods aren't too impressive--no mathematical acrobatics were required. Still, I consider it a Success in Modding (Although, given a time machine, I would go back and cast on fewer stitches, as the patterning I chose is quite stretchy, and the shrug is several inches wider than absolutely necessary.)

And in case you'd like a similar shrug, here are the finer details:

Pattern: Ribbed Lace Bolero
Yarn: Valley Yarns Goshen, 3 skeins, 275 yards
Needles: Size 8 (since the lace pattern I used is not as airy as the original, I did not move up to a size 10 for the lace section as indicated in the pattern)

CO 130 stitches, based on the formulas Kelly provides in her pattern. This would be, by my estimation, more or less a size Small, my shoulder span is approximately 18 inches (rough estimate based on me trying to wrap myself up in a tape measure and read it at the same time; having an assistant for this exercise wouldn't be a bad idea).

Worked 2 x 2 rib for about 1.5 inches, increasing 2 stitches at the edges on the last row, taking me up to 132 stitches.

Lace pattern: 10 repeats, each worked over 11 stitches, separated by 2 stitches in stockinette. Because the edge stitches of the lace pattern are in reverse stockinette, I wound up with a somewhat ribbed lace, which is why it's so stretchy, and ultimately could've been smaller.

King Charles Brocade (from Harmony Guides Lace and Eyelets)

1st row (RS): p2, k2tog, [k1, yo] twice, k1, sl 1, k1, psso, p2.
2nd and all wrong side rows: k2, p7, k2
3rd row: p2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, sl 1, k1, psso, p2
5th row: p2, k1, yo, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, p2
7th row: p2, k2, yo, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yo, k2, p2
8th row: as 2nd

I started each right side row with a k2 (slipping the first stitch of each row for a nicer edge, since there is no edge finishing), and worked a k2 in between each repeat of the lace pattern, ending with a k2.

Worked 7 repeats of the entire lace pattern.

Collar:

Since I didn't use Kelly's lace pattern, I didn't bother with the complicated cabled row she used to take the knitting back into ribbing, I just started it immediately after finishing the lace. I worked in 2 x 2 rib as described, ending with a k2, and decreasing a stitch at each edge on the first row back down to 130 stitches.

After the first row, I started the short rows: work to the last 5 stitches, wrap and turn, back to the last 5 stitches on the other side, wrap and turn. Keeping 4 stitches between each wrapped stitches, I worked this way until I had 5 wrapped stitches on each side, then resumed knitting all stitches until I ran out of yarn. This gave me about 1 inch of ribbing at each edge, up to about 3 inches at the center of the collar.

To finish up, I seamed the sides as directed in Kelly's pattern, but only for about 1.5 inches, because my shrug is shorter than hers--again, not intentionally, I just didn't have enough yarn, which seems to be my new thing.

I blocked it flat before seaming, and I think the yarn expanded a bit. I tried not to block the ribbing, but it still ended up looser than I would like on the bottom edge:

I suppose if I'd put a bit more effort, I could've worked the lace section so that it flowed more smoothly from the ribbing, with the stockinette in the lace matching the k2s in the ribbing, but, well I didn't.

So, it's not perfect (is anything I knit ever?), but I'm happy with the finished result, and plan to wear it frequently during the summer, over sundresses in horrifically over-aid conditioned restaurants.

Sheep and Wool 2011

2011-05-07T07:07:00.000-04:00

I'm off to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this morning! The good news: it's about 20 degrees cooler than last year. I'm armed with a large bag, a knitting project, pieniądze* and sunscreen. If you spot me, say hi! (I have way too much blond hair, and I'll be wearing my Trellis and Keyhole tank).

*That's Polish for money. This is one of about four Polish words I know. Interestingly, I don't know the curse words, just a random collection of words my Dad remembers from growing up, like knife and money. Next time, ask me what czarnina is.

Autumn Tiger

2011-05-03T15:24:00.000-04:00

As you might imagine, all my complaining about blocking a shawl is because, well, I've completed a shawl. Bet you weren't ready for that astonishing plot twist, were you??

Pattern: Orchid Thief Shawlette, Ysolda, from Brave New Knits
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Autumn Tiger Beetle, ~1.25 skeins
Needles: Size 5

This pattern seemed straight forward right up until Chart 4, where suddenly the world went topsy turvy and nothing made sense and pigs flew and the sky was green, etc. You know what that means--errata. So be on the lookout for that in the final chart.

Aside from errata, I personally found the final chart to be a bit muddled with regard to a few particular stitches in the first row, which on some repeats were to be knit plain, and in other repeats, decreased. Given the space constraints of this particular chart, I don't know what the solution would be, other than to perhaps include a very clear written explanation, which is missing as the pattern stands now.

My other drama with this piece was running out of yarn, and I can blame no one but myself for that. (Well, I guess I could blame someone else, but that would be nonsensical and wrong. Yes. Wrong. And also, yarn gnomes. Yarn gnomes ate my yarn. True story!) I assumed that one skein of Bugga! would suffice, but this was not the case. Fortunately I found a wonderful Raveler who sold me half a skein at a nice bargain, so I didn't have to shell out nearly $30 for a full second skein, when I only needed enough for 2 rows, plus bind off.

As you can see, the edge is rather pointy, which was not really the effect I was going for, as previously noted when I compared it to the knitwear equivalent of a dog collar, but otherwise, I'm quite happy with the shawl, particularly the size, which is plenty large for a "shawlette."

Now, keep it to myself, or give it to my mother for Mother's Day, so she can "oh" and "ah" over it for an hour, and then shove it in the back of a drawer where I'll never see it again.

Hmmmmmm.....

Blockhead

2011-04-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

I’m starting to think blocking is one of those knitting skills that will always remain something of a mystery to me.

Sweater, ok, pretty easy. Socks? That’s what sock blockers are for.

But lace.

Lace perplexes me.

I’m not an obsessive shawl knitter, I think I’ve done four or five. But when I get that final misshapen blob in my hand after it comes off the needles, I always become a little apprehensive about the next step.

Blocking.

Perhaps I could make this easier on myself if I brought blocking wires. There’s no shortage of them as far as I’m aware, and when I see photos of people using them to block shawls, the shawls look uniform and perfectly-shaped, so they must work.

But something is holding me back.

I suspect it’s the idea of having a safety net.

If I try to block something and winds up looking like a cobweb wrapped in fly paper, I can always say, "Oh, you know, I’m sure this would’ve turned out better if I’d used blocking wires."

You see? I’m not to blame. It’s the lack of materials.

Clearly.

So I soldier on with my regular pins.

I usually start at the top, and try to pin it out nice and straight. It usually ends up looking more like a spine afflicted by scoliosis, but I really try my best.

Then I stretch out the center, and pin that down.

Then I start on the sides, working a segment on each side evenly.

And here’s where I seem to fail.

Because no matter how hard I try, the segments never seem to work out evenly. And by the time I work up to the corners, I’ve got a bunch of extra fabric and no space to pin it out.

So then I have to unpin the top and try again.

Or if I determine there can’t possibly be anything wrong with the top, I unpin everything, and try again, working down from the corners, rather than up from the center.

Until it’s become a drawn out exercise in unpinning things, which is no great skill, and I fail to see any advantage in practicing it so much.

And finally it’s done, but it's asymmetrical, with random bits sticking out in odd directions.

And also, the edges look so . . . pointy. What that about? It’s a shawl, not a dog collar.

If anyone is looking to start a business blocking other people’s shawls, I will be your first customer.

Water, water, everywhere

2011-04-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

Literally.

We woke up Saturday morning to a water outage--water main break outside the condo. OK, not a major deal. Sure, I'm in the middle of moving, so showers are pretty important after spending all day hauling boxes, but the water was supposed to be restored within a few hours.

And restored it was. Around 2pm, the pipes started gurgling. Hurrah, a maintenance issue that didn't turn into an epic disaster!

See how naive I am?

Around 3pm, I stepped into the bathroom and noticed the bathmat had a large wet spot on it.

"Well, that's unusual, I don't recall pouring a glass of water directly onto the bathmat."

"Darling? The bathmat is producing its own water. Please call the Vatican, I think this might be a miracle."

I then walked into the bedroom and --squish-- found a large puddle in the carpet. That's . . . not right. Clearly disaster is afoot.

I followed the gentle tinkling sound of water-falling-onto-metal-when-that-definitely-shouldn't-be-happening, and, what do you know? There's water dripping out of the exhaust vent over the shower--I'm no plumber, but I'm pretty sure the water's supposed to come out of the showerhead.

At this point I may have gone into a rage blackout.

El Peruano ran down to the front desk to inquire about what, exactly, this water main break repair entailed. Did they decide to whack a few pipes open for fun before they left?

No, it turns out that our upstairs neighbor is, to put it delicately, a moron.

A complete, utter, unstoppable moron.

We already dislike Upstairs Moron. In the evenings around the time we arrive home from work, he seems to enjoy weight lifting. He also enjoys weight dropping. The weights hit the floor with a loud boom, and our entire condo shakes. Repeatedly. For a half hour.

Either that or he's got a bowling alley no one knows about.

We've also been awakened at 3:30am by a loud, irritating buzzing sound coming from Upstairs Moron's condo. He's apparently unaware that his condo is NOT soundproof, and thought vacuuming at 3:30am was appropriate.

But this takes the cake. Upstairs Moron apparently woke up to discover there was no water, and his unparalleled reasoning skills led him to believe that if he turned the taps on ALL THE WAY, water would come out. It didn't.

So he left them on. FULLY OPEN.

And left the condo.

This act of astounding intelligence came back to bite him in the ass when the water came back on, and flooded his condo.

And ours.

And the two below ours.

And now we've got repair people tramping in and out, a giant, industrial-strength dehumidifier running all day, some other, even louder contraption trying to suck water out of the hardwood floor. Not to mention rooms full of boxes, because did I mention I'm in the middle of moving? And, oh, two terrified cats.

Sigh.

Needless to say, very little knitting time.

If you hear a story about a man in the Washington, D.C. area stabbed to death with a knitting needle, you'll know why. Please come defend me in court.

Dream a little dream of me . . .

2011-04-18T19:44:00.000-04:00

The other night, I had a dream that I met Jasmin, one of those lovely Knitmore Girls. I'm not sure why, because with moving, my mom being hospitalized (again! She should just buy a room.), and meetings at work, I'm way behind on my podcasts, and haven't listened to the Knitmore Girls in weeks.

The odd thing about this dream was that I didn't meet Jasmin at a fiber festival, knitting camp, or something normal. No, for some reason my entire family already knew Jasmin, and was going over to her house, and only upon arrival did I find out that Jasmin was, well, THE Jasmin.

Dream Jasmin immediately grabbed my knitting project and started asking about it. What was I knitting? "Oh, it's a [insert name of sweater pattern that does not, to my knowledge, exist]!" And what yarn? "It's [insert name of sock yarn I've never used and would not be at all appropriate for a sweater unless you were insane]." Then Jasmin started knitting on my sweater for me! So helpful, that Dream Jasmin.

Then a baby deer hopped through her kitchen and out into the backyard, to face her two enormous boar hounds.

Seriously.

Easier access!

2011-04-13T13:15:00.000-04:00

For those who just can't step away from Ravelry, my Dungarees cowl pattern, in addition to being available on my pattern page, is now also available as a free Ravelry download.

It was pretty easy to set up, but I had to resist the urge to type "eleventy squillion dollars" in the cost field.

But resist I did--it's still free. ;)

Google Reader is not your friend

2011-04-12T11:57:00.001-04:00

Actually, it probably is. I adore Google Reader because I'm constantly forgetting which blogs I read, and then find myself thinking, "Hey, whatever happened to . . . ?"

And then I discover that nothing happened to him/her, I just forgot s/he existed.

But if you're reading this post on Good Reader, that means you can't see all the spiffy new changes I've made around here. I've fixed up my blog, it's a little more customized and a little less . . . blue. (But still some blue, because blue is my favorite color.) Nothing too crazy, I'm no designer and don't have the spare cash to pay someone to redesign a site no one looks at because you're all reading this on Google Reader.

But, check it out anyway!

p.s. I am aware there's some kind of annoying, absurd glitch with the download of my Dungarees cowl pattern. Working to resolve it!

The one where it's too big

2011-04-08T13:08:00.000-04:00

My vest, that is.

I've been steadily working on Mina's Tuxedo Vest for about a month. I finally finished knitting last night, wove in all the ends, blocked it--I was quite eager to wear it today, since I suspect this may (hopefully!) be the last really cool day of the season.

And it's too big.

Miles and miles of twisted stockinette, tortorous short rows, lots of scratchy yarn with bits of barnyard detritus in it . . . I even CROCHETED the buttonholes. Look, crocheted:

(I didn't say well)
And it's too big.

Like, a lot too big.

It fits through the chest, and then disaster strikes. The waistline is more appropriate for a linebacker than for me.

I don't know exactly what happened. (Yes, I did knit a gauge swatch--after that disaster with Delphine, I learned my lesson.) The sizing options were not to my liking--32" and 36", but no 34". Since many pattern commenters indicated that the twisted stockinette didn't have a lot of give, I thought it would be best to go for the larger one.

But I've got a good 4 too many inches around the waist here, which doesn't really logically flow from knitting something that should've been at most 2" too big.

So, perhaps it's the yarn, which many knitters have said stretched after wasing--though I did not get that at all from my (not-so?) trusty swatch.

Now, what to do? It's knit from the top down, so I could rip it out to the waist and reknit, but the yarn doesn't have much elasticity--I fear it won't reknit well.

I think I'll just weep quietly into my vest for now . . .

::sniff::

Raveled

2011-04-05T12:37:00.001-04:00

For those who love a good Ravelry link, my Dungarees cowl can be found here.

Sadly, I'm just a smidge obsessed with checking the page to see how many hearts my little cowl has and how many times the pattern has been queued. I suppose eventually the excitement will wear off, but today, it makes me smile.

Other things that make me smile: the Orioles are 4 and 0, and in first place in the AL East. Yes, we're only about 5 days into the season, but myself and most Orioles fans are aware that this can change very quickly, so we have to enjoy it while we can. Which may explain why people were cruising around Baltimore with their heads hanging out of their car windows like puppies, screeching and hollering after yesterday's win, as if we'd just won the World Series.

Or they were drunk.

And based on much of the behavhior witnessed at the game, I'm going with the latter.

This included a Moron jumping onto the field. The Moron, unfortunately seemed to have misjudged his athletic ability. He jogged from center field over toward second base, already looking winded, zigzagged around the outfield a bit, then started heading back toward the bleachers, as if he were going to somehow be able to jump back into his seat (apparently Moron has never watched a game where the outfielders have to execute Herculean jumps to get their gloves over the fence and rob homeruns). Realizing this wasn't going to happen, he jogged a bit more along the fence, then, determining that there was no easy way out (duh), and his tummy full of beer and hot dogs wasn't going to permit any more running, he just stopped. Then flopped on the ground.

And he wasn't even naked; naked people doing stupid things is always funnier.

Pattern: Dungarees cowl

2011-04-04T11:35:00.000-04:00

My first pattern, the Dungarees cowl, is now available for download!

(I'm trying to find a balance here between giddy euphoria and cool professionalism. I may be failing.)

Pattern details:

Yarn: Approximately 225yds sport weight, such as madelinetosh Pashmina
Needles: US size 5, 16" circular or DPNs
Gauge: 6st/in in seed stitch; gauge is not essential

Sportweight yarn makes this a light cowl for breezy spring days. madelinetosh pashmina has a lovely sheen, and the cashmere makes it soft enough to wear close to the skin.

In contrast to the soft, light feel of this cowl, I was actually inspired by a pair of jeans--my favorite pair of Lucky brand jeans. The structure along the inseam led the dye to pool into gathers, and the crosshatching in the fabric is reflected in the knotted openwork section of the cowl.

This cowl is knit with two columns of stockinette stitch on either side, which provides just a hint of structure so the cowl isn't too loose-fitting.

Comments welcome, and enjoy!

Download Dungarees

(Yes, I will get this up on Ravelry as soon as I figure out how to go about doing that!)

Days 6 and 7

2011-04-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft?

I keep saying I'm going to steek something, but I haven't gotten there yet. I fully intend to do it, though, because it seems to useful. Very intricate colorwork is of course impressive, and I don't know that I'll ever have the patience for it, but I don't want to rule it out yet--I hope I have many years of knitting ahead of me!

Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

So far, I am not a social knitter. I just don't feel comfortable whipping a WIP out during social events. But that said, I do take my knitting with me a lot. I'll knit in the car, on the subway, at the office during lunch, anywhere I have to wait idly. Most often you'll find me knitting on the couch, watching documentaries about Ancient Egypt and other nerdy shows (I adore Ancient Aliens! Something lacks a scientific explanation? Must be aliens!). In fact, right now I'm watching Eating With Cannibals, and knitting, instead of doing laundry.

I usually don't eat and knit, because I have enough stray cat hairs finding their way into my knitting, I don't kneed anything else getting in there.

So, that's it--Knit and Crochet Blog Week draws to a close! Hope it got everyone thinking about their crafting, and their blogging.

Days 4 and 5

2011-04-01T16:04:00.000-04:00

Day 4: Whatever happened to your __________?

There aren't too many items I've lost track of, with the exception of gifts sent along in swaps. I knit primarily for myself and my family. And when knitting for my family, I tend to pester them about the fate of any beloved items I notice they are not wearing--I'm not a very gracious knitted-gift giver. Sometimes I seriously consider breaking into homes during the night to steal back gifts I don't think are being treated right. I haven't done it yet, but . . .

Items I knit for myself are used frequently. Here's what came to work with me today:

No tragic fate has befallen any of my handknits, not even holely socks, but I know it will happen eventually. I'm trying to mentally prepare for it.

Day 5: There are no rules of a topic to blog about, but this post should look at a different way to present content on your blog. This can take one of many forms, but here a few suggestions:

•Wordless, photographic post (oops, missed the boat there)
•Video blog post (I think my colleagues might question my sanity)
•Podcast (ditto)
•Cartoon/sketch of an idea (ummm, I'm finding being in the office kind of limiting; perhaps I should try this topic another day . . . )
•Write about a subject from a different perspective (for example, you could write about a day in the life of a knitted sock from the point of view of the sock). (It's 4pm on a Friday, I have way too little brain cells left for that)
•Interpretive modern dance (heh. no.)
•A poem or piece of rhyming verse (we have a winner!)

A haiku, by yours truly:

My knitting saves me
From boring mainstream clothing
White socks are no fun

Day 3

2011-03-30T15:02:00.000-04:00

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised?

I would call my yarn stash and related knitting paraphenalia relatively organized. Hey, no one's perfect, but for the most part, my yarn is in neat tidy bins and most of it's cataloged on Ravelry.

WIPs reside in a basket (although WIPs I'm actually working on seem to reside on one side of my couch). Needles are in rolls or binders.

I queue a LOT of patterns, but I clean out my queue regularly, when I realize I've become delusional about the number of things one person can knit in a lifetime. I'll even go so far as to say that the first page or so of my Rav queue includes notes on which yarns in my stash will be used. Planning--I haz it!

The only thing I'm missing is a bookshelf for my pattern books. For now, they call the floor of the bedroom home. You can't have everything.

Conformity, or why I'm not a hipster

2011-03-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

Did you know it's the Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week? I didn't even know there was such a thing, but as soon as I read about it over at Knitted Bliss, I immediately decided I had to participate, because I'm a bandwagoner like that. No one will ever accuse me of being a hipster.

So, without further ado, some rambling answers to the Day 1 and Day 2 questions:

Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

Sheesh, I didn't realize this was going to involve remembering my knitting.

Well, I certainly can't say enough good things about madelinetosh. The colorways are stunning, the yarn is soft (especially Pashmina, but ToshDK as well), the yardage doesn't disappoint, stitch definition is always stellar, and no unpleasant surprises after your item is finished--yarn doesn't grow or shrink tremendously after blocking, no excessive pilling, no bleeding, just gorgeous knitting.

Of course, you pay for all this wonderfulness--it's not cheap. But I think it's worth it.

(I did encounter a skein of pashmina that was horrendously tangled, but as I noted previously, this was apparently reported to and addressed by the company; the last skein I used had no tangles.)

As far as yarn I am . . . not so much a fan of, I'm going to have to go with Hempathy, which I used for a Trellis and Keyhole Tank. It's scratchy, splitty and bleeds like crazy. Knit up it looks dull and stiff. The tank is certainly wearable, but I wouldn't knit with the yarn again. I'm sure it works for some people, but not for me.

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet?

One of the great things about knitting is that I feel like I'm always learning something new. Within the last year I've tackled my first "real" lace shawl, put afterthought thumbs in mittens (cutting your knitting!), and even started attempting colorwork (though, incidentally, it's really slowed down because I lost the Amazing Doohickey. And by lost, I mean the cats found it, decided to play with it, and knocked it under some piece of furniture where it is currently hiding.). I expect to keep learning, whether it's a new technique, new construction, or a new stitch pattern.

And to finish up, a note on MediaPeruana, which a few commenters, er, commented on. First, don't worry that you don't know what it means, because it doesn't have anything to do with knitting, it's just a cutesy name that makes me smile.

And secondly, well, here's what it means: Peruana means "Peruvian." "Media," interestingly, has a few meanings. The one I intended is "half," making the name HalfPeruvian. But, word nerds might appreciate that "media" can also be used as a noun--"medias" are stockings or socks. So if you interpret it that way, it means Peruvian Sock. Which isn't entirely inappropriate, given that I do occasionally manage to knit a whole pair of socks.

Stay tuned for more random questions tomorrow, as we cruise through the Second Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

Can I see some ID?

2011-03-24T12:11:00.000-04:00

Identity is such an interesting concept. It's one of those uniquely human things we sit around pondering, or alternately worrying about--I highly doubt my cat lays about the house thinking, "This is so unlike me--who have I become??" Which isn't to say she doesn't have plenty of personality--she just doesn't sit around thinking about it. Maybe she just can't stay awake long enough.

For the last 13 years or so, I have been a Vegetarian. That's who I am, Kristen the Vegetarian. I'm also Kristen the Girl who Speaks Spanish, Kristen the Orioles Fan and Kristen the Writer, but the way vegetarianism has shaped my life leads me to associate more strongly with that moniker.

However, after some serious thought, I recently decided to start the Great Seafood Eating Experiment.

My vegetarianism has always been a burden on me, but I really started fretting about what a burden it is for the boy (who, incidentally, has stopped eating beef, pork and chicken, and now only eats seafood), and what a burden it might be for my future child(ren). Constantly checking restaurant menus in advance (almost impossible to do while traveling, and often fruitless because there's nothing vegetarian available anyway), trying to tactfully warn relatives and friends who invite us for meals, attempting to politely decline meaty foods without insulting them when they forget, frantically searching for vegetarian foods meat-eaters might be willing to eat when we invite them for meals . . . not to mention being frequently put on the spot to explain my choices, which I aim to do without disparaging the meal sitting in front of us. It all adds up to a giant pain the culo.

(Spanish lesson for the day: culo means ass; not "cool")

Which I am ok with for just me, but as I get older, I more fully realize that it often entails imposing my choice on those around me as well. (Not that my wonderful friends and family aren't willing to accommodate me!)

So I thought I might try to meet the boy halfway and add seafood to my diet. It will help me get more protein (important for baby time, whenever that is), most (not all, but most) seafood is wild caught rather than farmed (and farmed sea creatures are raised much more humanely than chicken, cows and pigs), and wild sea creatures are quite likely to be eaten by other predators.

These are the justifications I'm using anyway, they help me sleep a smidge better.

And thus far, the experiment is going well. Fish is fine--I missed tuna. Shrimp is . . . well, larger shrimp are too meaty, I need to start small (And I swear I can feel them swimming around inside my tummy--guilty conscience much?). Thing with tentacles are really just not for me. I don't know about crabs--as a Baltimore native, I dearly miss steamed crabs with Old Bay, but being boiled alive sounds pretty horrible. We'll see about that in June.

But what's more of a concern is the nagging feeling that I'm losing a part of my identity. That makes me a little bit sad. Or a lot bit, depending on my mood.

Fortunately, I have other things that make me ME. One of those is being a Knitter. I haven't been a Knitter nearly as long as a Vegetarian, but I've certainly embraced it. And I hope to find a new identity soon as a Designer. Sure, I only have one pattern, which I haven't even released yet, but something about having a creation that's my very own gives me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I feel like I have the potential to become Someone, which I sadly don't feel much in my actual career.

Which is probably why I've already jumped the gun and created this:

Whaddya think?

Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas . . . Guyana?

2011-03-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

A little blogging break, as I spent last week in Guyana for work.

I know what you're thinking: where on earth is that?? And don't worry, you're not alone. I can't think of a single person I told I was going to Guyana that actually knew where it was.

Except for, presumably, the Guyanese. And I'm not so sure about that.

So to put your mind at ease, I will tell you: it's nowhere.

I mean, technically, it's on the northern coast of South America, between Venezuela and Suriname.

But really, it may as well be nowhere.

So on that note, a few travel tips from yours truly:

Places you should never, ever visit: Georgetown, Guyana.
Airlines you should never, ever fly: Liat
Jobs you should never, ever have: mine

Since I'm the contact person for Guyana on my team, I got to participate in a four-person site visit to the capital of Guyana, Georgetown, to try to figure out what the heck is going on with their ministries and why they routinely fail to participate in or contribute to our organization, when we're basically offering them free money and training every other week.

(Can I mention that Jamaica is also one of my contact countries, and yet, my boss has yet to send me there?)

It took 15 hours to get there (including a 6 hour layover in Trinidad--this trip was like a tour of the Caribbean, but all I saw were airports). And then we had 16 meetings in 4 days--a really relaxing journey.

(Can I also mention that our Executive Secretary used to be the U.S. ambassador to Guyana and could not stop giving us history lessons about the city--the same lessons, over and over?)

Georgetown is not--I repeat, NOT--a tourist destination. There is a nice, resort-type hotel there called the Pegasus (I didn't stay there because it cost nearly my entire per diem per night, and I enjoy eating), but there is absolutely, positively nothing to do. The big "thing" is walking on the sea wall that divides the city from the beach.

This is an interesting thing about Georgetown--it's on the coast, but the beaches are dirty and the water is muddy, so there's no beach-going, hence, no tourism.

There are also no sidewalks. Which makes for some interesting walking tours of the city. My life repeatedly flashed before my eyes, not only while walking, but also while being driven around.

Georgetown is home to one of the world's largest wooden churches. Which is interesting to look at for all of 5 seconds, and then you're done and wondering what you're going to do with your remaining 4 days in the country.

I've heard that in the country's interior, which is jungle, you can do adventure things like zip lining and hiking, and there's a pretty waterfall, but I didn't have time for any of that. Maybe it's fun, I don't know.

What I do know is Georgetown is not fun. It's dirty. It's rainy. The rain causes instant flooding because the city is actually below sea level (why do humans do this??). It's hot. It's incredibly humid. The food is terrible (although if you like chicken, you're in luck). It's terribly underdeveloped. It's depressing.

(Oh, on the outskirts of the city, there are stray donkeys. Stray. Donkeys. Really amusing to watch, but sad to think about.)

So, needless to say, I was eager to get the heck out of there by the time our mission was complete. And so of course, that didn't happen. Instead, Liat cancelled my flight to Barbados.

I showed up at the airport, giddy smile on my face, ready to hop on that plane and get home to my kitties and my boy. I marched up to the counter with my itinerary in hand and presented it with naive confidence. And the guy looked at it, looked at me, and said, "that flight's cancelled."

And smiled.

Like that's a hilarious circumstance I'll really get a kick out of.

When actually, I just wanted to kick him.

And it got better.

Why was the flight cancelled? "Not enough people, it's not profitable."

So, you've screwed my entire flight schedule for your bottom line?

"Oh, I mean, there's a maintenance problem."

Uh huh.

So, I waited around the dingy airport for four hours until they shipped me to Barbados on the afternoon flight, and I spent the evening alone (I was the only one on the team that was supposed to take that flight---thanks, boss, for making a last minute decision about my participation, so I was stuck with the worst flights imaginable) in a depressing airport hotel. I made it onto the first flight to Miami in the morning (Liat didn't rebook any of my flights; they helpfully just put me on standby), and then spent Saturday wandering from gate to gate at the Miami airport trying to get on a flight to DC.

But I finally, finally made it.

(Incidentally, Barbados looked gorgeous. I would love to go back there under better circumstances.)

And what do I have to show for my trip? A half-finished shawl, which isn't too shabby. Getting my knitting needles through airport security on every flight almost felt like an accomplishment.

But I'm really, really hoping I don't have to do any traveling any time soon.

A very belated Valentine

2011-03-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I make bad decisions.

For example, the time I decided to make homemade butternut squash gnocchi. I don't think there was a single solitary millimeter of space in my kitchen not covered in flour. I must've used an entire bag of flour, not to mention the arduous task of hacking open the squash, and in the end, it tasted pretty much like regular gnocchi.

Or the time in 7th grade when I read that combing mayonnaise through your hair was a great way to add shine. It's also a great way to gunk up your hair with oily egg muck that takes four tries to shampoo out. Looking back, I'm supremely lucky my parents didn't make me go to school with mayonnaise on my head to teach me a lesson.

In Knitting Land, a make all sorts of bad decisions, one of which is Setting Deadlines. It starts out innocently enough--"Oh, it'd be great to have this sweater finished to wear to Stitches"--but it's an instant jinx. Completely unpredictable, absurd knitting disasters will occur, one after the other, guaranteeing that the sweater won't be finished for Stitches, or possibly ever. If I'd just kept my mouth shut, the sweater would probably knit itself in my sleep.

In February, I made this mistake. I thought it would be just smashing to have a Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan to wear for Valentine's Day. It's short-sleeved and knit in DK weight, and I figured it couldn't possibly take too long to knit. So I got started.

And I was right, for a change, it knit up quickly, and I was moving along at a good pace, right on target for V-Day. (Was I a bit too smug about my astonishing progress? Perhaps.)

The only thing was . . . "Hmmmm, I seem to be going through this yarn rather quickly. But I knit a gauge swatch, and I got gauge, and I'm using the exact kind and quantity of yarn called for in the pattern, so, I must be imagining things. Except . . . well, I'm down to my last ball and, um, there's an awful lot left to do. Let's see what the Ravelry populous had to say about this sweater. I mean, it won't fix anything, and it probably would've been smart to check on before I bought the yarn and started the sweater, but at least I'll know."

Sure enough, the vast majority of the knitters who made this sweater reported that it took much more yarn than the pattern called for.

Of course.

And it only got worse. I bought the yarn for this sweater years ago. Dye lot loooooong gone.

I got a headache imagining having to rip out my whole sweater and start over with new yarn, and sent myself to bed early. Then I woke up and raged against Stephanie Japel and the entire Knitting Establishment. How dare they publish such fradulent information?!?

And then I went back to Ravelry, and threw myself a pity party in one of the forums.

This was actually the most effective thing I did. The previously-mentioned Stephanie, who will from this day forward be referred to as My Hero Stephanie, stumbled upon my whining, and promptly produced 2 balls of Knit Picks Merino Style in Hollyberry, dye lot 40515. It was like magic. Possibly dark magic, but I was in no position to judge.

(For the record, I can vouch that Stephanie is a Hufflepuff, not a Slytherin. Or so she would have us believe.)

(And props as well to the Postal Service for actually getting the yarn to me--that would've been a sad, but unsurprising addition to the story, yarn lost in the mail!)

While I couldn't finish the sweater for Valentine's Day, I did manage to finish it before the end of the month, check it out:

wow, I'm super pale! translucent!

Pattern: Puff-sleeved Feminine Cardigan
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style, Hollyberry, 6.5 skeins
Needles: US 4 and 6
Size: 34"
Rav link

No mods, though I may have made it a bit longer if I hadn't been running out of yarn. Aside from the yarn quantity drama, the pattern was otherwise quite simple and straightforward. Minimal seaming under the arms, otherwise seamless. And it's a great fit.

So, how much extra yarn did I end up needing? Almost 1.5 skeins! That's an extra 175 yards, give or take.

The good news is, I absolutely adore this sweater, so it was all worth it.

Wow, this has become a long post. Maybe I should've skipped the mayonnaise story. Ah well.

Anyone interested in a few more photos and details about my first (of many, I hope) design can see my Ravelry project page here.

::peek::

2011-02-28T13:36:00.000-05:00

Test knitting has commenced!

The blahs

2011-02-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

It's so hard to post during these gray, cold wintery months. In addition to the general malaise that affects nearly everyone and makes me personally want to hibernate until May, the lighting is lousy, so I can't take decent photos of anything I'm knitting.

And I have been knitting. In fact, I've finished a whole sweater (albeit, short-sleeved). (Which was saved by the previously blogged-about Stephanie--but more on that next post.) And my First Design is nearly complete, I'll be looking for test knitters soon. I'm even plugging away at more socks. But alas, no photos.

The weather actually tricked me a smidge. Last Friday it was 70 degrees. SEVENTY DEGREES! We ate lunch in the park, enjoy a few beers out on the balcony, it was almost like summer. But then, it was cruelly yanked away, and on Tuesday, we got sleet and freezing rain, followed by 3 inches of snow. It's almost worse that way--you get the tiniest glimmer of hope, and then it's immediately buried under sleet and slush. I know you're on your way, Spring, please hurry up.

So, since I have no knitting photos, here are photos of stray cats and dogs I came across in Santiago. No, I didn't bring any home with me. But almost.

To E or Not to E

2011-02-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Yet another day has passed with no one commenting on my stunning plethora of headgear. I'm starting to think people here just don't pay attention.

(Or maybe they're part of some kind of revolting underground anti-hat organization.)

But I will soldier on to fulfill my mission to display an absurd and somewhat inappropriate number of handknit hats to the masses this winter!

::Uplifting music::

Here's the latest member of my hat parade:

Pattern: Autumn Vines Beret from NeverNotKnitting, Alana Dakos
Yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina (squeee!) in Saffron, about half the skein
Mods: None, though I left off the little bobblette at the top, and just used a regular cast-on because I'm an incredibly lazy knitter.
Verdict: Love! Gorgeous pattern, fast knit, warm hat. What's to complain about?

Oh, you know what? Now that I think of it, I had to knit row 13 like 3 times. There's nothing wrong with the chart, I'm just astoundingly dense. I know my right from my left, I swear, but when I see references to "right" and "left" in knitting patterns, I go into panic mode and all spatial concepts immediately fly out my ear. True story.

And in case anyone was wondering what steps I've taken to address the previously blogged about (over)abundance of Palette yarn, Stephanie, who shares her awesomeness over at They Call Me Yarn, has talked me into tackling these Camilla mittens. Pretty, huh? So far I've done just the first cuff and 5 rounds of the pattern, but they're looking quite gorgeous, if I do say so myself. I bought this Amazing Doohickey over at Knitpicks, and I can't say enough good things about it. My tension is even, and no puckering--a miracle for only $1.19. I'm giddy thinking about how it will speed up my abyssmal progress on the Deep V Argyle Vest.

(p.s. I spent several minutes pondering whether or not doohickey has an E in it. Then I looked it up. I really go the extra mile for my blogging, don't I?)

This little piggy . . .

2011-02-04T09:54:00.001-05:00

Lately, I've been having dreams about babies. First, I had a dream that I needed to have a tonsilectomy and birth a baby the same day. So they knocked me out for the first procedure, and left me unconscious for the birth, so I woke up not knowing what kind of baby I had. It ended up being a girl, but it didn't much matter, because shortly thereafter, it turned into a cat.

Last night, my baby was growing at a ridiculous rate. Only a few days old and she was talking, and then after a year, she was around 6-years-old. Then she had to be studied for being an obvious freak of nature, and she wasn't too happy about it, so she organized a riot at the freak-of-nature camp.

Thoughts? Yeah, I don't know either.

I don't really have a segway from that rambling into my knitting, so let's just jump in. First, I'd like to introduce a new member of the menagerie, Percival:

Percival was super quick to knit, just using some scrap yarn. I used worsted because that's what I had on hand, but any weight will do, it just depends on how big or small you want your piggy to be. I think this one took all of 45 minutes.

As far as useful knitting, I've finished yet another hat (I wonder if people are secretly amazed at my extensive hat wardrobe. Probably not.) Here's a little preview, until I can get some good photos of me actually wearing the hat:

And I'm really working hard on a design! My scarf design is on the backburner, but this new one is moving along quickly, and I have high hopes. Stay tuned!

Optimism? Or lunacy?

2011-01-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

I have just purchased yet another set of Sterilite plastic drawers for yarn storage. This one has 2 large bins, one of which is now filled with various shades of fingering weight yarn (mostly KnitPicks Palette) that I've purchased specifically to do colorwork projects.

I have yet to complete a single colorwork project in my entire life.

There's just no logical explanation for this. I'm either incredibly optimistic (read: delusional) or just plain old insane.

Twinkle Toes

2011-01-25T15:20:00.000-05:00

Looky, I'm off to a great start with my sock resolution: I finished a pair already.

Granted, I started them back in October, but still, they're finally done.

This is Through the Loops' Socktober 2010 Mystery Sock. I love doing these mystery sock-alongs, where a snippet of the pattern is posted each week. Unfortunately I usually finish the first sock in October/November, and then don't get the second one done until January. This happened for the 2009 sock as well.

Ooops.

Sometimes I wish a knew a one-legged person. Or one-footed person. But then I remember that's a horrible fate to wish upon anyone just for the sake of knitting fewer socks.

The yarn, some of you may have already guessed, is Skinny Buggy in Blue-Arsed Fly. What a fantastic name. There just aren't enough colorways with the word "arse" in them.

There's just one wee problem with my adorable socks:

I seem to have inadvertently knit one toe longer than the other. The socks are the same length, but I carried on with the foot pattern about a half-inch more in one sock than the other. I swear I followed the directions for BOTH socks, but clearly I didn't.

I really hope no one stares at my toes enough to notice this.

If you're going to San-ti-ago . . .

2011-01-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

be sure to . . . not be a vegetarian. Otherwise, it was a fairly good trip (and I ate a lot of avocado, or palta as they call it, which was fantastic). Although spending so much time with family can be a bit taxing. But the wine was delicious, the weather was gorgeous, and the city is impressive.

This actually isn't Santiago, it's Vina del Mar

I didn't do a bit of knitting though, so I have nothing to show you.

Instead, here's a recipe for my famous breakfast burritos, just because:

1 8-inch flour tortilla
2 eggs (or 1 egg, 2 egg whites if you're healthy like that)
2 veggie sausage patties
2 tbs salsa, or to taste
1/4 cup shredded mexican cheese, or to taste - low fat is great, you won't notice much difference

Spray a skillet with cooking spray, and heat over med heat.
Warm the sausage patties in the microwave for 1 minute, then crumble with a fork. Dump into the skillet.
Beat eggs, then add as much salsa as you like. It's best to use a chunkier salsa, you don't want a lot of juice making your burrito drippy.
Dampen two paper towels; place one in the microwave, put the tortilla on top, then cover with the second towel.
Add the eggs to the pan and scramble. Even if you usually like softer eggs, make them pretty dry, because, again, drippy burrito = giant mess.
Heat the tortilla for 45 seconds. When it's nice and warm, put it on a large plate, add the egg/sausage/salsa mix, and top with cheese. Roll up and enjoy.
(For wrapping success, place the filling on the side of the tortilla closest to you, then roll away, pulling in the sides as you go.)

This is a very flexible recipe, and you can really improve on it depending on how much time you have and what you have on hand. This quick version I can do in 5 minutes before work. If I have more time, I might cut up some avocado or fresh cilantro to throw in with the cheese. If I have leftoever black beans or chopped tomatoes, those are good to add too. Also, specialty flavored wraps work well (I recommend the jalapeno cheese; the garden herb not so much). Also, be careful NOT to buy the maple-flavored sausage patties--they're delicious, but do not combine with this dish at all.

Next time, knitting, not cooking.

You say you want a resolution . . .

2011-01-04T16:58:00.001-05:00

Wait, that's not right. Well, whatever, your resolution can be a revolution too.

Now, before we move on to the list of knitting-related promises I won't keep, let's see how I did with last year's resolutions.

3 adult sweaters: well, ok, I managed 2, plus a vest and a camisole-type deal, that's not terrible or anything.
2 pair of socks FOR ME, which can include finishing the 2 pair I have on the needles: That's all I finished for myself, unfortunately.
something stranded or doubleknit: I've started Eunny Jang's Deep V Argyle vest! But it's nowhere near done.
steek something for practice: I have my swatch from Eunny's vest, which I plan to steek, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

So, overall, meh. I certainly didn't exceed expectations, but I wasn't a total failure either.

So, what will I promise this year? How about this:

10 pair of socks FOR ME! Seriously. Which can include the 2 pair I have on the needles, so really, only 8 pair.
Finish the Deep V Argyle vest
Two adult sweaters PLUS two adult, um, "tops" for want of a better word--meaning summery-type floaty camisole things.
Colorwork mittens of some kind for next winter.
Design and publish TWO patterns (!!!) (I have no delusions, self-publishing will be just fine in my book)

So, there you have it, my goals for 2011. We shall see.

Happy (almost) New Year!

2010-12-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

Not bad for a year's work:

Especially since a few photos of my last 2010 projects are missing--I completed 30 projects! A banner year.

Next time: resolutions.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everybody dance now!

2010-12-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time to go into grump mode: the holidays are over. This is my least favorite time of year. It's cold and dark and boring and cold. Hmph.

But I'm trying to look on the bright side, and one plus is that I can refocus on knitting for myself again. In fact, yesterday I managed to turn the heel on a second sock that's been languishing since before the holidays, so soon I should have another toasty pair of socks for my tootsies.

As far as Christmas knitting, here's what I accomplished:

The boy is in Jared Flood's Habitat, my sister is wearing Hermione Hearts Ron, mom got the 16 Sixteen Cable hat I blogged about a couple months ago, and dad was the lucky recipient of a Morgan hat. This hat holds a special place in my heart, as I tried to knit it for him last Christmas, and failed miserably. This time, though, it turned out quite nice.

In fact, he really seemed to like it. He put it on several times on Christmas day. But I'm concerned that something in the hat is causing sudden-onset dementia. To quote a famous holiday tune:

"For when he placed it on his head,
he began to dance around!"

My dad put the hat on, and then inexplicably started to do a little dance, imploring us to guess what movie it was from.

::Dance::
::Dance::
"Remember this movie??"
::Dance::

I was bewildered. The only thing it looked like to me were the so-called dance moves of the Peanut Gang from A Charlie Brown Christmas:

But that didn't seem quite right.

Ultimately, I had to give up, at which point dad announced, rather disappointed, that it was "the dance from Evan Almighty."

Oh, right.

I've seen the movie exactly once, and certainly wasn't memorizing any dance scenes. But ok.

I was going to embed the video for you guys, but I could only find one (bad) clip and embedding is disabled, so you'll have to do without.

Probably better off without it!

We wish you a Merry Christmas . . .

2010-12-24T10:19:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from Baltimore!

Christmas is comi------oh, wait, a distraction!

2010-12-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

So (one of) the (many, many) reason(s) I'm a smidge behind on my Christmas knitting is that I thought it would be a really good idea to knit my friend a lace shawl for her birthday. Which was December 10. And I came up with this brilliant idea on, oh, November 27. Which not only left very little time to accomplish a lacy shawl beyond the scope of any lace project I've completed before, but also interrupted my Christmas knitting, which, up until that point, had been going along fairly smoothly.

I am clearly a genius.

(It really wasn't my fault though. She had complimented my Summer Flies Shawlette. So it was an absolute necessity. See?)

But I pushed ahead and am happy to say, I actually did it.

Pattern: Damask, by Kitman Figueroa
Yarn: Caper Sock by String Theory
Size: small
Rav link

This is my first "real" lace shawl (ok, it's not done in laceweight, but still)--I've done a few other shawls, but they just had a lace border, or the body was mostly eyelets and not really lace. Not so with this one, which is allover lace, and, frankly, super fantastic. So of course, I could not keep it for myself. It seems to be an unwritten rule that whenever I manage to knit something super fantastic, I've already committed to giving it away. Hmph.

As many knitters know, lace shawls frequently contain nupps. What you may not know is that "nupp" is shorthand for "will cause hand cramps and general misery." Seriously.

Ok, not seriously, but it may as well be. Here's generally how my nupp experience went.

Right side: "Knit 7 stitches into the next stitch? Well, ok, that's kind of pain, but doable. 1 . . .2 . . . 3 . . .. 5 . . . wait, that was 4. Ok, 5 . . . 6 . . . 8 . . . how did I get 8? Grrrrr. Let's start over. 1 . .. 2 . . . . . . sh!t, lost count again. Well, that's some number greater than 3, that should do it."

Wrong side: "Purl next 7 stitches together??? What the hell? What kind of magic am I supposed to use to do that? These aren't Hermione's bewitched knitting needles here!!! Ok, maybe I should try it before panicking. Let's go . . . ok, that's 1 stitch on the needle . . . 2 . .. 3---come on, 3, get your act together and get on the right hand needle. 4----ack, this is impossible, and I've still got 3 stitches to go. There's no room! Am I supposed to be using a sewing needle?? (Assorted grunting while trying to force needle through remaining stiches.) Ow, ow ow, my hand!! Ok, they're all on there. Now, to pull the yarn through. Oops, split the strand. Oooooops, split the strand again. OK, got it! Got it! Got it! Don't got it. Arghhhhhhhhhhhh. Ouchie, ouchie, my finger!!"

And so on, and so forth.

I don't know what crafty bastard invented nupps, but clearly some kind of masochist. Or possibly someone with an iron fingertip.

Aside from the nupps, though, this was a fairly enjoyable knit. The designer did an unGodly number of charts, they must've given her quite a headache, but they were easy to follow, and I encountered no problems. (Well, actually, just one small problem. There's a row missing between the final chart, and the "finishing" instructions--it's hidden in the written instructions for the last chart, but was easy to skip over. It was also easy enough to find once I realized the last charted row was a right side row, and the first row for "finishing" was a right side row, so I'd certainly missed a crucial step somewhere.)

So there you have it, a shawl in 2 weeks. I have bestowed it upon the lucky recipient, who made all of the appropriate Ooos and Ahhhhs and other assorted compliments. And I'm just trying not to miss my shawl too much as I finish up the last of my admittedly less awesome Christmas gifts.

Baby it's cold outside . . .

2010-12-20T13:57:00.000-05:00

Still. Not as cold, thankfully, but the wind chill is in the 20s, which isn't exactly the Bahamas.

I don't mind too much though--I like it to be cold for Christmas and the New Year. Once those events are over, it could instaneously turn to spring as far as I'm concerned, but I need cold for my winter holidays.

Speaking of, how is Christmas in 5 days? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? I've got 4 gifts to finish. Oops. I'm pretty confident I'll finish 3, which I guess is better than nothing.

And, speaking of gifts, lets announce the winner of the Kiva gift certificate, shall we?

The winner is ............... IVY!! Ivy, please send me an email so I can get your contact info and get your gift certificate out to you. Thanks everyone for your comments and your interest in supporting Kiva borrowers.

As far as knitting goes, I have a few items to show you, just as soon as I can take a break from knitting and work on photos. But if I have any hope of finishing those 4 gifts, I don't have time for much other than knitting between now and the 25th!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

2010-12-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

Some people seem to be under the mistaken impression that Maryland is South, and therefore, not very cold. I have absolutely no idea where this misconception comes from, but let me put this rumor to rest: when I left for work this morning, the windchill was 6. Not 26, not 16, 6. SIX!!!! For cryin' out loud.

No, it may not be the arctic circle, but it's darn, darn cold here. Don't move to Maryland thinking we have mild winters.

(And, in this "mild" weather, I spent 25 minutes standing on an above-ground subway station platform, my extremities growing progressively number,waiting for a train. I've finally regained feeling in my hands, which it why I'm able to write this post.)

Sadly, I am not wearing this today, which would probably help me warm up:

Pattern: Vine Yoke Cardigan
Yarn: Shibuiknits merino worsted in Mulbbery
Buttons: From NaturalResources
Rav link

The reason I'm not wearing it today is that I've worn it so much already--it needs a wash, and perhaps some downtime so it doesn't get worn out too quickly.

Needless to say, I absolutely adore it. it fits perfectly, and the yarn is warm and soft, no itch.

The pattern has a lot going on because Ysolda provides so many sizes, but once you get a handle on which instructions apply to you, it's fairly easy. It does involve a few provisional cast-ons, which I'm not a fan of, and it's important to keep track of which row you're on because it skips around a bit where it divides for the body and sleeves. With this pattern, concentration is more important than being a master of any fiddly techniques.

I actually managed to finish this is just one month--far faster than my usual sweater speed.

I love the buttons, but they're a smidge big. They are the size called for in the pattern, but I would consider going a bit smaller. In fact, if I ever find slightly-smaller-but-equally-gorgeous buttons, I might just change them!

Still time to do some good . . .

2010-12-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that you have until Wednesday, December 15 to comment on this post and be entered to win a $25 Kiva gift certificate!

'Tis the season--to do some good!*

2010-12-01T12:20:00.000-05:00

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."

I try to keep this in mind when making charitable donations--who's just throwing money at a problem, and who's really trying to do something to improve the underlying causes of the problem?

I have several charities near and dear to my heart, but today I'm going to wax poetic about Kiva, because, well, you'll see.

Kiva partners with microlending organizations in developing countries to make small business loans. "Small business," note, doesn't necessarily mean the same thing everywhere that it does here (like when you think of your LYS). It's often very informal--a woman selling "fast food" out of her home, or peddling clothes door-to-door. There's often no licensing, no staff, no marketing--just one person trying to get ahead.

So, what do we do? We are the lenders! Kiva offers a platform through which lenders can direct funds (they do the leg work--researching partner organizations, collecting funds from lenders, all the bureacratic red tape that seems to accompany trying to do something helpful; and the partner organizations do all the on-the-ground work necessary--identifying recipients, disbursing funds, organizing repayments, etc. ), but we pony up the cash.

And we don't just fling some money in Kiva's direction--this is the best part! We, the lenders, read people's stories and choose where to send our money. Some of the stories are incredibly inspirational--I read many of them as a Kiva translator, and always wish I had more money to lend! You also don't need a lot of cash on hand to lend--each loan is funded by multiple lenders, so you don't bear the entire burden.

And then we get our money back. To stick back in our wallets, or re-lend to someone else deserving. (Yes, there are defaults, but they are rare--both Kiva and the partner organizations work hard to identify reliable recipients and businesses to minimize chances for non-repayment.) This is what really makes our money so much more valuable--the same $25 can be used again and again to help different people.

(More info on how Kiva works here.)

Sooooo, this Christmas, I'm not giving away yarn, or pattern books, or anything knitting-related. I'm giving away a chance to do just a little smidge of good--a $25 Kiva gift certificate.

How can you win? Go to kiva.org right now and read some stories. Then come back here, and leave a comment telling me who you would lend to if you won the gift certificate (By the time the giveaway is finished, your chosen loan request will, hopefully, already be funded--but there are always more to pick from!). A knitter in Cusco? An Avon lady in Ecuador? A sheep herder in Azerbaijan? Whose story spoke to you?

When the winner gets his/her gift certificate, I would invite him/her to do a guest post on the blog to tell us all about who received the $25 and why.

(And of course, once the loan is repaid, you are free to withdraw the $25 and keep it for yourself--though I hope you'll continue to re-lend!)

Giveaway open until December 15. Tell your friends!

*(Actually, we should all do some good, all year round, but, well, Christmas is Christmas!)

Hats off!

2010-11-30T09:34:00.001-05:00

I've got to tell you guys, I'm a hat knitting queen this month! Three hats done, and two more on the needles. A quick overview:

Pattern: Snapdragon Tam, Ysolda
Yarn: Shibuiknits Merino Worsted in Mulberry
Is it for me? No :(

Pattern: Porom, Jared Flood
Yarn: Madelinetosh ToshDK in Copper Penny
Is it for me? YES!

Pattern: Frukttradgard, Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Classic Elite Fresco in, um, green?

Is it for me? No :(

Two hats have been sent away to swap recipients, and two hats on the needles aren't for me either, alas. But no matter, I've also finished a sweater that IS for me. I love it. It's warm and soft and pretty. But that's for next time. ;)

Knitting with scissors

2010-11-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

Not actually with them, you know, but using them to complete a project. Like EZ's Mitered Mittens. I loved the look of these and it wasn't until I had actually started that I realized they have an afterthought thumb. And not just any afterthought thumb, but the kind where you purposefully snip your yarn and unravel a hole in your knitting.

Some patterns will have you knit across the thumb stitches with waste yarn, then come back and take it out later to reveal live stitches. But EZ is the gutsy type, and she wants you to knit the whole mitten, then go back later and rip a bit out, which frankly leaves a lot of opportunities for disaster. You could snip the yarn in the wrong place, drop a stitch, accidently cut two threads, etc.

But I did as I was told, and it turned out ok:

(I do realize this isn't the best photo, but I'm still figuring out all the bells and whistles on my NEW camera, which will ultimately--hopefully--lead to even better pictures)

The yarn is some Knit Picks WOTA Bulky Handyed, so I can take no credit for the pretty awesome striping pattern that resulted. Since it's a bulky yarn I did make some adjustments in the numbers of stitches for the pattern--I think I cast on 36 stitches. Other than that, it was easy-peasy, quick to memorize and quick to knit up. But as usual, I gave these away, so I'll need to find another mitten pattern for myself.

Speaking of patterns, I am . . . wait for it . . .

Working on my first pattern design.

And it's nothing fancy, just a scarf.

But it's a lot harder than I anticipated. It's easy to look at a finished pattern and say, 'oh, the designer just plugged stitch patterns in here, here and here, and that's all." But that's not all. There are a lot of stops and starts as you figure out what works and what doesn't, shrink or expand your stitch patterns, reconfigure what goes where. And that's just for a scarf. I can't imagine what it's like for something as involved as a sweater (though I suppose it may be one of those things that gets easier the more you do it).

But I'm really enjoying it. And hopefully the end result will be a one-of-a-kind scarf for a special someone at Christmas. And then a pattern for you guys. You know, assuming it doesn't wind up looking like a tangle of wool bits that's been runover by Santa's reindeer.