Get Toasty

DAMN! It was cold today. Actually, yesterday I ran down to the drugstore (2 blocks!) just before sunset and my toes went completely numb. It's kind of nice to be able to wrap up in my winter clothes and settle in under my comforter, but then again summer was so warm - sigh.

I've been working on my log cabin again, both because I realize I need to get it done before the holidays and because all my other projects include some amount of math and figuring that I don't feel like doing. I just want to knit.



And knit, and knit, and knit...thank goodness for the lace strips in this baby. If not for them I'd have gone nuts long ago. I'm currently working on the fifth and last one: medium pink, english mesh (there aren't many rose-y looking patterns in Walker 1. When I can spring for Walker 2 my options will increase.)

I'm looking forward to finishing this, and it won't be long now. I think I have the yarn for two or three more strips, then a thin border in greens. Funny, I'll end up with an entire unused ball of the lightest brown because I substituted one long strip of it for green leaf lace, but I'm probably going to run out of the medium brown midway through the last strip. You'll wish me luck on that, won't you?

Now, what is wrong with me that I'm sitting here thinking of my NEXT BLANKET?! After months of straight knitting and a heavy, untoteable WIP, why on earth would I want to do this again? Ayeee. It's probably the weather.



I taught my roommate to knit,



and took advantage of the last(?) sunny days to wash and dry some recycled yarn. This reminded me of chickens:



which probably means I haven't seen enough chickens in my day. Then again, I always think of tomatoes when I see a red light with a green left turn light in the same traffic signal. Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.



I joined Lacevember after seeing it over at apples and oranges (thanks!) I think it's mostly because of the name (lacevember!) but also, it gives me a compelling reason to finish Adamas before brown goes out for the season (as if I care). I also want to start my next lace project, since it's pink and I want to be wearing it next spring.

Ok, moral of the story: stay tuned for a few FOs, new projects, stash guilt trips, chickens, tomatoes, and the day my roommate learns to purl. Happy Halloween!

Planning and Swatching

Wow, looks like the peacock color scheme wins! Saleknitter (no link?), I think that's a good suggestion but elann is currently sold out of their chocolate brown (I am using it in my Log Cabin blanket, and it is a gorgeous color!)

I was thinking about the Kyoto pattern, and about photos I've seen of finished ones, and I think what has always held me back was the double seed stitch. I hate seed stitch. I hate doing it, I hate the way it looks and feels, I would hate doing any seaming with it. So I thought about other textural possibilities for the sash, possibly some interlocking cables? Smocking? Brocade stitch? I wondered what that would look like, then I remembered seeing this in a Knitpicks catalog many moons ago:



So yes, something like that would look good. I'd rather keep the seed stitch for the neckline and sleeve edges, but I could use a different stitch for the sash. This would complicate color changes between the two yellows (I do want to use both), but I like the i-cord concept from the Knitpicks pattern, if not in that exact configuration. I like the cropped-ness of the original Kyoto sweater, so I think putting a cord in the center of the sash would embiggen the waist area, ew.

I worked on Adamas at Stitch n Bitch tonight, but I also made a little swatch for a new hat for my boyfriend. He wants a cap with a brim, and I want it to be really nice and well-made, so I have to do some planning. I'm going to knit it in 4 triangular sections that I'll sew together, starting from the hem. Then I'll line it with something (microfleece?) so it's not scratchy.



I'm using KnitPicks Essential superwash sock yarn, which is pretty soft, but still wool, you know. This has to be a Manly hat, so the color scheme is boring (for me). The green won't even be seen while he's wearing it; it's the inside edge of the hem, and it's ONLY green because I thought that would be a cool detail and because it would make me happier while I'm knitting it. But he will like it, and hopefully wear it a lot, and then I will get to show off my skillz because he likes telling people I made it. ♥ ♥

Has anyone ever knit a brimmed cap? I'm assuming I'll use that plastic canvas stuff from the craft store for the brim. I think there's a pattern in a Deb Stoller book for one, so I might go there for pointers.

I like this yarn on size 2 needles, which is the smallest I own, but I imagine that on size 1 it would be squooshy and dense and really great. I ordered a bunch of colors, not knowing what J. would want, so maybe I'll make something tinily gauged for myself with the extra. But what?

***

I don't plan to regale you with every spam e-mail I get, but this one was just too much to keep quiet about. You don't have to read it all to get the gist, but I copied it just for posterity's sake. I mean, What the...???

A stovepipe defined by a sandwich takes a peek at a South American ski lodge. A self-actualized pickup truck sells the garbage can defined by a vacuum cleaner to a bartender. Some precise food stamp conquers the diskette. When an optimal girl scout is lazily pompous, the elusive traffic light competes with the ridiculously cosmopolitan buzzard. A satellite eagerly eats a cyprus mulch.

(It goes on and on like this for paragraphs. I couldn't get the expanded posts to work out for me so I got rid of that; you don't need to read more of this nonsense anyway, do you?)

Dis-Moi

Ok, I've been totally inspired to make Kyoto. I've thought about it before but always decided against it for whatever reason. I think my tastes have changed now such that I do really want to make (and wear the hell out of) this sweater. It calls for Tahki Cotton Classic, which to a cotton lover like me is like the holy grail of all yarns, but I think I'd rather use it's cheaper cousin, elann.com Sonata. So tell me, what colors should I make it in? I'm open to all suggestions, but here are some thoughts (first color is MC, the other two are for the torso):

blues



rose



crazy peacock woman


Any thoughts? Maybe I should use a different yarn altogether? It's a bold shape for a sweater, so I want a smashing color combo.

In other news, I am stalling on armholes and sleeve caps, as usual, and planning my next Lace Project.

Warning: Phonecam

Apologies in advance.

So today I went to Ross, my new favorite impulse-shopping store, to see if I could find a simple cardigan (it's cardigan weather here and I annually find myself in short supply). I got this idea in my head for some felt embellishments that I wanted to try. I guess the thing I like about Ross is that nothing is normal or plain - everything is wacky and decidedly un-Gap. I feel like I'm running a rescue for unloved clothing when I get stuff there (and I really do LOVE everything I've bought...)

Anyway, I found this awesome sweater that totally reminded me of this awesome sweater, times 1/60.



It wasn't a cardigan...



so I didn't get it. Partially because of this:



But also because it was cotton/acrylic, not what I was shopping for, and possibly a little weak in the bobble-connections. I don't know, I kind of want to go back for it. On the one hand, I could knit it, probably improving on it, and take all kinds of credit for it, but on the other hand, I could have it NOW, for $25 instead of however much I'd pay for the yarn.

I think this is part of my need-to-knit-sweaters thing that I'm going through right now. I picked up Bluey (Bluester? Mr. Blue? Cables McBlueberry? gotta think of a better name than "the blue sweater") and figured out what the hell I was doing with the sleeves last month, so hopefully I'll get it out of my system a little. So much on my plate. I think my fingers need a rest.

Should I go back for the brown sweater? They had more in my size...with no gaping holes...hm.

All Sarcelle All The Time

Thanks for the comments, everyone! My mom loved it. Here she is enjoying it (isn't she cute?)



The picture is kind of dark, but she's sitting at the counter in our kitchen, which my parents are remodeling right now and doing a really good job of it. Going home to see the huge black granite countertops, when compared to the light yellow tile ones we had the whole time I lived there, makes me really happy for them because it's a major improvement.



I know you don't come here to read about my mom's kitchen, of all things, though, so here's a shot of her showing off the lace (in taking this, I took for granted that I'd seen 1,000 arms-out-lace-show-off pictures on blogs and my mom hadn't, so she was kind of like, what? what do you want me to do?)

My weekend went pretty well, managed to take Adamas and the knitpicks circulars I'm using to knit it on the plane, but I only did about 3.5 rows all weekend. Sunday we went to West Hollywood and walked about 6 miles for the AIDS Walk, and that was really fun. Only 4 little protesters - a pathetic turn out, really. I think something like 30,000 come out for the walk, so the positive energy is really flowing all day. Glad I wasn't on the "sex is a sin" side of the police tape; they weren't having much fun (and probably rarely do!)

Sorry there's not much knitting content. I'm taking up old projects again and I'll hopefully update on those soon. One thing about having sooo many projects in the works is you don't finish stuff or start stuff often, which makes for blog posts full of progress shots of projects everyone JUST SAW! I'll get to swatching something new this week, I promise!

Who Loves Ya?

What's this?



Could it be?



Indeed, it is.



Finished and blocked exactly on schedule.

Pattern: Sarcelle by Kristi Geraci of Knitters Anonymous.

Yarn: Ornaghi Merino Oro, in a light sage color (don't know the name/number). This is the recommended yarn for the pattern. PS Kristi asked if the yarn was variegated. Technically no, but there are very subtle variations in the shade of the yarn because there's this really dark strand running through most of it, and sometimes it shows up more than other times. It's great, because it adds this really cool depth to the color, but I think it might also contribute to its unphotographability.

Needles: Some kind of HORRIBLE metal US#2 circulars I got from ebay with the worst joins ever; I was constantly paranoid that the join would rip the yarn as it passed across. Why didn't I get new needles? Well.

Measurements: Pre-blocking, approximately 52" long, 14" along the short side. Post-blocking, 65" long, 16.5" along the short side. I blocked it a little longer and skinnier than Kristi did for the pattern, just because I thought my mom would prefer it that way.



Notes: First of all, thanks so much everyone for the encouragement! I think it took about a month to do this, and this was a damn busy month for me in terms of school and work. I knit pretty fiendishly on this without working on much else, but it was way worth it. It weighs next to nothing. It's so thin and fluttery. Unfortunately this color is IMPOSSIBLE to photograph well; it's shiny, translucent, not really light, but not dark either. It doesn't contrast with much on camera, but it's very pretty in person. I put some gratuitous lace porn photos on flickr for ya. I'll get a shot of my mom wearing it when I can. PS That should be sometime tomorrow or Friday, as I'm going down to see her (YAY!) and I'm giving it to her right away. The gift bag, which I looove, is from The Giftbag Factory, part of the "Sprout Cards" collection under the Our Designs tab. I got it in a card shop in Berkeley for $5, which at the time seemed a bit much for a gift bag but we're a very gift-bag-reusey family, plus it's so pretty. (For those of you that might be thinking, $5 is chump change! I say: two slices and cokes from Blondie's. COLLEGE!)

I'm heading to L.A. this weekend for the AIDS Walk and to see my mom for her birthday. So excited!

Now I can get on to the tasks of applying for grad school, writing my papers, and finishing that blue sweater.

(PS see the FO modeled by my mom here)

Not that Kind of End

Grar!



Don't worry - I have plenty of yarn. I just really thought the end of my hand-wound ball would make it through this row, and now I have to TINK about 120 stitches and wind up a little more yarn and I just want to KNIT a little bit more before tomorrow, because every moment counts here, people.

No, I'll make it. Home stretch. Expect a finished Sarcelle on Wednesday.

Trudging

And just like that, I'm almost done.



I've got 2 main section repeats to go, then the end bit which I'm probably underestimating. I've got 7 days and estimate I'll need 5, so despite my crap weekend in which I hardly knit at all, I'm on track.



My fingers are itching for a different size needle, different set of stitches, different fiber. I wish I could have been more leisurely with this project. I knit fiendishly through 2/3 of the shawl and just now, I'd like to take a break, so I think that says something for the pattern that I can manage to be mostly monogamous for so long. I'm anxious to see it blocked, which should happen a week from today. All in all it's been a good few weeks but I am just not the Olympic Knitter type!

It's October!

Happy October, everyone. October is my FAVORITE MONTH. Why? Eh, I don't know, the bright blue weather? The fantastic holidays? I can't really come up with a good reason, I just like it. Today I felt like there was a lot of potential in this month, though I don't know for what.



Unfortunately I had kind of a taxing weekend, mostly just personal stuff (did I mention I generally hate September?) that came to a boil all at once. I forgot to blog about my decision not to do my honors thesis after all. It just wasn't what I'd imagined, and there are other things I can do with my remaining year in school. I have mad senioritis and I'm stressing about grad school applications and the GRE, worrying about starving to death when I graduate and my scholarship payments stop coming, and all that other fun stuff you get to think about when you're 20 and facing the Real World, or something.

So, I took all my stash and WIPs out of my closet/floor/spare laundry basket and piled them on my bed.



Then I went to the drugstore to find some nice plastic bins to keep them in. Check out the labels on the ones I decided to buy! Does this not say, "PUT YOUR KNITTING IN HERE"?



Most of my stash fits in these two boxes (that'd be 32 Quarts of yarn) but none of my in-progress knitting does. I'm sure I'll have to buy another box or two to keep the rest of the odd balls of yarn in, but for now I'm satisfied. I still keep my current projects in plastic shopping bags on the floor by my closet, in the way of the well-organized college student, but it's good because they stare at me and guilt me into working on them. AL, FINISH ME! PLEASE FINISH ME!

A word on the photos in my last post (by the way, I got a new flickr account just for this blog, so I'll be transitioning links in the archives and I plan to make prodigious use of tags, sets, favorites, and contacts just like a good flickrer!):

The green top. I showed a swatch of this pattern a while ago, and haven't blogged about it since because I wasn't sure of it's timeline. It's been a quick knit, just another deep-v (cause everybody's doing the deep-v these days) that I plan to make sweater-vest-y by picking up and ribbing around the neck and armholes. This is the kind of thing I think is cute, but might well end up on a site like You Knit What? described in the usual manner of "fugliest fug ugly stupid weird etc" that some people in the knitblogosphere* are sooo good at spouting. Seriously, homies can be mean. But I am proud to say I am very in love with this design, so there.

The purple yarn. Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran and Kimono Angora. It was on sale, what can I say? Small scarfy thing, F&F perhaps. I don't have a lot of purple in my wardrobe but lately I've fallen hard for it, so a nice neckwarmer of sorts would be fun. It's getting cold in Berkeley, and as stated before, I'm a Bay Area weather wimp.

The peach recycled yarn. This I'm excited about. After my trip to the de Young museum's Gee's Bend exhibit, I started thinking of a way to knit a version of one of the quilts I saw. I looked around on the net for yarns, but it was getting pricey and the colors I wanted weren't really available. Aha! Goodwill sweater yarn! It fits the Gee's Bend use-what-you-have, no-scrap-left-behind concept, giving new life to yarn locked in ugly, outdated, worn, stained, or otherwise not likely to be worn again sweaters. I bought 3 huge cotton sweaters in varying shades of yellow and peach, and plan to get some cellulose dyes to achieve the apricot color I'm looking for, then I'll go look for the grey/brown contrast yarn in another trip. This is a long-term project; don't expect any knitting any time soon! But I promise to blog the unravelling and dyeing process for ya.

Ugh, that was a lot of text. Here's a photo for you, patient reader, of my First Sweater Ever, and me looking like I just woke up from a 5pm nap:



*I'll try not to use this word ever again, ok?

PS! I have finished 6 of 9 repeats of the main body of Sarcelle. A quick calculation reveals my stitch count so far to be in the 40k range. Can I get a Holy Crap?