March catch-up, a hat trick of FOs!

I’ve updated the projects page as I have actually been on a finishing streak! Even though I did put aside Juliet for the time being (it is already getting warm here in Tucson, so I have lost some of the compelling need to be knitting a bulky weight sweater), I think it was a good choice. I finished the Ribbons Baby Blanket, AND I cast on and finished my first BSJ!!! The blanket turned out lovely. The BSJ was really fun and I didn’t put it down once — just trusted in EZ and knit on, and hey! it worked! All it needs are some buttons. I will update with pictures here and on Ravelry at some point.

I will be continuing the finishing streak with a hat trick, finishing the Lenore socks from the Rockin’ Sock Club. I cast on for the second sock on Monday March 17 and today I am half-way through the gusset and I bet that I’ll have it finished over the next 2 or 3 evenings.

Then — what next? I *should* finish the second sock of the pair of baby socks, but the new RSC yarn (“Lucky”) is really cool and it’s a very interesting pattern. I might do that next, and then another slog of WIPs.

 

A month later…

I am in a state of sweater fear. After the troubles I had with the final shape and size of Camisa, I think I’m a little gun-shy. I’ve been knitting on Juliet all month (I haven’t been able to accomplish any heroics, but it’s been steady progress), and I’m down to (I think) the last 2 repeats of the lace pattern. Fears are worming away in my brain — will it be too big? Too small? Will the double-stranded yarn (Cascade 220) be too stiff? Too bulky? How will I finish the sleeves (I left the live stitches on waste yarn so I could add some length and shape to them, as they were kinda wing-like)? Did this project just eat up a month of my life and 7 skeins of yarn and have nothing good to show for it? Or… will it be OK? Will it be better than OK? I’m in a state about it and I almost want to turn to another project, like finishing up the Ribbons baby blanket, or my second Lenore sock, or starting the new RSC kit (I’m going to try 2 socks at once!!). But I think I will soldier on. Even if it turns out that I am knitting myself a thrift store sweater. Oy.

 

Back to Safari

Warning: geek alert.Hey! I transfered all my bookmarks and RSS feeds to Safari 3.0 and Mail, and all seems to be working well! The WordPress interface appears to be working 100% in Safari 3.0 (it didn’t work as well in previous versions, so I’ve been using Firefox).The RSS feed reader in Mail seems cool, although it doesn’t display images, even for blogs which include images in their feeds when viewed in a browser feed reader.And… I just checked and the “add to ravelry queue” bookmarklet that was imported from Firefox works just fine!!! 

 

Catching up on 2007!

Today has been a fun day — less stress than many previous days (we are kitchen remodeling while trying to keep up with the holidays and being a reasonably healthy pregnant lady). I spent much of the morning surfing the net and munching on various breakfast treats, then we went to the park with the dogs for a short walkabout, then spent the rest of the afternoon listening to podcasts and working on the latest project, a hat for Andy. This is the Koolhaus pattern by brooklyntweed and I am making it so that Andy can wear it when he goes to Punk Rock Bowling in a few weeks.

Project Specs: (Ravelry project link)

• Pattern: Koolhaus Hat by Jared Flood (brooklyntweed)
• Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool in color 14 (deep walnutty brown)
• Needles: US 7 and 8 DPs
• Mods: So, far only one mod (due to practicality but it might work out for the best): I CO and knit the ribbing with US 7s instead of US 6s since I only have very long US 6 circulars and no US 6 DPs. I am also knitting the whole hat using DPs since that’s what’s available at the moment.

After doing the first repeat of the lattice chart, I cried uncle and looked up cabling without cable needles. Here you go: http://www.grumperina.com/cables.htm

It’s quite fun now and looking really good. At present moment, I have done two repeats of the lattice chart, but here is a picture of the hat at one repeat:

 

Still knitting!

Even though I haven’t been blogging, I am still reading other knitting blogs on a daily basis and still…knitting! I’ve been on a blogging hiatus due to travel, too much going on at work (making me want to avoid the computer at home), and some personal events that have left me very tired!! (But all is well.)

I have been working though — slowly. I’ve been a knitting tortoise, definitely not a hare. I did finish a pair of socks for Andy (his second pair, and they’re very nice!) — the Diamond Waffle Socks from Knitty. I also finished up my MDK Baby Kimono, it’s tres cute! What else? I have updated my project page at least, so that tells me where I am.

With the holidays fast approaching, and both gift buying and vacation-spending coming up, I have felt hesitant to buy yarn. My stash is at a point where I am tempted by a lot of things, but only sometimes do I seem to have the right yarn on hand. It’s a little stop-and-start-ish. I did place an order with BMFA this weekend though…it wasn’t a doozy but it wasn’t lightweight either (hah!). I got a skein of Leticia to make the Yarn Harlot ordinary hat (such a trendsetter), my first-ever skein on laceweight yarn, Laci, in one of the new Raven colors (I choose Ravenscroft) to make the North Star scarf from Arctic Lace (someday…), and 2 skeins of Twisted in fun colors to knit into a baby blanket.

So I hope to have some photo journal-ing happening soon, as well as more project details.

Currently on the needles:

• (or fresh off the needles) — Lenore sock number one, from the Rocking Sock Club. Oh, I really love this sock!! The Lenore Raven yarn is cool, but I could see myself making the sock many times over in a variety of colors. I made it on US 3s, and it is actually I believe the best fitting sock I have made so far. Yes, I must get some photos up soon. Lenore sock number two might be delayed a but because I am itching to start another project…which is…
• The Hoodie Baby Blanket from November Magknits. For this I am using up some stash yarn — various balls of Cascade Luna. I just need to go get a 32″+ US 7 circular needle so I can get started. Since it’s all stockinette, I’m sure I will switch back and forth between it and the Lenore sock. Hopefully will get both done before moving on to anything else.

Why the interest in baby knits? Well it looks like Andy and I will be welcoming a little baby into our lives, in May or June of next year! So even though it’s early, a few little things will be on the needles….:)

 

Camisa is hibernating

Camisa from Knitscene Fall 2006 — only seaming left to do! (10/07) — Update (11/07): I started seaming and I don’t think the fit is going to work! The bust and shoulders are too big and the waist and hips are too small. Either something went wrong with gauge or my stupidly daring mods, or I have shrunk and grown in all the wrong places. Since I don’t want to deal with it now (and I’m just going to keep being a moving target, size-wise, because of being pregnant), I have banished it to a hangar in the corner of my office. Blech.

 

New socks for Andy = mo better procrastination

To reward myself for finishing up my MDK Baby Kimono (so that, with the Inside-Out Socks, made two FOs within a week!), I cast on for a new pair of socks instead of trudging on a picking up the next UFO. I owe Andy some socks, because the Diagonal Cross-Rib socks were supposed to be for him, but the size turned out too small for him but perfect for my Mom. So, I started a new project on Sept 13 and I am currently about 5 repeats away from finishing the first one.
Andy’s Diamond Waffle Socks project specs:

• Pattern: Diamond Waffle Socks from Knitty
• Yarn
  • Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Earth (this yarn is WONDERFUL!!)
  • Leftover BMFA STR in Monsoon for toes (just some added insurance so that the socks can be long enough)
• Needles: US 1s

These are turning out GREAT. You can’t make out the diamonds that well with the darkness of the yarn, but the waffle effect is really nice, I like it a lot. The Lighter Circular Beginning worked out OK, though it did take a couple of tries. The Eye of Partridge heel is wonderful — so cushiony and really cool looking from the RS. A great guy sock heel, or more rustic sock heel for the ladies. And the size is looking like it’s gonna be perfect. Yay!

 

For the record…FO – Inside Out Socks

I just completed Inside Out Socks in STR Monsoon–yes, the first installment of this year’s Rockin’ Sock Club. Sheesh! And, happily, even thought the two socks were knit months apart, they ended up looking like a pair!

Gotta reiterate–these socks feel amazing when they’re on my feet, but pulling them on is a bitch!!! The cables fight against the naturally stretchy rib. It’s pretty rough getting them on and off! But even though I’m considering asking my sister (who has smaller feet) to see how she likes them, I haven’t determined for absolute wheter I’m gonna go that route. Because.They.Feel. Really. Great.On.

 

Detour to the LYS

And I have been SOOOO GOOOOOD, only knitting on UFOs and only looking at online yarn stores, with no ordering.

Then today I detoured into Kiwi Knitting in order to pick up 2 skeins of Noro SG in color 008 (needed to finish the Clapotis) and to “see what’s new.” Before I knew what was happening I was happily chatting at the register desk with the sweet Samantha and paying for not only the 2 skeins of Noro but also this:

So, I know what I’m doing this evening. Hmmm, I think I love reading knitting books just as much as reading cookbooks. Yay!

 

Good spam for you!

The latest KnitBits (an e-advert subscription that features free patterns made from their yarns) from Berroco is actually pretty awesome! I haven’t bought any Berocco yarn or tried a pattern, but I love to look. Sometimes the KnitBits offerings are so-so, or kinda have an 80s vibe–I think the styling contributes to this more than the patterns themselves–, but this posting features two beautiful patterns (I really like Eustice, and Luanna is also very lovely, a bit more fussy though). Norah Gaughn is the Design Director and I have to say I have liked nearly everything I’ve seen from her.

So, the coolest this about the KnitBits post is that Norah includes a mini tutorial on reading lace charts, for which–in my case, anyway–you can never have too many refreshers.

The tutorial that gave me my aha!!! moment with lace and lace charts is still Eunny Jang‘s series of lace tutorials. (Here’s the first in the series of 4 parts.) Finally I understood the way of the YO, and for that I will be truly grateful to her.