Ok, wow

I have finally gotten off my duff and out of my doldrums and am back in the saddle — hmmm, any more tired old sayings that I could be using here???

I’ve been on several work-related trips and also a 5-day vacation, and while I had Internet access, I just didn’t feel in the mode of blogging, or, sadly, really doing that much knitting.

However, the last few days and today have been true red letter days when it comes to knits, and a lot of it has to do with the knitting community — wow. If there were any doubt, cast them off (hah!). This *is * a powerful community with a lot of magic to make a person feel good, and connected, and inspired. For me, it’s especially lovely because it makes me feel connected both to other real live human beings, and also connected to the craft. Every time a connection makes me think, aha!, or gives me an idea, I am enriched both in a sense of community and in my personal development in the craft. Another lovely thing is that, unlike trotting down to the knitting circle at the LYS, which is great when it happens but it doesn’t happen often enough (for me), the broader virtual knitting community has a way of surprising you. All of a sudden, like some kind and lucky boomerang, energy that I sent out will come bouncing back to me. It’s so….lovely.

Anyway, here’s just a short list of the nice knitting things that have happened in the last week, thereabouts:

• I got a totally unexpected package and “reveal” from my Secret Pal. She is just the most generous and thoughtful person ever. Not only did she spoil me rotten, she even sent along her extra leftover sock yarns for me to work into the sock yarn blankie. Jeez!! What did I do to deserve this!!!
• Today, I got my invite to Ravelry. Can I just say… holy crap! I thought I knew all about how awesome the site is, but now that I’ve clicked around it for even just a few minutes, I am totally astounded by the thought, care, time and skill that has gone into building it. I know just a little about websites, but enough to know that building this site is a amazingly generous gift to the community. I plan to contribute to the site just as soon as possible.
• Sandi, the editor of Knitting Daily wrote a great post about modifying the cute Tomato pattern to make it into a Hot Tomato. Her generosity in sharing her knowledge, her fun spirit, and the matter-of-fact can-doism of self-acceptance and love just make me want to sing. (If I could sing, I would.) Check it out, especially if you are more a Marilyn Monroe than an Audrey Hepburn. For me, who has morphed from Audrey to Marilyn now that I am in my 30s, this one post, along with its follow-ups, is just gonna rock my world, I know it.
• I bought delicious yarn at Knitorious in St. Louis. (More in another post.) I actually spotted the yarn, immediately knew I HAD to have it, and bought it, no guilt, no angst. What joy.
• And…..I found a perfect pattern to start knitting up some of said yarn! More joy.

• Oh…and on top of all this, I received the June installment of the Rockin Sock Club, and picked up several new magazines as well as a book courtesy of my SP — A Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques.

 

Slow knitting…

I am working on a project that I have yet to photograph…okay, it’s the sock yarn blankie that I mentioned previously. Yes, this would be the THIRD blanket-in-progress for me. I must stop starting new blankets. I live in TUCSON, how many blankets do I need?

My Secret Pal sent my leftover sock yarn (what a peach!) when she saw my blog post gushing over the blanket, and so that was a pretty good impetus to start it. I am holding the yarn doubled and using size 4US needles. I am astonished that Shelly is knitting hers with size 2US needles. What dedication! She better win the damn county fair!

Anyway it looks like a fun project. I knit a few squares at the tighter gauge before deciding on the looser one. I’ve been glued to the TV lately (Sopranos, Big Love) as well as actually going out and seeing some live music with my chums, so it’s slow going. But there’s something cool about knocking off those little squares.

 

Clapotis — the Beginning and WIP

Thanks to my Secret Pal, who gave me 4 skeins of Noro Silk Garden (#8), I got inspired to make a Clapotis. So far, it’s been really fun to knit and man, it is going to be BIG!

Here are the specs, to get started:

• Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Knitty
• Yarn: Noro SG, colorway 08; estimating 7 skeins
• Needles: US 9 circular [The pattern calls for US 8/5mm needles. SG works up in sizes 8-10, according to the label. I mini-swatched with US 8s and 9s, and preferred the texture of the fabric with 9s.
• Gauge: 4.25 st/in [Pattern gauge is 4.75 st/in]
• Size: I am knitting without modifications to the pattern, so I’ll end up with a bigger Clapotis than the pattern. I’m not sure how big as I am too lazy to do the math and I’m not sure that it matters anyway.

My thoughts thus far…

It is, as always, a joy to knit Noro and watch the colors unfold. I never tire of it. Sometimes there is an impatience, or an eagerness, to see what comes next. I found that would happen especially during the green-teal sections, and then I would relax during the deep indigo and purple sections. The little segments of gold/rust are quite beautiful. The shifting of emotions as the colorway changes keeps the knitting interesting.

My self-assessed tension and quality of knitting is only so-so (not awful, but certainly…rustic…). I blame this on the needles I am using. I had to switch to the longest US 9 needles in my stash — which ended up being from the Boye needle kit. The metal material the needles are made from is good with this yarn, and the points are nice and sharp, but the needles have what must be intended to be an ergonomic bend in them which is really annoying. I am having to adjust the knitting a lot so that it doesn’t pull the needles into a rotation where the bend works against me. I would prefer the bend not to be there. (Side note: I got the Boye set for cheap during a sale at JoAnn, and I do appreciate having them — the whole point of getting it was to save time and money by not having to run to a shop and buy more needles.)

The pattern…is genius. As you can see in the photo, I am in the straight section of the pattern (section 3) and I’ve dropped stitches 3 times. What fun it is to be on that row. It’s row 8. I love rows 8s!!!

My overall knitting happiness is high. Clapotis is soft, snuggly and yet still chic. I love wearing scarves and wraps, and this will make me very happy when I am in dreadful hotel conference rooms, or movie theaters, etc., with air conditioning blowing. I will enjoy the practicality of my Clapotis and I will also be able to mesmerize myself by staring at the colors in the yarn. So, knit on……

Progress: well so far, I have completed 32 rows into Section 3 and am about 10 rows into the 3rd skein. The row count (if you knit to the pattern) is this:

• Section 1: 14 rows
• Section 2: 90 rows
• Section 3: 156 rows *** here I am at row 33!!!
• Section 4: 94 rows

Another view of the dropped stitch rows:

 

Check out this blanket, sockers~

Knit socks? Have leftover sock yarn? You have to see this amazing blanket.

Here it is in progress by my (shhhhhhh!) SP10 giftee.

Here it is on another really cool blog with loads of tutorial info (look down the right nav column under Blankie Tutorial).

I love it! It’s in the queue. I don’t know if I’ll have the guts to ask the blogosphere for yarn donations, but maybe I could ask my knit night group. I’ll see; I do have a small bag of sock yarn oddballs now and it could always be a “as time goes on” project. (Hmmm, I already have two of those — Bricklayer and Lizard Ridge!)

Speaking of the queue, I have decided what to do with the four balls of Noro Silk Garden sent to me from MY SP gifter….Clapotis!!! It’s in the queue, now, too, although I might start it this weekend. I’m very excited about it as I have seen some gorgeous pictures of Clapotis in Noro on the Interweb (this one is my favorite). Thanks again, SP!!!

 

Where have I been?

Here’s a clue:

I’ve just gotten back from 2 weeks in Anchorage and Homer, during which I knit along on the Grasshopper socks. This is a picture of Portage Glacier, on the way from Anchorage to Homer. Beautiful, no?

I am catching up on emails and paperwork and blog stuff! One wonderful knitting-related tidbit that just can’t wait: I got a wonderful box of gifts from my Secret Pal! (Which reminds me that I MUST get my box to the post office tomorrow for my giftee secret pal!!) My gifter Secret Pal, who is from Caldonia Michigan (that’s all I know about her) sent me:

• FOUR skeins of Noro Silk Garden in indigo-themed colors (colorway 08). It is gorgeous.
• Fresh and delicious smelling lemon bath soap, wrapped in a lovely paper wrapper printed with botanical lemon pictures.
• The sweetest card (with baby elephants on it; my favorite animal is the elephant) with a gift card to Godiva chocolates. mmm. I might have to go there tomorrow…

Truly lovely and thoughtful gifts. Knitters are the nicest people.

 

You’re a peach, Secret Pal!

I got a package from my Secret Pal yesterday!! Wow, it’s awesome! Thank you!!! I got two amazing books: Nancy Bush’s Folk Socks, which I have desired for a loooong time, and Yarn Harlot’s hilarious Secret Life of a Knitter. I loooove Yarn Harlot. What can I say, these two books are perfect. Not only that but I got a amazingly gorgeous skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock sock yarn, in “moody blues” — beautiful lapiz and indigo and black, just really great. I love it. All that and a cute card, too. So generous and thoughtful, all of it. The neat thing is that I will have all of this stuff, obviously the books, and most likely the yarn (since it will be difficult for me to make something out of this stuff and gift it away) forEVER, so I will always remember what a thoughtful gift it was. Thanks again, SP!!!!

 

Secret Pal 10

I am going to join Secret Pal 10! Here is my questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Please, no acrylics! (Except maybe a small amount in a sock yarn…) I am in LOVE with Blue Sky Alpaca Sport (lux, I know), and have difficulty passing by Noro Silk Garden and Manos de Urugay.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I use a very sophisticated system of two Pom Wonderful Tea glasses, an arty hand-blown glass from Germany, a smallish ceramic vase, and one of the cool new tissue boxes (emptied) for circulars.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

It’s complicated. I crocheted as a child, and learned to weave during college. I tried to learn to knit when the “hip craze” first started, when I received SnB as a gift from my sister, but I wasn’t very successful and only made one scarf. Then, last summer (August 2006), I took a class at a LYS and it JUST CLICKED. So, I’ve been knitting now for about 7 months. I consider myself Intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Oh, yes, it is here.

5. What’s your favorite scent?

Lavender, also citrus and bamboo.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Yes. The cookie monster resides within. Caramels, chocolate, crunchy nuts, mmm.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

No, I don’t spin, but I dip into all kinds of crafty things. Even though I haven’t had a sewing project in a while, I’m always ready, as well as fun painting projects, or trying something new!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Most recently played on the iPod: Regina Spektor, Victoria Williams, Vic Chestnutt, The Mountain Goats, Luna, Lupe Fiasco, Eels, King Floyd.

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?

Gosh, I think I love all kinds of blue – indigo, teal, sky, sea. But there’s not much I don’t like, except for dusty rose and pepto pink. I truly dislike those colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Recently married (October 2005) with two dogs and two cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes (lots); yes (some, no ski hats); sort of (fingerless mitts are great in Arizona); not really (although I think they are very cool).

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Having not yet done a lot of things (see answer to #3), I would have to say a this point it’s SOCKS, and toys. I really liked making the little bear from LMKG.

13. What are you knitting right now?

I’ve got a list of WIPs, about four at the moment. Also, I have ordered the Rowan Denim yarns to make the Courthouse Steps blanket from MDK.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Well, yes, I think so.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

They all have their good qualities and for me, it’s nice to switch things up. I don’t have any plastic needles so I don’t know about them.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have a swift and a nostepinne (very helpful, as you can stop and put it down!).

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

That would be the Little Slip of a Thing bag, which goes back to November 2006.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I really like the winter holidays. Maybe because I get a lot of time off to stay home and cook, knit, read, relax…it’s a good time of year.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

I file my magazines…so I supposed that is a collection. But no, I don’t really get into collecting a lot of tchotchkes.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

After assessing the environment for a while, I just decided to subscribe to Interweave Knits. As alluded to in #19, I do loooove magazines and hope to get more eventually. I am really just beginning to build a knitting library so I am very open-minded.

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

I would like to learn more about color knitting.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Socks are great fun!!! My shoe size is a Women’s 9; my foot circumference is 8.75″.

23. When is your birthday?

December 1.