String Theory

My little sister is 18!

2011-01-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

While I've not been blogging, my little sister went and turned 18 in October. I can hardly believe it. She's the first person I've known from baby to adult, and it's making me feel really old.

I'm not really sure what the kids are into these days, but I'm pretty sure my sister likes crazy socks. Us? Related? Apparently she never matches them, which is where the resemblance ends. Well, she'll probably have to wear these as a pair, since knitted socks are so much thicker. Oh but then maybe she'd wear different thickness socks as well as different patterns and lengths...shudder....I need to stop thinking about that. I would probably gnaw my own ankle off if I tried that.

Anyway, socks.

This is yarn I got in Switzerland, at the department store. One of the many wonderful things about Europe is that you can buy yarn at the department store. And the really amazing thing is that it is good quality yarn. Most of it is wool, there is superwash or not, it is available in solid colors, and most of the sock yarn comes with reinforcing. Amazing. This is some Opal sock yarn from Co-op City (apparently the "City" makes a difference - regular Co-op sadly does not have yarn.)

In Summary:

Yarn: Opal Sock Yarn, I lost the ball band, but typical wool/nylon sock blend with bonus! reinforcing
Needles: Size US 1 dpn
Pattern: K2 p2 ribbed cuff, k6 p2 ribbed leg, typical heel flap, typical toe
Time: A few weeks, lazily, in Europe
Cost: Not telling as it's a gift, but less than one would expect

Europe.

2011-01-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, while I was away, I went to Europe. Sorry about not telling you that. A certain gentleman I like I lot has the misfortune to live in Switzerland, and I went to visit him. It was in part a working trip, I had thesis writing to do, but I also did all the things one has to do in Europe.

I climbed to the top of a cathedral. This was more exercise I'd had since ...the last time I climbed to the top of a cathedral. The staircases are narrow and winding, and the tops of them tend to be really high up.

This is Geneva, Switzerland.

We also visited Manchester, England, where I bought all the knitting magazines. There are a lot of knitting magazines in the UK, did you know that? I will not be telling you how much I spent or how much the resulting stack weighed.

I saw a cathedral there too, but you weren't allowed to climb it.

Since I apparently can't go anywhere without poking at my dislike of heights, we also went up on the Manchester Eye, a slightly smaller version of the London one. I was totally fine with it. Really.

I drank lots of coffee.

And my wool-dar led me to barge that was also a knitting shop.

The nice lady let me in, even though it was closed. She was a knitter, and she and her husband, a photographer, live on the barge and travel up and down the river selling knitted goods and photographs. I bought a hat.

And I saw my friend Mika, who I had promised a "wooly hat" a long time ago.

This is the Quantoid Hat from the Fall 2010 Knitscene. I think I bought the issue solely for how cool this hat was. It did not disappoint.

In summary:

Yarn: Some superwash wool I got from Stitches, 1 skein medium blue, 1 skein light blue
Pattern: Quantoid Hat from Fall 2010 Knitscene
Needles: Size 5 (3.75 mm) 16" circ, Size 6 (4 mm) 16" circ, Size 6 (4 mm) dpn
Time: A little more than a flight to Switzerland via a long layover in Canada
Cost: About $16, you count yarn used and not purchased. I have enough left over to easily make a contrasting one, if not the same hat again.

Oh, and we took cutesy pictures of ourselves. We're kind of disgusting.

O Hai, Blog

2011-01-04T20:09:00.001-08:00

It's been a while. I keep meaning to dig into this thing and fix the slightly screwed up template, but since that's not going to happen just yet, I'm going to start posting anyway.

While I have not been blogging, I have been knitting. And sewing. And traveling. And all sorts of other things. Like, um, writing my thesis. But that will be done very soon! And I will go back to showing you the things I make.

Duncan is looking in my computer for pictures for you.

Someone I know from the Internet does something cool

2010-12-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

Someone I know as another knitter from the internet also has a super cool career in her real life. Kayla Renee Dyches (nee Bodiford) makes hula hoops look cool.

I have absolutely no idea how she does it. I was never even able to get the hula hoop to go around me more than twice.

Did I mention she also spins around in the air like an acrobat?

Seriously cool stuff. If I lived anywhere near the Savannah, Georgia, I would so be signing up for lessons. Not that I would look anywhere as near as graceful doing it, but I could certainly break my neck trying.

Gratuitous linking.
Riot Hooping (warning: loud intro)
More videos (youtube)
Twitter
Tumblr
Modelling info

Er, sorry about the videos going off the screen weird. I keep meaning to up date my template on this and never getting around to it. Links have better videos.

Not Knitting

2010-05-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is not knitting. It's not even crochet.
But in a way, it is inspired by knitting.
It's also inspired by Project Runway. I am Project Runway junkie. The current season is not enough, I have even been watching the seasons I missed on DVD.
I keep watching Project Runway wishing I could do that, wanting to come up with fabulous dresses. And in my fantasy world, I even run off to fashion school. Or at least take a class at the sewing store.
But that's not how I learned to knit, and I'm awfully good at knitting these days. (Sadly, Project Runway: Knitting would be fairly boring to watch.) In fact, I'm self-taught (-1 point in the Project Runway fantasy game). Nope. I started with scarves. Horrible, acrylic scarves with lots of holes in them, that had approximately the same number of stitches on each row, give or take five.
And then I made slightly better scarves, and maybe a hat or two. I gave people weirdly shaped clothing for Christmas. I made mistakes, I took on projects way over my head, and I improved slowly. I kept trying something just a little bit harder, and I didn't start with minuscule lace. I started with really bad worsted weight acrylic. I wasn't scared of it, I didn't worry that I'd never be able to knit an Alice Starmore sweater.
I'm a little bit ahead on the sewing front. I sewed when I was a kid, I even made a whole dress at one point. I can sew a straight line. I have a nifty new sewing machine that does embroidery. It's time to sew.
When I have sewn before, I have run into some problems with fitting. If you just buy a pattern, and pick a size and follow it, it's going to fit about as well as an item off the rack, which in my case is generally not well. The whole point of sewing, as the whole point of knitting, is to find something that fits perfectly, and blindly following a pattern is not going to do that for me. I need to learn how to fit things properly. But first, I need to make ugly acrylic scarves. That is to say, I need to start with something simple where I can make a few mistakes when it comes to exact dimensions.
Luckily, Jo-Anne Fabrics has these really simple little kits. They whole pattern is printed onto about a yard of cotton. You cut it out, try to interpret the directions, and sew it together.
And you wind up with this.

Or this.

The first are called Stash Sacks. They're simple little drawstring cases. The smallest two have appliques on the front. The kit came with 5 or 6 appliques, I only liked these two. I've saved the others for future purposes (because I am a pack rat and save nearly everything), but I'm pretty happy with the big on as is. And the best part is that I'll actually use them. I think they're perfect for packing in luggage. The smallest one is about the right size for some jewelry, maybe. The biggest one might be big enough to hold some dirty clothes. The middle one is damn cute, and I'm sure I'll find a purpose for it. But it's great, I'll actually use them. And they're obnoxious colors and prints that I actually love. I would buy things like these.
The second is a "reversible" tote, that has obviously immediately become a knitting bag. I put reversible in quotes, because it's sewn inside out, and turned through a small opening, which is then slip-stitched shut. I am not so great at slip stitching, it would appear, so that side will probably remain as lining.

I'm really happy with these. Luckily the patterns are pretty straight forward, and I can see how the pieces is fit together. The directions sound like they were written in Italian, translated into Russian, translated again into Japanese, and then finally into English. Actually, I think they just assume a bit more sewing knowledge than I have, which seems like a bad move on what is clearly a beginner kit. But I have made useful things!
Expect more sewing from me in the future, but with far less details than the knitting. Really, it's just an excuse to show pretty pictures.

Jaywalkers, Take 2

2010-05-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

These are the first socks I've knit twice*. Here are the first pair, some of the oldest socks I own.

These are the first Jaywalkers, which were the third pair of socks I ever knit. I mostly knit them in Japan, in fact, so I always have fond memories of them.

Me in Japan.

Those Jaywalkers are totally in progress in my bag in those pictures.
They're some of my favorites and I wear them all the time. I love the variegated yarn in the Jaywalker pattern, but I kept seeing ones online where people had used self-striping yarns and got a cute chevron affect. I decided I wanted some too.

I got this yarn at Stitches....2008? Not last year, but some time ago. Maybe even the year before, who knows? But it sat in my stash wanting to become Jaywalkers.
Like the last pair, I subbed in an eye of partridge heel, because I think the peaks really go well with the peaks in the Jaywalker pattern.

For some reason, when you have a yarn and a project already picked out for each other, it almost seems like it's a real project. And when it's a real project and you're not working on it, it seems like a UFO.
So anyway. Cute chevron Jaywalkers. It's not like I like this colorway or anything.

* By that I mean the first actual pattern. Sure, I've made basic 2x2 rib socks or plain stockinette socks plenty of times, but this is the first time I've actually played by someone else's rules twice.

In Summary:
Pattern: Jaywalkers by Grumperina
Yarn: I'm pretty sure it's a German yarn like Schoeller and Stahl, but I lost the ball band. It's definitely 75% superwash with 25% nylon
Needles: US Size 1 (2.25mm) dpn
Time: A few weeks of intermittent work
Cost: Around $10

Exchange Bag

2010-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Debbie Stoller. When I first got the Happy Hooker book, I went on a major crochet spree. I think this was before I started blogging. This was back in Indiana, in fact, so a rather long time ago. Anyway, I made like 6 patterns from that book in a row. And then, for some reason, I got stuck on this one.

So, I just decided to go with it. I don't know if I followed the pattern exactly, I don't really care. I've got a cute little bag out of it.

I'm a big fan of this yarn, which I never would have found out about without the book. It's Hilos la Espiga, which is basically polyester twine. It's pretty water-resistant, so great for a bag, and it's really not annoying on your hands when you knit, as I feared it would be. I think it would make a great market bag. It comes in a lot of really brilliant colors.

In summary:
Pattern: Exchange Bag from the Happy Hooker (Stitch and Bitch Crochet)
Yarn: Hilos la Espiga in bright green
Needles: A crochet hook appropriate for worsted weight yarn
Time: Several years, in fact, but most of that was in jail. I think you could do it easily in a week or two, if you can read a crochet pattern better than I can.
Cost: Under $20, I'm sure

Icarus Shawl

2010-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

So a little over a year ago, I knit this on commission, and it was beautiful.

I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to start knitting something similar for myself. Not this particular shape or pattern, but a pretty white lace mohair shawl.
I had this yarn.

You can't really tell from this photo, but it was a giant cake. It's the biggest single cake I've ever seen, and that's because it was about 1500 yards of mohair. In one cake.
I don't remember the brand of the yarn, I bought it at a neat little shop in East Lansing, MI. The lady there custom dyed things, but I wanted plain white, so she sold it to me off the cone like this. I have to say, I'm a fan of the giant cake. It means no awkward ends to weave in throughout your delicate lace shawl.
It was destined to become the Icarus Shawl (ravelry link). I thought it would look like angel wings. So, it was lovely, and I was really enjoying working on it, up until about 2/3 of the way through the body.

It pretty much looked like this, which was easy enough.
And then the second half of the original shawl story came into play, and I had to knit the second one, because the first one was stolen.
And after two and half white mohair shawls, well, this one was put in time out for a while.
In my post-Christmas UFO busting spree, this one was a good candidate, because I was now in love with the yarn and pattern again. It only took a year. And this is the result.

Pretty good, huh? It's gigantic, but I'm totally fine with that. This is a shawl with some heft to it, not one of those wimpy shawls that's pretty much a yarn necklace. Oh no, this is a shawl built for warmth. Just in time for summer. Oh well, it's out of the way, it's a gorgeous finished object that I'm actually going to keep, and it will be tres chic come fall.

In a crazy-cat-lady-in-training sort of way.
I finished the actual knitting of it some time ago. Okay, possibly a month or two ago. But, it's not finished till it's blocked, especially with lace.
Various closeups:

The peak

The edge
The really hard part was when I got to the end and there were 500+ stitches a row. It got to the point where if I managed a row a day, I was thrilled.
I'm not making a giant lace shawl again for a while though. The only lace I make next will be tiny.

In summary:
Yarn: 1300ish yards of white mohair (there's a tiny little cake left).
Pattern: Icarus, Interweave Knits, Summer 2006
Needles: Size US 4 (3.5mm) Addi Lace
Time: A little over a year, but much of that was in time out
Cost: Around $15, if I recall.

Someone is fascinated by his own tail

2010-05-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's Duncan MacLeod!

Christmas Round Part 4: Sexy Welshman Edition

2010-04-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a planner, I like to plan things. I make lists, and have rough sketches of what I'm going to be doing months in advance. I planned my Christmas knitting in September. What I hadn't planned on was a certain Welshman, who happened in October.
Exhibit 1: Welshman

Oh yeah, also I'm a redhead now.
By the time it was clear that he had joined the top ranks of my to-knit-for list, I was already behind on the rest of my Christmas knitting. It was clear to all involved that he was not going to get a knit before Christmas, except maybe a hat,
Exhibit 2: Hat

I promised him socks when he got back. This meant that I started knitting Christmas Eve (the official deadline for family gifts), and had two lonely weeks to turn something out for him.
Now, I know what you're thinking. October. How can someone possibly deserve handknits from October to December, but I don't control these things. Sometimes you just have to knit for people.

He has impeccably good taste, and generally buy whatever he wants, and a good quality version at that. The only thing I could afford that was of incredibly high quality was handknits, and that meant I had to do the knitting. He loves texture in his clothes
Exhibit 3: Texture

so he needed texture in his socks; I couldn't just give him plain socks or ribbing. I picked some socks with a neat texture, the Yarn Harlot's Earl Grey socks. Luscious Luka made them for her dad, and they were a man-approved success. I even made them in grey. Again, I generally don't follow a pattern so closely as to use the same color, but grey is just such a practical color, and it doesn't harm your vision as much as black. (Other acceptable options include navy blue or brown, and those may appear in the future.)

They are a bit tight on his feet; I didn't really take into consideration how a big man might just not have big feet lengthwise, but big feet around. This is absurd, because I had, in fact, made exactly those considerations for my dad in the last pair of socks I made before these.
I blame the yarn. It's thinner than most sock yarns, and even some lace yarns. (I still love it, I'm just going to have to massively increase my stitch count if I use it again.) I thought I would need two skeins, but these came out of one with a tiny bit left over. If I had increased the stitch count like I should have, I may have had to break into the second ones. He wears his socks tight anyway, so hopefully it's okay. I suspect he'll be getting more socks in his future.
This is us on Valentine's Day, in which he cooked for me.

In summary:
Pattern: Earl Grey by the Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Cascade Heritage, 1 skein.
Needles: US 0, two circs
Time: Two weeks of frenzied, focused knitting
Cost: $12.95 for these, but I did buy the other skein and am probably too lazy to return it.

Block Party

2010-04-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said I needed to block things? I wasn't kidding. This is what my front bedroom looks like now, due to two of the major offenders. My house smells like wet wool.

There are a lot of points on that shawl, and the sweater turned into an amorphous blob as soon as it hit water.
More on each of these coming soon, that is to say, once they dry and I can get reasonable pictures of them.

Christmas Roundup Part 3

2010-04-20T15:35:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know it's nowhere near Christmas anymore. I'm catching up, I promise.

Of course you knew I would knit something for my mom. My mom gets a hilarious percentage of things I knit. This is due to a combination of factors including, but not limited to, she is my mom, she's not too big, her tastes are easy to predict, and she's very appreciative.
So I knew when I saw this yarn, a long, long time ago, it was going to have to be a sweater from her. Remember Fringe, the yarn shop I used to work at a long time ago? Well, they moved on and went into the yarn dying business full time (you'll know them as Dream in Color). As the store was going out of business, they had massive sales, including this at about half price. I didn't know exactly what I was making yet, but I knew it would be for my mom, and there was more than a sweater's worth.

The original plan for this year's Christmas gift was a grey silk sweater, but I never found the right sweater pattern for it, and wasn't having too much designing something I liked on my own. During the search, I came across Buckland, which looks like it was made for this yarn. That's probably because it was. It rarely happens that I use a manufacturer-recommend yarn in a manufacturer-recommended pattern, but both sort of fell into my lap, and I knew it would be perfect for her.

The picture on the cover is actually the exact same yarn I used for one Mother's Day, and I include that sweater among my unmitigated knitting successes. That sweater I knit fairly quickly, and then spent ages getting the finishing just right. Not so much with this one. This one, I was in fact sewing the final seams on Christmas Eve morning, and my family exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve. It didn't even have buttons, it wasn't blocked, so maybe it wasn't even entirely done when I gave it to her. But she knew she was getting it for Christmas, as I had fit it on her (perfectly, btw) so I couldn't just hide it, buy a picture frame, and save it for Mother's Day. It was no problem, though. We blocked at her house (I taught her how to properly block a sweater) and picked out buttons at the fabric store. Here is the final version.

In summary:
Pattern: Buckland, free from Rowan
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Jeans
Needles: US 7 and 8 (this was a size up from the pattern. Go swatching!)
Time: I started this in fall, so several months.
Cost: If you wanted to make it now, it would probably cost *. I'm going to assume I paid about half price for that.

Christmas Roundup Part 2

2010-03-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

My dad is a big man. For some reason, I decided to knit him socks. You will see this is not the last somewhat foolish decision re: large men, socks, that I made this Christmas season, but more on that later. No, I decided to make my dad socks.
At first I started out with this yarn.

I thought it would knit up like camouflage, which would be perfect for him. He even actually admired it in the skein when he was over one time. I was pleased to knit from my stash, and proceeded recklessly. Very recklessly, because even though I could see that it was clearly knitting up like Christmas socks, I got this far along. There is none so blind as she who will not see how clearly inappropriately this yarn was turning out.
Well meaning people told me it was okay, but I felt it niggling at the back of my mind. So finally, I asked my friend Michelle (seen in this post, modeling socks of her own), who is very much of the same no-nonsense country mindset of my dad. She declared them Christmas socks, and that no Real Man TM would wear them, confirming what I knew all along.

So, since most of my sock yarn in my stash was bought on impulse, meaning that it has obnoxious colors that would appeal to a 5 year old or me, I had to make an expedition for more sock yarn. Consultation with Michelle revealed that Military Olive Green is in fact, the best color to make socks for an ex-military man. I was worried about running out, so I decided to do the heels and toes in a contrasting color, Very Practical Brown.

Okay, these pictures do not do them justice, they simply do not. I do not own giant-man-foot sized sock blockers. Given my knitting recklessness of late, I may have to invest in some. But here they are, looking a bit silly and deflated. I assure you, they look much better on.
Luckily, he was incredibly pleased with them. He put them on right away, and nearly wore them the next day as well, but my mom vetoed that idea as they had started to smell. He commented, "You know how when you buy socks from the store, you have to wear them out a while until they stretch and fit you right? Well, these just fit perfectly right away." Yep. That about sums up the beauty of hand-knit socks.

I may have proved my point too well. He later asked if I would make him more, like 4 or 5 pairs more, and he would pay me for the yarn. I guess family gets labor for free. Speaking of, I really should get on that. Gulp. I'm so far behind in my mental knitting queue. I'm a little burnt out after churning through the Christmas list. The first pair will probably be the negative of these - Very Practical Brown with Military Olive Green toes and heels. At least that will keep the cost down.

In summary:
Pattern: 2x2 rib cuff and instep, afterthought heel, regular toe
Yarn: I....don't actually remember and am too lazy to go look it up.
Needle: Size US 1, magic loop method
Time: Several weeks of fairly mindless knitting
Cost: Well....he'll get two pairs for about $40, let's put it that way.

It's not finished till it's blocked

2010-02-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

I keep telling myself this. It's not finished till it's blocked. Because otherwise I would have a sweater and a lace shawl to show you.
But I will soon. And also the Christmas roundup will continue. Especially if my mom sends me pictures of her sweater.

Christmas Roundup Part 1

2010-02-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Um, yes. I got out of the habit of blogging. Mostly because I was making things that I couldn't show you, because they were all Christmas gifts. I'm really, really bad at holding on to gifts and not giving them the minute I have them in my little hands, so it took a lot of willpower not to show you those before. Well, now you're going to see a lot of them.
Exhibit 1. Socks for Sarah.

My friend Sarah has cooked me lots of wonderful things, especially since I have had to go gluten-free. I hate cooking, so I figured I could return the favor by making her something nice out of yarn. So I did.

These are the Queen of Cups socks, a free pattern from the lovely knitty.com . These were super fun to make. The pattern was complex enough that it wasn't movie theater knitting, but it was still within in the range of prime time TV. The lace is gorgeous, but surprisingly intuitive.
I got the yarn at Stitches, especially picked out for Sarah. She loves yellow, and I think it's perfect to have a splash of color in an accessory. Personally, I would not wear a full yellow shirt for example, but I would totally wear these socks. It's from Sheepy Time Knits, and I highly recommend it. I bought several things from her at Stitches, and even joined her sock club. I was so thrilled with this yarn that I bought some cheap dpn she had on hand to expressly tempt me, and cast on right away. It didn't wind up being this sock, so let's just call it swatching.

In summary:
Pattern: Queen of Cups from knitty.com
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn
Yarn: I think it's All Your Base sock yarn from Sheepy Time Knits, and the color was Rumplestiltskin
Time: A few weeks
Cost: The regular cost of socks

I can't show you

2009-10-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I finished a Christmas gift. But I can't show you, because you know, it's a Christmas gift. I'm trying really, really hard not to give it to the recipient already, but I think I'm going to make it.

But be proud. It's not even November.

Of course, that's not counting the partially done sweater for my mom that she already knows about. I've got a ways to go on that. It's something though.

Business Socks

2009-09-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

You know when I'm down to my socks it's time for business, that's why they're called business socks.
I finished these a while ago, but since I got sick this summer, I really have let blogging go. Since I have way too many pictures of my cats, here's some actual knitting content.
I needed some dress socks, specifically black dress socks. I've knit them before, but honestly, they were boring and hard to see. So I decided there's no rule that dress socks can't have silver in them.

Yep, real 2% silver. At first I worried that it might come out in the wash, but then I realized if that happened, I would wind up with plain black socks, which was my goal in the first place. In the meantime, they would be more fun to knit, as I could occasionally stop and remark thoughtfully, "Oooh, shiny!"
I didn't have a stitch dictionary on me, so I just made up some vaguely lacy looking stitch in every other rib. I think it was k1, yo, ssk; k; k2tog, yo, k1; k, or something very similar.

It's hard to see in black anyway, I just needed something that was different enough to entertain me and not so complex that I needed to count rows really hard or anything.
Basic heel flap, I just continued the reverse stockinette portion that made up the other half of the ribs. It occurs to me now that a German heel (the kind with a garter border on the heel flap) might have looked really cool here. Next pair of socks may wind up with a German heel because of it.

In Summary:
Pattern: Ribbing/lazy lace cuff, reverse stockinette heel flap, regular toe.
Yarn:Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk & Silver, 1 skein (420 yards, 63% Superwash Merino, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon and 2% silver)
Needles: Size US 0 (2mm) Dang, that sounds small, but I use it a lot for socks.
Time: I started them in March, then abandoned them for a long time. I think I finished them in about two weeks in August or so.
Cost: About $22 for the yarn

Spinning with Fire

2009-09-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is not going to be particularly thorough. But it is going to be something. I spun this:

and I actually remembered to take a picture of it first.

It's a 80/20 wool/silk blend I got at Stitches last year.
Here it is on the wheel.

And here it is drying.

I totally have not estimated the yardage on it, but it's a decent amount.

I completely and utterly do not know what to do with it. Suggestions? I already have a ton of hats and scarves, and it's not much yardage. I haven't done anything with anything I've handspun (other than give some to a friend). I get bored of spinning easily so I don't want to commit to an epic amount. And yet I don't need any more small finished products. I'm going to have to get good enough to spin sock yarn.

Something to show you

2009-08-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, I do have something to show you after all, and this post is long overdue. A couple of months ago, my Aunt Betty, who taught me to crochet when I was about 7, made me a giant crochet blanket. Here it is on my queen-size bed.

She describes it as a "history blanket," using yarns from many other afghans she has made over the years. And there were many.
When I was a kid, my family would all travel to Michigan together in the fall. My parents, my grandparents, and my aunt and uncle would all go to the same hotel and explore southwestern Michigan. We would do all those fall-like things, picking apples, getting pumpkins, shopping hobby stores (okay, maybe that's just my family), and generally spending a weekend together in a mini family reunion. Sometimes we would even get adjoining rooms, and we could go into their rooms without even going out in the to the hall! When you're 6, this is amazing.
In the evening, after making great use of the hotel's indoor pool, we would all gather in one room and drink sparkling cider, eat apple donuts, and watch old movies on TV. I would crawl up on the bed next to Aunt Betty, who would always be crocheting some interesting new afghan, and pepper her with questions about it. Eventually she taught me (maybe to shut me up?), and I made a few little purses. I'm afraid I let it go for many years after that, but I picked it back up in college and haven't been able to stop since. Even though I knit more, I always have at least one of two crochet projects going.
And I can even make blankets just like Aunt Betty. The stitch is the afghan stitch, which is very fun to do, but I admit I haven't practiced much, and it's bordered by shells.

It's an incredibly warm blanket, and I love it, of course. The cats, on the other hand, simply adore it, and I can barely pry it away from them. If I leave it on the couch, there's always a cat on it. When I try to hang it up on the quilt rack (which I got for $5 at a garage sale) in the living room, Worfy will actually pull it down so he can sleep on it.

You can also see my crocheting in this picture as well. I'll show you that soon.

Bad Blogger

2009-08-02T15:08:00.001-07:00

Oh man, I haven't blogged in forever. But if I really think about it, I haven't finished anything since I blogged last. Pretty sad. I have to admit, I'm getting closer on quite a few things.
I have a giant crochet blanket I've been working on, that I might just call done soon. I meant to make it for my queen-sized bed, so it turned out quite big. But then it turns out I nap with it on the couch an awful lot, and it's probably likely to stay there.
I started some dress socks in May, with the hopes of finishing them in time for my lobbying trip to DC, but that didn't happen. I was most of the way through the foot, cuff down, but my heart really wasn't it in. But I've picked them back up again, and the nice thing about waiting so long to make the second sock, you don't really have second sock syndrome. I'm nearing the heel, so hopefully that will be done soon.
The other thing that I picked back up was the Icarus shawl I was working on in white mohair. It's really incredibly beautiful. I had finished the body and had about 4 charts of edging to do, when I thought I made a major mistake and would have to rip back. I had gotten too cocky to put in a lifeline at this point, of course. But it turned out to be a very small mistake that I fudged, and I'm nearing the last chart. The trouble with this kind of shawl is that it starts out all small and gratifying, you just fly through the rows. Now, I'm getting to something that has nearly my wingspan in a triangular shape, meaning each row is about 5 feet long. In lace weight. Think about that. I don't even want to count the stitches, because I think that would make me cry.
Sadly, the reason I picked the lace back up was because I knew a man on ravelry that was an amazing lace knitter, and he recently passed away. I hope he would appreciate that he inspired me to take my lace back up.
I've also spun a little bit lately, and it had been a while. I spun up about 4 oz of an 80/20 wool/silk blend. I'm very nearly done plying. I seriously need more bobbins though. I have three. I spun the yarn about half and half on each bobbin, which got quite full. This will not fit on a third bobbin on the same size. I know this. This is obvious. This did not stop me from plying and hoping anyway. So I just need to wind some yarn off the bobbin, and finish already.
Anyway, sorry about the no blogging.
As usual, I'll try to distract you with cats.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-14T10:25:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was Mother's Day (in the US anyway), and so of course, I went home to visit my mom. And of course, I knit something for her.
But first, we had to get a birthday/Mother's Day gift for my grandmother, and we decided she needed some new flowers. Several hours at the garden center later, we put together this arrangement.

It's really vibrant and the pot matches their house. But I really couldn't get over how beautiful this dahlia is, and will probably have to paint it. (I dabble in painting. God forbid there be some craft I don't do. Mom is the real artist. Go see her blog. )

Anyway, just like when I was 5, I made her present for Mother's Day. This time, instead of involving cut up straws as beads for a necklace (I don't know, ask the Montessori school what that was all about), she actually gets pretty things. She asked for a little shawl, just big enough to throw over her shoulders, in a neutral color. It's the grown up's answer to a hoodie. Being for my mom, it naturally had to be cotton.
Here's what I wound up with. Somehow this picture turned into some classical art style thing, I'm not really sure.

I really should have thought this "simple" thing out before I started. I started with an idea for more or less a lazy Clapotis, rectangular instead of on an angle. I liked the dropped stitches and I liked the way the stockinette curled. Not that you could really get stockinette to do anything else. Unfortunately, you don't drop stitches until the end. The very end. Which meant that I wound up knitting a giant stockinette rectangle. I was doing a lot of travelling, so at least I could close my eyes and knit when I got nervous on the plane, but I wish I had picked a stitch with at least a little something to it.
But the finished product turned out really well. My mom really can't tell one side of a knit fabric from the other, and she picked it up and put it on backwards. I really liked the way the reverse stockinette looked better, and decided that's how I intended it to be. So not like a clapotis at all.

Should you wish to recreate this , it's pretty simple. Cast on as many stitches as you think you'll need to wrap around the body, bearing in mind that the dropped stitches will stretch. On size US 7 (4.5 mm) needles with worsted weight yarn, I cast on 100 stitches. It wouldn't have been a bad idea to do a little more. My mom is about a small/medium, so increase as necessary. In the first row [k5, yo] to last 5 sts, k5. Then knit in stockinette for approximately forever, or long enough to wrap comfortably over your shoulders. In this case, forever was about 2 feet and felt like longer. (If any new knitters happen to stop by, I'll remind you that stockinette is knit one row, purl one row.) Then the fun begins. As you're binding off, drop every 6th stitch. Bind off all the other stitches as usual. Unravel it all the way to the bottom to get those open lines.
I can't really describe how fun it is to drop stitches on purpose.You really just have to try it for your self. It's like you're making a run in pantyhose, but it creates a cool pattern.

In summary:
Pattern: See above
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots (100% cotton) beige/natural, 2.5 skeins
Needle: US 7 (4.5mm)
Time: About a week getting some good knitting time in

Look, Cats! The All-Worfy Edition

2009-04-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I have been really slacking about posting. And knititng. And, well, pretty much everything. So I'll continue to distract you by posting random pictures of my cats. Here are some collected shots of Worfy.

He's looking very pretty perched atop my Hello Kitty pillow.

It's kind of all Asian themed. The dresser is Asian style, and the fan is from Ron of Japan, pretty much the coolest teppan-yeki place in downtown Chicago.

Here he is guarding my jacket, and my clapotis.

And of course, I'm browsing ravelry in the background.

He's just kind of posing here.

And looking very concerned here.

Perhaps he's concerned about the amount of time I spend on ravelry.

But this. This might be my favorite picture of him, ever.

So. Freaking. Cute. Excuse me while I go snorgle him some more.

Bellies!

2009-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Duncan likes to show his belly. And why not? It's an extremely cute belly. I absolutely cannot resist the little speckles on it.

I love the little leopard speckles.
Fun fact: leopards are the only big cats that purr. I've heard it, and not only does it sound like a motor, it sounds like the motor of a tractor that happens to be located inside your ear. It's freaking adorable. And possibly deadly.

Really, tiny cats leave me scarred enough .

Okay, this doesn't show his belly quite as well, but I like the happy, sleepy look on his face.

Also, the effect of the giant, razor sharp claws coming at you. On the large size on flickr it's a little scary. He's a mini tiger.
Fun fact: tigers are the only big cats that don't have retractable claws.
Worfy does not show his belly quite as often, but here is a rare sighting that he does seem particularly pleased about.

It's still fun to snorgle.
He's also a little bit cross eyed, which is incredibly cute when you dangle a toy in front of his face. But it also means the light from the flash catches his eyes very differently. I've been noticing that in a few pictures I've taken of him. It's not cataracts or anything, just a cute, slightly confused look.

The Sock List

2009-04-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

There are very few people on my sock list. Very few indeed. Hats are easy. I'll make a hat for just about anybody. Even a bag is within realm for the average friend or family member, but the sock list is short. You have to earn socks.
Socks take a long time. I read somewhere that the number of stitches in socks is about half that of a sweater. And they're usually a lot smaller than sweater yarn.
Up until now, this has been my sock list:

1. Me. (about 20 times. Okay, now I feel bad about being selfish.)
2. Mom. (twice)
3. My best friend since middle school. (once)
4. A guy I dated. (once. And we broke up the weekend I gave them to him. No more socks for boys.)
5. Babies, but they don't count because they're little.

It's not that socks aren't wonderful to knit, they totally are. They're completely and utterly addicting in ways you just don't understand until you knit and/or wear them. They're a lot of time invested, though. But since my sock drawer is pretty much overflowing at this point, I have added another person to my sock list. Also, she has earned it.

Meet Michelle. She took our office at the lab by storm last year when she moved here. She makes work a lot more interesting. And she helped me clean my house. That was my Christmas present.
I made the hat she was wearing for her for Christmas (her mom made the scarf). She wears the hat all the time, so she seems to have good appreciation for hand knits.

I don't really know why she's wearing them like earrings, but that's Michelle for you.
She's also a transplant from Texas, so even in our spring, she needs some serious insulation against the cold. That's why she got nearly-knee socks.

I did them toe up and knit till I ran out of yarn. They're nearly-knee. On me, they probably would be. Michelle has much longer legs than I do. Really, most people do.

She likes blue and purple, and wears these all the time. Really, that's a major component in getting on the sock list - intense appreciation for hand knits. Socks are a terrible thing to waste on people who don't get it.

Anyway, about the socks.

Pattern: Square toe, gusset increase heel flap, stockinette body till cuff, ended in 2x2 rib. My usual, boring, toe-up pattern. Makes a great purse project.
Yarn:Fortissima Colori Socka Color

by Schoeller and Stahl, color 9095 in blues and purples.

Needles: Size US 0, two circs
Time: A few weeks in the purse
Cost: I think about $10, I got the yarn cheap in a bag at Stitches

Look, Cats!

2009-04-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm writing up a post or two, but here are some cats to keep you company.
Here's Duncan looking pretty suspicious.

I would so cast him as a cat villain in a Disney cartoon.

Here's Worfy looking super pretty with his green eyes.

That's a gianormous crochet blanket I'm working on. It pretty much fits my queen bed and I'm still going on it. I'm using hobby store cotton, and I don't want to think about how much I've spent on it.

Here's Duncan sitting with his tail in a weird position.

Seriously, he just sat there like that for a couple of minutes. Didn't that hurt? Here's a closeup.

It's a cute stripey tail.

Here's Worfy regally surveying his kingdom.

And regally surveying his subjects (hint: that's me).

Yeah, I was home sick for a few days. When you're high on DayQuil, taking pictures of your cats is awesome.

Awesome swap

2009-03-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I got a package from Ireland on St. Patrick's Day! How cool is that? (Answer: Extremely cool.) It was a swap from the feminist group on ravelry, and was feminist themed.
No one has cooler feminist quotes than Eleanor Roosevelt, so this was the perfect card. The little tin is lavender scented temple balm (like you rub it on your temples for soothing properties).

It spent its time in the package right next to this:

lovely purple cashmere cowl. I was taking pictures of it this morning before work, and I realized it kind of matched what I was wearing. It's kind of a drizzly day, so it's a nice cozy thing to have, and still smells like lavender. Duncan was not quite as amused with it as I am.

(For those not familiar with my blog and/or cat, that is Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod. There can be only one.)
Continuing with the feminist theme, there was this book, which I am looking forward to reading.

Because my swap partner evidently post stalked me all over ravelry (which I highly approve of), she knows I enjoy crazy things from all over the world. So she sent me this, which is so freaking cute. I think he's going to be a zipper pull on my knitting bag, because I don't want him to get dented as a key ring.

But truly awesome, tacky thing is this:

This is no ordinary leprechaun pen. Oh no. It blows bubbles. I was so excited when I saw it for just this reason. But then! I scribbled with it so I could see what color it was and IT LIGHTS UP. Yes, it lights up green when you write with it. I am too delighted for words.
Because no swap is complete without candy, I got an excellent selection of that as well. I love Kinder eggs, especially the toys, and I am really looking forward to the chocolate mint. It's one of my favorite flavors.

But as this was a swap for knitters, there was also lots of awesome knitting materials. There's a UK knitting magazine that I have never seen over here. It has some pretty cute spring patterns in it, and some educational looking articles.
There's a little journal with fully blank pages (not lined, all the better for sketching). There's some pearly purpley stitch markers.

And there's some truly amazing yarn. In keeping with the feminist theme, the yarn is called Scattaich (I hope I came close to spelling that right), who my swap partner informs me was a warrior woman. Maybe she's in my book. I shall have to read and find out. It's really gorgeous sock weight yarn in pink tones. It's dyed by a woman on ravelry who shares some similar interests (coughLSGcough), so it's actually supporting a woman who owns a small business. It doesn't get much more feminist than that. I will have to find something very special to make with it.
All in all, teaandcakes was an amazing swap partner. I'm feeling quite guilty about the package I sent her. Thank you so much!

Tie Dye Socks

2009-02-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

I continue to be predictable and like the colors a 5 year old would. These come straight out of the crayon box. The yarn was a birthday gift from Valerie, and I absolutely love it. It is Alpaca peds, which manages to be a superwash alpaca blend sock yarn. I don't know how they do it, but they promise to be warm.

Worfy approves.

Basic top down sock pattern in 2x2 ribbing, except I liked the way it was striping so much that I did an afterthought heel, so as not to disturb the pattern.

In summary:
Yarn: Alpaca Peds in Tie Die
Pattern: Top down, 2x2 rib, afterthought heel, basic toe
Needles: Size US 1 dpns
Time: A few weeks in my purse. That seems to be all I'm making lately.
Cost: Nothing. Thanks Val!

I caught the clap!

2009-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Uh, the clapotis, that is. Yes, everyone and their next-door neighbor has knit one of these except me, until now. Loopy Yarns in the city was having a moving sale, and some of the girls from one of my knitting groups made a field trip out of it. While I desperately wanted some of the heavily discounted llama, I had already made two hats out of it and couldn't come up with any other plan for it. Luckily, I also found this lovely yarn, Mirasol Hacho deeply discounted. I couldn't think of what to do with it, and nearly defaulted to socks. Luckily, the very smart people at Loopy Yarns keep a computer right there, so that customers can access ravelry at all times. This is a brilliant idea. Also, a terrible idea. Do you have any idea how enabling ravelry can be? I found someone who had made a clapotis out of this exact colorway, and it was so perfect, I had to do it. And hey, maybe this pattern everyone had done was worth the fuss after all.

It was, actually. It was a lot of fun. The pattern is simple enough that when you get the hang of it, you don't need to look at every line. However, it's knit on the diagonal, so it keeps from getting boring. There's also the crazy thrill of dropping stitches (on purpose!) and watching the pattern develop. The only problem is that until you get the pattern established, people have no idea how cool this thing you're knitting is going to turn out to be.
My computer(s) had just died at this point, and I was looking forward to seven straight days of shift (8 hours- with about 5 mins of work to do every 2 hours) with no other form of entertainment. So I knit, and I read. It turns out, these high-tech desk style chairs work great for knitting and reading. I've usually tried this slumped out on the couch, and it has not faired well. But the edges of the chair and the edge of the desk lets you prop up the book so you don't have to worry about juggling it. I got it done in 5 days, and read 3 books in the process. Oh yeah, and did work.

I'm very happy with it. I don't know why I didn't do the pattern for so long, but I guess I never really had the yarn that screamed for it before. The size is somewhere in between a shawl and a scarf, so it will definitely earn its keep this winter. And a shawl is just so much more elegant than a hoodie.
(I'm trying to look snobby and stylish. Did it work?)

In Summary:
Yarn: Mirasol Hacho (100% merino wool), 5 skeins
Pattern: Clapotis from knitty
Needles: Size US 8
Time: About 5 days of devoted knitting
Cost: $24. Not bad, my friends. Not bad at all.

Actually, I did this ages ago, and I'm just posting. Sorry. It made a great scarf all winter though.

Sports socks

2009-02-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

Despite both disappointing me this year, I have made Bears socks and Cubs socks. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry. Something seems to have gone wrong with my digital camera and I had to take them with my BlackBerry.
I really have nothing to say about these teams than, there's always next year.
Bears socks:

Cubs socks:

Although the Cubs socks did double as patriotic socks on inauguration day.

In summary:
Pattern: Both basic top down, 2x2 rib cuff, plain body, s1 k1 heel flap, basic toe
Yarn: knittinglikecrazy's Crazy Soft Sock yarn in Super Bowl Shuffle and Go, Cubs, Go! respectively, superwash wool (and some nylon?)
Needles: Size US 1 dpn
Time: Traveling purse projects, probably several weeks each set
Cost: Around $20 each pair, with some yarn left over. Since I have several skeins of each colorway, this may come in handy.

Hey! You haven't been updating!

2009-02-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I will be posting soon.

Super Cute Hats

2009-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

I don't normally blog about the things I knit for charity, but this last batch of hats just came out too cute not to show off.

I have a lot of these cotton scraps left over from a massive blanket I'm working on for myself, and they work up well into cute combinations of hats. The one on the bottom middle got called my "Hello Kitty hat" by my friends, but it was unintentional. It just shows you how predictable I am colorwise. The one I am really proud of though, is the hot pink one with the little irises I charted up. Enhance!

I am really happy with the way these came out. I will make a few modifications to it (I will make the leaves go more straight up like iris leaves, and I will put one stitch of yellow in the center where the hot pink shows through), but overall, I am very happy with it. When I am settled on my final version, I will provide the chart. It's a quick, fun little thing that can be adapted to anything.

In Summary:
Pattern: My default baby hat pattern
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots (I love this yarn) 100% cotton, various scraps, but I think you maybe only need 60 yards or so for a newborn hat like these
Needles: Size US 7 16" circular and dpn
Time: An hour or two per hat depending on how complicated I made them, or how long it took to dig up the matching yarn when I ran out
Cost: Free, since it's leftovers

Good enough to steal

2008-11-20T14:09:00.001-08:00

So, I was commissioned to knit a beautiful shawl. I was incredibly happy with it.

This is what it looks like on the front. Ignore the cranky look on my face. Look at the pretty shawl.

The lady wanted her daughter to wear it for her wedding, but couldn't finish it in time herself, so she commissioned me to do it. This was in October. The daughter wore it in her wedding (I'm so proud!) and absolutely loved it. She took it on her honeymoon to Paris, and didn't even want to pack it in her bag to wrinkle it. On the ride in from the airport on the train, both she and her husband fell asleep, and someone stole it off her lap. Even the thieves in Paris are fashionable, it seems. She was devastated, and called her mom crying as soon as she got there.
So, the mom contacted me again - she wanted to surprise her with the shawl for Christmas. I had already decided that the first time I did this shawl would be the last thing I took before Christmas, but after hearing the sad story, I couldn't help it. I made the exact same shawl over again for her, and got it to her in time for Christmas. So, I didn't do any Christmas knitting on my own, although I did do some cool stuff for some shirts for my dad.

In Summary:
Pattern: Gossamer
Yarn: Kid Silk Haze (75% mohair, 25% silk) 225 yards - 3 skeins. The pattern called for 4, but it was done in 3 with plenty to spare.
Time: About 30 hours
Needle: Size US 4

Lorna's Laces

2008-11-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I haven't been showing you any knitting, I have been knitting, and I should update soon. In the meantime, I went on a yarn tour! My old knitting friends back in South Bend arranged a trip to tour Lorna's Laces in Chicago. I met them up there, more or less halfway (actually, less for me, but that's not the point).

I got to see Vicki, Aubrey and Kristine, among many others who remain blogless. I also met some new people who have joined the old group, but they seem pretty okay, so I'll let them stay. (Hey guys, sorry I blogged your asses, but it was the only picture I had of the group.)

The place is in a rather scary looking warehouse in a cool part of the city. Their actual space looks like a nice place to work though. The entire dyeing operation is done there.

They showed us around, let us fondle all their yarns, and then the owner, Beth Casey, gave us a demo of how she dyes the yarn. It's pretty much the same as I saw a lot of when I worked at the shop that dyed Dream in Color. The biggest difference is that they apply the dye to dry wool, as opposed to wet, which I found pretty interesting.

This is certainly a familiar sight though, and often the most time-consuming part of the process.

And then, there was shopping.

They had about 5 big tables full of mill ends at discounted prices. There's nothing wrong with those yarns, just that maybe they didn't conform to a certain colorway, or they were experiment, or they were the odd one out. At any rate, I don't mind having something a little unique.

Despite the vast piles of mill ends, I only bought one gift for a swap partner, and enough for one pair of socks for myself:

It's very practical, and will make excellent dress socks, for when I have to look all grown up and professional. I'm not showing the other one in case said swap partner decides to read my blog. But it's also very pretty!
All in all, I'm glad I went. It was pretty hard to haul myself out of bed in the cold, with the schedule I'm working, but I'm definitely glad I did it. It was great to see everyone again, and pretty neat to see how a functioning small business operates.

Halloween

2008-11-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

So, I was Sarah Palin for Halloween. Twice. Because really, I've never looked like anyone famous before. I think I do a pretty good job though.

And then, I was a beer wench. Because two nights of being Sarah Palin is more than anyone should be Sarah Palin. Especially Sarah Palin.

More silliness on flickr.

Space Invaders

2008-09-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Warning! The Earth has been invaded! Or at least, my socks have.
Aren't these the coolest socks ever? If anyone asks you why on earth you would knit socks instead of just buying them at the store, point them here. I have space invaders socks. They are the bmp from knitty.

These were a long time coming, actually. They started out almost exactly a year ago as socks for an ex-boyfriend. Had abnormally shaped heels, and there was no way to get the cuff over his heel and yet stay up on his leg afterwards. This was a big pain, because I had already finished one sock, and was very nearly done with the cuff of the second sock.
In the end, it actually wound up being a good thing that these were on hold, because we broke up not too long afterwards. (He still made off with a pair of Irish socks though.) Seriously, I might have gotten myself arrested for something if he had broken up with me after I had made him hard-core colorwork space invaders socks.
Eventually, I got to looking through my stash, and realized that I still had these in much the same condition as when we had broken up. I decided it was time to reclaim these socks for myself. This wound up being a fantastic decision, because most of the hard work was already done. I had about 20 rows to do on the second sock's colorwork, then just the foot remained. On the first sock, all I had to do was rip it back until it fit my foot, and then re-work the toe. Socks seem really fast when you do them this way.

In retrospect, keeping the socks and getting rid of the boyfriend was a much better decision than doing it the other way around.

Oh, and I wore them with this shirt.

In Summary:
Yarn: Base yarn for Dream in Color Smooshy. White is undyed, black custom dyed for me. Orange is a bit of the Regia color from the heels and toes of the Irish socks. I thought it was fitting.
Pattern: Bmp from knitty
Needles: Size 0 , two circs
Cost: Probably about $30 for the yarn, but I used store credit at the time
Time: Over a year in jail, but not nearly that much knitting time

Weaving Pictures

2008-09-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's some pics of the woven mat thingie.

The warp (the vertical part on the loom) is Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton in colors that match my mom's kitchen - it goes from golden, to yellow, to white. That's where all the variation comes from.

The weft (the horizontal part on the loom that you weave back and forth with the shuttle) is Bernat Cotton Tots (100% cotton).
Here's a closeup.

Except for that one glaring mistake at the bottom, I think it looks really good.

The trouble with weaving is that it takes up a lot more yarn that knitting. In addition to what you use to actually make the finish piece, there's a lot of "loom waste" from tying it in place.
Other than not using expensive yarn for the warp, I'm not really sure what to do about that.

Best Deal Ever

2008-09-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

You might have thought the spinning wheel was enough. You might have thought that I had acquired enough fiber hobbies to last more than a single lifetime. You might be correct. That won't stop me.
At the lab, people are constantly moving and in out of the area and the country. They often have things they need to buy or sell, and the grad student mailing list sometimes becomes an unofficial craigslist (not that craigslist is all that official, but you know what I mean). When people send out messages, I usually browse what they have for sale. Most of it is IKEA crap they're trying to sell for too much, but occassionally you get really good deals. I got a very nice DVD player for $35.
This time, as I browsed, there was something the seller called a "tapestry maker" for $20. I sort of expected it to be a cheap kit like you would buy at a hobby store, but for $20, I was willing to take a risk.
Best Decision Ever.
It actually wound up being a pretty nice Schacht rigid heddle loom. I had seen one of these at the craft fair I bought my spinning wheel at, and the lady had explained the basic principle. I thought it was pretty neat, and that maybe in the far, far distant future, I would look at weaving. At that point, I completely put it out of my mind. Then this "tapestry maker" came up, and even you would take this for $20. The guy really didn't think he would sell it at a physics lab, but he underestimated the number of crafty people here (I know at least 4 knitters scattered throughout the lab, and those are just the ones brave enough to knit on site).

Not only was it this complete, good quality loom, it also came with 4 shuttles, a little thing to brush the yarn into places, a complete set of warping pegs (things used to measure out the length you need to put on the frame), the manual, two beginner books, and several magazines.
I remind you, this was $20.
Luckily, about a month before I had run into that lady at the craft fair, or I would have absolutely no clue what was going on. There are all sorts of crazy new words you have to learn for weaving, like warp, weft, and heddle.
The warp is the bit that goes up and down. You have to measure out the full length all at once, and this is by far the most annoying part of weaving. If you're doing something long, you have to wind it all up at the top wheel with sturdy paper (from grocery bags, in my case) between each layer so you don't get all tangled. It looks like this.

It gets threaded through the heddle, that white bar towards the top of the frame. Half of the strands go through slits between plastic teeth, and the other half goes through holes in the center of the teeth. When you move the heddle up or down, only the yarn going through the teeth moves, the ones in the slits just hang along for the ride. When you lift up all the teeth, you move up every other thread. Then you can pass the shuttle through without having to go over and under each strand individually. When you do this, you make the weft, the horizontal bit. Then to go the opposite direction, you push the heddle down, which moves the strings in the opposite direction, making the normal looking weave you're probably thinking of. Each time you do this, you push the weft strand into place with the heddle, which slides all the way down, or use the little brush thing if that didn't do it tight enough to suit you.
It took a long time to figure out how to set up the loom, but naturally I did it the first day I got it, and wove up a little piece. As usual, it matches my mom's kitchen, so it went directly to her. She was *ahem* supposed to take a picture for me since I forgot. But really, there was a pretty steep learning curve and I still managed to get it done in one (rather devoted) night. Plus, the Olympics were on, so I wasn't going anywhere anyway.
So in the first picture, you can see I've started on some dishcloths for myself to practice. It turns out you can do some really complicated-looking stuff right away. It leads me to ponder about the directions of things, which I suspect will have to be another post.

Update on that spinning thing

2008-09-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Um, so, I told you all I bought a spinning wheel, right? I can't really explain it. I went to Midwest Folk and Fiber Festival planning to browse, maybe pick up a skein of handspun or two. I really wasn't expecting to buy a wheel. It's not like I don't have a wheel, it's beautiful. It's just also a big pain to work on, because it was definitely not made for a beginner. See, the foot pedal likes to fall off from the wheel itself, and the drive band confuses me a lot.
So I met these cool people from spinundrum , sitting there with their spiffy Hitchhiker wheels,
and they talked me into trying it. I played with it for a bit, and I started to get the hang of it. I thought it would be a great way to learn, especially because the wheel is small and portable - it even came with its own tote bag. I should get some better pictures later, but here it is with some pretty blue wool I'm spinning.

As you can see, it has a cute little foot-shaped pedal. The drive is friction based, which means it's all simple points of connection. You pump the pedal, and it turns that big wheel. The big wheel turns a little black gear, the gear spins the flyer that holds the yarn. It's all very straightforward, and just a bit noisy. It's not enough to bother me, but I've read that it's noisier than other wheels.
Naturally, I went crazy right away. I had bought two bats of roving from the sellers, one cotton candy colored bat, and one tonal red with a little bit of gold sparkle. I spun the cotton candy first.
It can only really be described as beginner's handspun. It's not so much thick and thin as thick and thicker. But I'm pretty happy with it for a first attempt.
Here it is sitting on the spare bobbins. The bobbins are apparently interchangeable with the Ashford Joy, so finding more shouldn't be a problem. I'm going to have to get some more, because three just isn't enough.

So I have about 60 yards of very bulky, very random yarn. I'm not sure what to do with it. It's about enough for a hat or a small clutch. I'm leaning towards hat, but I might just pet it and love it and call it George for a while.

Here it is with my couch. This picture shows the texture pretty well.

And here it is with the Spanish Inquisition....I mean, with Duncan. It's not a great picture of the yarn, but we always need gratiutious cat pictures.

Of course, I couldn't stop there. No, that would be sane. I had to immediately begin on the other bat I bought (say that three times fast) and spun it up within a day or two. I am so incredibly happy with this yarn. I would buy this yarn if I saw it in a shop. It's so very me, it's irresistable.

I managed to spin a lot more thinly and consistently this time. I couldn't believe how much I improved from one yarn to the other.

Oh, and the wheel also came with a PVC knitty knoddy. The knitty knoddy is a way to estimate the yardage of the yarn, and also to put it into a nice skein. The advantage to the PVC is that you can wash the yarn to set the twist (don't think too hard about that, it just needs to be done) and you never have to take it off the knoddy. Sure, the wood ones are a lot prettier, but this is just convienient.
I think this is about 80 - 90 yards of this yarn, and it's probably about an aran weight. I am utterly in love with it, and can't imagine anything special enough to make out of it.
As you can tell from the first picture, you can see I started spinning some pretty teal blue wool as well. I'm done with a lot of the spinning the first part of it, but it's also going to take a while to ply, and I'm running out of bobbin room. I'll get to it though. I'm sure it's going to be something for my mom, because it's exactly her color.
I am spinning some white and purple wool on my other wheel, which is going to go a lot better now that I've got the hang of the whole spinning thing. Besides that, the only fiber I had left was some alpaca. Apparently alpaca is just a bit trickier than wool, so I'm going to hold off on that for now. I picked up two more things (I'm not sure what to call them. One is in a bag, the other is in a ball) of roving at Stitches - one is firey oranges, reds and yellows, a blend of wool and silk, and the other is grey wool with bits of recycled sari silk fiber thrown in. I'm looking forward to those. I guess that means I better get working on the first stuff

Computer Issues, still

2008-09-04T16:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to send the laptop back again, since it keeps crashing every time I try to play a video game. And really, what's the point of a computer you can't play games on?
But I am going to wait until I get my desktop built to send it back, which hopefully I will do the bulk of this weekend. I've got an awesome case now - clear with light up LED's! I can't wait to see how all this nonsense looks. It sounds silly, but it was the same price as most other cases that fit my motherboard. Why not light up?
Before I do, I will upload lots of pics. I've made some lovely socks (me? socks? no...) to show, especially the awesome Space Invader socks that were a long time coming.
I'm also working on a really gorgeous commission piece. It's a white lace shrug a lady want's me to make for her daughter's wedding. I like the knitting for hire, I really do, but sometimes I get stuck with questionable materials. This is Kid Silk Haze, which is an absolute dream, and the pattern is turning out to be pretty fun too.

Ren Faire take 2

2008-08-29T10:40:00.001-07:00

So in addition to going to Stitches last week, I also went to the Renaissance Faire again (it's only an hour away). This time, I was an awesome pirate. See?

I bought a nifty pirate flask as well. The costume was very comfy, unlike some of the other fancy ones I've done before, all except for those boots, which you can't really see. It seems wrong to be a pirate without boots, but I wish I had brought something comfy to change into.
The awesome part is that much of this came from my wardrobe already. The big change was the shirt - it was originally a dress shirt with black and red pinstripes, but in addition to being to tight in general, it was much too tight in the arms. So I decided I needed puffy sleeves, like any good pirate. I also added on some cheap storebought lace to the collar and sleeves.
The corset is the reverse of the one I wore last time. Yay for reversible corsets. The belt I just happened to have. The pocket watch is my new favorite watch. I picked up a gold one and a silver one at an estate sale - they're the kind you have to wind, which I actually really like. The sword is my old fencing foil.
The hat I actually got at the Brookfield Zoo. They have a pet-the-stingray exhibit, which is awesome, and for some reason they sell pirate stuff in a gift shop outside it. It's getting near the end of the season, so it was 40% off. It's a black woven straw hat, but if you look closely you can see the band has silver skull-and-crossbones on it. I also got pirate flipflops, which is incredibly cool, but less authentic.
The fishnets were just from my hosiery collection. The pants are cheap yoga pants, inspired by some I borrowed from my mom. I wanted to show off more of the fishnets, so I made some little garters to hold up the bottoms. Garters are incredibly easy to make, for the record. I took a bit of bias tape lace and some black elastic, and then just sewed right up middle while pulling the elastic as stretched out as it could go. When it went back into place, it ruffled up just like a garter should. I'm glad to know this, because storebought garters seem to come in only size, and that's Too Small For Me. These were perfectly comfy.
The little purse I did actually make from scratch, and I'm pretty proud of it. It's just a simple drawstring bag, but I got it in my head that a metal drawstring would be incredibly cool. I really didn't know if it would work well, but once it had snagged all available threads, it was just fine. The metal is fancy jewelry chain that was on sale. I stitched what I had extra around the opening of the bag. It's nearly taut when the bag is open, and drapes when it's closed. At each of the parts where it drapes, I added a little skeleton key charm, also cheap jewelry supplies on sale. I added a few other baubles at the front, but that's about it. I think any pirate would be proud of this bag.
So that's my spiffy costume. I'm a little sad that the Ren Faire is going to be closing for the season, because I might be tempted to go again. It's just a shame that there aren't more occasions to wear costumes in public. One holiday per year is simply not enough.

Stitches

2008-08-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

So, Stitches Midwest was today. It moved to the Schaumburg convention center, where parking is free. And thanks to Debbie Macomber, who had a coupon for her book signing, admission today was also free. So in theory, one could go to Stitches and not spend any money. In theory.
I had a plan going in. I was going to buy some beautiful new sock needles, some roving, and maybe one or two really good deals or two. I kind of sort of stuck to that.
On the first pass, I found some nice sock yarn for $5. Really, you can't fault me for $5 sock yarn. It also came with a nice shopping bag that will get reused as a project bag.
I did buy the beautiful sock needles right away, which were far too expensive. I knew they were going to be expensive, and they still cost more than I was expecting. However, they are lovely 5" dpns in lightweight aluminum with a grippy body and an extra-pointy "stilletto" ends. I am such a sock junkie that these will get a lot of use. I had tried the straight version of these needles last year at Stitches, and they were so very beautiful I nearly bought some then. The only thing that held me back was that I really don't use straight needles, and they were planning on doing dpns. I can't wait to test them out. I hear they are doing circulars next year, which may also prove my undoing.
As for roving, I was a little disappointed in the choices. Too much of it was too variegated and not well dyed. I like tonal, but brightly colored yarns and I had some trouble finding it. I got some lovely naturally died orangey-red with yellow in corriedale and silk, about 5 oz, which I will get me a small project like hats or mittens, or so I'm told.
I also got some lovely grey wool mixed with fibers of recycled sari silk. It was an 8 oz. bag, and it should spin up really well.
Then, well, then I hit a really good deal I couldn't resist. You know that yarn that my naughty little kitten liked to steal? Well, they had bags of it at 60% off. I had heard rumors the yarn was being discontinued, and this was 2/3 off. So, I kind of bought a couple of bags of that. That's really where my plan fell apart.
So, the plan falling apart that much, I also broke down and bought a kit for thrummed mittens. I have been wanting to do some, and after trying some on, I couldn't resist this set. The nice shop owner even assembled a custom kit for me, since the colors I wanted weren't available. I got light grey mitts with dark grey thrums. Also, did I mention they're alpaca? They're alpaca. Nothing is going to be warmer this winter, and Chicago has some nasty winters.
But really, yarn hauls aside, it was really just a fun experience. I saw some people from my various knitting groups, and some people I haven't seen in quite some time. It was a lot of fun. And, barring the ridiculous amounts of money I spent, free. Sort of.

Don't Buy Gateway

2008-08-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Both, yes both, my laptop and my desktop are dead. The desktop was getting old, and I knew it was on its last leg anyway. The laptop has been a nightmare, and Gateway has been giving me the run around on replacing my defective hard drive. I am so incredibly mad at them, there are not words. Well, there will be many, many words in a cranky letter to the most important people I can get it to. But yeah.
So, that's the reason for the not blogging. Sorry. In the meantime, I've finished some awesome socks, participated in the Pratchgan, bought a new spinning wheel, bought a loom, made a Clapotis, and am going to be an awesome pirate at the Renaissance Faire tomorrow. I have also not been going to the Wednesday meeting because I am a total Olympics junkie, and my work schedule has gotten absurd.
Pictures of much of the insanity later, just thought I'd throw in the brief summary.

Renaissance Faire

2008-07-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

I went to the Ren Faire in Bristol last weekend.

This year I got picked to give the favor to the knight!

I've been going there for about 10 years now, and in costume every year since the first. Lots more here.

Cubs Bag

2008-07-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

Here is my mom, looking grumpy:

We had the following conversation about it.
Me: You look so grumpy!
Mom: I hate pictures, I always look so bad in them.
Me: Of course you will, if you insist on looking grumpy!

While I am all for general and widespread grumpiness, I firmly believe that one's pictures of oneself should be as silly and outrageous as possible. No one can say anything bad about you if they're too busy laughing.

However, that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is to show off the Cubs bag I made for my mom's birthday in June.

It's the Everlasting Bagstopper from knitty, and I had to make one because everyone else was. I even used Jen's yarn like everyone else did - soft, stretchy and superwash. This is two skeins of the "Go Cubs Go!" colorway. People kept telling me it was very patriotic, but only if you believe that being a Cubs fan is essential to being a good citizen (which I do).

I let her pick out the handles and drawstring, which is good, because I would have totally guessed wrong on the length she wanted. She christened it with a trip to a Cubs game she got for her birthday, and I am told that it does in fact expand as much as promised.
It's a great, quick, and easy pattern, and I'm very tempted to make one for myself. Perhaps in Superbowl Shuffle?

In Summary:
Yarn: Go Cubs Go! by Knitting Like Crazy, two skeins sock yarn held together (100% superwash wool, I think)
Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper from knitty
Needles: Size US 5 (3.75 mm) and 10.5 (6.0 mm) 24" circulars
Time: Less than a week. Once you get to the body, this moves really fast
Cost: Not telling, but you can probably figure it out

Who's the Boss?

2008-07-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's Tony Danza, La Petite Tricoteuse's ferret! He came to visit while she was out of town for the weekend. Ferrets are a lot cuter and smarter than I thought. (They still smell, but it's not that bad, especially if you keep the cage clean.)

My cats weren't too sure what to think of him. Worfy thought it was like a new TV, brining the wildlife channel indoors. He was content to sit and watch, and I think he found him amusing.

Duncan, who is not quite as smart, was a little afraid of him. I let them all loose in the bathroom to play, and Worfy hopped up on the sink right away, since the ferret can't climb. Duncan didn't figure that out, and Tony chased him back and forth. I think it was good for Duncan, as he can be a bit of a terror sometimes.

Overall, we had fun this weekend, even if Tony did try to eat his cage a lot. I think he looks like a little ermine.

Knitter for Hire

2008-07-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

A lady came to me earlier this year, wanting me to make a Christmas stocking. I thought it was a little early, but the story was actually sweet. Both her sons had these stockings made for them when they were young, and one had gotten married. She wanted one for her new daughter-in-law next year. There was no pattern, and no idea what the original yarn was, but I was able to chart it out with my mad sock+colorwork skills.
Son's on the bottom, new version on top:

The real trouble wound up being the yarn. These were odd vintage colors, and I could not find the right combination of color and weight. The hobby stores were useless, and the shops weren't exactly featuring Christmas colors this spring. I finally ordered the yarn in the right colors and the right weight from the LYS, but unfortunately they delivered the wrong weight, twice. The lady was a little cranky it was taking so long.

Once I had the yarn, it was quick work. I had already charted out the patterns, so it took less than a week to do the whole thing, which was not a stretch at all. She wound up being absolutely delighted with it, which always makes me happy. I passsed on the pattern and leftover yarn, just in case she might need another stocking at some point.

In Summary:

Yarn: Brown Sheep Co. Nature Spun Sport, in vintage Christmas colors, 1 skein each color

Pattern: My own, charted from a vintage stocking

Needles: Size 5 (3.75 mm) dpns

Time: About a week of actual knitting

Cost: I made money on this one! Yay me!

Stringy Theory Fashion Tips

2008-06-26T13:01:00.001-07:00

Always match your yarn to your cat for extra cuteness:

Btw, the yarn is the color Journal from Knitivity. It's super soft and there's 435 yards of it!

Also, you may notice it's not my usual colors. It's for a swap. I remain as personally obnoxious as ever.

Pippi Longstockings

2008-06-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

I've decided these are my Pippi Longstocking socks, and none of you should be surprised. I continue choosing only colors that appear in the 8 - crayon Crayola box. These I specifically started for two reasons: 1. I didn't have any socks that went with kelly green, and that was bothering me, and 2. The last socks I made for myself were plain black.

I got the yarn nearly a year ago at Stitches. It was a Regia stretch sock yarn that came in small skeins (take two, they're small). I love these socks. In summer, I rarely wear socks at all, and I have alread worn these twice.

They are what is now my standard toe-up formula.

It's a rectangle toe:

And the fleegle heel:

I knit up into normal sock length, then increased into the ribbing as I described before. Yep.

Loud, obnoxious, predictable. Perfect for me.

In summary:

Yarn: Regia stretch in obnoxious colors, 2 skeins, superwash/nylon sock blend

Pattern: My standard toe-up: Rectangle toe, Fleegle heel, stockinette body with 2x2 ribbing at the top, EZ sewn bind off

Needle: Size US 1 (2.25mm) dpn

Time: A few weeks of as a purse project

Cost: About $15 I think, which is less than usual

Things I haven't blogged about : Clogs

2008-06-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

These were a class at Peggy's that I never blogged about: the Fiber Trends felted clogs. They're extremely popular, and for good reason. They are very easy, with one caveat: don't try to talk and follow the pattern. Just don't.

Obviously these are my colors, but one was left unfelted as a before and after kind of thing. Isn't it silly and clownish? I need to go shrink it down so I can schlep about in these things. They're actually really comfortable. I believe the yarn is Brown Sheep, the new twisty colors for the body, and plain for the cuffs.

Adventures in Cat Wrangling

2008-06-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

One my favorite timewasting websites is Cute Overload, which, in addition to compiling the cutest pictures ever and making me fall in love with Fennec foxes, also lists the Rules of Cuteness.
Rule 35 of Cuteness is that if you're caught doing something bad, it's cute.
Yep.

This little one knows how to cause a lot of trouble.

Worfy had this cat tower for months before Duncan came along, and sat on it very prettily. Duncan likes to attack it. He would chase his tail around the base of the pole until the whole thing was shaking. Eventually, the bit at the top no longer connected well to the ceiling. I wedged a wooden block in there to keep it stable. That lasted about a week. Duncan soon figured out that if he hit the pole at just the right speed and angle, he could make the block go flying across the room. He found that incredibly amusing. Recently, he discovered that he could in fact knock the entire tower down. It pretty much hasn't been upright for 5 mins since. I've basically given up. I tried to put it up the other day with some cloth wedged between the pole and the ceiling, but Duncan attacked it immediately. Then he likes to surf down the pole as it falls, as seen here. I don't know about this cat, I really don't.
Luckily for him I cannot resist this speckled belly

or this little face.

He is so lucky he's that cute. So lucky.

Things I haven't blogged about

2008-06-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

This was a bag that Lorna talked me into doing this Bar Harbor Shell Bag for a class for the LYS. It's very pretty, don't you think? Well you better think so, cause that was approximately 84 shells of switching back and forth every 10 or so stitches with lots of color changes.

Not that I'm annoyed by that fact at all. No seriously, I'm glad it was for a class, because otherwise I would have never finished the thing. Some people had no trouble with them, but I found it incredibly fiddly. It's really beautiful though, especially the bottom.

Mine is felted, which is a little scary to do when you've done this much work. It's nice unfelted too, but then you'd have to line it, and I'm lazy. As soon as it came back from the shop (where it was a sample), it immediately became a project bag.

Also, I am once again extremely predictable with my color choices, but this one was kind of intentional. The best advice I've ever gotten for how to combine colors (barring some crazy color theory) is to take a skein of varigated yarn that you like, and pull out the individual colors from that. This is from a skein of sock yan that will eventually become something chevron-like (no, not jaywalkers).

In the Meantime....

2008-06-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

enjoy a little Worfy.

Lots of knitting content coming soon though.

Knitting Slump

2008-06-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

Every relationship is bound to have its down times. This, I'm afraid, is a temporary lull with my love of knitting. Seriously, I'm just not too inspired by any projects I have right now. I'm not even all that inspired to cast on. Sure, I'm still picking it up about once a day, but my heart isn't in it. Must be spring fever or something.
I'm sure it will come back. In the meantime, the only updates are likely to be about my cats. Also, I want a fennec fox.

LOLDuncan

2008-05-30T07:57:00.001-07:00

Duncan continues to have good taste in yarn. As I was working on my own crochet blanket, the little one decided that the cute basket I was holding all the yarn in looked very comfortable.

It's all very silly.

Which of course, suggested the lollified version of it:

You can see the little one on icanhascheezburger.

Family Tradition

2008-05-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

My family is strange, for many reasons, but one of our strangest habits is that we like to take pictures of ourselves by holding the camera out at arm's length. Yes, we are aware that self-timers exist, but that's just no fun at all. At my cousin's wedding, they put a single-use camera at every table. They should have known better. My mom and uncle went around and took pictures of themselves at all 50 or so tables. My cousin's dad complained about how much money he had spent just on developing pictures of "their ugly faces."

We have moved on to yet another generation of silliness. Apparently my cousin, who is about 10 years older than me, has just sent around pictures of his young son in this manner. So my mom, not be outdone, wants similar photos of me and her grandcats.

Worfy was not thrilled with the idea.

So I think this about as close as we're going to get.

Back to Black

2008-05-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

As Lorna's precocious little child asked while I was knitting these, "No offense, but why black?"

Well, with as many fun and crazy sock yarns as there are, and as many that live on my shelf, sometimes, you just need plain black.

I noticed this when I was wearing my awesome little power suit (as seen in the DC trip). I have one pair of fairly somber socks, in tones of grey, that go okay with the grey suit. However, I really wanted a pair of nice, grown-up black dress socks.

And these are about as basic as you can get. I wanted the use the yarn efficiently, so I decided to do them toe-up. I'm glad I did, because while I got very high socks that won't show my ankle if the pant leg rides up a bit, I didn't quite get knee socks either.

I started with the rectangle toe, which is pretty much the only way I care to do a toe-up toe at this point. I have done the Turkish/figure 8 cast on, I understand the principle. It's just entirely too fiddly. Instead, you knit a little rectangle and pick up all around. You then increase at each side just where you would decrease in a normal toe. Worfy is not terribly impressed, however.

The heel is a nice, no wrap sort of heel that feels like a larger version of the way you turn a heel with a cuff-down toe flap sock. It's basically the Fleegle heel, though I deviate from her pattern elsewhere. It also has the advantage that it's easily memorized, a problem I was having with toe up socks in general. You see, I like socks to by my basic, hanging around in my purse project, that I can knit in the dark. I have the cuff-down, heel-flap version memorized, and even the afterthought, but I had nothing for toe up. Add in the part where almost every other short-row heel (which most toe up patterns seem to use) has given me wide gaps, and I have a winner.

When I got to the top, I started doing something that looked a little silly. I wound the yarn in the opposite direction, and worked on the second sock right away, up to and a little beyond the same point. I kept going back and forth like this until I had used up most of the yarn and they were even. Yes, I could have wound the yarn into two equal skeins before I started, but that would require forethought. It's a really great idea to do, though, because you wind up with two socks done at about the same time, eliminating the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. While the more efficient method would also have involved two sets of needles, a piece of scrap yarn works just as well while you transfer the ones you're using to the other sock.

The cuff is plain in stockinette up until about the normal sock length (the height of my hand, bottom of palm to tip of middle finger), and then switches into 2x2 ribbing. The reason I changed there is because that's where socks start to require some calf shaping. Now, I could have kept track of how many rows I had done in stockinette, or I could have read my increases, but both of those would have required effort. So I switched to ribbing, increasing while I did so, and let the ribbing accomodate more of the stretch as well. The big bonus about increasing while switching from stockinette to ribbing, aside from being easy to tell where you began, is that it's fairly easy to hide the increases. When you knit into the front and back of the same stitch, the first stitch looks like a regular knit and the second stitch leaves a little bar that is almost indistinguishable from a regular purl bump. You can see where I'm going here. So to increase nicely into 2x2 ribbing, do (K1, K f/b, P1), wherever you need to. I'd show you here, but the fabric is black, and you'd all think I was doing that to hide my mistakes. I promise, I'll show you on some bright fabric sometime.

The cuff continues in 2x2 rib until I was pretty much out of yarn. I finished with Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off, which is extremely stretchy. Stretchy is crucial if you ever want to get the sock over your calf. I can show you that sometime too, if you like.

So anyway, basic socks, but the construction was pretty fun. And it's black, so if I knit in the movie theater, it doesn't matter, because I can't see the fabric anyway.

In Summary:

Pattern: See above

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock (100% superwash wool), black, 1 skein

Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn (set of 5)

Time: About two weeks, I think

Cost: Around $20

Questionable Stew

2008-05-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

So, I actually cooked tonight. It's terrible that I've been reduced to this, because it means I haven't been to the grocery store in forever, and when I do go, it's going to be a perilous expedition. But tonight, tonight I made an ill-advised stew that actually came out okay. Would you like the recipe?

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup with Roasted Garlic
1 can of water to mix soup (or milk, if you have been shopping recently)
2 packages Veggie crumbles
2 single serve packages of frozen microwave peas, thawed in microwave
2 single serve packages of frozen broccoli and carrots in Italian seasoning, thawed in microwave
1 can of garbonzo beans, not drained, especially if stew looks thick and you've added too much salt
salt, paprika, and assorted Italian seasonings to taste

Mix in large soup pan and heat until edible.

Makes a large vat that you can eat for several days, further delaying grocery trip.

Surprisingly, my kitchen adventures actually turned out pretty well. This is the sort of hearty stew that needs some nice thick bread and a beer with it. But let's face it, if I had beer and bread, I wouldn't need to cook.

Stealth Crochet

2008-05-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

Part of what hasn't been appearing on this blog was my mom's Mother's Day gift, a crochet cotton bedspread for summer. I wrapped it all up in a cute wicker basket. Everyone go, "awwww" with me now.

Several forces conspired to get me to start this blanket. First, Lorna started doing a knitted log cabin blanket at the shop. Then Susan (blogless) from the Monday night group started crocheting something very similar. I thought it would be a great way to use up some scraps I had, and started doing a random version for myself. As I was working on it, I realized that my mom would like it a lot, except that my version had way too much green for her. So I took a little trip to the store and picked up some wonderful cheap cotton yarn in her colors.

It's not exactly a log cabin style blanket, because I think the log cabin style is less symmetric than this. I have a thing about symmetry. I also apparently have a thing about math, because this subconsciously worked out to be a golden rectangle. That was not the original plan, but I'm going to go with it.

However, since I am not very smart when it comes to planning, there was a bit of a frenzy on this one. My mom is going to be in Florida on actual Mother's Day. So instead of buying myself a few extra days to work on the blanket, I actually planned to give it to her nearly a week before. But I finished, she likes it, and Fred approves.

It's very important that Fred approves.

A note on the yarn - this is my favorite craft store yarn. Yes, you can get it for about $3.99 at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, even Walmart. It's still 100% cotton, incredibly soft, and machine washable. Bernat Cottontots all the way.

A note on the pattern - the stitch is a half - double crochet throughout. I made a center square, then added a row on top and bottom, then on either side. The colors alternate so that white and blue are always in the same round, and yellow and multi are in the same round. I had to be sure blue was on the outside, since that is my mom's favorite color. I'm also in love with crochet's ability to hide the ends as you go. Even with all those color changes, I only had two ends to weave in when I was done.

In summary:
Yarn: Bernat Cottontots (100% cotton), about 5 skeins each of blue, white, yellow, and multi
Pattern: Log cabin-esque crochet with half-double stitch, see above
Needles: Size I (5.5 mm) hook
Time: A few weeks of frenzied crocheting

The Yarn Harlot Cancelled

2008-04-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Stripey Summer Socks

2008-04-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

I am nothing if not consistent.
And I am consistently drawn to colors a 5 year old would choose. But these look nice and summery. That's all I really have to say in defense of these socks. That, and the yarn was on sale.

Just your basic top down socks, with a garter stitch heel flap. I do really like the thick stripes this makes. In retrospect, I wish I had chosen an afterthought heel so I didn't mess up the striping, but I still think it came out okay.

However, one can only have so many pink, obnoxious socks. Even I'm getting tired of it, and cast on plain black.

In Summary:
Pattern: 64 sts, 2x2 ribbing, garter stitch heel flap, regular toe
Yarn: Trekking XXL (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon)
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn
Time: About two weeks of light knitting
Cost: $11

Sarah's Continuing Comical Medical Adventures.

2008-04-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

In case you're the sort of person that likes to skip to the end of a mystery book, this story ends with 8 EMT's, an ambulance, and a firetruck. Ready?

There has a been a blood drive at the lab the past two days, and I decided I would give today. I'm type O, so I sort of feel obliged to. In the past, this has not gone well. I have been rejected at all stages of the screening process (okay, except for the part where they ask you if you'd had sex for money) including: not weighing enough, not eating enough, not having enough iron, having had a tattoo, low blood pressure, and unconsciousness. However, for some strange reason I remain undaunted. Or maybe a little daunted, but determined anyway. Each time, it seems like I make it one step further.
This time, I passed all the tests and made it into the vampires' lair. Last time they actually got about half a pint out of me before I went down into the aforementioned unconsciousness. I warned them that I get queasy and faint like a Victorian woman, so they took extra precautions. They had me lying full down, with the fan and several cold cloths on me from the very beginning.
There were actually really gentle with me, and I made it through the actual blood giving part without much incident. So, victory for me, I finally made it.
Unfortunately, my reaction to injury is to get queasy. I have absolutely no idea how my ancestors ever survived with this trait. It seems like a bad idea, evolution. So I could handle the mild pain of the needle inside me, but when I had to put pressure on my own arm, the nausea started to hit me. I got dizzy, I got weak, all those fun things. But they reapplied some cloths, gave me some Gatorade, and it seemed like I was okay. I took lots of time afterwards, I really did, but I guess it wasn't enough.
I was doing okay until I went out to the snack session. I had an orange juice and some cookies, and all that food that fast, right after a big lunch and the previous incident, led to a bit of a relapse. I started feeling a little icky again, and put my head down on the table.
Well, this was apparently cause for alarm. They convinced me I needed to lie down on the kindergarten style mat they had dragged out for me. This was in the middle of the foyer of the main building at work, so people were walking past me on the way to the bank, etc. But they came back with the fan and cold cloths, and that was nice, and I was starting to feel much better again. However, apparently when someone goes down on the floor, they have to call the EMT's.
At first, the doctor from the medical office showed up. I could understand that, it was just down the hall from where I was. Then the EMT's started showing up. First it was just one, taking my blood pressure. Then another one came, and decided I needed an oxygen mask. Then suddenly, the room was swarming with them. I wondered where they all came from and glanced outside. There was the ambulance and the fire truck. I don't recall being on fire, but it could have happened.
This was a high quality overreaction as only a government institution can do. When the EMT's asked me how I felt, I answered, "Silly." I was lying on the middle of the main building's floor, surrounded by medical personnel, wearing an oxygen mask and several bandages. They asked me drunk-test questions (name, rank, and ID number), many questions about my medical history, and hauled me off in a wheelchair(!) the 100 feet down the hall to the medical office. There, they tested my blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, etc, all over again, went though a lot of paper work, and finally let me go. I caught the lab shuttle back to my office, and I've been just fine.
It was all extremely silly, but at least the EMT and doctor were cute.

Yeah, I'll go back to showing you knitting someday.

Attention World

2008-04-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

My mom has a blog.

Go see her artwork, pictures of the animals and funny stories about Marigold.

And who knows, she might update more often than I do.

Stripey Socks

2008-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

I am displeased with blogger. This picture came out just fine on the camera and on flickr, but it's really doing something weird in here. For a better view, go see it there.
Anyway, these are some super basic socks I finished up while I was in DC, so nearly a month ago. I've just been so lazy with the blogging.
This is not really my usual colorway. I don't remember buying it, I don't know why I bought it, and I'm not entirely sure why I knit it right now. It's not like I don't have a million other sock yarns in the stash. I think I was just in the mood for something self striping.

It's the usual formula, plain stockinette with a little ribbing at the top. The only change up here is the improvised German heel. I'm not claiming it's a real German heel, because I don't know much about it. I do know that the first and last three stitches of the heel flap are in garter stitch, and the rest is in stockinette. I think that's the defining characteristic of that type of heel, but part of me suspects there's more to it.

I've tried really hard to capture my improvised German heel, but I can only contort so far, and it doesn't look right on the sock blocker. I need a Cookie A style model foot.

Nothing to sing about, but a nice pair of socks. I may find more use for them than I'd think. I do really like that kind of heel, and will probably use it again.

In summary:

Yarn: Schoeller and Stahl something or another (I'll look this up later), basic sock yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, 450ish yards.

Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns

Pattern: CO 64 sts, about an inch of 2x2 ribbing, stockinette cuff and instep, improvised German heel, standard toe.

Time: About two weeks of random knitting

Cost: Probably about $18 for the yarn. Although it was probably less, because I'm pretty sure I only would have bought this yarn on sale.

Okay, okay

2008-04-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger. Really bad. But I have a good excuse for the last few days (I'll ignore the rest of this month) because I went to St. Louis this weekend! And then I found five dollars.
Not only did I go to St. Louis this weekend, I went to crash a physics conference. No, ladies and gentlemen, it does not get any nerdier than that. But a bunch of my friends were going, including some from far away that I never get to see.
Also, not that I am bitter, but approximately 8 years ago, my high school choir took a trip to St. Louis. We sang at the Six Flags there (why, I've not yet figured out, but it was a free trip, so I wasn't complaining). Now, I do not ride roller coasters, so Six Flags holds little thrill for me. The arch, being a catenary and all, on the other hand, is very exciting, and I have a compulsion to climb to the top of monuments. Did we get to go to the arch? Nope. No one thought something culturally and mathematically relevant would be a good thing to take the students to. I got to watch people ride coasters. Making it to the top of the arch has been on my mental to do list for 8 entirely non-bitter years. Well, I finally did it, and it was a crazy experience.
I also got to spend the entire weekend hanging out and bar hopping with friends, and even sitting in on a few relevant physics talks. I now have few regrets about St. Louis. I would have liked to ride a paddle wheel river boat, but the Mississippi was too flooded. I would have liked to tour the Budweiser brewery, but it's really crappy beer anyway. No, picking up and driving the 4 hours to St. Louis on a whim ranks among one of my better decisions lately. At least until the credit card bill comes.

February Socks

2008-03-18T10:07:00.001-07:00

I'm so far behind on the blogging. These were my February Sock Club socks, which I actually finished in February, and am just now showing you.

The yarn is great to work with, it's the hand dyed Pagewood Farms merino/bamboo blend. It's got a great feel. The pattern is nice and simple, just a snappy little cable going up either side of the cuff. The only trouble? The color is Pepto Bismal Pink. And I'm allergic to Pepto Bismal, so I've seen it ways that no one wants to hear about.

Of course, they're nice hand knit socks, so that's not really going to stop me from wearing them. I just can't say they're the best color in the world. If I wear it with a darker pink, maybe it will pick up some of the variation in it. Or I could just wear it, be comfy and not look it, which is what I have done so far.

Meh. It does make me want to branch out into some of the old fashioned clocked socks (ravelry link) like in Folk Socks. It wasn't too fiddly for a cable after all.

In Summary:

Yarn: Pagewood Farms (superwash merino/ bamboo), 420 yards, 1 skein

Pattern: Come Twist with Me, February Sock club pattern

Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn

Time: A week's worth of meetings. I love Collaboration Week.

Cost: About $20 for the kit

Vindication

2008-03-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Do you remember these? Chances are, if you've met me since I left South Bend, you don't. These were my first horrible, catastrophic disaster with socks. They were so bad, they put me off socks for at least a year.
Here's the thing nobody told me - socks need to be dense, and gauge swatches lie. So I happily knit the first giant, holey sock on size 3's, and I didn't know any better. It was bad. I didn't know what happened.

As you know, I have definitely overcome my fear of socks. In fact, I have basically gone from phobia to addiction. But I never quite got back to the disastrous first one. Well, now I have, and I am vindicated. I dragged up a terrible UFO from two years ago, and finally finished them off.

It's actually a really great yarn. I can't tell if Duncan is approving, or scared. But he sure is cute, and look at how big he's getting!
So, take that cruel fates of knitting. I have overcome.

In Summary:
Yarn: Probably Opal, definitely something I bought in Germany
Pattern: Basic k2, p2 ribbed cuff and instep, basic sl 1, k1 heel flap, and usual gusset and toe
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm), magic loop style (won't be doing that again unless I'm desperate)
Time: Two years in the making
Cost: I think it was around 12 Euros, at a better exchange rate than the current

I'm not Irish, but....

2008-03-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

I went to Notre Dame.

It's in an Irish drinking song, so it totally counts.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Lobbying Congress

2008-03-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, no knitting right now (though I did finish a pair of socks this week). I've been in DC lobbying in Congress for basic science funding. I am now very pessimistic about the entire way our government works, but at least I'm participating in the process (or contributing to the problem, either way). Here are some fun video clips to show what I've been up to.

What Lobbying Congress Looks Like

What a Lobbyist Looks Like

Capitol Hill, Both Sides Now

Botanical Garden - Orchids

Botanical Garden - the Jungle

Botanical Garden - Flowers in Quilts (which you guys might really appreciate)

Blurry Guys Dancing to the Annoying Song from Night at the Roxbury

Here's my awesome pic of the Capitol Dome with an early cherry blossom.

Here I am waiting for a client at the Mayflower Hotel.

Just kidding. But apparently I would be worth $1,224 an hour.

All other photos are here, but it's mostly me and the guys being silly at the Mayflower Hotel, which was only a few blocks from ours. They got drinks, but I didn't. Apparently everything is overpriced there.

LOLWorfy

2008-03-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

While I am not generally a fan of lolcatz, I could not resist this opportunity.

(Yes, I am playing World of Warcraft. )

More Pratchett

2008-03-09T21:59:00.001-07:00

Go see what I sent Shirley here. I'm proud of myself, but forgot to take pictures. Luckily, she did a very good job.

Lacy Socks

2008-03-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

Look! It's Peggy's Strands of Heaven Sock Club time! And here's my new sock (scroll down a little). These were the original prototype of my 2 - 1 lace sock (I'll explain why it's called that in a minute).

It actualy comes with some of Jen's fantastic hand-dyed yarn, in a special color called "Sweet Dreams". It also comes in this cute little silk project bag from Della Q. There are purple and teal ones available.

This photo may be blurry, but it shows the colors a little more true to life. I may break down and make another pair in the official colorway. Or just hoard my awesome kit. I'm not sure yet.

However, let me introduce you to my sock.
We begin with a lovely K2, P1 (2 - 1) ribbing that flows remarkably into the ribbed lace pattern (based on a 2 - 1 rib).

The lace pattern then also flows directly into the heel flap. As far as I know, I invented that heel stitch, which I shall call the 2 -1 heel stitch, because I can. I'm sure someone else has come up with it before, but I was rather proud of myself for working out how I wanted the stitches to look and then coming up with it. It's moments like this that occasionaly make me feel like a designer.

Here's a lovely closeup of the gusset. The colors are pretty true to life in this one.

I'm just proud of myself in general here. So if you want, you could go visit Peggy's Strands of Heaven and pick up a kit. I'm just saying. I don't actually get a cut from that or anything, I just want people to knit my sock. You can see more pics of the official version on their website too.

In Summary:

Pattern: Mine! 2 -1 Lace Sock

Yarn: My version: Cherry Tree Hill potluck (100% superwash merino, 400ish yds, 1 skein)

Official version: Knitting Like Crazy yarn by Jen in "Sweet Dreams," exclusive to the shop

Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm), although you may need 0's for Jen's yarn

Time: A few days per sock, although it did take forever to knit the second one

Cost: About $20 for my yarn, I think the kit is about the same, which is a better deal, because it comes with yarn, pattern, and cute little project bag.

Incidentally, the naughty little kitty's expensive tastes extend to silk. I kept finding this little project bag everywhere until I finally put it out of reach.

For Non-Pratchett Fans

2008-03-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, Pratchett fans can look too.

"I meant," said Iplsore bitterly, "what is there in this world that makes living worthwhile?" Death thought about it. "CATS," he said eventually, "CATS ARE NICE."
-- Death (Terry Pratchett, Sourcery)

For Prachett Fans Only

2008-03-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

Um, sorry guys. For the rest of you this just isn't going to make any sense at all. (Don't worry, though, pretty socks coming soon.) However, go to your local library, look up Terry Pratchett, and start reading. I recommend Good Omens, which is a standalone book. The rest of this comes from his parody/fantasy series, Discworld.
So, there's a group a for everything on Ravelry. I don't know why it took me so long to find the Terry Pratchett one, but there it is, the Ankh-Morpork Knitters' Guild (motto: Favete linguis, ego numero. ("Shut up. I'm counting.") )
We decided that it would be fun to organzie a swap of cardboard boxes, The Discworld "I'm just sending this box so my partner can have cardboard for their boots and I was guilted into putting stuff in it" Swap.

My partner was the very cool Shirley, all the way from Scotland. (Also, Pratchett fans, she's assembling the Pratchgan, so go check it out on her blog).

For starters, here's how the box came wrapped - Ankh-Morpork stamps and addresses all over the wrapping paper! Could this be cooler? (Hint: The answer is no.)

Inside, it was filled with all sorts of fun goodies.

Here's a CMOT Dibbler's Genyooine Growe-Thine-Own-Dragon Kyt. It's approved by the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons with the warning that a dragon is for life, not just for Hogswatch. Inside is everything you need to knit your own dragon, and the pattern is wrapped separately with a faux lizard skin cover.

There is also sock yarn (and you know how I feel about sock yarn), in a color I can only assume is Octarine. It is hand-dyed Wensleydale, and that is a very fun word to say. Wensleydale.

Great minds must think alike, because I also sent her a dragon (I knit it though) and octarine sock yarn (but being non-magical, our interpretations of octarine differ).

Inside was also a Morpork Mist cowl.

I tried it on, and nearly drowned/ choked in it (whichever it is you do with Morpork Mist - if it's anything like the Ankh, I think it's choking).

There is a very pretty beaded crochet or knitted wire bracelet ( sorry, I can't tell with the beads).

There is also Mustrum Ridcully's change purse (I'm warned to beware of bats if I try to open it) filled with chocolate coins. I actually can't open it as intended. I don't know if this is intentional, but it's very funny either way. I can still get the chocolate out, and that's what matters.

Now, Shirley is also a supreme crocheter. Check out all this. First, a family portrait by Otto Chriek. Look at the Death of Rats! Look at how cute he is! The rest of it is very impressive as well, but is thoroughly overwhelmed by his cuteness.

Also, fingerless gloves in Noro, which I also take to be octarine. I wonder the practicality of actually wearing magic gloves. I imagine a lot of strange things will pop up with the background magic. I'll risk it, though.

And I've saved the best for last. It's Binky! Who doesn't love Death's horse, Binky? I'm so very impressed with this. This was cool enough, but his saddle bags also contained surprises.

There was a collection of funny drink mixes.

And some very cool stitch markers. Magrat would approve. They're going on my Gothic Spire socks almost immediately.

Thanks, Shirley! When she gets her pics up on her blog, I'll link you over there. I'm pretty proud of some of the things I made too.

Mom's Lyra's Hat

2008-02-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

After my mom saw my Lyra's hat, she wanted one too. However, she wanted one in red and black to make her coat. While I love those colors, I do not think anything can compete with the original. However, she is very happy with it, and confirms how ridiculously warm it is.

This is three strands of held together - one Brown Sheep Burly Spun in Prairie Fire (super bulky), two Nashua Creative Focus Chunky in black. I had my original hat to get the thickness of the yarn right, and it was actually tricky getting something that super-super-bulky together, especially in the colors she wanted. It was the Burly Spun that really saved the day. I think it was the last one the shop had, and it just happened to be the right color.

Mom is rather sensitive to wool, so she lined hers, I think with some sort of velour. I like the wooly feel, but since I'm not the one wearing it, or the one doing the sewing, I don't mind at all.

I didn't actually follow the pattern, but there are really only so many ways you can make a rectangle with a three needle bind off. Mine is a little smallish on the width of my head, so I made hers a little wider. I love the short row shaping on mine, and actually wish it had been pointer. I didn't think she wanted the pointy so much, so I toned it down on hers. It's still a little pointy, but not the smurf-like pointiness I'd like on mine. All in all, it's quite nice, but still not as nice as mine. But I'm not the one wearing it.

In Summary:
Pattern: Improvised Lyra's hat, see above
Yarn: Three strands held together - one Brown Sheep Burly Spun in Prairie Fire (100% wool, 132 yds), two Nashua Creative Focus Chunky in black (100% wool, 110 yds), lots left over of all
Needles: Size 19 (15.0 mm)
Time: Less than an hour
Cost: About $30 (after a discount, would probably cost at least $40 to make at full price)

Lyra's hat

2008-02-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

If you have not seen the Golden Compass, do. You may not like the story line, (although there are fighting, talking, armored polar bears, and how could you not like that?) but you will love the knitting.
The main character, a plucky young girl named Lyra, wears this hat on a trip to the North.

There are a lot of things I wanted to make from the movie, but this was the cutest, and (look at the size of the yarn) the easiest. It's very much a bonnet style, and wraps around the entire head. I have lived in the Midwest my entire life, and I know cold, and yet I have never worn a hat this warm. Earflaps have nothing on this. The bonnet seriously needs to make a comeback, and I, for one, am doing my part.

While I admit, I might get a few looks when I wear this, I'm fully prepared for an artic expedition now. This is what it looks like flat (and with a polar bear).

It's this kit from a shop in Grand Rapids, which I ordered over the phone. It's $22 (plus shipping), and I think it was worth it. While the pattern isn't anything special (it's a rectangle with a three-needle bind off up the back, short row shaping optional, and Lion Brand has a free version anyway) it's the yarn that really does it for me. I wanted to make the exact hat from the movie, and I knew I wouldn't be able to mix up those yarns myself, at least not for under $22. It's two skeins of a bulky wool in cream, one strand of bulky wool in the mottled light-brown-going-into-purple, and one thin cream mohair for the halo, all wound up together for you and ready to knit.

And on size 19 needles, let me tell you, this thing goes in under an hour. I mean, three strands of bulky together. Talk about instant gratification. You may feel like you're knitting with tree trunks, but it's not for long.
But most importantly, Duncan approves.

Aww, we match.

In Summary:

Pattern: Lyra's Hat from this kit, or make a big rectangle with a three needle bind-off

Yarn: From same kit, super-super-bulky wool and mohair blend

Needles: Size 19 (15.0 mm)

Time: Less than an hour

Cost: $22 + $5 shipping (worth it for the yarn, imo)

Non - Knitting Content

2008-02-24T06:23:00.001-08:00

So, because I have the most spoiled cats in the world, I decided they had to have this jungle gym when I saw it. It's all mesh, vinyl and pvc piping. They were fascinating watching me build it.

And as soon as I was done, promptly played with the box.

To their credit, they do play with the jungle gym now (Duncan likes to dive through the two story vinyl part), but I haven't been able to throw out the box either.

Knitting content to come. In the meantime, enjoy the cats.

The Next Installment....

2008-02-14T08:31:00.001-08:00

....in a series I like to call Sarah Injures Herself in Stupid and Amusing Ways. Previous episodes have included "How I Got a Concussion Getting into my Car" and "How I Sprained my Ankle in a Crosswalk, and What Happened Next" (my personal favorite). Today's episode is "How I Sprained My Hip Getting Out of my Car."

How I Sprained My Hip Getting Out of the Car

Now, the original basis for this injury actually has a really good tagline, which is "It's an old fencing injury." Pretty cool, right? Unfortunately that was about 6 years ago and it keeps bothering me. It's always worse in the damp and cold, but it had been doing surprisingly well lately. Yesterday, I stepped out of my car when I got to work. I did not slip on any of the available ice, I did not twist or wrench in any way. I simply got out of my car as usual, and three seconds later, hundreds of pain fairies were stabbing my hip with their shiny stillettos (knives, not shoes, although the shoes would hurt too). I occasionally get a twinge like this, and it usually goes away immediately. This did not. It kept hurting me throughout the day.
I decided at lunch it would be a good idea to go home (I live 15 mins away) and take some ibuprofen. I figured I would be about an hour and left my laptop in my office. By the time I got back to my place, the hip was hurting me so badly that I didn't take ibuprofen. I took something a bit stronger and promptly passed out. When I woke up, I was absurdly groggy and knew I wasn't going back any time soon. Also, it did little for the pain.
I don't know who I was going to call at this point (the details are a little fuzzy), but I began looking for my phone. I had left it in my office. So now I was stranded, in pain, and with no means of contacting the outside world.
In the search for my phone, however, I looked my purse. This was a bad idea, because a can of Diet Coke I had thrown in there exploded, over everything. So in my groggy, panicking, pain-ridden state, I also had to wash out all the contents of my purse, including some knitting (thank science for superwash) and some electronics that will never recover.
I completely lost it. I hobbled over to the appartment complex office and used their phone to call my mom, just about the only number I know by heart. Luckily, she came out, took me to get my stuff, and took me to the chiropractor's, where I found I had sprained my sacro-illiac joint (which I didn't even know I had) just by getting out of the car.
So, sorry about missing the knitting group last night, guys. I was a little busy.

Surprise!

2008-02-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's a baby surprise jacket!

(Shown here with ducky buttons that will eventually go on it. I tried a closeup of the button, but it came out blurry and I gave up. Trust me, though, it's cute.)
It's not intended for anyone, but I've been on a real Elizabeth Zimmerman kick lately. I wanted to do something of hers that was quick and clever, and this certainly applies.
It's made in one piece, first by decreasing, then by increasing, then a little voodoo. You're left with a bizarre planar lamina, the magically folds into a jacket and is joined by two seams.
If you don't know who Elizabeth Zimmerman is yet, go find out. I think of her as the previous generation's Yarn Harlot, only with better patterns (sorry, Stephanie, but you know it's true). The woman was a freaking genius. She's also fun to read, even the patterns. For the most part, they are more like recipes, and want you to actually think about what you're doing.

This jacket used up scraps of CottonTots I had lying around in a basket. I'm not sure how much yarn it actually took, but it wasn't too much. I regret the purple, but once I put in one strip, I had to do more, and I certainly wasn't ripping back. There's probably too much purple and pink to make this one truly unisex, but you could do it in some very manly colors too, if you're hung up on that kind of thing. (It's a strange double standard for me; I wouldn't hesitate to put a girl in blue, but a boy in pink is a bit iffy.)

In Summary:
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket (can be found in Kniting Workshop and The Opinionated Knitter, or contact Schoolhouse Press)
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots, (100% cotton), odds and ends
Needles: Size US 7 (4.5 mm) (this is my go -to size for worsted)
Time: A few days
Cost: Nothing! (That's a good feeling! I should stash dive more often.)

Camel Light

2008-02-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

In general, I am for knitting with as many random fibers as possible. Sure, there are the basics, wool, cotton, silk, alpaca, cashmere, bamboo, angora and even acrylic. There's some qiviuk and even some nettle in the stash, but this was my first attempt with camel.
Yep, camel yarn, conviently camel-colored, though it comes in many varieties.
Really, you would not believe how soft it is. It's not quite cashmere, but it's up there with alpaca on the softness scale.

(Oh yeah, that's my rug. Isn't it cool?)
The fiber is magnificent, but the yarn itself left a little something to be desired. I found it to be incredibly thin, and wound up doubling it for the scarf.

The scarf is about 20 stitches wide, done in seed stitch until I ran out of yarn. I didn't think about it at the time, but now I find the seed stitch amusing because in my mind it's now a lot of little camel humps.
This is probably one of the nicest scarves I own, and I'm very happy with it. I wasn't happy with the yarn single stranded though. But it was certainly enough to get me to use more camel from a different company, and I am completely in love with it. (More on that later, though. )

In Summary:
Pattern: Seed stitch
Yarn: Blithe by Classic Elite (100% camel, 128 yards)- 2 skeins (held doubled)
Needle: Probably a US 7 (4.5 mm)
Time: A few days of mindless knitting
Cost: $30 (really, it's not that bad for a dress scarf)(right?)

Two to Tango

2008-01-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

In general, I am not one for fads. My hair has not dramatically changed most of my life (variations include: very long and straight with bangs, very long and straight with no bangs, and long and straight with no bangs). I have owned a certain percentage of my clothing since middle school. I still like ska.
However, I am powerless in the face of new and shiny yarn.
Are these my colors? No. But my new LYS (since the old one closed and all) got in this Tango stuff, and all the cool kids were knitting it, and I gave in and bought two skeins myself.

Um. What was I thinking? I don't wear these colors. I don't wear frilly things. I just wanted to knit this scarf. You know why? It's the crazy gauzy kind of yarn that you actually knit into instead of pulling through. I had tried at Stitches Midwest last summer, and it was a little fun, but I thought it was too frivolous to actually buy.

Apologies for this picture which 1. is blurry and 2. looks like brains.

(And part of me kind of likes that it looks like brains. Maybe it has some redeeming qualities after all. )

I think it's about 7 stitches wide on a size 9. I knit the two halves independently, then grafted them together in the center so all the ruffles would fall in the same direction. I should have done what Jen did, and kept twisting it, but the inner brown is really even less of my color than the outer purple.
Oh well. It was still fun, and there are worse things I could do with $*. Having done it once, I think I'm set for life. What else could you do with this stuff?

In Summary:
Pattern: About 7 sts wide, knitting into the tape yarn
Yarn: Universal Yarn Tango, (50% superwash merino, 50% dralon (????), 23 yds) 2 skeins
Needles: Something good for worsted, can't quite remember
Time: At least a week. It was slow going once the novelty wore off.
Cost: I think about $12

Cunning Hat

2008-01-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, these things have been going around the internet like wildfire. I figured it was time to jump on the bandwagon.

If you know what this is, you also know you want one. Check out the pattern below.

The Cunning Hat

If you don't know where this hat comes from, put down your knitting, and go netflix Firefly right now. (You may also drive to the video store, if you're old fashioned like that.) If your first thought is, "Shiny! I think it's sweet," you're in the right place.
Browncoats everywhere have been making this hat with a frenzy. Mine is not terribly different (because how many ways can you make a hat with earflaps, really?), but there are a few details that weren't in the other patterns I consulted. I put them here mostly for my own reference, but you're welcome to use it.
I chose to use nice fuzzy Malabrigo yarn held doubled. Some use cheap acrylic, in the theory that Ma Cobb would be a Red Heart sort of knitter. I prefer natural wool, under the theory that she lives on a farm, wrangles her own sheep, and dyes the yarn with obnoxiously bright local plant dyes. I chose Malabrigo under the theory that I have to wear it, and I don't want anything icky. I went with my own gauge, but the major changes are to the earflaps. After studying certain screenshots, I realized there was a garter ridge (see here) right where the earflap picked up. I'm not that picky about trying to be accurate, I just thought it was an interesting feature and wanted to recreate it.
I've used the yarn held doubled. I find the easiest way to do this is to wind it into a cake or center pull ball, and use one strand from each end. If you find this troublesome, you could always wind it into two separate balls/cakes.

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, one skein each of Bergamota (red-orange), Tigerlily (orange), and Cadmium (yellow), held double throughout

Gauge: 7 sts = 2" (5 cm)

Suggested needle size: US 10 (6.0 mm), 12" circ (optional) and dpn

Hat body:

Using Tigerlily (orange), cast on 72 sts with yarn held doubled. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Work two rows in K2 P2 rib.
Switch to stockinette (knit every round) and continue to work until piece measures 3.5" (8.75 cm).
Change to Cadmium (yellow) and continue to work in stockinette with yarn held doubled until piece measures about 6" (15 cm).

Hat decreases:
When work no longer fits comfortably on circular needle, switch to double points.
Round 1: K7, K2tog around (64 sts)
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: K6, K2tog around (56 sts)
Round 4: Knit
Round 3: K5, K2tog around (48 sts)
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: K4, K2tog around (40 sts)
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: K3, K2tog around (32 sts)
Round 8: Knit
Round 9: K2, K2tog around (24 sts)
Round 10: Knit
Round 11: K1, K2tog around (16 sts)
Round 12: K2tog around (8 sts)
Cut working yarn and thread through remaining stitches. Secure tightly.

Ear flaps:
Using two strands of Bergamota (orange-red), pick up 18 sts along one side of the hat.
Row 1 (WS): Knit
Row 2 -7: Work in stockinette (so that knit side faces out)
Row 8: K 1, K2tog, knit to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1 (16 sts)
Row 9 - 11: Work in stockinette
Repeat rows 8 - 11 until 12 sts remain. (Two repeats, with 14 and 12 stitches remaining after each decrease row.)
Work decrease row one more time (10 sts).
Bind off in knit on WS.
Do not weave in ends. Leave them long, and possibly add more.

For second earflap, try hat on and begin picking up at opposite temple. For me, this was 26 sts away, but your forehead size may vary. This is asymmetrical, and leaves a wide gap at the forehead, and a rather small gap at the nape of the neck.

Pompom:
Make a very large pompom using all three colors. (Good instructions here.) Gather top of hat a bit when you attach it.

Wear with pride. Man walks down the street in that hat, you can tell he's not afraid of anything.
You can also tie the flaps up Fargo style, if you want.

PS. Sorry about the slightly weird pictures. I just got a new camera, and we're not entirely on the same page yet.

Miss January

2008-01-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Break out your calendars, because I'm Miss January!

Sort of anyway. Those are my socks for Ewe and Me's Sock of the Month club.

And there's the much better official pic here. (I never claimed to be a good photographer, just a good knitter.)

It's a simple little pattern that I liked a lot. And the best part about designing this month is that I'm currently ahead of the game, sock-of-the-month-wise. No luck for February though, and that's a short month.

In Summary:

Pattern: Mine! The Second Step sock pattern. May be available once Jan. is over.

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka Mit Bambou (70% superwash wool, 20% bamboo, 10% nylon, 420 yards) 1 skein

Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm), two 16" circ

Time: Probably a week or two of light to intermittent work

Cost: About $20 for the kit

Fun Swaps

2008-01-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

The kitten continues to have good taste in yarn, and I feel about the same way.

What's he's happily sleeping on is this:

Nearly 800 yards of beautiful handspun corriedale, from a swap with Vicki.

It's really lightweight, sport or smaller , so will likely become some kind of lace. I'll have to find a good pattern though.

The other thing that came with the swap is this:

Vicki's Tweets cat toy and pattern, available on her website.

Duncan approves, and I probably really need to sort out that tangle of wires under my desk before he does some damage.
Worfy is very pretty, but does not care.

Then again, maybe I was wrong

2008-01-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

I may never get my bag back after all.
And that's an alpaca baby sweater he's chewing on.

I think he likes it

2008-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

While I may have one of the world's cutest kittens, I am fairly certain I have one of the most spoiled. After stealing my bag for entirely too long, I had to make my little Duncan a bed of his own from the same yarn.

But could you resist this tummy? No, I didn't think so.
I wanted to felt it, since the yarn is a thick and thin, and he likes the felted bag. His foster mom, Heather, gave me a pattern for a cute little round cat bed, but it was knitted from the outside in. I wasn't sure if I would have enough yarn for that, so I knit from the inside out.
It's basically based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl (which can be found in Knitting Workshop) in that I basically followed her instructions for when to increase on the circle. I say basically, because at some point, I wound up with a ripple in the last round.

I figured I would just roll it over and stitch it down after I felted it to make a ridge around the bed. But after the first felting, the ripples looked kind of cute when I stiched them together. It winds up looking a lot like a pie crust, and I will avoid the obvious puns.

I was going to felt it some more, but I made the mistake of leaving it in the living room and Duncan claimed it already. I think this is a good sign.
His good taste continues though, as the other day he tried to steal my angora sweater. (Look at those claws!)

This look better mean, "I love you, Mom."

It probably just means he loves the sweater. I knit him a little blankie with some leftovers, but he doesn't seem to care about it. At least he likes the cat bed, and I can have my bag back.

Worfy does not seem to care and still sleeps on my Hello Kitty pillow, or directly above my head when he can manage it.

In summary:

Yarn: Queensland Big Wave(90% wool, 10% cashmere, 65 yards) about 9 skeins

Pattern: Loosely based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl

Needle: Size US 13 (9.0 mm)

Time: Less than a week, but the last rounds felt like forever

Cost: Far too high for a cat bed. Honestly, about $80, and that was on sale. At least I'll get my bag back, though.

New Socks for a New Year

2008-01-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

So, technically, these were the November Socks from my Ewe and Me sock club. But I had to hurry to get December back, so I'm all caught up now.

To be honest, it took a little while to start these. I mean, it's seriously just a cuff down, 2x2 rib with a s1, k1 style heel flap. It was hard to get excited about that.

But the yarn is really, really pretty. It's the "Iris" colorway from Gypsy Girl. At first I was afraid it would be too yellow or too green (neither of which I like very much), but I think the overall effect is of a pretty teal blue.
Oh, and check out those awesome sock blockers. They're made by hand by Lorna's dad, but I think you can still get them at my new LYS, Peggy's Strands of Heaven.

Overall, I'm pleased, but the pattern was not exciting. The yarn is lovely, and I would highly recommend it. The color is amazing, and there's hardly any pooling at all. The fiber feels absolutely lovely. I'd compare it to Claudia or Shibui.

In summary:
Yarn: Gypsy Girl sock yarn (100% superwash merino, 200 yds/ skein) 2 skeins
Pattern: November Sock of the month, but it's cuff down 2x2 ribbing with a k1, sl 1 heel flap and your basic toe
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm), two 12" circs
Time: Well, I've had it for about two months, but I suspect I worked lightly on it for two weeks
Cost: About $20 for the kit

PS. Expect exciting news about January's sock of the month soon

Fuzzy Feet

2007-12-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

The final installment of stealth knitting is this pair of felted slippers for my dad for Christmas. Yes, they are that blurry in real life. It's the mohair.

These are from the ubiquitous Fiber Trends felted clog pattern, and it's popular for a reason. It goes very quickly, provided you do not make any number of silly mistakes. However, there are very many mistakes that you could make and screw them up entirely.
For example, I taught these as a class at Peggy's Strands of Heaven, and I think I'm doing it again in January (or February, check the class list). I made the sample on the wall there, the obnoxiously pink ones. These things look very silly unfelted, let me tell you. But they also look very silly if you try, as I did, to attach the outer sole to bottom of the inner sole. I don't know how many times I went through that before I got it right. And if you haven't done these in a while, don't do them while people are talking. It is guaranteed to get your count off, and it's hard to recover. But barring silly mistakes, these really are a fast knit.
If you know the pattern, these are made without the "bumper" on them. I had originally inteded to add a leather sole to them, but it was, well, leather colored, and these clogs are not. I didn't realize it would show too much until I held it up to the bottom. It would have completely covered the lower dark grey portion. So I decided to risk it, after testing the slippers on the garage floor to make sure they do not live up to their name.
What else am I going to do with men's 13" leather soles? Duncan already chewed through the bag, so there's no returning it.
I made a slight modification to the pattern as I went along. Well, I didn't so much modify it as decided to pick up the stitches the easy way. When you attach the hem of the cuff or the second sole to the body of the slipper, the pattern wants you to go pick up all the required stitches on one needle, and then knit them together and bind off. This is entirely too much effort for me, so I picked up each stitch individually, knit it together with its partner on the needle, and then bound off. While this idea drives Lorna crazy, I find it goes much faster. You can always squeeze a stitch or two in or out if you need to.
Also, I heard about a modification on the internet where you knit the sole in one solid piece. As the pattern stands, you work sort of a parabola shape with short rows, then seam it up the middle. This hasn't particularly bothered me, but I'm curious about the other way. I might give it a try during the second installment of the class.

In Summary:
Pattern: Fiber Trends Felted Clogs
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky, two skeins dark grey, one skein light grey (85% wool, 15% mohair)
Needles: Size 13, 16" and 24" , but you could get away with just the 16" if you had to
Time: Really quickly. You could easily do one clog in an evening, again with the no-mistakes caveat.

Broadripple

2007-12-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here is some of the stealth knitting I promised you. Although my parents got their Christmas gift early this year, I had to give them a little something on the day of (which in my family is the 24th, btw).

And for my mom, I had to put it in this cute little tin.

My mom is "allergic" to wool, so it's always a challenge to knit her something useful with cotton. Fixation is a wonderful thing. I love the stretchiness of it - there's no yarn like it. And it's rather thick, so it goes really quickly on socks.

This is the Broadripple pattern from knitty. I always recommend it to people, so it's high time I finally knit it. It was written for Fixation, and since I know of no good substitute, Fixation it was. These colors are very my mom.

Fun fast pattern, fun fast yarn. Perfect for a last minute Christmas gift.

In summary:Yarn: Cascade Fixation 98 % cotton, 2 % elastic - 2 skeins (one per sock)Pattern: Broadripple from knittyNeedles: Size 3 Sox StixTime: Less than a week for the pair

Point/Counterpoint

2007-12-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

First, let me just me just point out that this picture is entirely representative of my best friend, Kelli.
Then, let me point out the awesomeness of the knitting.
That's an illusion scarf. Viewed at the right angle (nearly horizontally) it's a piano keyboard. And yes, the black keys are grouped correctly in sets of twos and threes.

Otherwise, it's just a striped scarf. Nifty, huh?

The pattern is Counterpoint from magknits. As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew I had to make it, and luckily, my best friend of many years has played piano for even longer. She asked for Cubs socks, but she got this, because I'd already started it.
It was kind of slow going at first, because sometimes I get cranky when I have to use a pattern. Suddenly though, the illusion pattern clicked and it went much faster (though not that fast, because I was still knitting on it furiously until about half an hour before she showed up). I had done an illusion pattern before (the alien scarf from Stitch 'n Bitch), but it was a very detailed chart. The trouble with detailed charts is that they show you the pattern, but not the technique. Now, I think I get it, and could probably design my own illusion pattern. This is a good thing, because a lot of the illusion patterns that do exist are crappy. Prepare for something cool.

The other advantage here is that it is made from Cascade 220 superwash, emphasis on the superwash. Kelli managed to spit beer on it within the first few hours of wearing it.
This probably deserves explanation.
You see, Kelli wanted chocolate cake for some reason, but that would have required going out, and that sounded like effort. I was trying to convince her to satisfy her sweet tooth without leaving, with Christmas cookies in particular. Somehow this led to me talking in the Cookie Monster voice (which I was hitting right on at that moment). And I said (as in the opening to "C is for Cookie"), "Let's think of other things that start with C," to which she immediately responded, "Chocolate Cake!"
But again, in perfect Cookie Monster voice, I said, "But it is not as a good as a cookie!" It's always good to time funny things just when someone is about to take a drink, because she spit beer all over the place. The scarf survived. Her sweater did not take the hit quite as well, but also survived.
Anyway, she needed a scarf, and the illusion pattern is always a fun party trick. She won't let up about the Cubs socks, though. I guess she knows what she's getting for her birthday.

In summary:
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, 1 skein black, 1 skein white
Pattern: Counterpoint from magknits
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
Time: Entirely too long

A good excuse

2007-12-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

No power for 36 hours.
Only leeching internet (poorly) off the neighbors.
There will be much blogging later about all my stealth Christmas projects, but not right now.
I did get the Opinionated Knitter as a gift. Rock on.

Home and Away

2007-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Dear NFL,

Please look away now. I'm not violating any trademark laws. Honest.

Thanks,

When Amanda was in town a little while ago, we met up in the city at Loopy Yarns (on the South Loop). It's a nice little shop with a good selection. They carried a fantastic brand I had never heard of called Marisol. Amanda recognized and said, "Oh, I have some baby llama from them!"

Baby llama? I was done for. I had to try it. And, it was cheap! Only $7ish for nearly 100 yards.

At first I pondered something nautical in navy and white, but I was raised in the midwest. I would probably get seasick knitting it.

Then I noticed a lovely orange. There's a certain team in a certain midwestern town that has the colors of navy and orange. I decided I need a hat. I wasn't really sure how much to buy, so I grabbed two skeins of each.

I knit this hat first.

I did have to delve into the second skein of the navy, but not by much. And I barely used any orange. But it's a cute hat, and it fits really well. I don't know why I'm standing so funny, but look at the hat. It fits.

I was discussing this at one of my knitting groups, and pondered making the inverse. I don't really look good in orange, but I definitely had the yarn for it. Then Lorna made a brilliant suggestion. How had I never thought of this before? I could make home and away hats!
So I made the identical hat with the inverse of colors.

I made them up as I went along. It's a wide 2x2 ribbing at the band (enough to cover my ears), a stripe, the fair isle, another stripe, and then the rest just finished off in the main color.

And the llama was a wonderful choice. It's absolutely luxurious. I'm not quite show how to describe it. It has some of the same fluffy good qualities as alpaca, but it's a very different feel. You might be able to get a hat out of one skein, or a nice stipey one with just two. I still have enough left to get a kids hat or two out it.

Warning: You may get the llama song in your head every time you knit it.

In Summary:

Yarn: The Marisol Project Miski, 100% baby llama, 88 yds

Pattern: Home and Away Bears hats, making them up as I went along

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) 16" circ and dpn

Time: About two days each hat

Cost: About $30 for two hats, and change

Useless Little Things

2007-12-14T09:53:00.001-08:00

I don't know why I knit these things sometimes. It just happens.

It's just....I was at this little yarn shop in the city (Knitter's Knitche near Southport and Belmont) and there were these cute little sample booties. And more importantly, there was Lorna's Laces angora. And the pattern was free and only used one skein.

So now I have another pair of angora baby booties. I don't have a baby. I don't know anyone that has a baby. More importantly, I don't know that any baby will wear angora booties, yet this is at least the second pair I've knit. Ah well. Off to the hope chest with them anyway. My potential future children had better not be allergic to any fibers, that's all I have to say.

In an attempt to provide more interesting pictures, here's the booties on Eeyore.

And here they are on Bullwinkle. You may notice certain similarities.

In summary:

Yarn: Lorna's Laces angora, 1 skein

Pattern: Free Lorna's Laces pattern

Needles: About a 4? I finished these a while ago, but never posted.

Time: It would have been a few evenings, if I hadn't made a tiny mistake which I eventually fudged over.

Cost: Under $10, but I don't know exactly

December Sock

2007-12-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Just like the picture says....

This was the December Sock Club sock. Those of you paying attention (Mom) might notice that we seem to have gone straight from October to December. This is true. However, I have a very good reason. December's was a charity knit for a women's shelter in DeKalb, and had to be returned to shop by a certain date. Also, it was knit with bulky yarn and I only had to do one. So it went really quickly.
But it's cute, no?

It's basically just a sock knit with bulky yarn. That's all there is to it. There's a little I-cord strap to hang it from, and that's about it. You could totally do this yourself.
I may have made the foot a little (okay, significantly) longer than the pattern called for, but what good is a small stocking? The big ones hold more stuff. This is one of those mistakes that becomes a "design element."
I'm working on November, and you can see the store sample below it. The yarn is really pretty, but it's hard to be excited about a 2x2 rib.
January though. January is going to be excellent.

In Summary:
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky
Pattern: December Sock Club kit
Needles: Called for 10.5, I think I used 11
Time: About two evenings. Seriously.
Cost: About $12, I think. Plus I added a few goodies for the charity

Naughty little kitten has good taste

2007-12-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

You know, this cat of mine is really freaking cute. He also, apparently, has extremely good taste. My kitten loves cashmere. He loves anything with cashmere content, including this bag, which he repeatedly steals.

It is felted with some gorgeous yarn with 10% cashmere content. That is apparently enough for him.

Because this is the situation I often find.

He has also stolen a cashmere sweater I was in the middle of felting and claimed it for his own. I've given up trying to take it back, he kept pulling it out of the WIP bin. (Note: It was an old sweater that didn't fit and I never wore and had holes it in. I thought it would make a cute bag, but aparently it's a great cat toy as well.)

Not only that, if I leave a pile of laundry around (not that I would, of course...), he picks out the one cashmere sweater and starts kneading on it. He's smart, the little one, but trouble.

So of course, I had to buy some more of this particular yarn (in beige tones) to make him a cat bed of his own. And he keeps stealing the yarn, even before I've knit it up. It's going to be one expensive damn cat bed, but maybe I'll be able to get my bag back after that.

December Nights

2007-12-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm famous!

Well, not really. But I do have a pattern going out as part of a sock club kit from Peggy's Strands of Heaven in Plainfield, IL.

As you may know, Jen dyes awesome yarn. Her devotees managed to hook her up with the owner of Peggy's, who talked into dying an exclusive colorway for the holiday sock club.

Jen called the yarn December Nights, and it's very cool. It's obviously holiday colored, without being obnoxiously red and green.

The name made me think of little stars, so I adapted this stitch from a stich dictionary and came up with a nice sock pattern. It's a little hard to see here, but there are little star stitches spaced throughout that are basically made like bobbles.

Since the way I swatched this pattern, I had to make them toe-up, I used my new favorite, the rectangle toe.

Isn't that a nice looking toe? Seriously, I may be making a whole lot more socks this way from now on.

I wanted to try a new heel, so I used the Andersson heel developed by Colin from the yahoo socknitters list.

I'm really happy with it, but it looks very odd at first. On the needles, it seems entirely too short and wide, but once you actually put your heel in it, the fit is fantastic.
So overall, I'm very thrilled. And the shop has put them together in these adorable little kits that come with some lavender scented shea butter. I'm right there at the checkout line waiting for an impulse buy.

I'm also seriously excited about having other people make my sock. I know at least Jen is, so there's that. It's not exactly a beginner pattern, but I'm happy to help anyone that hassles me.

October Socks

2007-11-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sigh. Again with the photography. I swear, these socks are not droopy in real life, nor are my feet clownishly long (well, at least not that I'm aware of).
I'm actually very pleased with these socks.

I finished them a few weeks ago, and they're the October sock of the month from the Ewe and Me sock club. The pattern is a basic toe up that I was extremely happy with.
To begin with (at the toe), you don't monkey around with Eastern, Turkish, or other exotic cast ons. No, you knit a little rectangle, and then pick up around it. I've heard of this toe, but I'd never done it before. I am so hooked. This has opened the world of toe-ups for me.

Moving along, you increase up the gusset, and then make this spiffy heel, with no wrapping or yarn overs in sight. It makes this cool little wedge.

And the coolest thing about toe-ups? You can quit whenever you want. No slogging through the foot, to get to the toe, so you can finish the damn thing. Nope. Just rib and get the hell out of there whenever you feel like it (though most are inclined to make them the same length, so don't get too ambitious on the first sock).
I'm also a huge fan of the yarn, which is Pagewood Farms in a merino/bamboo blend. It's got an incredibly soft feel to it, with an extra bit of softness from the bamboo. (The overall feel is a soft wool, though. If no one told you the bamboo was there, you'd never know it.)
The color is nice and autumny, but not one I wear much. Oh well. Doesn't hurt to have socks in every color of the rainbow. Still, I'm a little jealous that Lorna has it in a really pretty turquoise.
Overall, I may not love the finished sock, but I'm so inspired in the long run that it was definitely worth it.

In Summary:
Yarn: Pagewood Farms hand dyed sock yarn (420 yards, merino/bamboo)
Pattern: Basic toe up from Ewe and Me's Sock Club
Needle: Size 1 (I used two circs)
Time: Maybe two weeks of light work
Cost: About $20 for the kit (pattern, yarn, and mini scented candle)

Also, stealth knitting has been accomplished, but I can't talk about it just yet. Then it wouldn't be stealth knitting.

And - exciting news about sock patterns coming soon. Stay tuned.

Memememememememe

2007-11-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hmm, so Kate tagged me a few days ago with this one. Why not?
(PS. I got to see Kate last week! You know how sometimes when someone leaves for a while and then comes back, you have absolutely nothing in common and nothing to talk about? Well it was exactly the opposite with Kate. It was like she never left, which makes us all miss her all the more.)

1. What were you afraid of as a child?
Honestly? The rapture. I would wake up terrified at loud noises and storms, and think Jesus was coming, and since I wasn't being lifted up, I hadn't prayed for forgiveness recently enough.
No harm done by religion there.

2. When have you been most courageous?
Ending bad relationships.

3. What sound most disturbs you?
I'm not a fan of licking.

4. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you’ve been in?
Remember that thing with the gauze in my mouth? That.

5. What’s your biggest fear for your children? (or children in general if you don’t have some of your own.)
That I'll have a handicapped child and not be able to deal with it.

6. What is the hardest physical challenge you’ve achieved?
I climed Mount Washington in Vermont.

7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water?
Neither. I'm a Midwesterner.

8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together?
I think the knitting thing is fairly obvious.

9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer?
Both grandparents.

11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship?
Having someone you can do nothing with.

12. What is the hardest part of being in a committed relationship?
Staying in one.

13. Summer or Winter?
Fall.

14. Have you ever been in a school-yard fight? Why and what happened?
No, not really.

15. Why blog?
To keep track of my work, and to gossip with all my knitting friends.

16. Did you learn about sex, and/or sex safety from your parents?
All from my mom. More than I wanted to know, really.

17. How do you plan to talk to your kids about sex and/or sex safety?
The same textbook, age-appropriate way.

18. What are you most thankful for this year?
My new little kitten. :) He's such a cutie.

Ah, now the tagging time. It doesn't say how many to tag, so I'll get Amanda and Jen, and anyone else that wants to.

Entrelac scarf

2007-11-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

I tried to get Worfy to model this scarf, but it just isn't working.

He's cute, and it would match him really well, but I don't think it's going to happen.

Oh well. It's still a nice scarf.
This scarf was a long time UFO that I started in the days before I took up sock knitting (there were such days?). I wanted to use this gorgeous Trekking yarn, but socks and I were still not talking at that point. Eunny Jang pointed out how well it looked in entrelac, and I hadn't done entrelac, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I couldn't find an entrelac pattern that used sock yarn, though, so I took a few liberties. In fact, I took a lot of liberties. I took an Ann Norling afghan pattern intended for worsted weight yarn, subbed in an appropriate needle size, and kept knitting.
And knitting. And leaving it in my car untouched for months at a time. And knitting.
But with the weather getting cold, and this scarf matching my charcoal winter coat oh so well, I decided it was high time to finish it. And that only took about a week of light effort.
If only I can keep tackling these UFO's at a rate faster than I cast on.

In summary:

Yarn: Trekking XXL in greys, two skeins, 75% Wool, 25% Nylon, 450 yds. $18.95

Needle: Size 2 (2.75 mm)

Pattern: Adapated from an afghan pattern

Time: A year as a UFO plus about a week as a WIP

Cost: About $40

Really cute things to be thankful for

2007-11-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, knitting soon, I promise. I just took a bunch of pictures, and I have some exciting news coming up.
But I'm not going to show you any of that.
Instead, Kittens! And puppies!
Remember how Lorna helped with the rescue of that hording situation? Well, she fostered an adorable little Corgi named Marigold. Sadly, my parents had a Corgi who died a few weeks ago, and I knew little Marigold would be perfect for them. So we decided I would bring her home for their Christmas gift, and wrapped her all up.

She's not really thrilled about it, but it's still cute.

Seriously cute.
She's already got my parents well trained, and she gets along just fine with with their three cats, and their other dog, Bullwinkle. See?

And since Heather asked, Duncan was also being incredibly cute this weekend. Here's a sampling, but there's more on my flickr site (ID: theoriesofstring).
Here he is playing with my Webkinz kitty, who is just about his size.

He's very vicious when he attacks. I'm so glad he attacks the substitute kitten now instead of my hand.
The other cats were fascinated, and for a while stood around like creepy statues watching him.

That's George (no tail) and Fred (white spot) hanging out in my room watching the kitten. George and Duncan became really good friends after a few days, and they've been playing together a lot.
The little one liked to sleep on a leopard print pillow in my room, but this is as close as I could get to a picture. He looks really cute on it though, and really blends in.

But it wasn't all play. He put in some work on the laptop.

And he did some organizing in the home office.

He says, "Hey, we're putting covers on those TPS reports now."

Worfy, on the other hand, found the heating vent immediately and stretched out his entire belly to it. Sadly, I did not get a picture of that, but here he is being cute in some knitting. More about the knitting later.

All in all, it was a very exciting Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks Secret Pal!

2007-11-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Guess what I got?

If you guessed a subscription to Interweave Knits from my Secret Pal, you're right!
I've sort of been thinking about it for a while, but I always just wind up buying it at the LYS. Well now I get it delivered right to my door!
It showed up before my pal said anything, and it didn't come with a card, so I was a little confused at first. But it all makes sense now, and I'm a proud owner.
There has been some rumbling about this issue, many people are not crazy about it, but I have to say, there are quite a few that I like.
I am completely and utterly in love with this bag, and will probably make it once the current knitting rush is over.

I had thought about felted textured pieces before, but I never knew how it would turn out. Looks like it will turn out completely awesome, especially if you stitch around the cable with a contrasting yarn first. I can't believe I've never seen this done before, it's so smart, but it makes perfect sense.
I am also a fan of a couple of the sweaters (the Gathered Pullover and the Henley Perfected, if you're curious), and there are motifs and designs from several others that are inspiring (including the kitty cat fair isle pattern).
Thanks again!