Exercise Before Knitting

What? Still Here? I'm not!

2007-10-31T21:47:00.000-05:00

Moving!

2007-09-29T20:58:00.001-05:00

Please update your .rss subscriptions! Click here for my new home!

Progress Pictures and an Upcoming Move!

2007-09-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the sympathetic comments about my raglan. I'm actually quite content with leaving the sweater as it is. After all, I really wished I had some nice sweaters when I was pregnant but I just couldn't justify knitting something that I would only be able to wear for a few months. I'm going to consider this a happy accident.

I do have some progress pictures for you from my Sunrise Circle Jacket. The Skye Tweed I'm using gives a row gauge of 5.5/in instead of the 7/in called for by the pattern. I was a bit concerned about this so I knit one of the sleeves/fronts first. I settled on the 33" bust size (when I would normally have made the 35" or 37") and it worked out well. I may have to shorten the sleeves later but that shouldn't be a huge deal.

I'm almost up to the raglan shaping on the second sleeve - this sweater just flies off my needles! In part, I think this is because I haven't made anything that knits up at a gauge of 4.5 sts/in in ages. It feels like Big Wool!

I'll leave you with a few unfinished sewing projects. The first, one that I totally ripped off of the awesome Pam of Flint Knits (please don't hate me for copying your style, Pam!) I think I'll trim this with some red bias tape. I'm going to make the romper but pair it with some red corduroy pants instead of a diaper cover.
Next up is a sunny little dress that Beatrix will only be able to wear for a few days if I don't put the zipper in soon. *sigh*

Finally, I have to say that two years of battling Blogger is sending me over to Wordpress. More details in my next post but the move will be accompanied by a blog contest and a free pattern (to bribe you sweeties to move your rss subscriptions!)

October (Surprise!) Raglan

2007-08-25T20:24:00.000-05:00

Remember how I told you how excited I was to be planning my first sweater in two years? And how it would be nice to make a sweater for my non-pregnant, soon to be non-nursing self? With wonderful merino I bought at a WEBS cone sale for $5/lb? This will not end well, my friends...

I decided I wanted a comfortable, hourglass shaped raglan for the winter. Minor problem? I don't have an hourglass body shape; it's pretty much a curve-free shape, in fact. I didn't think that would matter so much because I wasn't creating a tightly fitted garment, just a roomy weekend sweater. I sat down with my calculator and tape measure to work out the shaping and cast on shortly thereafter.

You see where this is going, don't you? Aaron says the sweater looks like a bell on me. I wanted a sweater for my not pregnant body and I created and knit a sweater that would only fit my pregnant body. *sigh* I'm not exaggerating either. I would show you the picture of me wearing it with a pillow stuffed inside but people, I can't have something that ridiculous looking sitting in my archives forever, can I??? You understand. Seriously, hip shaping for someone without hips? What was I thinking? My hips grew in pregnancy but really, we're talking an inch at best. As far as I'm concerned, that's not even worthy of shaping. I feel so stupid. I'm going to pack this in with the maternity clothes for the next round.

Pattern aside, I've been meaning to tell you about this yarn! I bought several pounds of it a few years ago for an aran sweater for Aaron. (heh) It was still in spinning oil but promised to soften up quite a bit upon washing. I can't say the knitting was enjoyable but it certainly wasn't bad. I was amazed at how my swatch softened and bloomed in the wash. I don't know if you can see the difference here but the swatch is nice and soft while the sleeves are greasy and have some funny stitch definition.

Juno blogged about a similar experience with WEBS coned yarns a few weeks ago, although she lost some important yardage in the wash.

I still haven't washed my new maternity sweater yet because I think I'm going to redo the cuffs to add a hem. When it's really done, you'll get FO pics.

In the meantime, I still need a sweater! I cast on for Kate Gilbert's Sunrise Circle Jacket, which is free from Interweave. I'm using Skye Tweed in Heath that I bought at the WEBS summer sale just like Tiennie, Nova and Katy (did I leave anyone out?) It was $3.29/ball and I've lusted after Jared's Skye Tweed creations for ages so I jumped at the opportunity. Skye Tweed is far more scratchy than I expected. While I love the finished look, I must say that it squeaks like acrylic and smells a little funny.

Row gauge is CRITICAL with this garment and I've had trouble making it quite to 7 rows/inch. I knit the sleeve in the round and made 6.5 but flat knitting gets me 5.75-6 so I'm not sure how I'll work it out for the front sections. Anyone else experience this problem?

My First Successful Sewing Experience, Part 3 of 3

2007-08-08T14:45:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Reversible dress and diaper cover from McCall's M2213

What I learned from this dress is that whenever possible, make dresses reversible!! Actually, I think I came to that conclusion when I made the red dress, which calls for interfacing, after making this, which is completely reversible. Interfacing is a pain.

This is a bit too big for B so she probably won't get much use out of it until next summer. The picture below is my favorite.

One note about yesterday's post... I didn't mean to be down on designer fabric or yarn. After all, don't forget that I bought it because I liked the print! I guess I prefer the control of the finished product that knitting affords. Designer fabrics can be quickly identified but, as Stacey so aptly commented, "Grey worsted wool - well, that could be one of 100 brands!"

I still have some sewing projects going on but the knitting will return to the blog soon. In fact, I've been holding out on you. I've been working on a sweater all week! I haven't made any sweaters in ages (and they all pre-date the blog) because I was either pregnant or nursing and I didn't want to invest so much time in something I wouldn't wear for very long. I think it's time to return to some sweater knitting! More details soon!

My First Successful Sewing Experience: Part 2 of 3

2007-08-07T15:16:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Top and pants from Butterick B5017
Modifications: I omitted the rick rack trim and used a loop of ribbon for the buttonhole instead of the loop of embroidery thread.

Of all the things I've been working on, I am happiest about this set. I love the two fabrics together, even if it's a bit loud. Frankly, I secretly wish that I could get away with wearing pants like these. It's such a shame that adult clothes aren't nearly this cute.

It was while I was working on this outfit that I realized why knitting is so much more appealing to me than sewing. I took the garment to the fabric store several times because it appears that I am incapable of buying fabric, interfacing and notions all at once. Twice, people came up to me and asked if the top was "a Kaffe Fassett". Now, I grant you that I used a Butterick pattern and a Kaffe Fassett print fabric for the top, but what I really wanted to say in response was, "No, it's an Elinor Brown. I made it." Call it beginner's pride.

I know there are some ~~brand whores~~ knitters out there who only have eyes for a particular brand of yarn and could likely identify a line of that brand in a knitted garment. However, I think that knitting allows for enough creativity to break out of the commercialized, brand-conscious world we live in. I suppose one could knit a sweater using the expensive yarn and exact colorway a pattern calls for but really, who does that? You don't - I know because I read your blogs.

With yarn, you can change the texture and density of the knitted piece. With fabric, the print remains the same no matter what you do it it. I know, I know, you can alter the shape or the drape but what's the first thing a viewer sees? The print. So no matter what the sewer does, it's still a Kaffe Fassett garment. This is, in my opinion, why knitting wins out over sewing in the long run. What do you think?

My First Successful Sewing Experience: Part 1 of 3

2007-08-06T18:14:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Dress from Butterick B4712, diaper cover from McCall's M2213
Modifications: My armhole seams were pretty ugly so I added some bias tape to clean them up a bit.

While I made some nice newborn diapers and a great (and well used) baby sling when I was pregnant, my sewing track record is pretty ugly. Let's just say I wasted lots of time and money and leave it at that. Enter a live-in babysitter who can sew and who works at a fabric store... Emily gave me some great pointers on patterns, cutting and construction. For any other beginner sewers out there, this is what I've learned from the experience:

1. If you do not 1) use pins and/or 2) iron your pieces after each seam, you would be better off wadding up the cash you dropped on fabric and notions and torching it. It would be better to indulge your inner pyro than suffer the anger and frustration of a failed project. I know that sounds like a no-brainer but this was actually my greatest sewing challenge.

2. Transfer all of the markings from the pattern to the fabric. Of course you would do that. Why would you try to wing it? Trust me on this, I've tried and failed.

3. Follow the pattern instructions. When the pattern says to do something that you think sounds a bit too much, just do it. You will be grateful five steps later when you realize that you should have done what the pattern said to do way back at the beginning.

I like how the bias tape looks except in one spot. Do you see it here? I'm not going to rip it out and redo it but I'll never like that corner.

Check out the zipper! Not bad for my second one, I think. It's a little wonky at the bottom but you can't see it unless you're looking for it.
I'll have two more FOs in the next few days along with some notes on why knitting is better than sewing...

The Sewing Machine Ate My Knitting Mojo

2007-07-31T11:58:00.001-05:00

Perhaps for lack of inspired knitting, perhaps because of the heat but whatever the reason, my sewing machine has lured me with its promise of quickly finished objects - near instant gratification compared to knitting. I say "finished" but the truth of the matter is that all of my sewn items need buttonholes or trim added so you won't see actual FOs for a few more days. You know what I mean by "finished"...

Here are some previews:

I've also been working on a pair of Anastasias with the Claudia's Handpainted (in Blue Sky colorway) that I won in Minty's blog contest a few months ago.

I think once I clear my knitting plate of second socks and gift knitting, my knitting mojo will come back. Until then, I slog along!

Warrior Baby

2007-07-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

I wonder if all that prenatal yoga paid off? Doesn't this look like the warrior pose?

I can't resist posting this one because I think it's so funny to see this little baby head popping out of the cavernous hole that is our kitchen sink*.

What's with all the baby pictures? You guessed it, there's little knitting to report - only a super lame FO and a really cool garage sale find.

Yarn: Regia Cotton India, who knows what colorway
Pattern: 60-stitch, stockinette socks with about 4" of ribbing.

In the photo, one looks longer than the other but they're the same size in real life. These socks will go to my mom. Like I said earlier, I'm not so fond of the colorway but I did buy two skeins of Regia cotton to make socks for my mom so that's all there is to say. I'm tempted to cast on for the second pair soon just to get them done.

Next up, my $0.25 garage sale baby quilt. It's certainly a scrap quilt (and a tied one at that) but I couldn't resist it. It's light and soft and it's the kind of blanket that I would want if I were a baby.

* Concrete countertops look cool in magazines but let's not talk about what they're like to live with...

FO: Debbie Bliss Classic Cardigan

2007-07-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad so many of you liked the biscotti recipe! Oh yeah and from reading some of the comments from my last post, I think I ought to clarify that I'm up at 4:40 a.m. to shuffle along at a 10:00/mile pace, not to sprint at a 6:00/mile pace. I'm not a good runner, I'm just becoming an early one!

Pattern: Classic Cardigan from The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Berry
Needles: US 7
Modifications: Because Debbie Bliss' baby patterns are notoriously boxy, I made the 12-18 mos size but used the 18-24 mos sizing for length. A few months back, many of you commented that you thought that a long, skinny baby would likely grow into a long, skinny toddler so I decided that it would be best to plan on that for next winter's crop of Beatrix sweaters.

Beatrix clearly has some growing to do before this will fit! This project has been about two-thirds finished for months now and since I didn't have much knitting time this week, I decided to take up finishing it here and there. A simple, shapeless stockinette baby sweater is hardly good blog fodder but at least it's out of my WIP pile.

This sweater pattern is an old standby for me but it is painful to knit. Every time I make it, I remember halfway through that I should have used raglan shaping and knit it all at once to save myself the seaming. I don't particularly care for how bulky DB's sleeves/shoulders are but I'm too lazy to do much math for something as simple as a baby sweater so I'll live with the bulk. The buttons on this sweater are a bit of a disappointment too. While I love these shell buttons up close, I think they tend to fluoresce a bit from a distance so if I could do this again, I would likely choose different buttons.

What do you do when your mom makes you wear a sweater that's too big for you?

You eat it, of course...

Early Mornings and Almond Anise Biscotti

2007-07-03T17:05:00.000-05:00

For about four weeks, I've been getting up just before 5 a.m. to run. Most days I run with a group but sometimes I'm on my own or with a friend. I've always struggled with the morning runs. On one hand, I love both being up before the sun and the sense of accomplishment that comes from running hard long before most people get up. On the other hand, until Beatrix came along, I also loved the snooze button. When you intend to get up and run in the morning and don't, you bear two burdens: you start your day off with a failure and you have all day to ~~look forward to~~ dread your evening run. Since I've been up in the morning, my overall mental health has improved dramatically. I know how crazy that sounds. My alarm is set for 4:40 a.m. So I can get up and RUN. Some days it's hard running too. I think I'm sleeping less. But I have more energy throughout the day. Where is the science, people???

If you had told me a few years ago that I would successfully run in the mornings for more than a week at a time, I would have died laughing. Now there seem to be so many more obstacles (e.g. a baby, a teething baby, a baby who doesn't sleep through the night anymore) but I find it easier. I'm sure it's because running time is so much more precious now than it was when I had my life to myself. The other part is that I prefer returning home to a smiley, awake baby rather than waking up to one. Mommy Duty no longer wakes me up, Running does. Somehow, that's better in my book.

I started this post about getting up early so that I could share with you my daily post-run breakfast: single shot cappuccino and homemade biscotti.

I've been making a new batch of biscotti every Sunday night and they've been so tasty that I decided to share my ~~experiments~~ recipes with you. This week's batch was almond anise. The best part is that if you only eat one, they're not a lot of calories. You could take out the almonds to reduce the calories too.

Almond Anise Biscotti
2 c white flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
1 tsp anise extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp anise seeds
1 c whole almonds
optional: sliced almonds

Pre-heat oven to 300 F. Combine flour and baking powder in one bowl. Set aside.

Combine sugar, eggs, anise extract and salt. Whip until thick. Stir in flour mixture.

Add anise seeds and almonds.

The dough will have the consistency of sticky cookie dough. Spread into a 4" x 16" log on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top. Bake 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 275 F. Cool 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" wide slices. Place slices cut-side down on baking sheet. Toast biscotti 10 minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.*
*Be sure to make a kind that the other members of your household will eat. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with 58934854309859304859034 calories of biscotti. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing...

My Psychic Secret Swapper

2007-07-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

Check out the crazy loot from Christine in the SP10 reveal package!! Wow! There is too much here to fit in one frame! And all of it so perfect! Aaron is quite tired of listening to me gush so now it's your turn! And seriously, you should all follow that link over to her blog. She has some really interesting posts. The freakiest? This one. *shudder*
1. Vegan Cupcakes by these folks, a book I've coveted since reading the New York Times article
2. Lots of chocolate, both milk and dairy free
3. RSPCA dish towel
4. Cloth book/rattle for Beatrix
5. A fold-out postcard of her town in NSW
6. Super cute necklace by Karin Taylor
7. A skein of Merino Cashmere 4-ply in Geranium from The Knittery (!!!)
8. Rebecca Baby & Kids magazine
9. Some great laminated patterns (I don't know what I did with those pictures...)
10. This really funny card (Christine, are you saying I'm That Mom? Kidding, of course I am...)
10. A Princess Beatrix t-shirt (where did she find that??)
Thanks so much, Christine!!! I hope you were as spoiled as I was this swap!!!

Actual knitted items will reappear later this week. Beatrix is cutting her top teeth and no one is sleeping ~~well~~ at all at my house. Knitting has been temporarily placed on the back burner while the three of us focus on survival.

FO: Grapefruit Socks

2007-06-25T17:43:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Basic Stockinette with short-row heel and wedge toe (CO 64 sts)
Yarn: Woolarina Superwash Sock yarn in Grapefruit colorway

These socks will be packed up this evening and shipped off to Ann, who graciously traded me some beautiful Sea Wool and Lang Jacquard for them! So much for a stash buster project! Ann, I hope these fit!!!

For weeks, I've been meaning to blog about the beautiful stitch markers that my sister-in-law, Xan, made for me. Aren't they pretty? Jewelry for my knitting needles!!! She's so talented. She can knit, crochet, sew, quilt, tile a bathroom floor... I just checked out some good baby knits books from the library so I plan on using these in a baby project that will debut soon. I must finish my socks first!

Speaking of socks, I've finished the first of my mom's Regia cotton socks, although I had to rip and reknit the toe once because I measured incorrectly. These socks are just OK in my book. Their overwhelming comfort makes up for the white ply (I assume that's the cotton part of the Regia blend) that makes them look a bit funny!

I do like how the striping worked out at the toe, don't you?

The crochet project is coming along quite well. I'm adding about one color strip a day so at this rate, it will take me all summer but that's just fine with me. Afghans aren't very portable projects anyway so this will be my at-home project.

After my last post, Maryse reminded me that there's no reason to apologize for crochet. She's right, of course. I know I'll get some heat for saying it but I strongly associate crochet with tacky, acrylic (insert household item here) covers that one sees at local craft fairs. It's because my grandmother used to have crocheted toilet paper roll covers in all of her vacation rentals. As if covering a roll of TP makes it look like anything other than what it is... So if I'm down on crochet, it's because of the toilet paper rolls.

Finally, I'll leave you with a preview of other crafty projects in the queue this summer:

The Perfect Stashbuster

2007-06-18T15:23:00.001-05:00

With an organic chemistry exam (they just keep coming) this evening, I've made lots of progress on my study sock and as soon as I weave in ends on Ann's socks, they'll be ready to send. Unfortunately, this is the only progress picture I have for you today.

I can't believe I'm crocheting. *sigh* I assure you hard core knitters that this crochet is a temporary break from the usual sock knitting! I have a few small baby knits in my queue so maybe I'll start those as soon as all of these gift socks are done!

Crochet: The Abyss

2007-06-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

I'm shocked that it's been two weeks since my last blog post! I've been collecting little bits here and there but I haven't had any knitting content worth mentioning!

First up, you really must go check out this really cool free sock pattern. It's a great pattern on its own but the designer? Another Elinor. And she spells it correctly. Not like the manufacturer of Sarah's shoes, which are still cool because they're called 'Eleanor', but not as cool as if they'd been called 'Elinor'.

Speaking of shoes, check out what Johanna's been making! I'm definitely going to put in an order for a pair for Beatrix! Where does that mama find the time? I am thoroughly impressed!

For those of you interested in the Woolarina sock yarn I used for my Orchid socks, you should go see Jennie's current WIP with another colorway of Woolarina. She's struggling with the sock heel but the yarn is just beautiful!! I hope Woolarina puts up more yarn soon!

I'm afraid that I've been teetering on the abyss of crochet. (runs around in circles screaming) All thanks to Maryse and her stinkin' Soft Waves Ripple Afghan. You see, I have this huge "stash". I use the term tentatively because I'm referring to partial skeins and leftovers from other projects, which I know many of you refuse to call "stash" (denial must be nice...) Leftovers aside, my stash is tiny compared to some of the ones I've been seeing on Ravelry (I'm lookin' at you JulieFrick!). Nevertheless, I would love to use up my remnants and since I'm not likely to finish any knitted blanket, I thought I'd try to crochet one.

The first problem? I don't know how to crochet. Maryse gave me the rundown on exactly what crochet stitches I'd need to learn and blogless Camille from my knitting group got me started. I've already used up about 5 oz of Cotton Ease remnants making washcloths! I've been giving them away as I crochet them so you don't get any pictures of my wonky "squares".

The second problem? The pattern is from a book that my library doesn't have and I'm just not going to buy a book for ONE pattern. While there are 200 stitch patterns in this book, I thought I'd take my chances on Amazon to see if the book had an excerpt. It does and guess what? The excerpt includes the pattern I want! This just goes to show that you should ALWAYS 'Look Inside This Book'!

I'm planning to make the blanket baby sized and use up lots of Wool of the Andes, Cascade 220 and misc worsted weight wool. I might buy a few more WoTA skeins to balance the colors out but not until I get started! No need to add to stash for a stash buster, right?

Next up, I'm going to have to come clean with you about what I've done with my Grapefruit socks:

Let's just say that there will not be a sock giveaway, although I promise to hold another giveaway (with a good prize) in place of the socks. I am weak. Ann offered to trade me some Sea Wool for my socks and I took her up on it. Please don't hate me (didn't I tell you I was weak?) Besides, you know you would have done the same...

Because Ann is too cool for words, she also threw in some Lang Jawoll for fun! I'm hoping to finish up Ann's socks this week so I can liberate my size 1 circular so I can continue knitting this pair for my aunt. I can't remember the name of the pattern just now but it's a 4-stitch cable pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Even so, I need some stockinette socks to knit while studying! Studying is the only way I'm getting in any knitting these days. This is my new study sock! It's Regia Cotton India. I'm knitting these for my mom who claims to be allergic to wool (I have my doubts about this but I'm compromising).

The knitting is really taking a back seat to organic chemistry and exercise!! I really must carve out some knitting (dare I say 'crochet' too?) time soon! I've been running 3 days a week with my friend's running program, playing soccer 2 days a week, taking exercise classes 3 days a week and getting up for Dog Days, a community exercise program 2 times a week. Since there aren't 10 days in a week, that means exercise twice a day most days of the week. It's been a lot of fun but it doesn't leave much room for knitting. Summer is for getting outside so don't expect prolific knitting in the next few months! I know you're all outside too!

FO: Craftaholic Orchid Socks

2007-05-31T12:19:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Craftaholic's Orchid Sock pattern
Yarn: Woolarina Superwash Sock
Needles: US 2 for the first 4 inches, then US 1
Modifications: This is a toe-up pattern but I knit it top down, without reversing the row order. Also, I only used the lace pattern on the front, with extended ribbing followed by stockinette stitch in the back.
Here is a view of the back. The extra ribbing and stockinette in back was inspired by Nancy Bush's Canal du Midi pattern that I knit up in April.

One thing that I love about these socks is the striping on the bottoms of the feet.

I really can't say enough about this yarn. It felt like soft Koigu with similar twist. I love the striping too, although it only striped when I knit on US 1s, pooling a bit on US 2s. Since these are for me, I'll be able to give you a review of how the yarn wears later this year - a bonus!

I'm horribly behind on Bloglines, please forgive me! I've been reading everything but haven't had much time for comments. I'll get back next week when school starts up again and I'm not on full-time baby care. Speaking of which, how do you stay-at-home moms do it? I'm exhausted and crazy from two weeks of sitter-free baby duty!

Things I Do to Jacques in the Name of My Kid

2007-05-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

Bike trailer test driving!

Jacques asks what he did to deserve this...

Knitting content later this week!

FO: Flore Hat in Knit Picks Shine Sport

2007-05-24T22:10:00.000-05:00

A baby hat in four days, can you believe it? That's like taking a week to knit a bootie! This is one serious hat! Unfortunately, while I was quite sure that B's head was 17", she has apparently grown a bit since that measurement so that hat is too small. No matter, it will go to a baby due in late summer. Nevertheless, Beatrix will be your model because she's all I have on hand. :-)

Pattern: Flore by Knitwhits
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport, remnants from other projects (colors: Violet, Orchid, Blush, Apricot and Grass, I believe)
Needles: US 4
Modifications: Since the suggested yarn was Tahki Cotton Classic which is a bit heavier than Shine Sport, I swatched, made some calculations and cast on 90 instead of 114 sts.

First of all, let me just say how much I love the finished product - it's unbearably cute, cleverly designed and interesting to knit. Baby Kaya has a great one too in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino too. The construction is well thought out and the petals are joined by a k2tog row, which cuts way down on the seaming. With those qualification, I must say that only a really, really, really special baby will receive one of these hats from me because both the knitting and finishing were, as Theresa suggested yesterday, "fiddly". That's nothing against the pattern authors at Knitwhits, it's just the nature of the beast. I can't think of any pattern modifications that would make this less painful to knit, but be forewarned that this is certainly a slogalong project.

To begin with, the pattern calls for two 16" circular needles and a set of DPNs. That's fine if you happen to own all of those needles in the appropriate size but I didn't and there's no way that I would ever buy so many duplicate needles for a baby hat (maybe for a sweater but certainly not for a baby hat). Thus, I was forced to fudge it a bit. I knit each new petal on DPNs and put the lower parts of the hat on a 32" US 0 circular. Why? Because that's all I had - it essentially functioned as a stitch holder, although I admit I spent a lot of time transferring pieces from one needle to another, something that might not have happened if I had not been too cheap to buy more needles. If you decide to make this hat, I guarantee that it will be easier if you follow instructions and use all of the suggested needles.

The finishing seemed to take forever, although my patience for end weaving and the like is minimal. Each layer had six tips to tack down so that the petal would lie flat. Six tack downs multiplied by five... that's a real drag, if you ask me.

So there you have it: an absolutely adorable hat can be yours with a little crankiness and a lot of finishing! Take it for what it's worth!

A Quick Break from Socks: Flore

2007-05-23T18:09:00.001-05:00

When I saw Sophia's Flore hat, I remembered how had intended to make one for Beatrix so I quickly download the pattern, collected some Shine Sport remnants, did some math and cast on. I needed a bit of a reprieve from sock knitting and baby hats are fast knits, right? Well, it turns out that this particular hat is not such a quick knit, although it does beat socks. It's like knitting four baby hats in one. (duh)
I'll have a couple comments about the actual pattern when I blog about the FO later this week.

Until then, I'll be enjoying the nice weather (guilt-free) with Aaron and Beatrix. There must be something about the end of the semester and bike rides...

Celebratory Knitting

2007-05-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

This week I took two finals and handed in a 5-page paper and an 80-page paper. I'm officially done for the semester and done with my masters degree. Commencement is tomorrow but it will be a bit anticlimactic, since I still have to take more science classes to meet the medical school entrance requirements.

Needless to say, I celebrated with a few rows of sock. I present one finished Orchid Sock. The second is already on the needles.

This picture shows the lace pattern a bit better.

Even though this yarn was probably not the best choice to show off the lace pattern, I love the striping shown here.

Instead of knitting the lace pattern on the front and back, I knit the back the same way the Canal du Midi Socks were made, mostly to give the sock some stability.

I enjoyed knitting these socks so very much! As I've told some of you, I will be sad to finish the second sock!

My secret pal, whose last two packages been waiting for me after each of my last two organic chemistry, struck again. This time? Four hours after my organic chemistry final. If it weren't for the Australian postmarks, I would swear that my pal is in the class with me because her timing is freakish.

This time, she sent a Jo Sharp pattern book, three wonderfully soft balls of Alpaca Silk Georgette and some chocolate wrapped in the prettiest paper!

Although I had heard great things about Jo Sharp patterns, I'd never leafed through one of her pattern books. I must say, this pattern book is definitely my style. You all know how often I knit adult sweaters (have I even made one since I started blogging?) but I'm itching to cast on for several from this issue! Unfortunately, I can't find any pictures of the mitts and stockings that my pal suggested for the yarn. Maybe I'll have to knit them. Thank you so much, secret pal!!! You are totally amazing!

Finally, both Emily and Jen tagged me for that 7 Random Things About You meme that's flying around blogland. I'm conflicted about memes because I don't like when they replace real knit blog fodder (personally, I'd rather see what you knit than learn about your freakish talents or strange pet peeves, even if that means you only post once a month). Read on if you so choose. I'm not going to tag anyone else (much to the annoyance of Minty) but feel free to post your own you like.
1. I grew up on Cape Cod.
2. I begged to go to boarding school and loved every minute of it. Cape Cod was that awful (pretty, yes, but an intellectual wasteland nonetheless).
3. When I went to college at the University of Kansas, my grandmother referred to it as a study abroad period.
4. I live happily without both meat and television (until Beatrix, I lived without dairy and eggs too). I firmly believe television is the root of all evil. I won't judge you if you like it but if you can't carry a conversation without talking about TV shows, my eyes will glaze over and I'll politely excuse myself from the conversation.
5. I'm a New York Times Crossword junkie. Like Bill Clinton, only not nearly as good. Have you seen the Bush crossword? It's good. ;-)
6. I don't run on the Kansas River levy (the best running surface in town) because one time, a lone female runner who was really far out got stalked by a mountain lion at 5 a.m. Even though I would never run at 5 a.m., alone on the levy or that many miles out, I still fear mountain lions.
7. Whenever I ride out of town, I think about how nice it would be to live in the country. Then, I think about snakes and mountain lions. That's the end of that fantasy. I'm such a New Englander.

Orchid Socks and Upcoming Blog Contest for Grapefruit Socks

2007-05-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

The good: Orchid Socks are knitting up beautifully and I really love this colorway from Woolarina.

The bad: Studying for final exams and finishing up a directed readings paper is really chewing up my knitting time this week.

The ugly: OK, so some of you don't think the Grapefruit Socks are all that ugly but I do. The last straw came when Aaron referred to them as my Ronald McDonald socks. I've decided that these socks and my wardrobe will never coexist peacefully so I've decided to have a blog contest and give them away. I'll finish the length to the winner's foot measurements (provided your feet aren't bigger than a women's US 10 so I don't run out of yarn). I'll post contest details in the next two weeks, when I'm closer to finishing the pair. Stay tuned.

Woolarina Grapefruit Socks and Knit Picks Catalogs

2007-05-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

<------- Begin Cranky Post -------->
Have you ever landed on someone's blog and thought, "Oh man, what was that blogger thinking?" Well, I'm that blogger this week ! I know some people like this kind of project but for all of you out there who are cringing, I'm right there with you. Give me solid sock yarn any day. Nevertheless, I am interested in how the striping is turning out. I used a short-row heel and knit the heel from the other end of the ball in an attempt to maintain the established striping pattern.

There has been a little surprise with this yarn. Do you see the inch of green? It was difficult to photograph but rest assured, there is an inch of green thrown in. I don't mind too much, since my expectations of the project in general are rather low. Perhaps that will be how I'll tell right from left?

You can really see the pooling capabilities of this yarn in the cake, now that I've used up quite a bit.

I just received the new Knit Picks catalog this week. Am I the only one that thinks the modeled sweaters in their catalogs look like droopy potato sacks? And some of the sock patterns they feature? *shaking head* KP sells some great yarns but I think they need to hire better marketing folks. Or at least, marketing folks who are at the same time skilled knitters. You can find far superior examples of Knit Picks yarn in action on Flickr and frankly, that's just sad. They should be able to put out a catalog superior to a Lion Brand one, don't you think? Well, that's what I think.

<------- End Cranky Post -------->

Pooling Grapefruit Socks

2007-05-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Here is what remained of the sock yarn for my in-laws' socks. Four socks and this is all the yarn I have left. You can see why I was worried about not making it!!

My Grapefruit Socks are definitely pooling in spite of knitting with two skeins, as Stacey predicted. Surprisingly, I don't hate them. Not yet, at least. And really, what do I care anyhow? These socks are getting me through through exams! Their intended purpose is not to sit in my bag looking pretty. I must remember that.

In other news, a few weeks back, I realized that there was a mistake with the Secret Pal 10 swap and I had two spoilers! Well, Christine ended up getting reassigned but she sent me stuff too! Some coffee, some of her own hand-dyed wool in an absolutely beautiful blue and personalized stitch markers!

Can you see those stitch markers? She used pictures of me and Beatrix from my Flickr account!!! That is so cool. I wonder how she did it? I will definitely treasure these stitch markers! I should put them to use in upcoming baby knits too! How sweet is that lady? You should all stop by her blog and see that kid of hers! He's such a cutie with all that great hair!!!

Thanks, Christine!!!

FO: Gentleman's Fancy Socks

2007-05-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for your input about the ribbon on the baby tank. I haven't decided what to do yet but Toni had the bright idea to tack the bow down! Why didn't I think of that??? Of course! I might try tacking the bow down in front first before turning it around to the back. There's something about a bow in back that screams 1986 to me.

I was looking forward to running a 10K last weekend but I woke up on Sunday to thunder, lightning and a heavy downpour. I'm still pretty disappointed about it because there aren't many 10Ks in my area and it's my favorite distance. I'm thinking of running one in Kansas City in early June, although the logistics of getting to the race and dealing with baby care might make that impossible. We'll see. Instead of running this weekend, this is what I did:
That swift and ball winder is addicting!

I finished the Gentleman's Fancy Socks this weekend. I apologize that every picture of these shows a different color - navy blue is impossible to photograph!!!

Pattern: Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Lang Jawoll in 85.025 (navy blue)
Needles: US 2, US1
Modifications: I don't care for leg shaping so I knit the cuff and the first repeat on size 2 needles and then switched to size 1s for the desired shaping. It worked out very well.

You should see how little yarn I had left over. Maybe I'll get a picture of that for later this week. It was really astounding. Both pairs of socks for my in-laws really came down to the last few yards!
There are two new pairs of socks on the needles, both using Woolarina sock yarn. The first is Craftaholic's Orchid socks in Raspberry. Instead of doing a lace repeat in front and in back, I chose to do it in front with ribbing halfway down the back followed by stockinette stitch like the Canal du Midi socks.
The unblocked version looks all crumpled but check out some of the other Orchid socks on Flickr. That Craftaholic has some great sock patterns!

This yarn is also Woolarina in Grapefruit. I bought this ages ago because I loved the colors. At the time, I must have forgotten my contempt for the pooling that so often comes with variegated yarn. The yarn has been languishing in stash because I didn't know what to do with it. Since the Orchid socks require more attention to knit than I'd like, I thought I'd start a mindless ribbed sock for reading/studying with this yarn. Of course, I've taken every precaution and I'm alternating between skeins to minimize any pooling. It's going well so far, although I'm only a few inches in. Perhaps you'll see some pictures later this week. I think I'll try 4-5 inches of ribbing followed by plain stockinette. I've never made a stockinette sock so this will be a first!

Why a Cute Ribbon Tie Isn't Such a Great Idea for a Baby Sweater

2007-05-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Do you think it would look strange if I turned the tie around to the back of the tank? *sigh*

Gifted Ribby Cardi

2007-05-03T13:54:00.000-05:00

Theresa of Knitting Underway fame posted last week about her dissatisfaction with her Ribby Cardi and asked if anyone would be interested in it and she sent it to ME! Can you believe it? That Theresa! I'm going to find something really nice to send her!

The cardi is absolutely beautiful and it fits too, although I won't likely wear it until it cools off again in the fall. I had an audience as I took pictures of it for you:

Something about that head popping up from the neck of the sweater made me laugh. "Oh, are you taking my picture? Oh OK, I'll pose..."

Thanks so much for sending it, Theresa! I'm sure it will see lots of use next fall and winter!!

I also just received a skein of Posh Yarns Emily in "Tickly" from Elaine! It's so soft! I don't know what I'll make with it just yet. Either a pair of socks or maybe some baby booties and hat sets. We'll see!

Thanks, Elaine!!!!

New Gadgets!

2007-05-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well, you all guessed what little B was doing in my last post. Heh. As Jess said, "There goes that Mother of the Year award!" Oh and speaking of Jess, you all need to go over to Ravelry and check it out. Rachel said just about everything I have to say on the matter. I think it's the best thing to happen to the online knitting community since Knitty. Go sign up! It's free.

I'm glad so many of you like the list of links I posted last weekend. I said last week that I often gravitate towards blogs that have lots of pictures. This is not to say that I don't read others or that I read only picture-heavy blogs. Sara over at let me explaiKnit is one of my favorites and she never has any pictures. There are also some blogs with great photos that I do not read, primarily because I dislike the written content (and no, I will not provide you with an example of that...) On another note, Mira taught me a new vocabulary word yesterday: "blopping", as in "blog hopping" - may you all go blopping this week!

And now on to knitting-related content:

My stepfather-in-law made me a yarn swift last week!!! Can you believe it???? Isn't it beautiful? I had asked him to look at a swift to see if he could drill holes for pegs. I had considered making one once my semester ends. He returned with a prototype, with the finished product a few days later! I've always wound my yarn by hand but I have a 1-lb skein of Cherry Tree Hill mill end that I'd like to knit up and I just couldn't face the wretched hand-winding.

So of course, what's a girl with a swift to do without a ball winder?

Now, what can I wind up?

I could wind yarn all day.

Progress continues on the Gentleman's Fancy Socks:

I really wish that I could have had them finished to present to the recipient when he gave me my swift but that's OK. I'll finish them this weekend and then I can give both pairs of socks away!!

I must say that I finished the first sock with 2.75 yards left. Suspecting that I'd run out, I bought another skein from Simply Socks Yarn before I decreased for the toe. I hope that I end with a similar amount left over on the second sock because the skein that came is a noticeably different color than my original. If I do not need it, I will plan on using it for some striped socks later on so I'm not too disappointed about purchasing an extra skein.

More Loot

2007-05-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

My secret pal has amazing timing. After each of my last two Organic Chemistry exams, I have returned home to find amazing packages sitting on my doorstep. Check this out:
An Australian knitting magazine, some candy and chocolate, a notepad (note the picture on the cover) and some Lang Jawoll Comfort in my favorite color: bright pink.
But that's not all! SOCK BLOCKERS!!!!! I've been coveting sock blockers for ages. I tried them out on one of my UFOs. This particular sock has been languishing in the UFO pile mostly because it requires a cable needle and I don't have that kind of attentive knitting time available. Normally, I never use a cable needle but this particular yarn/cable pattern requires it. Looking at the sock on blockers makes me hope that I can finish the second sock soon!
I've finished the first of my Gentleman's Fancy Socks but I haven't had time to photograph it so I'll leave you with a picture of Beatrix. I'll let you guess what she's doing in this picture...

Knit blogging will resume later this week! I will have lots to share with you!

Contest Winners!

2007-04-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a random number generator, the winners are as follows:

1. Green cotton sock yarn: Kodachrome
2. Blue wool fingering weight: Megan
3. Spring 2007 Interweave Knits: EnnaVic

Congratulations to all winners! I will send out emails in the morning, I'm afraid I'm too tired this evening. If you read the blog before you get your email, send me an email at elinor AT knitlawrence DOT org with your name and address and I'll get the loot out to you next week!

Many of you commented about particular blogs missing from my Bloglines list. I must confess that several months ago, my blogroll grew larger than I was publicly willing to admit so most of my newer subscriptions are now private. More than anything, a larger than a 150-count blogroll would take up way too much space in my sidebar and until I move it to its own page, that's what you get.

So many of you lurkers came out of the woodwork! I'm looking forward to getting to know you through your blogs! To that end, I was thinking of featuring a new blog read at the end of a post, every so often. With a list of new commenters a mile long, I should have fodder through the summer!

Here are some new blogs to add to YOUR blogrolls. I know I've left some off (not intentionally, to be sure) but I'm too tired to add more links. You can look back through the comments from the last post. I had intended to alphabetize the links but, as you can see, I am an incredibly lazy person.

archivistontheedge.com Mean Girl
Aloha N Oreos
http://norwayneedles.blogspot.com/
bella knitting
Bev's Projects
Spunky Eclectic
Chocolate Sheep
Coloursknits
dogged.
elevenstitches
fluffyknitterdeb.blogspot.com
Green apples - a knitting blog
heavenly days
veronikavery.com/blog
i dream of knitting
I KNIT 2
b r o o k l y n t w e e d
The Invisible Handy Wipe
The Keyboard Biologist Knits
knit and tonic
Knits & Pieces
Knitting to Stay Sane
Librarian-in-Training
lomester
Midnight Purls
mind of winter
miss ewe knits
Mustaa villaa
My Fashionable Life
Neither Hip Nor Funky
Northwest Knitter
pieKnits
Posie Gets Cozy
Random Knits
Ruth's Crafterlies
Sheepish Annie
sknitty
Smoking Hot Needles
Socks-For-Mum
stash, knit, repeat
Tales from the Den of Chaos
What Housework?
Yarn Is My Métier
Yarn Miracle
Yarn Pirate
Yarnmonster
yarnstorm
Yo La Tejo
brainylady
dogged.
Dogs Steal Yarn
Fickleknitter
Fricknits
g.bella knits
Go Felt Yourself!
In The Pink
january one
knitspot
Lolly Knitting Around
On and Off The Needles
Pat's Knitting and Quilting
pepperknit
The Plucky Knitter
theraineysisters.com
tiennie knits
Twinknit
Two Left Needles
Walnut Cheeks

I must say that I found what other people look for in a knitting blog very interesting . When I look at a new blog, I want the author to show me something new, teach me how to do something or offer useful technique and/or pattern advice. And then there are the pictures. I admit that I look at your pictures before I read anything that you've written. For example, if I were reading this particular post, I would scan for pictures and seeing none, would sigh and mutter something about the blog author's long-winded ramblings before moving on to something more colorful. I assume that other bloggers feel similarly so that's why I almost always post lots of pictures. Or as my dad says, "pitchiz".

Blog Contest!

2007-04-24T19:36:00.000-05:00

As promised, a blog contest for free stuff! As if any of you need more yarn...

This is a destashing more than a contest, I must say. I took a good look at my stash and saw some things that don't have projects attached to them. Leave me a comment and give me a link to a knitting blog you like to read and also tell me which one of the three items you'd like. I'll draw names out of a hat for each item. Please don't all say Yarn Harlot. We all know she's great but I'm interested in undiscovered blogs, not ones with 7534875849357894375893475934 subscribers.

Enter before 5 p.m. (CST) on Friday, April 27th. I will draw the three winners while celebrating getting through another chemistry test. I'll post winners and a list of interesting blog reads on Friday evening.

The Prizes
1. )Two skeins of Fortissima Cotton sock yarn in a kelly green color, 231 yds/ball, 26sts/4 in on US 1-2. I made some socks for my mom out of this stuff and it's really soft and nice to knit with.

2.) Four skeins of fingering weight 100% wool from Jojoland, 220 yds/ball, 7-8sts/in on US 1-3. This would be good for lace. It's not scratchy wool.

3) The Spring Interweave Knits
Somehow, I wound up with an extra copy. Who wants it?

Flying Under the Blogdar: Finished Baby Cardigan

2007-04-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post about this over the weekend but I just finished a project that flew under the blogdar this month. The pattern is hardly interesting but the result is a very functional baby sweater. Beatrix models it for you, although it's still too big for her!

Pattern: Baby Cardigan from Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted in dark brown
Needles: US 7

I've made so many of these for friends and family. The sweater is cute but the knitting is quite unremarkable with lots of stockinette framed in 2x2 rib. *snore*

Since I will have little knitting to post about this week, stay tuned for a ~~destashing~~ blog contest tomorrow!

FO: Canal du Midi Socks

2007-04-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Progress continues on the Gentleman's Fancy Socks. Thanks for your feedback on the color. I wasn't sold on it at first but I've grown to like it quite a bit!

The knitting will slow down a bit this week since there's another Organic Chemistry test on the horizon. *sigh* The good news is that another aunt has asked for a pair of socks! Hopefully, I'll be pattern gazing again soon!

Lately, there has been more exercise than knitting around here, which is always a good thing. Christine and I ran a 5K last week, which was so much fun! Go congratulate her on a power finish! We're definitely planning to meet up again for another run soon. There are a bunch of races coming up that I intend to run but I'll tell you more later.

Have a great week!

Nancyfest: Gentleman's Fancy Socks and Canal du Midi Socks

2007-04-17T11:50:00.000-05:00

Progress continues on the Canal du Midi socks. I've made it down to the heel flap on sock #2 and there's hope that I'll have the pair done this weekend!

In the meantime, I cast on for a pair of the Gentleman's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is Lang Jawoll from Knitsense! Stash knitting too! I can't read and work a twisted stitch pattern very well so I went looking for a good rib pattern. These will be for my stepfather-in-law. My MIL and sFIL spend their summers in Montana so I'd like to have their socks done before they leave in May.

What do you think of the color? Is it too bright to be a manly sock?

Lastly, I made Yarnival! Go check it out! There are some really interesting blog posts in this issue!

Progress: Canal du Midi socks in Louet Gems Fingering

2007-04-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

There have been some really amazing FOs in blogland this week! Stacey's Turkish Stockings and Brooklyntweed's Saddle Shoulder Aran Cardigan are my two favorites. Both Stacey and Jared exhibit a discipline for knitting that I only wish I had!!! Perhaps I'll get there someday when Beatrix is older...

As I said last week, I've been working on a pair of Canal du Midi socks in Louet Gems Fingering (Fern Green colorway). I have mixed feelings about the pattern, the yarn and the pattern/yarn combination.

Pattern:
I like the pattern, although if I were to knit these again, I would prefer that the twisted stitch pattern weren't so squished on the instep stitches. I would probably throw in a few purls on the instep to spread out the panels of twisted stitches.

One thing that I do like about the pattern is the square heel. I personally prefer round heels but Aaron thinks that his mom's heel is like his: narrow. I think the square heel will be best for her.

The only modification I made was to use a Sl1, K1 heel instead of straight knit:

Yarn:
If I had been around to blog earlier this week, you would have read a fairly grumpy post about how Louet Gems Fingering has such poor yardage (185 yds/skein) that it was doubtful that I'd be able to get a pair of large women's socks out of two skeins. As it turned out, this is what remained of one skein after finishing one sock:

While I did not have to buy that third ball, I would certainly never choose Gems for larger socks in the future. If my pattern had been more cabled, I would have needed that third skein. Why not just plan on buying 3 skeins, you ask? One of my greatest pet peeves is patterns/designers that require that last skein but hardly use any of it; I find it both wasteful and indulgent. Besides, I'm not very good at using up sock yarn scraps so that last skein would likely sit in my stash forever and I would grow to resent it. Yes, I know, I'm cranky.

Pattern/Yarn Combination:
Is it just me or do the zigzags down either side of the cables look like reptilian scales? If the yarn weren't green, it would never have occurred to me. It's not awful, but I think I would prefer the Canal du Midi socks in a different color.

The second sock is already on the needles! More progress next week!

FO Child's First Sock, Frogged Conwy Sock

2007-04-06T18:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, so you guys really liked that kaftan! I wasn't expecting that much of a response from a rediscovered FO! I think Aaron was pleased to read the positive comments too.

After the organic chemistry exam and four comprehensive exams, I returned home Friday to find loot! Mintyfresh of Pepperknit sent me two skeins of Claudia's Handpainted yarn from her recent blogiversary contest.
What a great prize! Thanks, Minty!! I've been thinking that I really need to get some variegated and give it a try. When scanning through my Flickr gallery last weekend, I came to the conclusion that I am the most boring knitter alive. Same types of patterns, same types of yarns. I need to expand my knitting horizons a bit, lest you readers die of boredom.

Next up, a package from my secret pal! Before I continue, I should say that there has been some Secret Pal craziness that resulted in me having two spoilers. SO... while Heatherly works that out, you can look at pretty pictures of what Secret Swapper sent me from Australia!

A beautiful card, a teddy bear for Beatrix, a great folk music CD for kids, some chocolate and...

some soft Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in one of my favorite colors:
and another look:
Thanks, Secret Swapper! Just in time for my yarn diet!

For those of you have remarked the lack of much knitting progress in these last few weeks, I give you some FO photos of my Child's First Socks for my cousin Ida:

Pattern: Child's First Sock from Vintage Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Boldly Red on US 2s

In my excitement about having the weekend free from studying and encouraged by a great example on Flickr, I cast on for some Conwy socks from Knitting on the Road. I was looking for a conservative pattern for my mother-in-law that wouldn't tie me to a book (so fairly easy to memorize). As it turns out, Conwy is the perfect pattern.

Unfortunately, because it was the perfect pattern, I found it so tedious and boring that I frogged it a few inches later and started Canal du Midi, inspired by Grumperina's version. I could not face the prospect of two large socks with Conwy. Stay tuned for Canal du Midi progress photos next week!

Debbie Bliss Baby Kaftan

2007-04-05T18:35:00.001-05:00

Well, it seems that many of you think that I am asking a bit much on the superwash socks. Maybe I am. It's not too big of a problem, since Aaron says the fuzz makes them softer. However, he also says that it makes them more like store-bought wool socks. *cringe* What a muggle.

Since I'm ~~procrastinating~~ taking a break from studying, I thought I'd post some FO photos from a sweater I recently discovered in the baby knits pile. I made this sweater about two years ago, certainly with no intention of having a baby who would wear it. I knit it simply because I wanted to learn to embroider. The embroidery project was a failure (at least, on my part) so Aaron figured out how to embroider and he did it for me. I was so impressed. So was his grandmother, who reminded him that his grandfather, who learned to knit for soldiers in World War I, knit blankets for all of his grandkids (at a gauge of 10 sts/in too). There's certainly lots of needlework skill in his family! In any case, here is your ever willing model showing off her new (albeit a bit big) sweater:

Pattern: Baby Kaftan from Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport

Wear Test: Knit Picks Swish Superwash

2007-04-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that while I will not consume any calories knitting the aforementioned chocolate yarn, neither will I burn any calories sitting on my butt knitting! You can see why I've come to depend on a complementary, non-sedentary hobby like running. Speaking of which, Christine of the Knitting Virgin (whose knitting skills reveal that she's been around the block a few too many times to continue calling herself that) is coming to Lawrence in a few weeks and she and I are going to run a 5K together. Not only that but I recently joined Colleen on an indoor soccer team in town! I'm just meeting up with knit bloggers everywhere!

I'm still studying like mad for my exams this Friday so I haven't actual knitting content for you. This blog fodder comes to you from Aaron, who recently washed his newly acquired misread Gentleman's Socks in Railway Stitch. If you will recall, these socks were knit using Knit Picks Swish Superwash on US 2s. I've used Swish several times now, although only on gifts. I was curious to see how super this superwash yarn would be. First, I should say, the socks didn't completely felt after a run through the washing machine. That's something, isn't it? I chose not to machine dry them when I saw the beginnings of felting. Behold, the fuzzy halo:

What, you want to see the damage close up?
I know some people would roll their eyes at the promise of true superwash and say I surely can't expect to machine wash and dry handknits. Well, I do, especially when the label says I can. Furthermore, certain sock manufacturers have convinced me that good superwash wool is possible. If I purchase more Swish, it will be for its soft, spongy quality rather than for its washability.

For those unencumbered by a yarn diet, WEBS is having a sale on Regia. Those nice folks at WEBS must have heard about my diet and decided to test my willpower so go! Get it while you can! Knit g.bella's Clessidra socks from the latest Knitty. I will live vicariously through you!

Yarn Diet: False Start

2007-03-30T13:19:00.000-05:00

While some people need to eat that huge piece of chocolate cake before starting a new food diet, I apparently need one (or three) last yarn purchases to prepare myself for months of stash knitting. Truthfully, I had intended to buy enough sock yarn to make two pairs of socks for my in-laws to thank them for all the babysitting they've been doing; however, I bought enough for three pairs! Bad knitter!

Lorna's Laces (I'm in love) Shepherd Sock in Pewter for my stepfather-in-law,
Louet Gems in Fern Green for my mother-in-law
and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Chocolate for me - the reason? I only own one pair of handknit socks. I don't even know how that is possible. And with so much work to do in these two weeks, I've been bribing myself with the promise of lots of sock knitting. Some people eat chocolate, I knit chocolate colored yarn. At least I won't gain any weight, right?
Finally, slow progress on Ida's socks. I've finished the first one and started the second but now I'm just knitting a few rows here and there. I'll pick them up again next weekend. Check out the cool striping!

Finally, go check out Kelley Petkun's blog- she and her husband own Knit Picks, my favorite not-so-local yarn store! I found the link to her blog on the much needed, newly redesigned Knit Picks site!

Child's First Sock Progress

2007-03-26T18:23:00.000-05:00

Yay! Baby Gleek arrived! Go stop by and see the little wee one!

I was able to capture some better photos of my Child's First Sock from Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks book. I'm almost done with the first one but my knitting will be slowing down this month since I have a big Organic Chemistry exam and four of my comprehensive exams on April 6th. April 5th is going to be a rough day, I suspect. *sigh* There will be so much celebratory knitting on April 7th, let me tell you!

Anyway, have some sock photos!

Do you see that cool striping on the heel flap? It was virtually impossible to photograph but it's there! Between me and Stacey, there are going to be some colorful CFSs out there!

I encourage you to stop by Theresa's blog, where she's holding a contest in search of manly sock yarn and manly patterns. Someone needs to write a book of really good manly sock patterns that are actually interesting for the knitter to work on! I have two pairs of manly socks languishing in the UFO pile, mainly because they bored me to tears. I really ought to finish the blue pair. I am only inches away from finishing the second sock but two significant problems have arisen, one physical and one motivational. Aaron expressed doubt about the pointy toe and its suitability for what I would consider his pointy feet. I'm afraid that the 10 sts/inch gauge began to matter once the knitting mojo was compromised by said toe. Alas! The curse of manly knitting: utter boredom.

Nancy: The Only Bush that Ought to be President

2007-03-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

All politics aside, isn't Nancy Bush the greatest?? I started the Child's First Sock from Vintage Socks this week using some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport yarn in Boldly Red. I suspect that these socks will take a bit longer to knit because I stop to admire how the pattern is coming out every few rows!

The richness of this yarn was difficult for me to capture. Perhaps I'll get The Photographer to take the FO photos!

Remember the Nancy Bush inspired socks? They might as well be called Elinor Can't Read socks but nonetheless, I like how they turned out.

Pattern: mis-read Gentleman's Sock in Railway Stitch from Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish
Needle: US 2

I have finally finished a pair of socks for Aaron! I'm ashamed to admit that there are two other pairs of socks intended for him in the UFO pile. He was beginning to believe he'd never get a pair, I think!

Next, some stash expansion! First, J. Knits superwash sock yarn in 'Newburyport'. I admit that I bought this yarn almost entirely because I used to live outside of Newburyport and I liked that the color was plum, as in nearby Plum Island! It was a total impulse buy, I admit it.

Next, some Koigu solid sock yarn that I bought yesterday on a quick trip to Kansas City. We were on the Country Club Plaza and when I pointed out that The Studio was only up the street, no one objected too loudly so I convinced them to let me pop in.
Given recent stash expansions, I have decided to go on a yarn diet. My last yarn diet lasted 14 months. I have incredible willpower. I need to jump back on the wagon because my stash is getting too big for my taste! I need to go track down one of those tacky tickers announcing how many days that it's been since I bought yarn!!!

I'll leave you with some really cool baby knitting: Saartje's mom. Go check it out. I need to make a sweater just like that! I'd have to reconstruct the pattern but it doesn't look too bad.

Mindless Stockinette Knitting

2007-03-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry, folks! This is all I have for you this week. No yarn reviews, no pretty socks, just plain stockinette knitting and lots of it!

I received a few skeins of the new Cotton-Ease and decided to test it out. I think it's the same as the old stuff but it seems like it's spun a bit more loosely. I intend to pull out some stash Cotton-Ease for comparison.

I appreciate all of your comments about future baby sweater sizing for said bean pole. All of this stockinette is for a couple of long, skinny sweaters for next winter. Christine pointed out that sweaters stretch horizontally but not vertically so it wouldn't hurt to add length.

Lastly, I ought to announce that I won! I won! I've never won anything before so I'm pretty excited about winning Pepperknit's blogiversary contest!

Wear Test: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease

2007-03-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Oh Cotton-Ease, how sad I was to see your misguided manufacturer chose to discontinue you - such a wonderful cotton - only to promote its excess of crappy yarns. We knitters pleaded with said manufacturer to bring you back and voila! You've returned in better, less eye-searing colors.

Nothing beats Cotton-Ease for hard-wearing children's knits. Cascade 220 is great for outerwear but Cotton-Ease needs no qualifiers: it is the perfect choice anytime. It feels like cotton, washes like acrylic sans pills, softens like denim and offers a stunningly low cost per yard. I'm tempted to buy a few cases of this yarn before Lion Brand realizes that it actually makes a good product and decides to triple the price.

These were two hastily knit sweaters from my last fortnight of pregnancy (ah, nesting...) They have both seen quite a bit of wear and look just as good as the day they were finished.

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Pattern: Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Needles: US 7

Pattern: My Seed Stitch Baby Hoodie
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Needles: US 7

R.I.P. Dear Running Shorts

2007-03-09T21:06:00.000-06:00

This afternoon, I hatched this great plan to pack the stroller and some toys in the car, pick Aaron up from work at 5 and head down the street to the high school track so that I could get a quick speed workout in. He could entertain Beatrix while I ran repeats and then we'd all go home to celebrate the beginning of the weekend.

Since all of my running clothes were dirty, I dug into my dresser and fished out my most favorite pair of running shorts: a pair I ran in when I was in boarding school. Ahem. Yes, these shorts are more than 10 years old - do you have a problem with that??? They've logged many, many miles but I haven't kept them for sentimental reasons (not really); comfortable running shorts are hard to come by! They even helped me out when I was pregnant. Not huge pregnant (after all, I did stop at 28 weeks) but still, pregnant. I pulled on the shorts and headed out the door with Beatrix.

After the baby hand off, I started jogging down the street and by the end of the block, it became abundantly clear that I would not be running to the track, let alone around it. Had my hands not been at my hips holding my beloved shorts up, they would have been puddled at my ankles. It was quite a sight, let me tell you. When I took them off at home, I inspected the waist. No wonder they didn't fit. I should never have even put them on when I was pregnant! I've checked out the elastic and I don't even think I could replace it.

"What," you ask, "you actually considered replacing the elastic on running shorts that are over a decade old? Are you crazy??"

Yes I am.

I haven't blogged a lot about exercise but I'm still running and looking forward to some 5 and 10Ks this spring. My original plan had been to run 3-4 miles about three times a week and then run longer on the weekend. This has changed. Getting out of the house is such a huge production that I feel like I ought to at least run for an hour to make all of the preparation, timing and planning worthwhile. I hope to hit 20 miles this week but I'd like to soon be up to 25 miles/week. I'm also forcing myself to add in a few hills and hit the track for a speed workout once every 2 weeks.

The nice weather makes it so much easier to get out and I just feel like a new person after a good run. For you non-runners, there's always the painless Couch-To-5K program. It's never too late to start!!

My Skinny Babe

2007-03-07T08:40:00.000-06:00

Why baby sweaters are all too short and too wide for baby in question:

At 6 mos, my little bean pole checks in at a mere 13.5 lbs. I think average is about 17.5 lbs! This is a hard baby to knit for, especially since most of my baby patterns are boxy Debbie Bliss numbers. The question is, should I assume that she will continue to be this shape? I want to knit her some sweaters for next winter. Should I alter the patterns to account for the lack of baby chub and make them a bit more narrow in the chest? What do you knitters think?

Knitting Funk

2007-03-01T16:42:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all of your comments and encouragement on the mittens. I'm behind on my work this week so I haven't responded to anyone and I apologize.

I did finish my mitts at Knit Lawrence, although since I forgot the pattern book and decided to wing the thumb, the mittens don't match. Many thanks to blogless Camille and Jennifer, who encouraged me to knit the thumb sans pattern. I won't lose sleep over the lack of mitten symmetry because I made them for myself. Furthermore, one mitt is a little bigger than the other and I recently noticed a significant color chart mistake on the back of one hand so they're far from perfect. I still like the colors. We knitters are the only people that would notice the mistakes.

I also put the finishing touches (i.e. the button and ribbon) on this little tank top I made earlier this year for Beatrix. I hope she'll be able to wear it this summer. She's so skinny that a lot of clothes don't fit right. Her winter sweaters have about 5" of ease. I couldn't decide which picture to post (partly, I think, because I like the tank so much) so have several.

Pattern: Eyelet Top from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid
Needles: US 4

I think what I like most about this little top is that it's the kind of sweater that I would covet for myself. Don't worry - I will never make matching mama-baby sweaters, although I won't rule out socks. Doesn't it creep you out to receive a Christmas card from the family of 10 all wearing the same outfit?

I've been finishing little knitting projects lately because I have a lot of real world work to do these days. I have some big projects to finish for my master's degree before graduation in May. I haven't talked much about what I do on my blog, but I'd like to get a PhD or MD once I have my master's and work in infectious diseases or epidemiology. Since I never took any science in college, I've been taking chemistry, physics and biology classes alongside my grad classes to meet the PhD and medical school entrance requirements. Just this week, I met with an advisor who told me I should apply this summer, when I had assumed that I'd have to wait a year until I finished my science coursework. Suddenly, I have a huge amount of STUFF to do in the next six months. It is so very intimidating. I think I'll take the MCAT this summer. *GULP* I wish I could knit while studying.

Wear Test: Garnstudio Karisma

2007-02-28T10:16:00.000-06:00

While I've been quite fond of Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Shine Sport in terms of how they've held up to frequent washings, Garnstudio Karisma leaves much to be desired. Frankly, I've found little to like about this superwash yarn. Care instructions are machine wash cold and dry flat. I've only washed this sweater a handful of times and this is what it looks like today:

Very fuzzy with lots of pilling. I was so disappointed because this was one of my favorite baby sweaters. I'll have to make another one for next winter in a more durable yarn.

Next up: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (and it's back too!)

Lapland Mittens from Folk Mittens

2007-02-18T08:51:00.000-06:00

While I still have no knitting progress to speak of, I thought I'd post about my lamest UFO ever (please excuse the background of diapers!) Check this out: BOTH mittens are done. One even has a thumb. The only thing remaining is another thumb. These mittens are two years old. That's right, two years. I estimate it would take me about 30 minutes to finish the second thumb. Why haven't I? I have to find the yarn, the book and some size 3 DPNs. I'm a little behind on work right now so they'll have to wait a little longer. I intend on bringing these to my knitting group next weekend so you can expect a long overdue FO post next week about these babies!

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes
Pattern: Lapland Mittens from Folk Mittens
Needles: US 3

The other day, I was looking down at my hands and I noticed a dark indentation on my right index finger. On further inspection, I noticed another one on my left pinky finger. I pointed it out to Aaron, wondering aloud what on earth could have caused the marks. He looked at me blankly. "Knitting," he said. Of course. How could I have missed that one? So it's official: I am the biggest dork ever! My friends have been purporting this for years.
This is how I hold my knitting when knitting English style:

I wrap the yarn around my pinky when knitting Continental style, which explains the mark on my left hand. Seven years of knitting has left its mark, I suppose! Am I alone in this? Do you all have knitting marks?

Finally, my SP Deb sent a really cool final package, complete with sock yarn and Beatrix Potter books for baby Beatrix!!! She's already interested in Peter Rabbit's ears! Thanks so much, Deb! I had a great time with SP - I hope you did too!

Wear Test: Knit Picks Shine Sport

2007-02-17T22:22:00.000-06:00

Those of you who read my blog while I was nesting in the last weeks of my pregnancy this summer heard a lot of gushing about Knit Picks Shine:

"It's so soft!"

"So easy to work with!"

"Produces such nice stitch definition."

"Amazingly enough, for a cotton yarn, it doesn't suck!"

The latter, in my opinion, was the highest praise. I always be a woolaholic. I know I'm in good company, right?

So how did Shine stand up to six glorious months of baby wear? Not too bad, all things considered (which means, "Not too bad given it's so cheap.")

Here is a striped baby tank top. Proportionally speaking, it seems wider now than it did when I made it. Granted, I have a skinny kid so everything looks wide on her. It's possible that it shrunk up a little - I can't say for certain. This tank hasn't seen as much wear as the next sweater so it's still in pretty good shape.

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Pattern: Baby Tank from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book
Needles: US 4

Now this argyle sweater has seen a lot of wear. And machine washing and drying, as the label professes is possible. Yes, I threw it in the washer in spite of the delicate shell buttons. They haven't broken yet... The sweater looks great from a distance. Even in this photo you can't see the problem.

A fine halo :Yarn: Knit Picks Shine
Pattern: Argyle Cardigan in Debbie Bliss' Special Knits
Needles: US 4

I imagine that's the 50% modal giving off the fuzz but what do I know? It just doesn't look quite as crisp as it did six months ago. Is this a bit picky? Perhaps, but if I spend hours knitting it, I don't want the sweater to go all Holy on me in six months. This won't keep me from buying more Shine because you all know I'm cheap; however, I won't gush as much about it in the future. I promise!

Finally, I have another picture of the red Cascade 220 sweater, this time with cute accompanying hat.

More tomorrow with some SP goodies and more!

Baby Sewing - No New Knitting

2007-02-13T10:26:00.000-06:00

While there's not much knitting getting done here, I have made a little progress on a project that's been sitting around for a few months. As I've mentioned before, we use cloth diapers. Lots of cloth diapers.
When I was pregnant, I made about 200 flannel wipes by sewing two 9"x9" squares of flannel together. The wipes were by far the most useful thing I made in preparation for baby Beatrix.
When Beatrix was a few weeks old, I realized that we could certainly use more wipes (you can never have too many). And they make great gifts. Unfortunately, they're only quick to make if you make a ton at once. Otherwise, they're fairly labor intensive. At the time, I bought more fabric, cut the squares out, matched fronts and backs up, and sewed. I never got around to turning them right-side out, ironing them, and topstitching them closed. Yes, I realize I could cut a few of those steps out if I had a serger but I don't have one and I'm not sure I'm willing to spend the money on one. So, to make a long story short, I turned them out and ironed them. I'll stitch another day and maybe we'll have more wipes before Beatrix leaves for college.

Don't you just love the colors?
I know, I know. Their intended purpose is to wipe a baby's butt. You needn't remind me. I still think they're cute.

Another Cascade 220 Sweater

2007-02-11T22:15:00.000-06:00

After many attempts, I finally got a representative photo of the other sweater I told you about on Friday. Man, is red hard to capture!!! I think it's worse than navy blue. The shell buttons are actually light green but you can't really tell from this picture.

Pattern: Seed Stitch & Cable Jacket from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 7

I thought I was done with my post about the green hoodie but today, my little monkey girl fell dead asleep and Aaron and I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. This kid doesn't sleep often, you know! So here are some more pictures for you.

A couple of you asked for the pattern and I promise that I'll put it up sometime this spring. Right now, it consists of illegible scribbles on graph paper with coffee stains. Nice, eh? Besides, I only wrote it for 3 and 6 months and I'd like to size it up for 9 and 12 months too. With school in full swing, it might take me a while. Fortunately, Zarah has agreed to be a test knitter for me! Anyone else interested? Hopefully, by the time I get the pattern up, you'll be able to see several versions of it.

Now for some secret baby knitting. You won't likely see this finished product for a while since it's my side project (how many of those is one allowed anyhow?) but it's a baby sweater for a newly pregnant friend. With booties to match. I love booties. This kind actually stays on the kid's feet too!!!

The yarn is nothing to write home about. It's Plymouth Encore Worsted. I'm pretty sure the recipient won't be up for wool care. What can I say? Not everyone will enjoy the woolen baby sweater, right?

Wear Test: Cascade 220

2007-02-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

It's time to revisit those baby knits to see how well the yarns I chose have stood the test of time (and baby)! I thought I'd start this series of blog posts with a real winner: Cascade 220. Now, I know some of you wince at the thought of baby garments made from feltable wool (and indeed, Cascade 220 is a champion felter). Frankly, so do I. Heavy sweaters and jackets are the exception, however, as they don't need to be washed every time they're worn. I could not resist the yarn/pattern combination with this garment so I just hoped I'd have time to do the washing. In fact, now I do a wool wash about every two to three weeks.

Pattern: Double-Breasted Hooded Jacket, Phildar inspiration, my own creation.
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 7
Finished: July 2006

The jacket has held up remarkably well and looks as good today as when it came off my needles. Most notably, there is no fuzz. You know what I'm talking about. Even when you wash your woolens with extreme caution, over time they develop a slight halo of fuzz. Not this yarn. As you can see, the stitch definition remains quite crisp. While the color of the jacket is different in each photo, both are accurate reflections of the jacket's true color. This is another thing I like so much about this particular yarn - light (and likely the seed stitch texture) dramatically change the jacket's appearance.

I'm very pleased with the results, especially since Beatrix wears this all the time. Let me assure you that this jacket has seen its fair share of drool and spit up too! Furthermore, layered over another sweater, this jacket keeps Beatrix warmer outside than any other hand-knit or store-bought garment. For this reason, I've made several of these for other friends with babies.

You might recall another baby sweater out of Cascade 220. It's such a rich red that I've had difficulty photographing it. If I have time this weekend, you might get to see it - it's in the same great shape as the green one. So baby knitters: go get yourselves some Cascade 220!

Miserable Jaywalkers

2007-02-04T21:59:00.000-06:00

I swatched. I made gauge. I tried the Jaywalker on every few inches to make sure it fit. It did. Then, I turned the heel. The sock no longer fit. Not even close. I am so annoyed with the pattern. The knitted fabric is as stiff as cotton. Kellee tells me that the socks really, really do stay up and I believe her because they're so stiff. I haven't yet decided whether I'll rip and start over or rip and use the yarn for a different project. Maybe Pomatomus? Do you think it would look okay with the Regia stripey yarn or would that be overload?

In the meantime, I started a new pair of socks, this time for my husband. I had in mind Nancy Bush's Railway Socks from Vintage Socks book. You can get an idea of what these socks ought to look like here and here. Here's the deal: drastically different gauge, different stitch pattern, different heel, different color pattern. What's left? Nancy Bush inspiration, I suppose. Using Knit Picks Swish Superwash, I cast on for some therapy knitting. I've since finished the sock and cast on for the second sock. I've been secretly knitting during my Tuesday night graduate seminar so maybe this pair will be finished shortly!

One reason I chose to make the socks for Aaron was that I'm curious to see how the yarn holds up to wear. This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, mostly as I wash baby knits in Eucalan. Finished hand knits are beautiful, sure. But what about what they look like after they've been worn and washed? I think my project for this week will be to take some photos of the sweaters I made for Beatrix when I was pregnant so you can judge for yourselves how the yarns are holding up. So far, not so bad. There have been a few surprises, however - surprises that mostly prove that high price does not equal high quality. What about your hand knits? How have they held up to the test of time?

Gift Socks

2007-01-28T08:36:00.000-06:00

Until now, my mom and sister-in-law have been the only people on my regular sock recipient list because I know that they'll both wear my socks. Too often, I've given away socks to people who think handknit socks are either too warm or too pretty to actually wear. These people are decidedly off my list. When we were in Boston, my aunt and cousin said they'd wear my socks so I promised each a pair. At least a pair, maybe more if I get them done. Here is the finished pair of Cable Twist socks for my aunt.

I started a pair of Jaywalkers for my cousin. Blogland, I am the only knitting blogger who has yet to make a pair of these. OK, well that's a bit of a stretch but it seems like it could be true. I'm using Regia Canadian Fashion Color in #4732 (Toronto). The pattern is easy and I like watching the self-striping turn out but I'm not totally in love with the Jaywalker like some people. It's a good pattern for this type of yarn but that's about all I can say about it.

Cable Twist Socks v. 2.0

2007-01-23T09:28:00.000-06:00

Well, it certainly is nice to be able to answer all of you! I'm so glad I switched to Haloscan! I've also added a new header banner (thanks to French Roast Design) with a few more new design elements coming soon.

Here are a few progress pictures on the Cable Twist socks. I hope to finish them this week! Johanna asked how many balls of Swish you need for a pair. I'm using 3 balls for women's size 8 socks with a 6" leg. I'm knitting them up on US 2s with 56 sts around. My other pair of Swish socks will probably take 4 balls, as I used a longer leg.

One class session down, 573842758345894302 more to go. So far, so good. I'm pretty excited about this particular professor. He uses CHALK. No joke. No whipping through PowerPoint slides at breakneck pace. PowerPoint for very detailed material is just worthless, in my opinion. Organic chemistry? Lots of details. There is hope.

Ack! Where did my comments go?

2007-01-20T15:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, that's right, I think I deleted all the comments from my blog when I moved to Haloscan comments. Sorry, folks! But at least now, I'll be able to WRITE YOU BACK when you leave me a note!!! I really dislike Blogger's comment system and I finally got around to changing so you'll all hear more from me in the future!! I've also just upgraded my Blogger template so if things look funky to you, please let me know, OK?

OK, so lots of you like how the stripes look in ribbing. I'm glad I'm in the minority. I really do like how Regia's Canadian Fashion colors look. I have a ball of Toronto too that I'll be knitting up soon. I might try using several inches of ribbing and a stockinette sock. Just for kicks. All because you people say it really works. If they don't stay up, I'll gift them to someone with more cooperative legs. How about that?

Some great packages arrived at my doorstep this week. First, a Knit Picks order with some Telemark for colorwork,
some grey Swish Superwash for some muted socks,
and 32" circular needles in sizes 0 and 1.
Next, a care package containing some sock yarn, a great pair of wristwarmers, a Magic Loop booklet and a running diary!!!! Thanks, SP! You rock!
All will come in handy, I suspect. I'm really stoked about getting back to logging runs.

Yesterday, I tried out the jogging stroller again and miraculously enough, Beatrix fell asleep and I ran/walked for 90 minutes. I think it was at least five miles. Rock on. Unfortunately, I'm exhausted today. Maybe I was a little too excited. I started out intending to walk around the block but I wore exercise clothes just in case B fell asleep. When I was out, I started planning out how I could do this every afternoon and it would be a great way to kill time and get back to running shape. I will not get ahead of myself. I have no expectations. If she lets me run during the day, great. If not, I'll stick to my evening routine.

So, where were we? Oh yeah, packages that came... One last one: an order of Bum Genius cloth diapers. I'm a new convert. We've been using diapers I made, cotton prefolds with Bummis covers and a few handmade pocket diapers. Let me tell you, these diapers are so much better. They allegedly fit babies 8-35 lbs. There's this ingenious snap system that allows you to shorten or lengthen the diaper to fit and then the tabs are stretchy. Brilliant. I'm not giving up prefolds, however. Those poofy prefold diapers are versatile and, frankly, much cheaper than the Bum Genius diapers. We'll use the BG diapers when we leave the house, I think.

Finally, a progress report on my Cable Twist socks. I'm still working on #1 but the end is in sight.
I hope to finish this one this weekend and maybe start #2. I start back to school on Monday so we'll see how much knitting I get done next week. I'm really nervous about going back to school. I had to drop down lots of hours last semester because I had a 2 week old baby. I know that there is a huge difference between 2 weeks and 5 months in terms of how much B needs me but I'm still really nervous about it. It will be fine, I'm sure.

Regia Montreal Socks

2007-01-17T10:56:00.000-06:00

Another FO!! Well, I've been working on these for the last two weeks so it's not as if I turned these babies out in the last day or two.

I love the feet but I really hate the ribbing. Ugh. It's a good thing my pant legs will cover that up! Stacey noted that the reason the Jaywalker pattern took off was because good patterns for self-striping yarn are so hard to find. I totally agree. Ribbing and self-striping do not work well together, as you can see below.
This brings me to another issue. For those of you that knit socks without a ribbed leg, how do your socks stay up??? I have to have a ribbed leg or a pattern that functions the way ribbing does in order to keep my socks up. ESPECIALLY with sock yarn. Heavier yarn helps stand the sock up. What do you sock experts say? Is there a secret? I see knitters knitting stockinette socks with a few inches of ribbing and I just wonder if those socks are worn bunched around the ankles.

Speaking of socks, there is a new pair on my needles. Another pair of Cable Twist Socks because I liked knitting the first pair so much! I think I'll send these to my aunt. The yarn is Knit Picks Swish Superwash in Baby Blue from my latest stash expansion. I've been wearing the white pair a lot these days because of the extremely cold days we've had and I *love* them. I need pairs in all colors!!

Winter Sunrise Pattern

2007-01-16T17:50:00.000-06:00

I'm back! We had a wonderful time in Boston, visiting my family and dropping by the boarding school I attended to see all of the changes. One of the reasons for the trip was that my cousin Ida was home from Stockholm so it was a chance for us to see her! Go visit her - she blogs about life as a "love immigrant" in Sweden. I'm trying to convince her that she needs a knitting addiction now that she's in the land of knitters!

Thanks for all of your comments about my new hat. I am totally in love with it. Unfortunately, I've just realized that it looks pretty bad with my bright blue down coat. I guess most people make their winter knits match their winter coats. Maybe I need to buy a new coat to match my hat! That would be a new low, I think, don't you?

Here are some more hat pictures. I'm quite smitten with it, particularly the colors. And the crown 'X'. I've posted the pattern in the sidebar, if you're interested in it.

In other knitting news, I broke into one of those self-striping skeins of Regia (Canadian Fashion Color #4730, "Montreal") on the way to Boston. I'm halfway into the second sock.
I picked a generic 2x2 rib because we were on our way out the door and I did not have any time to find a pattern that would show off the stripes. I definitely dislike how the stripes look in the rib but the rest of the sock is OK. I think I'll make a pair of Jaywalkers with the second skein of Regia wool. I'm going to send Ida some socks - maybe the Jaywalkers will be just the thing.

Finished Winter Sunrise

2007-01-03T20:51:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes for Aaron's grandmother. She's had good days and bad days but we're hoping that with better pain management, she'll be on the road to recovery.

This is going to be a quick post because we're off to Boston tomorrow to see my family. I've been meaning to blog all week but we've been too busy preparing to leave. Nevertheless, I thought I'd post a picture of my latest FO. I'll post better pictures and the pattern when I get back next week. For now, I give you Winter Sunrise:

Happy New Year!

Holiday Knitting

2006-12-26T10:09:00.000-06:00

I hope all of you in blogland survived yesterday. We had a passable Christmas but my husband's grandmother fell on Christmas Eve Day and broke her hip so we've been pretty sad about that. She's 94 and really sharp and independent. She's so mad at herself for falling. I hope she'll be able to get over the anger so she can focus on recovery. She broke her other hip seven years ago and she bounced back relatively quickly so we're pulling for her this time.

A few weeks ago, I took this sunrise picture at my grandfather's apartment. It's not a great picture but I love the color the light made on the white wall.

I've been working on a hat pattern that I'm going to call Winter Sunrise because I'm using a nice red and orange. If the hat looks good, I'll put up the pattern. If it's ugly, I'll grit my teeth and rip.
I took the color work pattern from this book:

Speaking of hats, here's a picture of Aaron's Bea Ellis hat with the liner sewn up. I've read in blogland that a provisional cast on makes the liner seam easier but I think it would look funny with the color work pattern, since I would be knitting the black liner together with both black and white stitches. I didn't want to compromise the color work so I tacked the liner up later. It seems pucker-free so I probably won't block it.

Stay tuned for more knitting!

P.S. Google's Knitters

2006-12-23T15:02:00.000-06:00

Have you seen the Google graphics from yesterday and today?

Stash Expansion, Part II

2006-12-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

Laura thinks I'll have enough of that Woolarina yarn for two Endpaper Mitts so I think that might be my Christmas project. We'll see. It sounds promising to me!

OK, stash expansion. Here goes. Five 100-gram balls of Regia sock yarn purchased from Wollsucht. Each ball will make one pair of socks. It's much cheaper to buy Regia from Germany - I couldn't believe the price difference! From left to right, Regia India Cotton 4301, India Cotton 4302, Canadian Colors 4732 (Toronto), Canadian Colors 4730 (Alberta), and Rellana Flotte Socke Jubiläum 3 4410. I'm not much for variegated yarn but I've never tried self-striping (mostly because I've never found a self-striping sock yarn that I liked). These seem nice in the sample poster so we'll see how they turn out. The last is a bit loud for my taste but I thought I'd experiment. After shipping, it came out to about $8/ball - not bad for a full pair of socks, eh? OK, that's it for the stash expansion... sort of. Does something count as a stash expansion purchase if you've already used it up??? I present the Traditional Bea Ellis hat in Black and Cream Heilo. As it turns out, I'm not the only one who has recently found a Bea Ellis kit to knit. The cotton headband liner is what is rolling up on the brim. I hope to sew it inside the hat this weekend. I'm still debating about putting some tassels on this hat. This is another hat for Aaron and he's not really all that keen on tassels but because so many stitches are drawn up at the top, the hole at the top is larger than I'd prefer for a tassel-free hat.
I like the pattern but I cut it short a full inch. The pattern suggested knitting for 8" past the brim before starting the crown shaping. While the shaping is only 6 rows, I find 8" awfully long. I was also running out of white yarn so I stopped at 7" and it's still a bit long.

Next, here's Aaron modeling that gray hat I worked up last weekend. I'm thinking about felting a knitted flower to add to it to make the effect less "meuh". It's not my favorite but I now have one less skein of yarn in my stash so that's OK. Those of you who are making some snide remark about how I just added 17 new skeins to stash? Shut it. :-)
Did any of you hear Dorie Greenspan's cookie piece on All Things Considered with Michele Norris? I decided to use her three cookie recipes for our holiday cookies. Let me highly recommend them! WOW! Sandies, World Peace Cookies and Rugelach! Here are some of the latest cookies:
On that note, I wish you happy holidays and lots of vacation knitting time!

Stash Expansion, Part I

2006-12-22T12:51:00.000-06:00

First, the vacuum. Who knew one could fall in love with a vacuum? We are living it up sans Petunia hair!! I've never seen such an amazing vacuum. Granted, in order to be totally Petunia-free, we have to vacuum every other day. I can handle that. I keep telling Petunia that she's worth it, even if she smells rotten. Here she is, in a shocking moment of activity.

These days, we're celebrating her first anniversary with us (although she's nine years old) and her 20-lb weight loss. This exclusively table scrap-fed dog went from living in a ranch house with no stairs to eating diet food and climbing lots of stairs:
She was a real tub of lard. I'm so proud of the stinky mutt, even if she didn't have a choice about her weight loss. :-)

As promised several posts back, I have lots of fiber goodness to show. I bought a bunch of yarn for my birthday even though my stash is *ahem* sizeable and I have little time to knit these days. If only I could knit WHILE exercising like Marly! To further complicate matters, I will be back in grad school full time next semester so there will be even less time for knitting. NEVER MIND ALL THAT! Here are my recent purchases:

One skein each of Woolarina's Raspberry and Grapefruit sock yarn. Intended tentatively for some Endpaper Mitts. This was a bit of a mistake. I thought I was buying two skeins of each for two pairs of socks. Now, I need to find a way to put them together. Eunny's mitts seem like they'd work - any other ideas?

Next, 10 skeins of Knit Picks Swish Superwash in Baby Blue. Why? Because it was cheap on eBay and superwash is never cheap. Is that an acceptable answer? No, I don't have a project planned. I'll probably make lots of small things with this - sweater knitting is not possible these days.

But the title of this post is Stash Expansion, Part I??? There's more??? Indeed, friends, as I have no self restraint these days. You'll have to wait for tomorrow's post for the rest since Aaron has the camera at work today!

A Reprieve from Sock Knitting

2006-12-16T08:14:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all of your comments and encouragements about my return to running! I'm pretty excited about it. I know that it will be hard to find the time (not to mention the daylight hours) to run without Beatrix but I'm committed to it. If I get desperate, I can leave her with Aaron and run on the treadmill at the rec center down the street from our house.

I have no finished socks for you. I haven't picked up the socks since I last posted. Instead, I engaged in a few stash-busting projects. Using some Araucania Nature Wool, two wool soakers for Beatrix using the Picky Pants pattern. Note the fancy elastic waist (I learned a new skill)! And look how close I came to running out of yarn! Eek. That's why the 2nd pair ended up as shorts and not pants. I just love the pants but they fit more like capris. I forget that Beatrix is a really long and skinny baby. I'll add a few extra inches to the legs the next time I make a pair.
My second stash-buster was an Odessa hat for Aaron using Lamb's Pride Worsted. I omitted the beads for a more masculine-looking hat. I made him a really basic hat from Henry's Attic Alpaca a few years ago that he wears all the time. It's a bit light for really cold days so I thought I'd make him a hat with something heavier.

Finally, I cast on for another hat using more Lamb's Pride Worsted. I'm not too fond of the hat but I don't have much left so I'm just going to tough it out.

Meuh. As you can see, it's nothing to write home about. I thought I'd use a picot banded edge but it just looks lame in fuzzy gray yarn. I knit much of this hat in the car on the way to buy this:
That's a Dyson DC17 vacuum. Why, you ask?

and

One word: Petunia. Well, that and a baby who will be crawling in a few months, of course!

What Happened to Exercise Before Knitting???

2006-12-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

While you may have been thinking that I ought to change the name of my blog to Knitting While Nursing, I finally have some real exercise news to report! The exercise has been on hiatus because of the little Santa.

I ran through my pregnancy until 28 weeks, at which point I could no longer prevent my running shorts from falling down around my ankles at the slightest jog. People, there are no decent maternity running shorts out there. I've done the research. Not even Mothers In Motion and Fit Maternity shorts work in the 3rd trimester. In the early postpartum period, Beatrix and I took long, afternoon walks every day for both exercise and mental clarity. Still, I longed for my old running routine. Nothing clears my head like a good run and I was really fighting the foggy, postpartum brain!

Inspired by Sharon's postpartum running experience, I started running again when Beatrix was 13 weeks old. At first, I tried popping her in the jogging stroller with lots of head support, blankets and a wind shield. The verdict? This baby hates the stroller. At least, for now. She's good for about a mile and then she goes from happy, contented baby to screaming, angry devil child in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, I'm leaving her at home with Aaron until she's a bit older. Since the days are so short, I have to very carefully plan when I'm going to run.

The results, you ask? After 2 1/2 weeks of running, I'm happy to report that it's going pretty well. I started with 2 miles, 3 times a week. Never have I struggled so much to run two miles. Yesterday, I ran a triumphant 2.5 miles and I finally felt like I achieved that long sought after head-clearing effect! It amazes me that 2.5 miles at a stupendously slow pace could make me feel so good! Thank you, endorphins!

My goal is to continue running at least three days a week, altough four would be ideal. I'd like to build up to 3 miles during the week with a longer run on the weekend. Once I can do three miles every run, I think I'll add one mile to my long run every week. I've always like the run/walk method of Jeff Galloway so I might use that training approach. For any of you considering embarking on a new running program, I highly recommend this approach - it is so gentle and painless.

I have no training goals, although I would love to be able to run one of my favorite races in April. This race is special to me because I ran the 5K version when I was 20 weeks pregnant (with three stops in the middle of the race at the port-a-potty, I'll have you know). Don't worry, I went very slowly (I just wanted to be able to say that I ran a race while pregnant). Even though it would be nice to run the half marathon, I am NOT going to aim for it this early. However, if I'm in good shape in February, I'll go for it.

And now, since the exercise is out of the way, have some knitting:

This is my second cabled sock. I'm going to Cincinnati this weekend to visit my grandfather so I'll probably post the finished socks when I get back. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying some of the best ice cream on the planet and bringing back chili! It's too bad Skyline is so limited for vegetarians but you can buy chili spice packets to make your own chili with fake meat. That's what we do in our house!!!

Poseidon Pattern Correction

2006-12-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Stash Monkey for noticing that the Poseidon toe and heel have 30 sts to a side while the lace pattern repeat is 29 sts. Oops! The pattern has been changed to reflect this. You'll still cast on 30 sts for the toe but by the end of toe shaping, you should have 58 sts, not 60. Sorry, folks! Extra special thanks to Stash Monkey for figuring it out! Drop by her blog and wish her luck on the GRE!!!

Cabled Socks and Gift Knitting

2006-12-03T14:16:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all of your comments about my new pattern. If you decide to try it out, please let me know what you think! I'm working on two more sock patterns but they'll be secret knitting until I get them right!

I have a half finished pair of socks to show you. I put this pattern together off the top of my head and now that it's done, I think there are some things I would do differently. Nevertheless, here you have one cabled sock in Knit Picks Swish Superwash (Bordeaux).

Marly noticed that I was knitting on circulars and asked what I thought of using circulars instead of DPNs. Well, my dear Magic Loop friends, I hate circulars. I am begrudgingly knitting socks on one long circular because I have nightmares about poking little Miss Beatrix in the head with a stray DPN. She's usually in my lap when I knit and I'm too scared to risk jabbing her so I've moved to a circular needle FOR NOW. I'll be back to my dear double pointed needles when she's a little older. Speaking of the little devil, here she is in her new Santa suit: I don't even like Christmas but I couldn't resist dressing my kid up as Santa. There is something wrong with me.

Speaking of the holidays, I've decided not to do any gift knitting this year. A three month old baby is a great excuse, but I'm considering rethinking the annual flood of gift knitting. We have a tradition of only gifting handmade items so for the last 7 years, that's meant knitted items from me. However, I have decided that, in the future, I will only knit for people who are genuinely excited about handknits. Too often, I've gifted a pair of mittens or socks to relatives and I can tell immediately that the items will not be used at all. This doesn't offend me the first time - after all, how would I have known that X wouldn't like handknit socks? Who wouldn't wear handknit socks??? I simply try to remember who likes the handknit goodies and who doesn't for the next year.

Needless to say, there are only a few family members who are excited about the handknits. I've been thinking that it would be nice to knit for those people throughout the year and occasionally send them socks or scarves instead of trying to squeeze every last bit of knitting time in before Christmas. That way, the relatives that don't appreciate handknits don't feel like I don't love them as much because I didn't spend hours knitting for them. Is this a hopelessly flawed strategy? Will I gift knit again this Christmas? We'll see. I am capable of it, given my recent stash expansions (yarn prOn coming your way next week when all the loot arrives...)

How much gift knitting do you do? Are you bloggers frantically working away on holiday projects or do you take it easy and give other kinds of presents? I'm interested to see if there's a Blogland consensus about gift knitting.

Poseidon Socks

2006-11-25T09:33:00.000-06:00

Finished! Check them out! I'm naming the sock pattern Poseidon because of the lace wave pattern. You'll find the pattern in the column on the right.

Up next? Some cabled socks using Knit Picks Swish Superwash in Bordeaux. I'm pleased to report that Swish is wonderful to knit with - a nice change from Essential.

Stay tuned for more socks!

New Lacy Waves Sock Pattern

2006-11-21T09:13:00.000-06:00

So I've been working on a sock of my own creation this week. I plan on writing up the pattern because I like the lace waves but before I do, I'll knit up a second pair to work out any kinks. When I wrote the pattern, I thought I'd rather knit a toe-up pair but frankly, I much prefer cuff-down socks. I'll probably include both top-down and toe-up instructions in the pattern but I'll stick to my cuff-down patterns, thank you very much. I've tried so many toe-up heels and I just don't find them as durable as any top-down heel. Here are some previews. I apologize for the lame pictures. It was dark outside and I couldn't get great light:

I used Knit Picks Essential sock yarn for this one. You can't really argue with KP prices but I find the quality lacking with this particular line. The yarn is awfully splitty. The fabric feels nice but I didn't really enjoy knitting with Essential. Unfortunately, I have four more balls to use - two in dark green and two in burgundy. My other complaint about Essential is that the color, Gulfstream, looks electric blue on the website but when it arrived, it looked more blue-green. I was going for the electric effect. Maybe I'll dye my own to get the eye-searing blue I crave. When I showed Aaron the Gulfstream ball and explained it would be for socks, he asked if they would be socks to wear outside. Yes, Mr. Neutral Tones, socks to wear in public, thank you very much.

I am somewhat amazed that I am getting so much knitting done. My graduate work is not progressing as well as I would like. I attribute this to the fact that I cannot write while nursing, but I can knit. That's just how it's going to be for a little while longer. You can imagine how disappointed I am about this, right?

Finished Cable Twist Socks!

2006-11-14T12:39:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all of you who commented about my Kitchener woes. I think I've figured it out. Enfin! I had hoped to get my second sock done on Sunday but we had a long weekend after a certain baby got her first round of vaccinations. *sigh* Check out the second toe (on left) :

No horns! I tried the Pink Lemon Twist tutorial but I could not figure it out. I'm not really content with simply tacking those corners down when I weave in my ends as a solution to the problem. So, in the end, the horn-free toe was achieved by following Theresa's advice about only going through the first and last stitches once. I'm quite happy with it although I have no intention of going back to re-graft the first sock. I can live with a slight imperfection!

As for the rest of the sock, look how nicely the pattern comes out. I'm totally in love with it. I used an eye of partridge heel instead of the one suggested in the pattern because I prefer the lattice look.

And now for the action shots... You can't knit socks without trying them on in shoes, can you?
Hey, there's nothing as cool as white socks and black shoes, right? Just kidding - these shoes were closest at hand when I was taking pictures.
In other knitting news, I'm trying out Norwegian Purl with Continental knitting. With NP, the yarn is held in back. This allegedly makes ribbing fly by. I'm intrigued. Do any of you knit and purl this way? Do you have any strong opinions about it? This will be a long term project for me because I'm so impatient and often switch back to English purl because it's easier and faster right now. My goal is to get good enough at the Norwegian purl to abandon my old method.

Finally, I have a Secret Pal update - check out the fuzzy baby yarn and pattern from my Secret Pal! I'll be returning to baby knitting soon - as soon as I get this sock knitting out of my system!

Second Sock Syndrome Prevention

2006-11-05T14:16:00.000-06:00

Thanks for your all of your comments on the Cable Twist Socks! I'm really smitten with them. I've finished the first one and I'm halfway down the leg of the second one. It knits so quickly because the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn. Even though I'm using US2 DPNs, it's a fast knit!

My only regret with this sock is the Kitchener grafting. I love the seamless look of the toe graft but I hate how I get points that stick out at either end of the toe. Do you see them? I've looked up tutorials and learned the setup steps to make it look cleaner but I still see a pronounced bump on each end. Do any of you master sock knitters out there have any suggestions on how to avoid the problem?

And here's your oh-so-exciting progress picture on the second sock:
Now that I know how quickly these knit up, I want more pairs. *sigh* I have so many baby projects that I want to start but since B. is too small for many of her existing knits, I'm going to postpone the big baby knitting projects for now.

So what next? Another pair of cable twist socks? Or the Orchid Socks from craftaholic? Or the Hedera Socks from Knitty? Carin, my secret pal from SP8, gave me some Lang Jawool that I'd like to use soon - it's calling me. So, I guess I'll think about what comes next while I work away on the second Cable Twist sock.

Much to my horror, I'm discovering that knitting is one of the only activities that I'm still able to do. I haven't started back to running yet for a host of reasons. First of all, Beatrix can't go in the jogging stroller until 4 months (another 5 weeks) because of the head support issue. The only other time I can really run (baby-free) is at 5 p.m. when Aaron gets home from work and that seems to be her fussiest time of day when nursing is the only thing that satisfies her. We walk all over town every day but walking just doesn't clear my head the way running does. I keep assuring myself that this is a very temporary situation but it's still hard to take.

Secondly, I honestly think my brain checked out the day I delivered. I have such a hard time reading, concentrating and remembering really important stuff! I hope this is just postpartum brain. Everyone assures me that it goes away...

so...

I'm waiting...

It's All About the Pictures

2006-10-29T13:11:00.000-06:00

As a reward for making a few inches of progress on the Most Boring Sock, I allowed myself to start a new pair of socks. I'd thought about making some mittens next but then I saw the pair of socks that Kathy (a.k.a. Grumperina) just finished. Go ahead. Check them out. I'll wait for you.

Back? OK. The pattern is a free one from Hello Yarn called Cable Twist Socks. No offense to Hello Yarn but the picture that accompanies the pattern does nothing to show it off. I may be too picky but I just don't think textured patterns show up well at all with variegated yarns. Doesn't Grumperina's version look better? Don't you want to knit a pair for yourself??? Well, needless to say, I did. Here, using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Bare on US2 needles, are some progress pictures.

First, a picture of the rib un-stretched - not so great, huh?

Now, a look at the sock stretched out:

Isn't that a pretty pattern? I am impressed. It is sooo simple but I still like it. The only modification I made was to use a right twist (RT) instead of the left twist. I find RTs way easier and faster than LTs.

This is the first project that I've started for myself in a while. I don't usually enjoy knitting for myself. First of all, there is absolutely no pressure to get the job done. Secondly, I feel a little selfish when someone asks me who I'm knitting for - it makes me want to make Me Projects at home in a dark corner. I confess - I officially have Gift Knitter's Guilt.

Several people have asked me how it's possible to knit and nurse. Briefly, you hold the baby in the cradle position with one arm, propping up her head in the crook of your arm. The arm holding the baby can really only hold onto the project and keep it steady. Any throwing or picking has to be done with the other hand. It's slower but still possible. Of course, cables, twists and colorwork are hard. So is working on DPNs - you just have to hold the knitting far enough from the baby that there's no danger of poking the little one with a needle.

Speaking of baby, I will leave you with more pics.

Eyelet Vest

2006-10-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I can't believe this but I've actually started and finished a baby sweater in the post-partum period. It's a good thing I learned how to knit while nursing - otherwise my knitting days would be over with! I still need to find a button for the back and a ribbon to run through the eyelet holes but the everything else is done. Take a look:

Pattern: Eyelet Vest from Debbie Bliss' "Special Knits" book
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid
Needles: US4
Modifications: I knit in the round until the armholes because I wanted to minimize the amount of seaming. I can knit while nursing. I can't seam while nursing.

So what's next, you ask? I still need to finish the most boring socks on the planet - remember those?

Ugh. This is not a sock I look forward to working on but I'm almost done with the second sock so I'd be a fool to let them sit on the shelf, right? I also need to knit the thumb on my second Lapland Mitten. Can you believe that I've done everything but the thumb? How pathetic.

Progress Pics and Pre-Frost Garden Harvest

2006-10-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

First of all, I've retooled my blog a little and added lots of stuff to the sidebar. I added a link so you can subscribe to my blog feed with Bloglines so go check it out! I also moved all my links from BlogRolling to Bloglines, which is just so much nicer.

Here are some action shots of Beatrix in that Debbie Bliss jacket from Special Knits. It's knit with Cotton-Ease - have you heard it's coming BACK????? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited about that. Cotton-Ease was the only decent yarn Lion Brand ever made. In any case, the jacket is cute but I just can't figure out if the collar is supposed to stand up or fold over. It's a little awkward, as you can see.

Here is a progress pic on the pink tank dress I'm working on. My knitting group met yesterday so I got lots more knitting done than I normally would have!

Finally, I thought I'd post some non-knitting pictures. I try to keep non-knitting content (NKC) to a minimum but I'm throwing in some garden pics. We had our first hard frost last week so Aaron harvested all the green tomatoes he could. I wonder how long it will take them to ripen? We have four window sills full of them - enough for one last batch of spaghetti sauce.

The second picture is from the garden before everything died. Can anyone identify this??? It looks like a really, really, really well-fed green caterpillar munching away my tomato plants but WHAT are those nasty white things? Larvae of some sort, I assume... From the caterpillar or some other bug? Any gardeners out there?

Gratuitous Baby Shots

2006-10-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

This is Beatrix working through a series of farts. Heh.

Midwest Moonlight Scarves

2006-10-11T19:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I like this pattern so much but I keep coming back to it. If you haven't noticed, when I like a pattern, I knit it over and over until the amity wears out. Remember baby hoodies??

This one is Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Terracotta.This one is Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Summer Sky. I made this for the lactation nurse that's been helping me and Beatrix survive breastfeeding - who knew it could be so hard? That's definitely on my Things-Nobody-Tells-You-When-You're-Pregnant list.

This is the baby tank dress that I started a few weeks ago. I've only made it up a few inches because I really wanted to finish those scarves. I'm not so keen on returning to it right now. It's weird - now that the baby is here, I no longer feel compelled to knit for her. Maybe because I went overboard and now worry that she'll never wear all the stuff I made. We'll see.

I also bought some Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Bachelor Button. It's a bit more purple than it appears n the photo. I have 7 skeins. I was going to make ANOTHER Midwest Moonlight scarf but that's kind of boring. The advantage is that it's also mindless, which is good since you can't do much with an infant. Any pattern suggestions? Scarf or otherwise.

In other news, I got my SP9 match yesterday and I'm really excited. My spoilee and I have similar interests and lots to talk about! I can't wait to get started. I hope to have more regular posts because I'm really missing daily knitting. I hope things calm down n the coming weeks. Everyone has told me that things get much easier at 12 weeks. Only 5 to go!

Secret Pal 9 Questions

2006-10-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I’m not really too picky about yarn. I like just about everything but old school Red Heart. Lately, I’ve been making lots of socks and baby stuff so washable yarn is GREAT. I’ve been knitting a bunch with Knit Picks yarn – that’s some of my favorite stuff too. I'm also pretty excited that Lion Brand is bringing back Cotton-Ease. That was a great yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Several colored vases. I’m not very good about putting needles back into a case so the vases are easier for me.

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

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes. An Amazon and Knit Picks wish lists. If you want the KP one, I'll have to email it to you. They aren't as sophisticated as Amazon.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I’m actually allergic to some body care products. As for scents, I like subtle ones.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Of course! I love chocolate but I'm trying to lose the baby weight so I'm staying away from it for now.

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

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

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love blue but I buy too much of it, I think. There aren't really any colors I can't stand. I like both bright and muted colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married, a baby girl and two mutts.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I don't wear ponchos and I rarely wear hats but yes to the others!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks, mittens and baby items.

13. What are you knitting right now? A scarf and a baby tank dress.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like straights and DPNs but certainly use circs when necessary. My favorites are Brittany birch needles but I'm interested to try the Knit Picks circulars.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?Who's counting??

18. What is your favorite holiday?Summer ones.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Other than yarn? Nope. I’m actively trying to clear out my house of junk. My husband is a pack rat. He’s the collector.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I'm not too big on magazines - I buy books instead. There aren't any books I'm dying for. There are a few on my Amazon list that I'm interested in. I'm sort of interested in those sock blockers but I've never seen a real one in person. You know, to block the four socks (not pairs, mind you) that I make a year.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to improve my intarsia skills.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? You bet. Ankle: 7.75". Heel - toe: 9.5"

23. When is your birthday? 12/03

Knitting on NPR

2006-09-29T08:03:00.000-05:00

Renee Montaigne did a piece this a.m. on Morning Edition on Tracey Ullman's knitting obsession an new book. Check it out!

Hey, it's not even been a month since my last post....

2006-09-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! We're still here, alive (but not sleeping much) and well. I thought I'd post the last 6 weeks worth of knitting. I've taught myself how to knit while nursing. Boy, did that make the time go by faster! Who knew nursing took sooooooooo much time???

Here's a Midwest Moonlight scarf (from Pam Allen's Scarf Style) in Knit Picks Shine Worsted (color: Terracotta). I ran out of yarn so I'm waiting for a new KP order to come with an extra two balls.

Here's a sweater I was working on when I went into labor. It's a good thing the intarsia was all done because I guarantee you this would never have been finished if it hadn't been straight stockinette stitch after the argyle. Pattern from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits in Knit Picks Shine Sport.

Here's a hat I made for Beatrix just after she was born. It's done in Rowan Cashsoft DK (I splurged) and PINK because all of her clothes are blue or yellow. Everyone thinks she's a boy. I don't mind too much because I'm not into dressing her in pink and purple but I think one pink hat would be nice.

Yeah, well speaking of gender-neutral clothes (oops), here's the beginning of a new sleeveless dress from Debbie Bliss again. In KP Shine Worsted (orchid). The yarn for this was ordered long before Beatrix was born so shut it... ;-)And now, some gratuitous baby pictures. This is Beatrix at 4 weeks.

Mama and Baby

2006-08-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Knitting and baby updates

2006-08-28T18:27:00.000-05:00

OK, first of all, let me say that my secret pal for SP8 was absolutely AMAZING. I was so lucky. She spoiled me rotten. Check out her final package.

The most beautiful little baby bolero - my husband totally fell for it. It is gorgeous. And five skeins of KP Shine in a kit for the most adorable baby sweater and hat. And Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks with a TON of itty bitty short needles. I didn't even know sock needles came so short. They were just what I was looking for earlier this summer. I hope she'll tell me where to find such short needles. My LYS only carries 5" DPNs. Also included were two pieces of dark chocolate but of course they were devoured in a post-partum chocolate raid. THANK YOU MOST WONDERFUL SECRET PAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have lots of knitting to blog about. All finished pre-Beatrix. First, a few baby hats from the pattern my secret pal sent (remember that pink striped hat?). I made 3 hats but two are in our car so you only get a picture of the blue and green one. The others have braids on top. I ran out of yarn on this one so no braid.

My current project is an argyle baby cardigan from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits book in KP Shine. The color is blue with purple and white diamonds. I've been dying to finish it but I'm at a shaping point that's hard to do with a baby on hand.

Another Debbie Bliss Special Knits sweater in Pink Cotton-Ease from a sweater I recycled. I made a sweater last summer that I ended up hating. Now I have lots of this yarn so you'll see more of it in the future. I need to find a good clasp for it. I was thinking of a gigantic safety pin. What do you think? It's weird- as I was working on these two sweaters, Lynn emailed me to tell me about her workaround for that crummy Debbie Bliss kaftan pattern. When I read her blog, I noticed she had recently made the argyle tank and this bolero. What a coincidence! Anyway, you should check out her blog because she has lots of cool stuff over there.

Using the Kidsilk I bought at the sidewalk sale, I knitted up a Midwest Moonlight scarf from Pam Allen's Scarf Style. Last year, I bought the same yarn in pink and made one so I thought I'd make an orange one. It's really pretty but needs blocking.

Here is that blue baby sweater from a few weeks ago with the buttons added on. I think it came out well.

Beatrix is doing well. I just unloaded a bunch of pics from my camera to the laptop so I'll post those later tonight. For now, we're off to hear Andrei Codrescu speak at the university so I have to run.

It's a girl!

2006-08-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

It's a girl! Miss Beatrix was born on Sunday, August 20th at 3:08 p.m. She was 7 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches long. We're doing well and labor/delivery wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. Here are some photos:

I expect to return to blogging soon. I have lots of knitting pictures from the last month of not blogging. I was at home with no excuse but I just couldn't get anything done in those last few weeks. Stay tuned for both knitting and baby updates. I will definitely post more over the weekend.

My Secret Pal ROCKS!

2006-07-27T15:59:00.000-05:00

Check it out - remember that newborn cap my secret pal sent? You know, the only newborn-sized cap I have for the baby? Next up, my pal sent a ball of Cascade Fixation and the pattern!!!!! I'm so excited. After she told me she had made it out of Fixation, I had planned on buying some of it to try it out on my own. After all, elasticized yarn seems perfect for a kid's hat. Thanks so much for the yarn and pattern, S. Pal!! It's my favorite color too - lime green. Well, OK - I've noticed that while I haven't had any pregnancy cravings, I've had color cravings! Isn't that strange? So right now I'm on a green kick. Who knows what next week will be?

Next, a nearly FO:

I need buttons but even the ends are woven in. I usually ask Aaron to pick out the buttons because my taste in buttons has proved to be rotten. So it looks like we're in for a trip to the button shop for both this sweater and the red one I posted yesterday.

That's a lot of knitting in one day, I realize. I was up at 3:30 a.m. because I've reached that point in pregnancy when no position is comfortable. I spent most of my day knitting on the bouncy birth ball. *sigh* I cannot wait until this is over. I am making a list of things I intend to do upon the birth of this kiddo:
1. drink the margarita I've been craving in the heat
2. sleep on my belly
3. turn over in bed with out using a 5-point turn
4. get up from a chair in a reasonable amount of time
5. run
OK, the last one will take a while but I'm really missing the exercise at this point. So no real exercise before knitting, as the blog name implies. Just knitting.

Odds & Ends

2006-07-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, there's always more baby $#&* around here. I've been told I'm nesting. I'm not - you should see my house. In fact, I am really just trying to make up for the 9 months during which I did no knitting for this baby. I only have a few weeks to catch up! So here goes...

1. Hats from stash yarn:

The top one is Rowan All Seasons Cotton, the bottom is Lion Brand Cotton Ease. Both are too big for a newborn's head. Needless to say, this was part of my stash reduction binge last week when Aaron was out of town. I made a few more but sent them to my Secret Pal for her charity knitting organization so no pictures of those.

2. Debbie Bliss Seed Stitch & Cable Cardigan, missing buttons:

It really makes me mad that I am incapable of taking a good picture of this color yarn. It is a deep red like my favorite red chair background as seen in picture #5. Even when I tinker with the white balance, it looks washed out, burnt red or neon red. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. As it turns out, my button holes are too small for my preferred buttons so I'll be searching for more buttons at the store in the next day or two.

3. Clapotis:

This has been finished for a few weeks now, I just haven't pulled it out for a picture. It's a simple clapotis knit in Cotton Plus by TLC. It's a nice yarn in spite of its manufacturer. Really. And it's machine washable/dryable cotton. This is the second clapotis I've made and I think that will be it for a while. I love the end result but I find the pattern terribly dull to knit.

4. Seed Stitch Baby Blanket:

I'm taking a picture of this UFO in order to push myself to finishing it. I need those needles back, damn it! I started this last year for a baby that was due in February and ended up sending that baby a few sweaters because I could not face finishing this dreaded blanket.

I have about 12" done and I would like the blanket to be about 30" long. It is knit in softball cotton so I know it will shrink up a little upon washing. I have a huge cone of this yarn and my well-intentioned stash reducing idea at the time was to knit up the entire cone and then machine wash it. Yes, the blanket would shrink up but if it were knit extra long and then pre-shrunk, it could actually be a useful blanket since it wouldn't need to be hand washed. Well, in practice, I've discovered that this is a giant cone and seed stitch is really dull. If I had t.v., this would be a great t.v. project. I need to crash at a t.v.-watching friend's house for a few days to get this puppy done!!!

In any case, I am working a few rows every day with the hope that I'll be able to finish it before my 100th birthday.

5. Current Project:

Yes, it's another baby sweater, although this one is of my own design using some of that Karisma Superwash wool from the sidewalk sale. This is the back. I have not yet decided if it will be a pullover or a cardigan. Practically all the baby things I make are cardigans so I think I ought to make a pullover. On the other hand, babies have awfully big heads, which is the reason behind making cardigans. We'll see. Stay tuned. If the design turns out to be a good one, I might submit it to MagKnits, Knitty or Knit Picks. We'll see.

Finally, I will leave you with pictures of the wonderful baby sweater and blankets that the women from my knitting group gave me last weekend. As it turns out, they know how incapable I am of knitting baby blankets so they made two for me! And one amazingly constructed baby sweater from an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern.

And of course, a belly picture. The dog views the big white belly skeptically...

FO Photos!

2006-07-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

Finally, I have FO photos to share! I must say that it is rather anti-climactic to finish a sweater and not post a photo of it until nearly a week later. Needless to say, here they are:

First, I finished the red sweater by sewing on some silver buttons. The front needs a warm iron - it looks crooked in front but it's just because it's been in a pile for a week.

Next, the two finished hoodies: the green is knit in Cascade 220 and the brown is knit in Elann's Sierra Aran. I never know which of the front sides gets the buttons so I usually just alternate. I love how the green came out. I admit that I like the brown one too, I just did not enjoy knitting with that color. I think it will look good on a baby. Fortunately, I only have one ball of that yarn left. I have no idea how to use 85 yds of it but it will sit in my stash for now. I don't think I can face any more Sierra Aran jsut now.

As you can see, I've altered the hoodie pattern between the brown version (original) and the green one. The green version is more trim and the fabric is stiffer because of the seed stitch. I also changed the kind and sequence of neckline decreases in order to make the hood/neckline join more seamless and less awkward.

I also shortened the arms in the green version. The size is supposed to be 3-6 months and the sleeves on the brown version are as long as the sleeves on some of the 9-12 month clothing I have.

Next, I've started another baby sweater (!) from Debbie Bliss' The Baby Knits Book: the seed stitch & cabled jacket (picture below). This is one of my favorite baby sweater patterns but it is way oversized. I've altered the pattern quite a bit because the 6-12 month size fit my 2-year old cousin. I used Phildar's dimensions for 3-6 month size and reduced the smallest size of this pattern (the 6-12 month size). It is knit with Cascade 220. I chose this red to go with some wooden buttons. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the buttons. NEXT TIME. Anyway, they're adorable and I wanted to use them in a sweater. As much as I think they'd look best in another hoodie, I am *really* tired of working that pattern in spite of the alterations.

Finally, I picked up new yarn today at the local sidewalk sale! Every year for the last three, my LYS has been selling Kid Classic on clearance at the sidewalk sale and I've bought 2 balls each summer. This summer's color: cantaloupe. I also bought four balls of Dale Karisma (superwash wool) and some cotton yarn for my secret pal. The sidewalk sale is not really that impressive of a sale but it makes yarn from LYS only a little bit more expensive than Knit Picks if you consider shipping costs.

Every year, I am always amazed by the crowd of cranky knitters lacking social skills who turn out to buy garbage bags full of yarn. It's as if these people come out of their hiding places only once a year to buy fiber. Yes, that's awfully mean and critical but I have little patience for people who aggressively shop for yarn and argue about fiber with total strangers. When you are that rude and obsessive about your craft, it is time to 1) find a new hobby, 2) reacquaint yourself with the sun, and/or 3)return to civilization.

More on the cable & seed stitch jacket later this weekend. I also have made some progress on other UFOs but I will not post those until they are DONE. I need a reason to finish them.

Digital Camera Vacation

2006-07-15T18:52:00.000-05:00

The camera is on vacation in San Francisco this weekend so I only have one picture for you. I've finished up a lot of UFOs this week but alas! I have no proof. Aaron comes home on Monday night so I'll post lots of pictures on Tuesday.

For starters, I was working on finishing the brownish green baby hoodie when I went to my knitting group last week but I suddenly RAN OUT OF YARN! Eek! I had more at home but what was a knitter to do? With the LYS only a few doors down from the cafe, I bought yarn! I only had the hoodie pattern with me so I started another one. I've actually pulled out the graph paper on this project and altered the pattern quite a bit. I think by the next time, I'll have an entirely new pattern!!!

In any case, here it is (minus the hood) in Cascade 220 wool. Yes, wool. I'm not opposed to using wool on baby stuff if the garment will be more of a jacket than a sweater. I will not wash a sweater by hand. I will wash a jacket by hand. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it but it makes sense in my head. :-)

I also tried to get rid of some small partial skeins of Cotton-Ease so I've made a few baby hats. I wish I had a good pattern for baby hats. Mine are all Debbie Bliss and, as I've said before on this blog, her patterns are always too big. When I knit a hat for a newborn, I don't want it to be baggy until the kid reaches 6 mos. The only knit hat that I have for this baby that looks like it will fit a newborn is the really cool one from my Secret Pal. I'm going to have to buy some Cascade Fixation. The stretchiness must be the key to hats that fit. Any opinions out there? I'd love to hear them!

Until Tuesday, happy knitting!

Absolutely Terrible Debbie Bliss Pattern

2006-07-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

FYI: Debbie Bliss' Hooded Kaftan from Special Knits is the WORST pattern ever. I like DB's style and I don't mind that her garments knit up way too big and she never offers schematics. I can forgive her for that but I cannot forgive her for writing a really crappy pattern.

Before I start on one of her projects, I google the pattern and check the errata. One forum on Knitters' Review noted there were some problems with attaching the hood on this sweater so I was extra careful to avoid the pitfalls other knitters mentioned.

The sweater worked out fine until I got to the hood. I didn't mind binding off the back stitches only to cast on hood stitches that would eventually be sewn to the back stitches. However, any designer who thinks that the following instructions produce something resembling a hood is crazy:

(With 67 stitches on the needle...)
K4, m1, knit to last 5 stitches, m1, K4. Work 5 rows straight (in st stitch). Repeat these 6 rows 9 times more. Bind off.

That's it. That's the hood. that's a freaking trapezoid. That's not a hood. I thought the edging might pull the fabric into a hood shape. Nope. It's still a trapezoid. I intend to email DB with my criticism but I doubt I'll take the hood out. I might try to sew the trapezoid together to force a hood out of it. I don't know how well that will work but we'll see. Grr.

Lots of Knitting, No Blogging

2006-07-05T09:17:00.000-05:00

Check it out - my secret pal ROCKS!!!! Do you see that adorable newborn cap??? And superwash sock yarn! Score! She also sent a really cute little stitch holder shaped like a piece of cherry pie, some sock patterns, a cute sheep card and some chocolate. What? You don't see the chocolate in the picture??? Oh... need I remind you that I'm pregnant???

Thank you so much, secret pal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time flies when you're knitting, I suppose! I have GOBS of FOs to show! Are the Most Boring Socks one of those FOs? Of course not. I've made no progress on them. I need a break. I'll get back to them soon. For now, I'm on a stash clearing mission:

1.) A baby cardigan from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. I hate the buttons. I can't decide if I'm willing to take them off and put new ones on.
2.) A cardigan from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits book using Debbie Bliss wool/cotton from my stash. The sweater needs buttons but is otherwise completed. I loved this pattern. I think I'll make more. The gauge is perfect for Knit Picks Shine Sport. I don't really care for this yarn but it's been sitting in my stash for 2 years. What else could I do with 3 balls of it? I still have some left over so I might try to squeeze a pair of booties out of it.

3.) A baby raglan sweater from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. I was going through LOTS of Cotton-Ease last week. I'm almost out. I might check out eBay to see if I can find more.

4.) My current baby project is a hooded kaftan from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits book. It has embroidery on it but I think I'll skip it because I don't think it would look so good with this yarn. The yarn is Plymouth Encore DK in a brown heather. I have 6 balls of this and have not been able to find a use for it. I think I'll try to get some baby sweaters out of it since it is machine washable/dryable.

5.) Finished seed stitch hoodie from Phildar Layette. Remember when I started this last spring? I wanted the needles back so I just finished it. I still have one of these Phildar hoodies on needles. I'll get to that soon. :-)

Knit Picks Offers Needles Now!

2006-06-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

Check it out - Knit Picks is selling their own line of needles (interchangeables, DPNs and regular circulars)! AND THEY'RE CHEAP!!!! Yay! I've been putting off a Knit Picks order for a few weeks. This might be what pushes me over the edge! Unfortunately, the sock yarn I want will not be in until the end of the month so I probably will not place an order until then. But hey, spread the word - CHEAP NEEDLES!

I finished the sock yesterday - pictures to come this evening or tomorrow. I cast off with a sz 4 needle and it was too big so I'm going to pick up those stitches and bind off again with a 2. Otherwise, it fits well. Now, it's off to sock #2! I must force myself to start the second sock!

Progress Report on REALLY Boring Socks

2006-06-18T16:16:00.000-05:00

Sock knitters beware: the photos below depict the most boring sock pattern ever!!!! It's killing me. I'm several inches away from the top of Aaron's sock. I'm doing a 3 x 1 rib up from the ankle. It's hard to see the ribbing but you'll see it more clearly when I post an FO picture with Aaron wearing them! I hope will fit around his leg. The DPNs make it impossible for him to try it on. I suppose I could take out the DPNs, string it on a piece of scrap yarn and then have him try it on but I've just decided I'll frog it a few inches if necessary. At least I made it to the ankle. Why do men have such long feet??? Ugh - it took forever!

I fit in lots of knitting this week because I was really tired and spent much of my free time on the couch. It must have been a baby growth spurt! I've posted more recent belly pictures over on my Flickr account, in case you're interested. There are only about 8 weeks left. I've been having little discussions with the kid about how it should really come in about 5 weeks but I don't know if it's getting the message.

Speaking of baby arrivals, go congratulate Cari on the birth of the long awaited Thumper!!!!

Finally, I'll leave you with a picture of Jacques asleep on the couch. This dog sleeps on his back with all four paws in the air and his mouth open. I think he's actually drooling in this picture. He is such an old man dog. *sigh*.

Celebrate an FO with What? A New Project?

2006-06-15T12:45:00.000-05:00

The Spring Grass Socks are DONE! Check them out! See? I told you I would not post again until I had a finished work to show for myself! I still need to weave in the ends but that's it. They're a bit too short on me but they'll fit my mom. I will have to explain to her that hand-knit cotton socks are not as stretchy as mass produced socks. I think she will have trouble getting used to that but like I said before, this wouldn't be an issue if she weren't allergic to wool!

I really loved this pattern. It wasn't until I started the second sock that I was finally able to memorize the pattern. It was quite simple once I got it but it took me a while. I think I will knit this pattern again but I will definitely use wool to improve the stretchiness. I also want to try out one of Craftaholic's other patterns - Orchid Socks. Since the pattern requires shifting stitches around a little bit, I think I'll wait until I have a long circular free. I cannot stand moving stitches around on DPNs. It offends my sense of symmetry in addition to being a royal pain!

Because I've decided this must be the Summer of Socks, I've started a new pair with some of the Fortissima that I just received in the mail. These are plain, toe-up socks (using this toe-up tutorial) for my husband. I've used the remnants of the Spring Grass socks as contrast yarn. While I am 100% in love with toe-up socks, I must say that I definitely prefer the fit of the top-down heels. We'll see what Aaron thinks of the heel.

Finally, I was wondering if you bloggers have a preference about extra short sock/mitten DPNs. I bought 5" Inox sz 0 DPNs for the Spring Grass socks but I would like some even smaller. Do they exist in metal? No bamboo/birch DPNs below sz 4 - I snap them like twigs! I'm working on 7" sz 1 DPNs for Aaron's sock but I'd love to find some really short ones. I'm not sure 5" is short enough to warrant buying new sets of needles. Can you get 4" needles? Anybody? I would love to hear about what you sock/mitten knitters use!

Three posts in three days... can you tell I'm on vacation?

2006-06-06T16:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, a break from graduate school for me means lots of knitting, reading, lounging around by the pool and blogging. While I am taking a morning class this summer, I am mostly looking for ways to distract myself from the uncomfortable aspects of the third trimester of pregnancy, best described in Cari's latest post.

I promised finished objects to come and so here is my finished Spring Grass sock from Craftaholic's pattern! As you may recall, I frogged down to near the ankle after finishing the sock and realizing it was too difficult to put on. This time, I added a total of 8 stitches on the way up in two separate increase rows. The sock goes on much easier but I still will lament the lack of stretchiness of cotton sock yarn. I dislike how the sock does not keep its shape well after trying it on. I had to wash it to get it to return to its original shape. I've never been able to avoid this problem when knitting cotton socks - any readers care to comment??? I would love some advice. In the end, I feel like the lack of stretchiness is something my mom will have to live with as penance for having a wool allergy!!

I will start in on the second sock this evening, in a vain attempt to avoid Second Sock Syndrome! More on that later this week...

CHEAP Fortissima Cotton Sock Yarn

2006-06-05T21:15:00.000-05:00

I fell off the wagon on my seven month yarn diet this evening. In fact, I'd been planning to break down to buy yarn for some necessary projects. In any case, I found that Unwind Yarn is selling Fortissima Cotton sock yarn in a few solid colors at closeout: $2.50/ball! It retails for $7-8/ball and you generally need two balls for a pair of socks. Have at it, fellow bloggers! I just bought 6 balls of my own. Ahhh... it felt so good to buy yarn!!!

Titles!

2006-06-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

Yes, blog readers, I've discovered entry titles. I've not investigated many of the Blogger settings but this was one I'm glad I found. It will make archiving easier, I suspect!

There has been LOTS of knitting in the exercisebeforeknitting household lately... unfortunately, there has been almost an equal amount of frogging. *sigh* While blogsurfing the other day, I noticed that Diana is working the same socks in an absolutely beautiful poppy color - go check out her pics! Her blog entry makes me want to start a new pair in red!!!

I finished one of socks, knit about an inch of 2x2 ribbing on the cuff and bound off with size 4 needles (recall, this is the size 0 needle sock). The sock fits perfectly once it's on, but getting the sock on is quite a production. Alas! Cotton sock yarn has no stretch! I prefer knitting wool socks because of the ease but I intended to make these for my mom, who has a wool allergy. The result? I frogged the sock down to about an inch above the ankle and I'm working in some increases on the way up the leg. I *really* hope the increases will solve the problem because once the socks are on, they're great. My mom will not be one to tug her socks on so this had better work!
Also, I've added about two feet to my mini clapotis. I'm about halfway through and already tired of the pattern so I plan on a few marathon sessions with it to finish. This is not a project I want hanging on my needles for very long. Besides, I need to free up those particular needles so that I can finish the brown baby sweater I wrote about last week.
Stay tuned for FINISHED OBJECTS! :-)

2006-05-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm BACK! After 8 days of visiting family and 4 days of driving, I am *so* happy to be home. It was so hard to maintain a vegan diet with my family that eats out all the time and my dad who doesn't recognize vegetables. Often times, while we were on the Cape, the best I could do was a garden salad with iceberg lettuce. In the end, I caved. I consumed dairy products and dealt with the stomach ache. I'm sure I was a *wonderful* travel companion... Needless to say, I hit the grocery store as soon as we came home and made a huge vegan, vegetable-filled meal. It was wonderful. The Cape was the only real problem. I had a great time when we stayed with my aunt and uncle in Boston. I wish we could have only gone to Boston and avoided Cape Cod altogether!

I didn't really get much knitting done, in spite of the fact that we spent four full days in the car. It was hot and I was cranky - those are not good knitting conditions! I was also disappointed to realize that the day I had planned to stop by WEBS was a Sunday and the store was closed. Argh! If only we had arrived in Massachusetts a few hours earlier - I could have hit their tent sale! Oh well - my bank account was saved.

I've been assessing my UFOs and I realize that I simply must finish something soon! I cannot stand having this many ongoing projects! Here's the inventory:

Remember this tank? Well, the neck is too small. I didn't realize it until after I sewed the shoulders together. I was so frustrated by this neckline that I put the project down. I am committed to finishing it this summer if it kills me.

A few weeks ago, I picked up some Elann.com Peruvian Sierra Aran for $0.25/ball at a yard sale. I've turned it into my favorite baby hoodie. It's a garter stitch pattern from Phildar. I'm woriking on the sleeves and then the hood will be the only remaining piece. Please excuse its wrinkled appearance. It was folded up in my knitting bag.

Here is a second hoodie that I started about two months ago. It uses the same pattern but the knitting is slower because I'm knitting it in seed stitch instead of garter stitch with Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in white.

Next, I have a mini clapotis going using some cheap, washable cotton from TLC. I usually dislike Red Heart-like yarn but TLC makes a really good cotton called TLC Cotton Plus that feels great and is both washable and cheap. It's not as nice as Lion Brand Cotton-Ease but I prefer how it knits up.

Finally, SOCKS! Remember how I said I was craving knit socks? After a day of knitting socks in the car, I'm not really craving knit socks any more! I'll finish these over the summer but it might take me all summer. It's a nice pattern but I can't seem to memorize it so I have to carry a card around with me with the basic openwork instructions.

2006-05-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

I realize my postings have been few and far between but since it was the end of my semester, I had no time for knitting. I handed in my last paper today. My incentive for finishing? Sock yarn. I had to bribe myself with yarn to do my graduate work. People, this is a new all-time low. *sigh*

I haven't had a single pregnancy-related food craving but I wonder if my sudden desire to knit up a pair of socks on size 0s is hormonal - surely, I wouldn't be crazy enough to do it if I were of sound mind and body. Since we're off tomorrow a.m. on a 27-hour drive to visit my parents, brother and extended family in Massachusetts, I'm not worried about coming down with Second Sock Syndrome. My goal is to have a pair of socks made for my mom by the time we have to return. I'm using this pattern with Fortissima Cotton on size 0 DPNs. I'm bringing my camera on the trip so I'll snap a few pictures before I part with the socks. I may even be able to update the blog while I'm at home - we'll see.

I have no other knitting progress to report. Things are pretty much came to a grinding halt a few weeks ago so I hope to finish the little Phildar hoodie in white cotton and another in Peruvian Collection Sierra Aran. I meant to add that I found 12 balls of Elann's Peruvian collection at a garage sale a few weeks ago for $0.25/ball. Score. That officially broke my yarn diet of 6 months! I'm still proud I made it that long. I anticipate buying more yarn because I'm stopping in Amherst, MA to see my little brother and WEBS is just down the road. I've always wanted to check that place out...

I might check out other yarn stores in the Boston area but mostly, I'm bringing projects from my stash. It's a good thing I can knit. Otherwise, I can't imagine how much it would suck to be in a car with 2 stinky dogs and no AC at 27 weeks pregnant... :-) Wish me luck.

2006-05-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

SECRET PAL QUESTIONS

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

I’m not really too picky about yarn. I like just about everything but old school Red Heart. Lately, I’ve been making lots of socks and baby stuff so washable yarn is GREAT. I was depressed when Lion Brand discontinued Cotton-Ease – that was a great washable cotton. I’ve been knitting a bunch with Knit Picks yarn – that’s some of my favorite stuff too.

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

Several colored vases. I’m not very good about putting needles back into a case so the vases are easier for me.

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

Six years. Intermediate to advanced.

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

Yes. An Amazon and Knit Picks wish lists. If you want the KP one, I'll have to email it to you. They aren't as sophisticated as Amazon.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I’m actually allergic to some body care products. As for scents, I like subtle ones.

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

Are you kidding? I'm pregnant! Twizzlers. Or anything with dark chocolate. I'm vegan so I don't eat dairy products. It's not an ethical thing - I'm just a vegetarian with a dairy allergy.

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

I sew out of necessity but that is all.

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

Yes, I can play mp3s. I like everything but country.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I don’t really have a favorite color. I love bright colors. I don’t really care for variegated yarn but that’s my only real color preference.

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

I am married with 2 dogs and a baby due in August.

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

Scarves, hats and mittens but no ponchos.

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

It varies seasonally. In the warmer mos, I knit more baby stuff. When it gets cool, I pull out socks and mittens and sweaters.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Socks and baby sweaters.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

You bet!

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

I prefer straight needles but I use circs all the time too. My needles are either wood or plastic – I lose stitches on metal needles.

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

17. How did you learn to knit?

My brother taught me.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

First of all, I’m defining UFO as a project I still intend to finish… so by that definition, I’d say 6 mos.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

Fourth of July. I love summer and summer tomatoes!

20. Is there anything that you collect?

Other than yarn? Nope. I’m actively trying to clear out my house of junk. My husband is a pack rat. He’s the collector.

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

I love all the Phildar magazines but they’re hard to get unless you order them directly, which I do once a year, maybe. I could knit Knit Picks Shine yarn from now until the end of time. I’ve thought about getting the latest Nancy Bush sock book because I love Folk Socks. I haven’t yet because I feel guilty buying it when there are more socks I want to make from Folk Socks. For the last year, I’ve been on a major stash diet (haven’t bought yarn or books since Xmas) so I covet just about anything at this point! J

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I’d like to learn to steek but I’m way to chicken now. I have a Latvian Mitten book that I’ve been meaning to try out too. I love fair isle mittens.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
You bet. Ankle: 7.75". Heel - toe: 9.5"

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

December 3.

2006-04-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, picture uploads to Blogger worked! Finally, some COLOR on my blog! I've been working on two new baby sweaters. The first one is ANOTHER baby tank, only this time I've used six colors instead of two. I didn't really intend to make this but I have a billion itty bitty balls of KP Shine kicking around the bottom of my knitting bag so this is an attempt to clean up! I think it looks pretty good. We'll see how it looks once I put the trim on. I'm a little skeptical of how a turquoise trim will look with the light blue top. Then again, *I* don't have to wear it! No baby will care if the blues don't look perfectly matched.

The second little sweater is actually a project that two other women from my knitting group are working on. They saw a pattern in my Phildar Layette magazine that they liked and wanted to knit it. I'm helping out with the French knitting vocabulary so I thought I'd make the sweater so they'd have a model to look at. I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. I've clearly not woven in the ends. I also need to make a button hole at the back neck. While I like the look of the openwork pattern, I didn't particularly find this pattern very enjoyable. Perhaps because I made the 3 mos. size, I felt like I always had to have the pattern on me, since there were lots of changes in the pattern once I reached the openwork.

Finally, I thought I'd upload a couple of dog pictures. I figure that if my baby knit tank tops are boring you, the pups might jazz up the blog. It's really cold today so Jacques and Petunia are forced to sleep next to each other on the couch to stay warm. Jacques, the black dog, doesn't have much hair so he shivers when the temperature drops below 70 dregrees.

The second picture is from earlier this weekend. I took it because I thought Jacques was starting to look way too comfortable on the furniture. Check out the leg. *sigh*

2006-04-09T21:22:00.000-05:00

After wrestling with photos and Blogger, I'm thinking of hosting my blog elsewhere. I have lots of pictures to post but I keep getting Blogger timeout errors. Stay tuned for updates. There might be a URL change in my future.

A million thank yous to my wonderful SP7, Jody!!!! She sent me a beautiful final package with skin cream, pretty sticky notes, a really cool pen that glows in the dar, candy and, of course, yarn. :-) :-) I really enjoyed my first SP experience and I'm planning on joining SP8. I hope all of you SPers had a good time this round!

I'm just going to link to the pictures I have on my Flickr account so I apologize for a boring text-only post. When I read blogs, I usually look at the pictures first and start reading only if a picture catches my eye. I know, that means I'm really shallow. Agreed. I'm a sucker for pictures.

Over my spring break a few weeks ago, I made a bunch of maternity clothes and used up some fabric scraps for cloth diapers (more here and here). I found a pattern for an all-in-one diaper at One Stop Diaper Shop a few years ago when I was working on one for a cousin. I bought PUL waterproof fabric, birdseye cotton and flannel for the diapers and used fabric remnants for interesting exteriors. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I still have some finishing to do. I can't decide if I want to use snaps or velcro. Any strong opinions out there in blogland?

Also, I've put down a little baby cardigan (another view here) that I think is cute but I suspect the sleeves are too long. I put a lot of work into this because of those edges (gauge is 7sts/in on sz 4 - picking up all of those stitches was such a pain!) I don't know if I can knit the second sleeve and sew the whole thing up. I need some distance from the project so I've put it down for now.

Here is a finished newborn tank. I might take the neckline out and add a button tab to make sure the neck hole is big enough for a newborn's head. We'll see.

Finally, I've returned to one of my favorite patterns. It is so unbelievably simple but I just love it. It's a garter stitch hooded jacket from Phildar Layette Fall 2004. I'm making it out of white Lion Brand Cotton-Ease and using seed stitch instead of garter stitch.