Love Me, Love My Stash

It's the end of Month 2 in the Grand Stashalong Project here at Casa De MuthaKnitter. Let's check in with our contestant:

Me: THIS SUCKS!!!

But not too hard. I actually feel like my appreciation for each individual yarn project has increased, and I've started to enjoy shopping out of my stash. Much like I have appreciated my real shopping days.

I never posted my April Free Day haul:

(Insert picture I can't find here. aaauuggh. Think sock yarn.)

So moving on, to the May Free Day haul:

A lovely Schoeller + Stahl Limbo yarn in a colorway that I'm too lazy to look up right now. Think socks.

A beautiful handpainted yarn locally produced in Indiana. My May Free Day also could qualify for a Souvenir Yarn Day since I spent it in Bloomington, Ind., while visiting my sister and the lovely folks at Yarns Unlimited. Think yet more socks. (Sense a theme?)

I must apologize for my sucky photo-taking skillz. It's embarrassing. Really. I think I'll sign up for a digital photography class at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, site of the abortive knitting class this winter.

Also I picked up my first self-striping yarn, which is going into the Welt Fantastic chevron pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. Alas, the picture still resides in the Canon, as my downloading patience has waned.

But the wonderful, marvelous, simply groovy thing about this Stashalong is that I have WON some sock yarn from the Lovely Laura on Sugar Bunny Boulevard. Check out this Spicy and stripey goodness:

As I said, my photo skillz do sucketh. Check out Laura's etsy shop for some real photos of the Spice colorway. But like I said, I WON. I WON, I WON, I WON!!! I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!!! Think, oh I don't know, you guess.

Other yarn presents have been forthcoming, but as I can hear the family coming back from their walk, it is time to post this puppy and move on to lunch preparations.

Think socks. I dare you not to.

Back Home Again

... not in Indiana.

We're falling into our routine again after our Southern and Midwestern trek. I'm not going to count up how many hours Malcolm, Mia and I spent in the car because it would sound too impossible. NC to IN to NC and back to DC again. Phew.

There's much to blog about, not the least my second pair of socks FO, the AWESOME package of sock yarn waiting for me when I got home and the amazing store where I used up my May Stashalong Free Day on in Bloomington.

I'm sorta all over the place right now, so I'm going to head to bed and try to get more organized tomorrow. I'm feeling so overwhelmed right now.

Knitting On the Road, Part II

I have no idea if my ancestors ever walked these fields with babies on their back and knitting in their hands. But I'd like to think they did, and that I can claim their heritage.

After a rough night with the kid (up every two hours...when does this end?!?!?), I did not feel like walking the dog and baby. But we set off anyway, kid in Snugli backpack, dog checking out the new smells, me with knitting in hand.

There was a little frost on the car windows, and you could see the dog's breath. But walking briskly, I felt a little bit of the tightness in my chest go away and I started to warm up.

The project I'm working on is this organic cotton on Size 6 Addi Turbo 16" circulars. At first, slippery cotton + slippery needles = unhappy hands, but I've gotten into the rhythm of it. I don't like how the plies of the yarn separate, but the finished fabric is so soft I think it's worth working with.

Also, I love the overall statement about using organic cotton. Apparently, a shit-ton {very scientific term meaning lots and lots} of pesticides each year are used to spray cotton plants. And the person who is getting this as a gift will appreciate that, too.

The project is simple, just knit stitches and a few decreases/increases. It was like walking meditation today. Speaking of, in a very cool visit to Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington, I picked up Mindful Knitting, and I can't wait to get started on it.

Which reminds me, I posted to the Stashalong blog about my April free day, and now I have to update everyone on my May free day, which I've already used (godhelpme).

But, y'all.

If you could have seen the inside of that store, you would have been lucky to walk out of there with less than a couple hundred dollars worth of yarn too. Colinette, Malabrigo, Brown Sheep, Rowan, Manos. I wandered around a bit in a daze, so those are the only names I could remember. Some of the locally dyed stuf was the most spectacular of all.

I got this great sock yarn I had never seen before: Limbo from Schoeller + Stahl and Heirloom Jigsaw. Now I'm reading and re-reading the Chevron sock pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks to see if I can understand how it works. I also bought a locally dyed sock yarn.

Really, can I find 3 more hours a day to just play with yarn?

A First Second Sock

...Pair, that is.

The camera quality is not ideal, but as you can see from the moving toy car in the background, I was being distracted.

These are Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in rainbow knit on Size 5 Takumi bamboo DPNs. It's the yarn I got at Stitch DC to learn on for Karida's sock class, but I finished Oren's Paton's socks first because I promised him the first pair of socks I made. The above picture captures the color OK, but it's not quite as technicolor in real life.

I ended up ripping the part I made in class back down to the toe and going up to 48 stitches, instead of the 40 called for in this toe-up pattern. Then I decided to accent the foot with a stitch pattern instead of doing plain stockinette, so I used the Elongated Corded Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. (This blog has a lovely close-up picture in a solid color so you can see the pattern better. That was beyond me the other day.)

The yarn is mad soft. I actually like how the pattern pooled the red/blue/purple together and the green/orange/yellow together. It's pretty random striping in just stockinette. And the pattern is super easy to remember and keep track of where you are, but is still fun to knit.

And I finished off with Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off after an abortive attempt to remember the K2,P2 bind-off from Vogue Knitting. That cast-off and I did not get along AT ALL on the first pair of socks I made, and not having my entire knitting library with me while traveling, I couldn't find the exact instructions again.

For some reason, EZ's bind-off wasn't making sense to me when I was first doing it, but then something clicked and about 3/4 of the top edge of the sock looks very, very good. You can sorta see it in this blurry picture here:

Bottom left, icky poo. The rest of it, even steven. Though a little tight. I still need to work on casting off more loosely.

So this one sock is now residing in North Carolina as a late birthday present for my stepmom. I just cast on last night for the second one (thereby avoiding the dreaded SSS {Second Sock Syndrome}) so hopefully I can get it done this week while the aunties amuse the boy.

Will have to update more later about Stashalonging. So far I'm faring well, but I better keep busy for the rest of May because I've already used up my free day. (Eek!)

Knitting On the Road

Technically, this was not knit on the road. This hat (aka Malcolm's Conehead Hat) went on a road trip with my sister Laura after this conversation:

Laura: (on seeing the hat hanging on the coat stand) "That hat is so cute."

Me: (busy puttering in the kitchen)

Laura: (walking over and feeling the hat) "I love this hat."

Me: (trying to feed the baby peas)

Laura: (picking up the hat and checking it out) "Oh my God, this is so cute."

Me: (cleaning up peas from the floor)

Laura: (trying the hat on in the mirror) "I love this hat!"

Me: "What? It fits you???"

That's right, folks. The hat I knit for the 10-month-old boy fits my 17-year-old sister's head, and isn't cone-shaped when it actually fits. I think it means his head is big. Or hers is small.

Anywho.

I'll make another post about my first FO on the road.

On the Road Again

I'm writing when I should be knitting or sleeping.

I'm almost finished with the first of the Lorna's socks. My problem is that I picked up a couple of extra stitches on either side of the gusset to close the holes and now that I've decreased back down to where theoretically I should have 48 stitches again, I have an extra 4 stitches floating about. The Ms. Schurch's advice is not clear to me exactly where I should decrease them down. So I'm fudging it.

My MawMaw has found me two cool knitting books at yard sales, and the boy has a new car to wheel around on. I'll try to post a photo tomorrow. He only goes backwards so far. Pretty funny.

The drive down from DC was good over the past couple of days, but I think I'm going to crash soon. Tomorrow I'll try to post more photos.

Smooches from NC.

Feet, Feet, Feet

"In the house, and on the street, how many different feet you meet!"

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss)

Here they are: my very first pair of socks. I am inordinately proud of them. I've described them in previous posts, but I can't say enough about the toe-up pattern. It's easy to understand and makes a nice sock. But I wouldn't have been able to do it without the lovely folks over at Stitch DC.

I'm curious to see how the Paton's Classic Merino wears as a sock. Anyone out there used it before and know?

What is it about socks that are so addictive? I absolutely can't stop staring at Nancy Bush's books (and this one, because it's important to DREAM BIG) and the Sensational Knitted Socks. I've already got another pair on the needles, and I can't wait to start more.

Maybe it will be a Rockin', Sockin' Christmas/Hannukah for the family this year.

Packing My Knit Bag

I'm about to head out to visit family in North Carolina and Indiana, and it has taken me longer to pack my knitting bag than it did to put together a suitcase full of clothes for me and the boy.

1. There's the current sock project, which I hope to take a FO pic of this weekend. It's the Lorna's Laces worsted in rainbow, and it is fantabulous. But the only problem is, I don't know when to quit so that I have enough for two socks. There are only 225 yards in the ball. Anyone?

2. There is a wannabe sock project from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. Ooh. I can't wait.

3. There is a surprise family gift from some organic cotton yarn I won from Carol.

4. There is a cotton tank top project that I'm trying to design from Elsebeth Lavold Cable Cotton that was on sale at Stitch.

5. There is the baby blanket that never ends. (Actually, I'm just over halfway.)

Like I'm really going to finish 5 projects in 2 weeks. But I'm resisting throwing in a couple more balls for socks. Because socks don't really count, right? And, I swear, the nearest yarn stores in Indiana are Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

I'll be trying to blog from the 'rents' computers. Hopefully with the aunties around to amuse the boy, I'll get in some more time on the needles.

P.S. A big HOORAY for me because I made it through April with only one SEX (stash enrichment expedition) at the yarn store, per the multi-month rules. I haven't folded on my Stashalong commitment yet! One month down and six more to go.

Making My Day

You ever have one of those days? Where nothing's really wrong, per se, but you know that you really ought to be paying bills and cleaning, and your husband isn't helping, and the kid is being demanding, and the dog is chewing things she shouldn't, and you just don't feel right?

And then an angel (or a Sugar Bunny as the case may be) comes and makes your day?

It's so fun to have your very own sock pusher!

To start out with, I committed my first act of subway knitting yesterday on the Metro coming home from our cousins' in Greenbelt and was able to finish my first PAIR of socks in the evening. As soon as I get photos of them on the hubby's footsies, I will post them. I used Paton's, this toe-up sock recipe and the Purled Ladder pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks on the legs. I think he likes them (he wore them to bed when he got home from work finally).

Speaking of, his work schedule is a large part of my frustration through the day. He's always been a workaholic, but before we would at least spend some quality time together in the evenings. Since he's working nights, the time he's around during the day is packed with errands and feeding/playing with the baby. And baby is moving from two daily naps to one nap, so he's much more of a handful now.

I don't want to air any more dirty laundry on the blog, so let's just say today was ripe for some good news. Laura felt sorry for my Stashalong commitment, so in addition to the unloved sock yarn she was giving away, she is throwing in a skein of her hand dyed sock yarn from her etsy shop. So go say hi to her and her cute kids, buy something at her shop and tell her thank you from me!

Oh, and my cousin had Baby Samuel, and the blanket is not quite half done! Eek. So, new baby cousin may get a hat or something quick if I can't get cracking on that blanket. Especially since I just wound up the organic cotton I won from Carol for a secret family gift.

What can I say, I'm luckier than I think. I have to remember that on a daily basis.

P.S. I Need a Ball Winder

And a swift, while we're at it.

Fair to Middling

This is going to be one photo-ey post 'cause I gots lots to report. So here goes:

A boy, his hat and his dad's handknit sock, in their natural environment: the slide at the park. You would think I could dress him in something fancier than his pajamas and a hoodie, but you'd be wrong at 7:30 a.m. I wanted to get some good light on a few of the FOs I'm most proud of. The boy first, of course. At his 9-month checkup last month he weighed 17 lbs. 13 oz and was 28 1/2 inches long.

The Conehead hat was actually completed a while ago. After the too small top-down one (gifted to my cousin's baby), I started a brim-up one from Kids Knitted Hats by Cabin Fever. I used some Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride in worsted weight. It was originally intended for illusion knitting, but that ain't ever happening.

Here was my dilemma: The boy's head. It is big. Big like his momma's. Mine's 23", his is 18", by my measurements. This is the same size as a 2-year-old's, according to knitting patterns, though his pediatrician has never said, "hey, your kid's head is freakishly large for his age." Which come to think of it, is probably a good thing.

The pattern called for worsted weight wool to create a baby-size hat, and larger needles and chunky weight wool to create a larger hat for an older kid, which I thought would better fit. So a couple of awkward calculations later, and I came up with a modified pattern to use worsted weight and still create a larger hat.

I didn't quite get the hat height thing, though. For some reason, I thought I should knit straight for twice the amount of the Fair Isle patterning before decreasing. Thus, the conehead look. And the fact that he'll still be wearing the hat when he starts elementary school, if his father doesn't lose it before then. Oh well, bigger is better than too small, right?

And yes, I did say Fair Isle. This is my first Fair Isle project. And I know knit-iquette demands that I show the stranding. It's a little too tight, and it pulls up the garter stitch brim. Thanks to Ms. Stoller, I figured out how to do the two-handed Fair Isle. So technically, this is also my first "English" work, too. Cool, huh? However, I don't think I got the yarn dominance trick down yet. That'll have to come in my next Fair Isle project.

Daddy's sock was next off the needles, thanks to Karida at Stitch. I tried to follow this pattern, but somehow ended up with an ankle hole that barely fit three fingers. So I signed up for an in-person class, which I cannot recommend enough, particularly at Stitch. Marie, Karida and Brigitta and the whole crew there are so welcoming and sweet. It was great.

I started the sock class with Lorna's Laces worsted in rainbow, which I love, but it was a little too much for hubbo. They will probably end up as a gift to my MawMaw. So I went back to using the Patons Classic Wool in deep olive, thinking that would help him fit in a little more around the campfire. Apparently, though, that was all the thinking I should have done.

The prospect of K2,P2 ribbing sounded incredibly boring to me after the excitement of turning the heel and ending up with an ankle that would fit a normal human foot. So I thought he might like it if I spiced it up a bit with the Purled Ladder pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks (a simply sensational book).

If you ever think a man who isn't gay or otherwise stylish wants something fancier than the basic, ribbed, storebought sock you were basing your very first sock on, you'd be wrong. Oren's not crazy about the Purled Ladder pattern. I think I fantasized about too many Nancy Bush socks, and there was no way a plain ribbed sock would do. So now I'm working on the ribbing of the second, and I hope to have it done by the end of the weekend. I want to make one from this book next with some of this yarn I found at Stitch.

Off the needles next was a long-standing WIP. After I finished the previous top-down hat and sent it to Hadley, I wanted to make one for baby Claire, the next new cousin in line for a handknit. So I started it, but let it sit for awhile as I tackled other projects. I figured if I didn't get to it soon, she'd outgrow it and the season would be too warm to wear it.

I used the same great pattern, which I love for its ease. This time I used TLC Cotton Plus because I thought it would be lighter for summer. I modified the pattern and added an eyelet round just above the stockinette roll brim. I used I-cord to make a ribbon bow. You can see what Malcolm thinks of it, but I like it.

I do hope it fits her.

Wow.

I have been busy. I haven't even mentioned the reading, the writing, the planning, the visiting.

Woof. I gotta go to bed.

Belting One Out

What have I been doing you ask? A righteous question, given that I haven't been blogging. So first let me distract you with a photo of a belt I made for my sister with this pattern and this yarn. I am now trying to quickly produce a second one in fuschia before my sisters arrive on Thursday so I have presents for both of them.

Otherwise, there's been some serious knitting, lots of reading, some writing (!), family visiting and lots of keeping up with baby. Speaking of, he calls. Or cries, as the case may be.

More tonight.

Well, It's Started...

I have been knitting lately. It's just been so busy with Oren's cousin visiting and my parents from North Carolina up, I haven't gotten a chance to write about it.

And maybe I'm a little sad...a little blue. I did it to myself, but it had to be done. I've gone and joined the Stashalong. The little button on the side confirms it. And here is my pledge:

I vow not to purchase yarn from April 1, 2006, to November 1, 2006. *(See Stashalong for rules)

The Stitches East conference starts November 2 in Baltimore, and I've heard that is the place to go nuts for yarn. So if I can make it until then, I figure I can really splurge. We're trying to save up for a house and pay off credit cards, so yarn purchases will have to wait. Boohoo. Yarn gifts on the other hand...does Amazon have a yarn and knitting book wish list?

I think I have about 20 projects that I could work on in my stash between now and then. I'm not taking part in the Flash Your Stash day because my husband reads this blog and, hey, I'm not that crazy. But there's the WIPs and a couple of scarves, a hat or two and some baby sweaters. And the socks. I definitely have to make some socks.

So in other yarn news: Karida's sock class at Stitch was awesome, and I hope to soon have the first sock FO to post on the blog. It's not going to be on the yarn I used in class, but Oren will have his camping socks yet. The yarn we used in class (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock...love, love, love it) will go to some socks for my MawMaw. The problem is that I only have one set of Size 5 dpns for both projects.

Well, let me finish the laundry and straightening up before the bebe wakes from his nap. Will update later tonight after my final "knitting class."

In Like Flynn on a Schwinn

Hip, hip, hooray! I'm a proud new member of the Knitting Blogs webring. Welcome to any new visitors. It makes for a great 4-month knitaversary (March 14) and 9-month birthday for Malcolm (June 14).

All day I've been thinking about what this means for my blog and how I want to use the blog, what goals I have for it, etc.

The main purpose of my blog is to open myself up to the connections between knitting and motherhood and creativity. Knitting and motherhood are such tactile experiences. You have to be persistent, willing to learn and able to switch horses in midstream if something's not working. In other words, you have to be creative.

The good thing about knitting is that you see results a lot faster than with motherhood. I want to set up a photo gallery like some other blogs have to keep track of the FOs. I'm not a total photo whore, but I do love me some knitting pictures. (Goal #1)

Speaking of other blogs, I do have to give a shout out to some of my inspirations. I want to grow up to be just like: Stephanie, Kathy, Laurie, Wendy, Ann and Kay, Lolly and Franklin. Goal #2: A blogroll, which will consume my knitting time, but I do love reading them.

I need to stay in touch with the creative force, especially on days like the last few, when Oren's working a lot, the baby is restless and the dog has to be taken out more frequently (too many chicken bones scammed from the sidewalk will do that to you, Mia). Sometimes I feel like the tedium, the routine, the mundane is close to overwhelming me. And I wonder what difference I'm making in the world.

But then I figure out a new technique (whoo-hoo, I-cord!) and I can feel the juice running through me. Or I Meet Delores, and I can't stop laughing. And ideas for writing and knitting and traveling and photographing start running through me, too.

I find the more I write, the more I read, the more I knit, the more I want to do it all. I want to take that urge to create and teach Malcolm that it is the most important thing he can do. I want to be creative in showing my love to him, to Oren, to my family, to my friends. I want the creative force to overwhelm the destruction in the world -- the destructive lure that always calls.

I'm going to use this blog to inspire myself and to remind myself that I am a creative person. As long as I keep affirming that, I can stay focused on the present moment -- on mothering, on writing, on knitting, on loving, and on creating with all my being.

Knit on.

Terror on the High Needles

Have been watching Blackbeard: Terror At Sea while knitting. The excitement is very conducive to fast knitting, just not accurate knitting.

I've had to rip back at least 14 rows on the sweater while watching, 6 of them twice. I forgot to put two selvedge seams outside the armhole decreases. Then I tried to go too far with the yarn at the end of one of the balls. I now need to add two new balls (I'm "striping" the yarn to get around having two different dye lots), so I decided to take a break.

The Blue Sky bulky is so soft when it's knitted up. The two dye lots make the body of the sweater look like a jewel with slightly different colored facets. The only problem is that moving the bulky yarn over Size 19 Addis makes my hands hurt after a while.

I finished Mary's faux suede rose-colored belt. I like how it turned out, and since I have quite a bit more left, I cast on for a kerchief to match. I'll have to start Laura's next. It's in the fuschia colorway. I think I'll post pictures when both are done.

Solution to sock dilemma: My saviors at the LYS. Karida is teaching a toe-up sock class next week, and I'll be there. Once I learn the basics of socks from the toe up, I'll tackle the top down, including my dream project: Nancy Bush's Norwegian Stockings.

Tangent on Blackbeard: I've been fascinated with Mr. Teach since I was a little girl and my dad took us on the long ferry ride out to Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke was Blackbeard's hangout and the place where, legend has it, he died. His quartermaster, William Howard, settled on Ocracoke, and the Howard's Pub is still the cornerstone of the island.

I had forgotten about the history I had learned of the island when Oren and I first went there. But it was part of the attraction when we decided to get married on Ocracoke in 2003. Wouldn't it be cool to have a knitted pirate hat to wear next time we go there?

Mohair Is Back

You are Mohair.You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is
set, but that's okay since you are good at
covering up your mistakes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I think I may have the sock dilemma solved.

F-ing Sock

The title pretty much sums it up.

F-ing sock.

If anyone can tell me how the hell not to end up with an ankle hole that is half the size of what it should be, please let me know. It seemed like everything was going okay, the short rows (I had a little help from Interweave to figure out the wrap-turn thing) were working, but then I finished knitting back to the gusset increases, and ta-da...it didn't freaking work.

Now I've pulled out so many stitches, I have no idea where to go from here. Did I pull out the gussets? No idea. Is the heel gone? Oh yeah ba-bee.

F-dash-dash-dash.

It does not help that I am generally feeling what one would term "malaise." I don't feel like cleaning, budgeting, laundering, dusting, sweeping, etc. It takes all the energy I have to play with and take care of the baby. Why? I don't have a daily job, which used to be the focus of my nervous energy.

Maybe that is the answer. I would be neurotic no matter what the circumstances. Ha. That's funny, huh?

Oh yeah.

F-ing sock. I blame it entirely.

Serious Start-itis

Along with visits from Indiana, New York and L.A. relatives, the Chinatown bus ride, MoMA, and the wreck of the Orange-mobile, I have been stashing away yarn and developing a serious case of Start-itis, as recently diagnosed by the Yarn Harlot.

I just finished Stephanie's book, right around the time the Knitting Olympics wrapped up. Kudos to her for a brilliant idea, a wonderful book and general all-around knitting greatness. She's got good Yarma.

On to my Start-itis. Until recently, I had 5 -- count 'em, 5 -- projects on the needles. A summary:

1. The Warmest Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM) with the Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky in teal and orange duotone. Love the yarn texture, don't love the way I have to bully the yarn around the needles. Back is done, front is half done. I really need to push on this.

2. Elizabeth's Baby Blanket in TLC Cotton Plus white. I cast on the long edge, so even though I have three box repeats done, I've got 6 more to go. I also figured I needed to buy another skein, but it's in another dye lot, so I'll have to see if I can stripe it to blend it in.

3. A SOCK. Let me repeat, A SOCK. In Patons Classic Wool Merino in deep olive, which I bought a while back to attempt socks for Oren. I had been intimidated by the DPNs until now, and then one evening as I was drooling over sock patterns online, I stumbled onto this pattern, realized I had the same wool and dpns, and cast on. Actually, I think I had seen this pattern before and bought this yarn because I wanted to learn how to do a toe-up sock. Then promptly forgot about it. Serendipity is sometimes how you create it. I'm at the gusset increases.

4. Nifty Knitted Belt V.1 in Lion Suede's rose colorway. (I also bought fuschia.) On "my" show, they had this belt pattern, and I thought my youngest sisters would like it, being hip and all that. I love the drop stitches but for reasons of not paying attention, I haven't been able to stay on pattern as well as I ought. Still it ought to be my FO #8 soon, though.

Wait, wait, wait, Ginny, did you miscount? You've only posted 6 FOs on your blog.

Well, #5 on the WIPs list has crossed over to the win column.

5. As modeled by the boy, Spiral Top Down hat knit with Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora from less than one ball. I guess one double point project wasn't enough. I used Brittany Size 6 Birch needles, which could not be more comfortable. I love me my Addi Turbos, but wood needles feel so natural and yummy.

The yarn, while soft and washable, did get on my nerves a bit though. It does not hang together like wool, so I kept sticking my needle through the middle of the strand, which meant some snags developed. Then, once I was done, I found this review. Hmm. I originally found this yarn on sale at Stitch DC in the cream and red, then bought some more red at the Georgetown store's anniversary sale. I still intend to make Malcolm a sweater from the 7 balls I have left. Just have to find a pattern.

So the hat was originally supposed to be for the boy. However, as you can tell, Monsieur Pumpkinhead is right at the limit for the hat. I used the calculator and his head measurement and everything, but I guess his head is bigger than I measured. Since he can't wear it, I believe I will gift it, maybe to my cousin's new baby.

Will update on my stash enhancement next...

So Much to Say

Meanwhile, a picture worth a thousand words, as they say.

This is my Safta. My very first, my one and only Safta. Safta is Hebrew for grandmother, and it's true, I actually have four grandmothers by blood and marriage that I love very much. But Sonia is my only Safta.

As soon as I met her, the week before my wedding, she treated me and Oren just like family. Which Oren is, to a degree. We finally tracked it back to determine that Sonia's late husband's grandfather and Oren's great-great-grandfather were brothers.

But family is how you find it. Sonia and the rest of the Garins are our cousins, pure and simple. And when I started the Feather and Fan pattern scarf from Scarf Style out of the ripped remains of my first abortive attempt at a scarf, I thought it might be nice if I could get it done for Sonia's birthday.

I had plenty of the two Rowan Kidsilk Haze colors I used, but soon ran out of the Manos del Uruguay wool because of the width the scarf turned out to be. After harassing my LYS for a couple of weeks, I finally found it at my other LYS (the benefits of living in a big city). Truth be told, Springwater has a giant selection of Manos.

So in the week before her birthday party, I knitted like crazy to be done with Sonia's scarf. All she wanted on her 86th birthday was for her two children, three grandchildren, two in-laws and cousins to show their creativity. I started working on this scarf before I knew that, but it fit perfectly.

And of course, it wasn't done when I got there. So listening to everyone's stories and songs, I stitched the final few rows. Stitched in love and warmth and family togetherness. My mom and stepdad were in from Indiana too, and they just added to the gathering.

My sixth FO is one that I will never forget. Not only was it the first yarn I ever purchased, but it was my first repurposed project and first lace stitching. And it was given to my one and only Safta, with love.

Will try to post more later about the rest of the excitement over the last few weeks...lots of visitors, traveling and one car wreck.

Turbo-Charged...and Back

You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with
power and grace. Your expensive tastes can
be deceiving, since what you really value is
quality and efficiency. As you're careening
around those corners in life, finishing a
dozen knitted objects each month, stop and
smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of
process!

What kind of knitting needles are you?

I Wannabe a Joiner

The eagle-eyed regular readers (Hi, all of my lovely sisters) of this here blog will notice two buttons now residing on the left side of the page. I have officially joined my first knitalong, and am checking every day to see if I have been accepted yet into the Knitting Blogs webring.

There are many knitalongs that look pretty interesting, but my meager skills and lack of stash space prevent me from joining all of them. I had to jump on the Scarf Style knitalong because Oren bought me the book for Hanukkah and I love just about all of the designs in there. I'm working on the Misty Garden pattern now, but will definitely do another. Maybe my first lace project??

I resisted joining the Knitting Olympics, thinking that I would be working on my sweater in class, which didn't match up with the Olympic deadline. Now I wish I would have because the class was canceled. But I'll be one of the cheerleaders. Go Team!

The Journey Begins

The stash rides the Metro.

[Cue: Slowly growing, progressively louder Olympic music chords]

We stand here on the edge of the Abyss. Before us stretches the unknown void; beside us only our trusty stash. Bulky and hand-dyed, the stash stands ready; and you know that working together, no sweater pattern can outwit us. The famous rallying cry echoes in our ears:

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." -- Winston Churchill

Colinette, you have met your match. I will knit Annie as my first sweater; canceled knitting class be damned. I will knit my first sweater -- the Warmest Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM) -- BY MYSELF.

It's only fitting, since I am also a Knitting Guru, according to this online quiz. Nifty, considering tomorrow is my 3 month Knitiversary.

Because It Is There

George Mallory -- by some mountaineers' estimation the first to summit Mt. Everest -- testily replied to reporters' questions when asked why climb the world's tallest mountain, "Because it is there."

I have found the Mt. Everest of knitting.

And I must -- one day -- climb the mountain.

Until then, I am in awe of Ted and K. standing at the Gates of Hell and apparently proceeding apace. Instead of being in Base Camp waiting for them to summit and return with the story, it's more like I'm watching their progress on the Discovery Channel from the safety of my couch. But consider me a Princess cheerleader!

Then there is Grumperina, my knitting idol, who not only knit the lace, but modified the pattern and made massive corrections to the design to turn out a shawl that is absotively, posilutely beautimous.

My Feather and Fan scarf/stole is on hold, waiting for the #114 Manos del Uruguay to show up again at the LYS. I'd say I'm about 1/2 way there with the one skein and will be able to finish up with another. Since it's such a heavy yarn, I hesitate to say it's "lace" but it is a lace stitch, just worked in heavier wool. Deadline is next Saturday, Feb. 18, for an 86th birthday party. The desired accompaniment is an antique or unusual scarf clip. Ideas on where to find one?

I'm a third of the way through Elizabeth's baby blanket, too. And I am very proud to have resisted casting on for any other project. I am stuck on the idea of Fuzzy Feet to use up some Lamb's Pride Worsted in my stash. I found some grey beads that match a Rowan Cashsoft DK that will go toward my first hat project -- Grumperina's Odessa. I have another Multi-Directional Scarf that I want to knit in a Berroco yarn I already have. And I'd love to find a pattern for a kid's sweater knit in the round on some Debbie Bliss yarn that Stitch DC had on sale. Mad props to me for focusing on stash-busting!

Speaking of sales, Happy 1st Anniversary, Stitch DC! I took my first knit stitch on November 14, 2005, at the Stitch DC Capitol Hill store. The Georgetown store had a sale today that the fam and I stopped at after a nice hike near the Dumbarton Oaks. Quite the workout with a 17-lb. kid on the back and 8 inches of snow on the ground.

One of the sale items I couldn't resist was Folk Socks by Nancy Bush. Another Everest -- the Norwegian stocking pattern. And hubby dear picked up some yarn today and said he would wear socks in this yarn in the Slate colorway. Well, all-rightey then.

The reason why I'm trying to hold back with new projects is that -- cross fingers -- my knitting class starts tomorrow. My gauge swatches are ready and one big mistake has already been discovered and planned for.

When one asks for one's bust measurement, one must actually measure the, ahem, bust across the -- cough -- bust line, not automatically assume that one's, ehr, bra size, is the correct number to base one's hand-knit sweater on, mustn't one?

Um. Ehr. Yeah. Well.

Knit on.

Today's Randomness

So I've been thinking a lot today about approaching this blog post as I would have written a feature story. (In a short past life, I was a reporter for a small community newspaper.)

What is my theme? What's the nutgraph of today's activities? A short chronology:

1. Early rising with the kiddo after late turning in with husband. We stayed up to watch "The Hunting of the President." Some of the production (photo montages in particular) was annoying at first, but it was thought provoking and scary, as far as what people with money are capable of buying and having done for them.

2. Dog walking

3. Folding 7 loads of laundry. A personal family best for number of loads at one time.

4. Feeding kid homemade sweet potatoes and mangoes.

5. Getting car insurance on the Orange-mobile.

6. Lunch

7. Goodbye to hubby as he heads off to work

8. An hour of screaming by baby who is waaaaay overdue for nap

9. Reading some blogs and emails while baby finally naps

10. Dog walking and grocery shopping

11. Dinner

12. Trying unsuccessfully to load Microsoft Money

To the present time...now trying to figure out what the purpose of today was. I think I'm having a bit of an existential crisis. Too much running through my head and I can't get my hands around expressing it. Maybe I'll knit for a while and come back when I can make more sense.

The nutgraph for this post: The baby's crying again, and sleep deprived people don't make much sense. Oh well.

Knock, Knock

(As promised...)

Q: Who's there?

A: Orange.

Q: Orange who?

A: Orange you glad you have a new orange car?!?!?!?

Okay, I planned to get the salesman to take a picture of us in front of our new 2004 Mazda3 5-door hatchback, but until Oren gets home from work with the car, the website picture will have to do.

Honestly, it's not as orange as the picture above makes it look. Mazda says it is "copper red." I swear. Really. Maybe.

Okay...it's orange.

After doing a ton of research, we settled on the Mazda3 wagon as the right marriage of performance, reliability and features we needed. With a moonroof and 6-CD changer option, of course. Then it was just a matter of finding the right one. When we saw one online in Bethesda listed for under the NADA Guide's trade in value, we jumped. And scored! Whoo-hoo!

It's got only 30,000 miles and is still under factory warranty. It's very clean and, best of all, it moves like a sportscar. Zoom, zoom, indeed.

Well Looky Here

A day later update on the Original UFO:

The Feather and Fan pattern is coming out better than I expected, which you can't tell from this horrible photo taken with all the available lights in the living room pointed at the couch in the dark of night.

I know, I know, the scarf is ginormous wide -- 10in to be exact. But it is moving so fast. The yarns are really soft to work with, and I've memorized the pattern repeat.

I'm anxious that I won't have enough of the Manos, but I think I'll have plenty of the Kidsilk Haze. I'm going to try to haul ass on this project so I can give it to Sonia for her birthday celebration in two weekends. She's an incredibly tiny German lady, so I'm hoping even if it seems short, she can drape it around her neck once and it will still look good.

Cross your fingers that I'll be able to finish this knock, knock joke in a good way tomorrow:

A: Knock, knock.

Q: Who's there?

A: Orange.

Q: Orange who?

A: ????

RIP UFO

It was the first thing I ever knitted. The scarf that we made in class. Truth be told, it's some beautiful yarn -- a Manos del Uruguay in the 114 Maroon colorway mixed with two shades of Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

It was good practice, but frustrating. The teacher taught us the single cast on and told us to practice throughout the week with the handout she gave us. Unfortunately, when I ripped out to try to practice, the cast on method on the handout was totally different (long tail cast on). I almost tore my hair out.

I knit it tight and small. At only 3-1/2 inches wide, it was going to be incredibly small for a scarf. And only after my fourth scarf did I realize that I was twisting all my stitches. Yech.

Maybe I associated all the typical beginner frustrations with this scarf. It sat all by its lonesome tucked away while I speed knitted the four scarves I made for Christmas presents. Instead of becoming Mom's present -- a mom always rates the first try -- it languished while I finished the Noro scarf, started a baby blanket and planned my first sweater.

So today, after finding out my knitting class was postponed for a week (boohoohoo), I decided to rip it, rip it good.

May I insert a note here to say that ripping out mohair is a gigantic pain in the ass?

Now I'm a few repeats into Jo Sharp's Misty Garden pattern in Scarf Style. I'm not sure yet if it's working out. Since the Manos is a lot thicker than the mohair that the pattern calls for, the scarf is coming out about 10in wide. And I'm not sure if the Feather and Fan pattern is really showing up. But we'll keep at it for a while and see how it goes.

(Love speaking in the royal "we," don't we?)

Watching the Word Clouds Go By

Everything's Going Swimmingly

Bye, bye, Honda. You've been a wonderful car. All I wanted was a car with air conditioning and a CD player to drive back and forth to work. You came along and I thought you were a little on the expensive side, considering your 92,000 miles, but you won me over with your little hatchback bubble butt.

We had a lot of good trips, and I could always count on you to get me back and forth to work reliably. But then the munchkin came along and your odometer kept turning over and over. We needed four doors and air conditioning in the same car...and preferably something with less than 150,000 miles.

So you've found a new home, and I'm sure you'll be happy. He seems like a nice guy who keeps his cars clean. Have a good life. We'll miss you.

Selling your car = $3500
Selling your car and wearing your pre-pregnancy jeans = Priceless

On top of that, Malcolm had his first swim "lesson" yesterday. He was the youngest by a year in our Parent and Child swim class. But as soon as he got in the baby pool, he splashed around and had the best time. Oren says you could tell the baby had fun because of how loud he screamed when we had to get dressed and leave. Malcolm also fell asleep as soon as we started walking home.

Knitting summary: 2 repeats out of 9 done on Elizabeth's baby blanket; sweater class starting tomorrow!

One Weird Day

How is it that after a day of Malcolm's first swim lesson and selling my car, the only thing we can talk about is the weirdo who came and camped out at our house?

Just to get it off my chest...

So Oren got a guy lined up to sell my Honda to this morning. And after that, we decided to take a ride around some neighborhoods to look at houses. While we're riding around, we get a call from a guy who says he's driven in from Pennsylvania to look at the car. It's the brother of a guy who called about the car last weekend and said he would come look at it and never did.

Not 5 minutes after looking at the car, he tells Oren, "I don't feel good, I'm having a bad reaction to some medicine. I'm dizzy and I need to lay down." So Oren, being a good sport and having benefited from the kindness of strangers before, says sure.

Sure, for 10-15 minutes. But for two hours? Two hours he lays in the bedroom of our 550-sf apartment while we hang out with the kid and the dog in the living room. This strange dude we've never met before who comes to drive my car and doesn't and instead camps out in our apartment.

And then ASKS TO STAY THE NIGHT. He says, "I trust you guys. I just need to rest for 8-9 hours until I feel better." Oren says the options are: 1. We take you to a hospital so you can be observed by professionals or 2. We'll get you a hotel room so you can rest and leave in the morning. You CANNOT stay in our apartment. Did I mention it's only 550 square feet?

After much dithering on his part -- maybe I'll drive, maybe I can just stay here with you -- we drive him to a hotel on the way to sell the car to the guy in the morning who wanted to buy it. We buy the hotel room, Oren gives him $20 for dinner and a Metro card to get back to our neighborhood tomorrow so he can pick up his car.

The kicker: He says, "Well, can you just come get me in the morning?" Umm, NO.

So we've done our mitzvah for Shabbat. We put the poor guy up in a hotel room, fed him dinner, let him sleep in our bed and gave him a Metro card.

But stilll...

W-E-I-R-D.

And Some Final Thoughts

I'm not sure what I'm retired from, but if I am, do I get more time to knit?

My first blocking is complete, on the Noro multi-directional scarf. I'm talking it up like it was more than the slight steaming it was, but the anxiety I had about it beforehand makes it a big deal, OK?

The blocking makes a slight difference, but just noticable enough. I think it looks good, so off it goes in the mail tomorrow to Philly as a thank you gift. Debra told Oren today that she tried to take up knitting after visiting her LYS with me, but didn't get on well with it. I'm hoping that she tries again. The first couple of weeks were hell when I started (yep, yep, back in the good ole days of November 2005), and I still haven't finished the scarf we started in class, but it taught me the value of persistence.

To bed, to bed, said Sleepyhead.

Born to Knit

Ta-da!! And here we have Mom with her new scarf...and shorts. Apparently, now that I am making cold weather goodies (scarves, etc.), I am responsible for global warning. Check out this map and #26. See?

See, that's the thing about Moms, and one of the best things about mine. She will wear, hang, frame, highlight and just generally show off A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G her children make. Just because they made them. Even if she's naturally warm all the time and it's 50 degrees out in January. Love her.

And that completes our showing-off of FOs for the time being. I officially have way more yarn in the stash than I will be able to use in at least the next 6 months unless I suddenly develop flying fingers. I'm going to work on a stash busting spree.

Have I mentioned I need a new tote bag for the Warmest Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM)? Hmm. Just did. I also think I may make an Ikea run to get my stash organized with some nice yarn boxes. We'll see what hubby can be talked into liking.

I'm blogging while listening to Cast On, the brilliant podcast from Brenda Dayne, an American expat in Wales. Someone else yammering on about knitting? I am THERE.

I can hear my husband muttering under his breath, "You mean I have to listen to someone else go on and on about this?!?!?" Well, no, if I get an IPod for Valentine's Day, I'll definitely get headphones, too. Of course, I'm just thinking of you, honey.

Happy Feast of Brigid!

It's a (silent) poetry reading in Blogland. This is appropriate for a new mother, but it's always rung true for me. My contribution:

Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening
by: Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Baby Steps

I can't get this post to come out the way I want with the pics, so I'm going to split it up by topic. So here goes...

I started a baby blanket to give to my cousin Elizabeth. She knit Malcolm a baby blanket -- his first handknit item -- and I'd like to return the favor before or near her April due date.

It's 32in worth of cast on stitches (140 to be exact) on a Size 8 Addi Turbo 40in needle. I'm using TLC Cotton Plus yarn, which I actually really like for its softness. I know, it's Red Heart, but I'm only a part-time yarn snob. The good thing is the softness, the bad thing is...the stitch definition. You can see all the wonky parts a little too well, as the photo illustrates.

The pattern calls for alternating blocks of garter stitch and stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. It's from the Fall 2005 Knit It! magazine.

I actually am using Combination Knitting in this project. As you can see in the first block, my knits and purls were different sizes, so there's some rowing out on the stockinette blocks. But then I switched to Combination purling, just remembering to knit into the back of the stitches coming back across the row, and voila! Much more even knitting without twisted stitches. Bless you, Annie Modesitt!

In other baby news, Malcolm got an A+ at his doctor's appointment the other day. He's now 26 and 3/4 inches long and 16 lbs. 11 oz. Percentile-wise, he's small to average, but I have a feeling he'll be catching up soon. He also did very well with his next 5 immunizations. I think Oren was more bothered by the process than Malcolm.

Monday will be Malcolm's first night with a sitter too! My knitting projects class starts then, and as soon as I get some feedback on my gauge swatches, I'll show off photos of my yarn. Oh, and the baby too.

Noro Nooky

I love Noro. Love. Love. Love.

I thinking I'm turning Japanese,

I think I'm turning Japanese,

I really think so.

So but now I need to block this thing, and I'm a little nervous. Has anyone out there any suggestions about blocking Noro Kureyon? I don't think it should be wet blocked, so I'm going to try steam pressing it first. I don't want the dye colors to run into each other.

Sorry about the poor quality of this photo...though it does show my man in the kitchen making New Basics' mac and cheese. Hooray!

Yum, Yum

This is the Noro Kureyon Multi-Directional scarf that I have been going on about for a while (in the purple/hunter colorway). I'm on the third skein and hoping to finish, fringe and block it sometime soon.

Like Malcolm's book says, "Yum, Yum." The yarn is really nice to work with, and I love how the short rows highlight the color changes.

It'll be my first blocking project too. It curls a little right now, and I think it'll lay flatter, looser and wider with a little bit of blocking.

I've also made my first gauge swatch for the Warmest Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM), on the size 17 needles. I'm not sure if I'm getting the tension the pattern calls for (7-1/2 stitches by 9 rows in 4x4in), so I'm also doing a gauge swatch on the size 19 needles. I guess I'll take both to the first class and get Olivia's opinion. Since it is such large yarn and an oversized pattern, I don't want to go wrong on the gauge and end up donating my new sweater to Tai Shan's mom.

Malcolm has been really into reading his books lately, especially nursery rhyme classics from his Saba and Barbara and Tickle the Duck from his Auntie Sarah. He actually reaches to tickle the duck.

He's also up to 2 meals a day -- today's menu included peaches and bananas. I can't wait til his next doctor's appointment on Jan. 31 to see how much he weighs. Momma's Lil' Pumpkinhead!

I Usetacould Do Better Than This

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird...But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

A Few FOs

Here are the only pics I can find so far of the scarves being enjoyed by their recipients:

Rachel surprised at how warm her scarf is.

Mike with the manly scarf.

Sarah showing how not to wear a keyhole scarf.

Did I mention I looooooove scarves?

Mom has promised to send me a photo of her modeling the scarf I made her too. Will publish a photo of the scarf on the needles later when I can gratuitously include Malcolm in the photo. (He's napping now.)

I just realized I have a deadline for this current scarf. My Knitting Projects class starts Feb. 6. I am going to make the "Spoil Me Sweater" from the Colinette pattern book Oren bought me for Hannukkah. So I want to get this scarf done and sent out.

Technically, I couldn't find the Colinette yarn that the sweater pattern calls for, but Karida -- my new yarn buddy at Stitch DC -- recommended this replacement from Blue Sky Alpacas in teal. Ohmygod. It is so sweet. It knits up like buttah...they had a sample at the store.

So today I am going to knit my gauge swatch and try to convince Oren that it is going to be the most beautiful, warmest, Spoil Me Sweater of Buttery Goodness in the Whole Wide World (TM).

I have so many other projects that I want to start for all the other four sisters (M, L, K and N), as well as a baby blanket for my cousin who made Malcolm one. And a baby sweater...because Audrey inspired me...

So much to knit, so little time.

Still Stitchin', Still Bitchin'

This is outrageous.

The Sew Fast Sew Easy store in NYC has taken legal action against small, non-profit Stitch 'n' Bitch groups nationwide, claiming that they own the trademark to "Stitch and Bitch Cafe."

For a company to legally threaten anyone who hosts an informal get-together of knitters is ridiculous. The full story can be found here.

Got mad.
Joined the boycott.
Bought the T-shirt.

Bad Blogger. Bad.

Ooh...it's been a while.

Hello?

Hello?

Anyone out there??

Didn't think so.

So a short summary:
1. Went to Ocracoke, knitted and knitted, but still didn't get all the Christmas/Hanukkah gifts done, got truck stuck (and unstuck) instead.
2. Went to Indiana, gave away three and a half completed scarves, finished fourth, impressed many people all around, tried to teach knitting to three other people (ha!).
3. Went immediately to Philly, was directed to ultracool knit shop, tried to encourage another person to take up knitting.
4. Came back to D.C., saw very cute panda. IN. REAL. LIFE. Like I said, v. cute.
5. Got sick. Won't go into details because they are really, really gross. Blech.
6. Flew to Eugene, Oregon. Had a spa day, went to the beach, went skiing, saw yet another cool knit shop, learned that once again...Audrey rocks.
7. Came back to D.C. Phew!

So Malcolm and I started traveling Dec. 17 and returned to D.C. on Jan. 15, with only 4 days at home in between. He was a great traveler, mi Senor "Duerma Bastante."

I really want to find family photos posing with my FOs, but haven't yet. Meanwhile, I'm working on this scarf with the Noro Kureyon yarn in the #88 colorway that I bought in Philly with Debra. It's yummy natural yarn that feels so good and I love the striping action. Must knit more...

Also, on the numerous plane rides, I finished "Zen and the Art of Knitting." I recommend it for a lot of good thoughts about the importance of handwork to the psyche and the connection between different types of creativity, i.e. why I started a blog after starting knitting and am now looking into grad school.

Other holiday acquisitions:
1. My lovely honey, my one and only blog reader, got me the Knitters' Bible, a Colinette sweater pattern book and a beautiful book I had been dreaming of...all without prompting!! I love him!!
2. With one of my Christmas gift certificates, I picked up the Zen book and the Stitchionary (I love saying that!).
3. Carolyn and I hit some insane after-holiday sales at Hobby Lobby, and I snatched up some other pattern books for half off.
4. Along with the Noro, I picked up Elizabeth Zimmerman's book and have become a convert.
5. My special order from Annie Modesitt came in, and the scarf I am knitting now is my first with untwisted stitches. Of course, I am using Western knitting, but I can't wait to try Combination on my next project.

Which reminds me, I never wrote abou tthe Twisted Stitches Saga. I'll try to next time, after I see to the baby's crying...

Au revoir.

On Vacay

The blog has been quiet while the boys and I traveled down to Ocracoke for the week before Christmas/Hanukkah, and now I am up in Indiana with the family.

AND....my 4 FOs. Yay me!!!!

The grand total:
1. Rowan Biggy Print seed stitch keyhole scarf for Sarah.
2. Rowan Ribbon Twist K2,P2 ribbed scarf for Mike.
3. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky in Pumpkin for Rachel, using the pattern on the ball.
4. Lion Brand Mystery keyhole scarf for Mom.

Mom got the whole kit and caboodle wrapped up in her present, because I wasn't finished with hers when I got here. So I just fringed it last night, and now it's about 50 degrees and way too warm to wear it.

I will try to get a FO family photo for my next post.

The trip to Ocracoke was relaxing and productive. I finished Rachel's scarf and started Mom's. Ocracoke is where Oren and I got married two years ago, the weekend before Hurricane Isabel struck.

The trip to Indiana has been busy, busy -- with trips to visit family and friends and make all the rounds before we fly back to D.C. on Friday. If I can, I will post more photos. I tried to find an LYS here, but so far Hobby Lobby has been my closest yarn stop.

Yesterday, my cousin Carolyn and I took a Mom's Day Out and went yarn shopping. I found a set of six needles half off because they were candy cane-striped and some yarn to practice crocheting on.

I'm also trying to teach my sister Rachel how to knit, which makes me nervous because of my Unfinished Post about the great Saga of the Twisted Stitches. I know I still have to write about that, but I need to do more research first. I also have not yet been home to receive my Annie Modesitt knitting book, which I think will help me figure out my knitting.

I just hope I can teach Rachel what I know and then she can take a class to get really good at it. She's already picked up more in one evening than I did in a week.

Dis-Illusioned

Well, the Snowflake Illusion scarf has turned into a swatch of nearly indeterminate pattern. What happened...

I decided to use Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride Worsted in Creme and Prairie Fire, which calls for Size 8 needles to get gauge. The pattern did not specify yarn, but the designer said she also used Size 8 needles. The yarn inspiration came from the Alien Illusion scarf in Stitch 'n' Bitch.

Problem #1: Gauge was supposed to be 4-1/2 sts per inch, but mine was 5 per inch. Doesn't sound like a lot, but the yarn is pretty thin, so I think it may have made the pattern too loose. The Alien Illusion designer used Size 7 needles to get gauge, so I think when I try this again, I'll get smaller needles.

Problem (OK, maybe only to Oren) #2: The online pattern, as Oren noticed when he finally looked at it, calls for an eight-sided snowflake. According to Basic Chemistry as he remembers it, unusual snowflakes can be 12-sided, but the majority are only six-sided. Don't ask me to tell you how; I last took chemistry in 1991. Look it up here.

Oren's solution: Draw me a six-sided snowflake pattern. Handy having a handy husband.

So off we go...

And what we arrive at is the snowflake pictured above, which actually turns up better in the photo than it does in real life.

Problem #3: Per the warning in SnB, one side of the swatch pulled up tighter than the other, leading to one edge that curled up and was shorter than the other. Hence the peppermill yarn weight in the photo.

The BIG PICTURE problem (#4, but who's keeping count?): I twist my stitches. Every. Single. One. Gasps of horror out there in blogland...

Twisted stitches will be blog post dos on this topic because there are larger issues with this.

Me, with larger issues??? Ha.

Two Down, Two to Go

Hooray, Hooray! Let's give a cheer...

Finished Object Number Two is here!

Oren is modeling the scarf I made for my stepdad, Mike. Forgive the flash, but otherwise it would just be a blurry white blotch on a blurry black background lit by a blurry orange light.

This was the scarf made from Rowan Ribbon Twist in Ripple on Size 19 Addi Turbos. I CO 16 stitches and did the whole 6'2" in K2,P2. Ohmygod. By a certain point, I wanted to tear out my hair, and I did commit knitting infidelity (see previous post), but now, it's finished.

Unfortunately, it has received 1 negative review. Oren says it's itchy. Hmmm. Not quite sure what to do about that. We'll see what Mike says at Christmas.

So in celebration, I've cast on for this project. This is the scarf I want to make for Mom for Christmas. We'll see how it goes...it's my first pattern, and the yarn and needles are a lot different than my previous projects.

I selected Brown Sheep Company Lamb's Pride Worsted in Creme and Prairie Fire and picked up some Size 8 Addi Turbos. First off, the yarn is much thinner and so are the needles. I've been cheating with big, fat yarn and big, fat needles to get my first two FOs complete. I picked this yarn because it's the same recommended for the Alien Illusion Scarf in Stitch 'n' Bitch.

Eek. A small crisis of knitting confidence. Can I do this???

I've still got Rachel's scarf on the needles, and I'm really enjoying the pattern. I think it's only going to be 4 or 5 foot long, because it's so wide, it doesn't need to wrap around the neck twice.

T-minus 13 days til the trip to Indiana. C'mon fingers, let's do your stuff!

Knitting Projects

That's the class I just signed up for at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. The class description says to pick a challenging project and to get through with the teacher's support. So...

I think I want to make a sweater. I haven't really started searching for patterns yet, but this is the first one that I stumbled across that I really like. Once I get the scarves done for Christmas/Hanukkah, I'm going to get my materials. I'll look for patterns over Christmas break.

I also signed up the kiddo for a Sing and Sign class. I've been using the Signing Smart with Babies and Toddlers book to try to start Malcolm on some signs. He seems to really pay attention to my hands when I sign, and I think I've picked up a couple of signs that he's given, but I think a class will help us. Plus we'll start meeting some other kids and moms.

I'm off to Springwater today to get one more ball of the Berroco Foliage in Asters. I got two balls, but then I found this pattern for a Multi-Directional Scarf on another knitblog. Thanks, Shetha! Shetha is the designer of the Alien Illusion scarf that I want to make Oren for Hanukkah. I've been checking out her blog for links to other knitters. I'm loving the whole online community that's out there.

Money. It's a Drag.

I'll see you a "sonofabitch" and raise you a "goddamn."

I freakin' hate dealing with money and budgets and stupid, goddamn expenses. It makes me want to curse like a Southeast Asian frigate sailor drugged and stuffed through a hole in the floor in the back of a bar who wakes up to find himself on a slow boat to China to work in the salt mines. (Thank you, Tom Waits, for that inspiration.)

We are preparing our papers to talk to a financial advisor, and I'm going to get Quicken for my computer. We're getting things in order -- I JUST HATE IT. I have a mindblock against math, to put it mildly.

Frankly, it makes me want to buy yarn. Lots of other bloggers seem to be talking about this kind of yarn. I like the really bright color combinations. And how about some of this so that I can learn to make socks. And how about some of this because I'm digging the hand-painted vibe.

And THIS because it's the most expensive thing I could find in my short search.

Wow. I feel better just threatening to buy more yarn.

And this, this and this.

ahhhh....

You think I got money problems now? Ha.

Knitting Infidelity

Mr. Knitting Project, meet Mr. New Knitting Project.

The ole K2P2 ribbing was starting to drive me batty, so I decided to start working on my sister Rachel's orange scarf. I'm still going to finish Mike's -- it really is getting there -- but I needed a pattern break.

Rachel's is Lion Brand Wook-Ease Thick and Quick in Pumpkin 133. I'm using my first pair of straight needles, some Takumi Bamboo in Size 13. I really like how they feel and how the pattern is coming together. I actually like how the needles stick out from my arms, though they probably will be more difficult to handle in close quarters, like if I'm knitting in the car on the way to someplace.

The pattern for Rachel's scarf called for six rows of ribbing and then started the following pattern:
Row 1: Knit on RS
Row 2: K2, p to last 2 sts, K2
Row 3-4: Repeat Rows 1-2
Row 5: Purl
Row 6: Knit

It creates 4 rows of Stockinette st on the RS and 2 rows of Reverse Stockinette (purls). And it's R-E-E-A-A-L-L-L-L-Y-Y W-I-I-I-I-D-E. So I think it will be one that just wraps around the neck once and crosses the chest.

And I've still not started Mom's Snowflake Illusion scarf yet. Maybe I can get Mike's done this weekend, and then I'll be halfway through the Indiana projects.

Although...

We're having baby showers for my cousin Elizabeth and my cousin Ernie's wife, Rachel. So I got three balls of TLC Cotton Plus in white (it's really soft) and I thought about using my baby Knifty Knitter loom to whip out two little baby hats and then attach little pom-poms to the top.

Is that knitting infidelity too, to use a Knifty Knitter loom??

Roux-ing the Day

Yeesh, where did the weekend go? I KNOW -- into the most gigantic 10-quart pot of gumbo that has ever been made outside of Louisiana.

Oren's co-worker challenged him to bring in gumbo and chicory coffee so they could get in the mood to talk about New Orleans. Never one to let a cooking project go by, Oren found this recipe to try. I tried to talk him into the New Basics (my cooking Bible) version, but NOOOO. That would be too easy.

10 pounds of chicken
4 pounds of shrimp
1.5 pounds of crabmeat
and 3 pounds of sausage later....

That's some damn good gumbo.

However, that was not the mood yesterday in the middle of the roux. It's just a cup of oil and a cup and a half of flour, but it was the bane of my existence trying to get it to turn "milk chocolate" brown.

To the tune of "Camptown Races"

We roux-ed the day we made this roux
Roux-wah, roux-wah.
This roux we made is really rude,
Oh roux-wah way.

So after 24 hours of cooking, Oren went off to work today with a huge Le Creuset pot full of the stuff, and we still have more than half of a stockpot left.

I'm still in the middle of Mike's scarf, and if I don't finish it soon, I am going to get totally bored with it. Hopefully I'll have a finished picture to post tonight and I can start on the next project, an illusion scarf for Mom.

Mystery Solved

The clues:
1. Frequent night waking (again)
2. Additional crankiness
3. More mucus, saliva, sneezing, coughing

TA-DA!!! First tooth!!!!

That's why baby was wanting to eat thru the night while I was sick last weekend. Today his first little tooth popped through. He is still cranky, but completely the cutest kid EVER.

It's crazy how every one of his little accomplishments at this age give me such a sense of pride. Where did all that calcium come from to make that tooth? ME. Whoo-hoo!!