Annie Knits

Pairing

I've been thinking lately.  I have a large number of unfinished objects languishing in various bags and cubby holes around the house.  I think a lot of us do.  I wonder why.  It's not economical -- those UFOs are hogging up my needles and my stash space and, most especially my brain space.  I worry about them.  I wonder when I'll get back to them.  I ponder the yarn and pattern, having loved both enough to cast on for a project.

Eureka.  I think I've figured it out.  At least for myself.  Many of my UFOs are destined to be unsuccessful and on some level, my subconscious knows this and isn't letting me waste my time on them.  Most often, I think, it's an ill-conceived pairing of yarn to pattern.

Gisela probably falls into this category and I just haven't admitted this sorry fact to myself yet.

As a point of illustration, I have today's Finished objects.  Yum.

First up is a Wingspan scarf knit out of a new-to-me yarn by HiKoo and distributed by Skacel.  It's Timidity, a highly-textured wool/acrylic/nylon blend.  I used color number 3, a hot red and brown blend.  It knits up nubby and lacy and it's not what I'd call soft.

But pair it with a short-row pattern that lets its long color repeats stack up and swirl around?  Dayum.  I love this thing.  Even hubster, who generally has to be prompted to notice knitting triumphs, commented favorably on this scarf.  It's a statement piece.  

I have to admit that I started the scarf with trepidation.  I didn't particularly like the examples of it knit up in various variegated yarns on Ravelry.  I kept at it primarily because I wanted a garter stitch piece to work on at knit night.  But as the thing grew, I knew I was onto something, albeit unintentionally.  Yay me.

This pairing of my hand-spun yarn with Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket was intentional.  It's almost become what you'd call a traditional pairing.  Yarn spun from dyed roving often has this striping heathered quality and the BSJ is a pattern made to take advantage of the striping.

This roving was, I believe, a Romney wool.  It's a Hello Yarn club colorway, but I don't know which one.  It's luverly.  Once I make a hat from the rest of the yarn, I'll do the finishing (probably i-cord) and gift it to a newly adopted little guy at church.  

What do you think?  Are your unsuccessful (or maybe just uninspiring) projects often a result of bad pairings?  

Time Out!

A knit night friend is adopting a little girl who is 18 months old.  Such exciting times!  The baby shower was Saturday and I thought I'd not be able to attend as I had a sweater class to teach.   I sent in my RSVP as a maybe, hoping I'd be able to go anyway. 

When the class hadn't formed as of Thursday, it was time to start knitting for that baby shower! 

I bought the yarn, Anzula For Better or Worsted with a kid's sweater in mind as there are several in the chute, so to speak.  (Kids and sweaters as a matter of fact.)  It's a superwash merino blended with a little cashmere and nylon, all pulled together in a tight twist.  It's lovely stuff. (Sorry, non-Ravelers.  All the links are Ravelry today.  Just sose ya know.)

This sweater, A Pod of Cetaceans, has been on my favorite list for awhile.  You know when things work?

As of Saturday morning, I had gotten this far.  I'd have finished the darned thing if I hadn't had to rip back the body and reknit from the ribbing to the armpits due to fussiness over mixing the two balls of yarn.  Darned kettle dyed stuff -- even within dyelots, mix your balls of yarn.  How many times have I told customers this?  Every time I sell them kettle dyed yarn .. probably hundreds of times.  At least.  Did I do it myself?  No.  Did I pay for it?  Yes. 

Anyhoo... I took the sweater to the shower like this and then brought it home again.  Classy.

Come Sunday morning?  Time to cut this bad boy.

I used Eunny Jang's crocheted steek method, where you crochet a stabilizing chain up the sweater on either side of the stitch you plan to cut.  By the way, I learned, at Vogue Knitting Live, that Alice Starmore coined the word 'steek', which is Gaelic for 'gate', in an article she wrote about Fair Isle knitting in the '80's.  Like the 1980's.  I always thought it was some old Norwegian name for the process.  The stitches were always called 'cutting up stitches' before.  Now we've kind of verbed the noun, but the way to refer to the process is apparently to talk about cutting a steek or gate, rather than steeking (or gating).  A little aside there.

I turned the sweater inside out, so the bars I want to cut would be more prominent and I snipped away.  This is a pretty good view of the steek stitches, which were a knit, a purl, 8 knits, a purl and a knit.  Plenty to fold over for the placket.

All done.

This steek was a little dicier than usual for two reasons:  not so much colorwork where you kind of end up weaving the yarn together on the back of the sweater so it really holds together;  and superwash wool is slippery and doesn't want to hold together anyway.  All that stockinette in the body tends to want to unravel at the steek.  It's all fine now that the placket is tacked down good and tight.

All that was left to do was pick up and knit button bands and weave in the ends.  When the light's better later this morning, I'll snap a few finished product pictures.  

This is a sweater I'd knit again.  Quick and fun and very cute.

Which is a good thing, because there are three more little ones who need sweaters before the end of October.  

Gisela is practically done.  All but side seams and front plackets.  I'm afraid to try her on...  You knew that was going to happen.  I'm sure if she sits in a bag while I knit sweaters for these little ones, she'll be ready to behave when I take her out to work on her again.  

Next up, a BSJ out of handspun for another newly-adopted 18 month old.  Rachel inspired me.

Holiday Knitting Round Up

There was a ton of holiday knitting.  I'd say I'm not quite done yet, actually...  I have to finish weaving in the ends of Hubster's holiday cowl and knit the final rounds of my holiday Eternity cowl.  

Speaking of Hubster.  He walked the 6 or so miles of work today (to undo the holiday cookie damage) wearing his Portland sweater, his Quiviut gloves and a Cashmerino hat I knit for him in November.  If I'd had the cowl finished, he'd have piled that on too.  It made me happy.

First up? Purl Soho Bandana Cowls (Ravelry link).  Like lots of them.  On which I embroidered mustaches.  I sized for different kids using different yarns and needles -- all are the same pattern.

Louisa Harding Grace (silk and wool), DK weight, size 8 needles for Evan.

Berroco Remix on size 8 needles for Aidan and Liam.

Encore Chunky on 10s for Seamus and Jacob.

Cascade Cloud on 10s for Lily.  No mustache for Lily though, and I think she wants one.  I'll have to add it.

So fun!  See?

For the littler cousins, I made sweaters.

An Owlet by Kate Davies for Ainsley.

That little peanut likes men only at this point.  Even if you knit her a sweater, she won't let you hold her.  But her uncle?  Smiles until morning...  Stinkas.

For Regan Elizabeth?  A Sima in Berroco Remix.  This pattern is darling, simple and fits like a dream. 

I didn't add the attached scarf, but sewed on tiny buttons across the pockets instead.  It fits her like a dress now, but I think she'll be able to wear it as a tunic for awhile too.  Look at this baby!

Isn't she beautiful?!

I made her big brother Nathan (he's 4) a Meep, Meep Robot Hoodie.

For this version I used more Encore Chunky Tweed.  I think it'll be big on him.  I don't know for sure and I don't have a picture of him wearing it because 4-year-olds do not do command performances.  My sister will send me a picture sometime when there's no pressure, I'm sure.  

I made the same sweater for Dear Godson, but in Remix on smaller needles.  It's definitely a size 3 and will fit him this winter, I think.  I forgot to take pictures of that before I gifted it.  Doh.  I bet Julie will send me a picture of that too if I ask real pretty...

This pattern is written to be knit flat, which I did the first time through.  I do not, however, have the kind of brain that can purl colorwork effectively, so the second I knit in the round and steeked.  Ah.  Much easier.

Finally, I made my youngest sister an Eternity Cowl out of Malabrigo Rios.

Love the pattern, love the yarn for the pattern.  Thanks, Sharon!

Yes, there was a smudge on the lens, but this is the only picture of the thing I have.  Dear Sister liked it, I think.

While in Ohio, speaking of Sister, we visited the Hole in the Wall Camp, Flying Horse Farms.  She's an integral part of the management team for this wonderful place.  

Here we are visiting one of the gathering spaces at the camp.  It is a wonderful place that gives kids with serious illnesses a chance to be kids and go to summer camp.  Hubster and I are so impressed with the stories she told and she's found an excellent calling and outlet for her many talents.  Click around on their website and try not to tear up... I dare you!

Two on Tuesday: Two Ways to Deal With the Cold

Actually, I've willfully misinterpreted Carole's topic for today which is ten ways to deal with a cold.  I refuse to mention colds as there is such nastiness swirling around here and I've taken such measures to avoid it that I've got disinfectant hand cream coming out of my pores.  

Tonight I'll blog about how I deal with the cold, as in there is a huge cold front coming and it's going to get cold.  That cold.  I bet you can guess the nature of the contents of my post...

I may have blogged about the Christmas present Hubster got me last year -- 250 grams of Quiviut fiber.  I also may have blogged about spinning it into a light fingering weight 2-ply yarn.  I can't remember.

As the cold approached this fall, I thought I should finish the gloves I started out of this hand spun goodness last spring.  It didn't take long.  These suckers are soft and warm and decadent.  And they only weight 80 grams.  As such, my pair is in the works.  

I used Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns.  These gloves were knit on size 2 needles and I knit the man's large size.  Hubster likes them.

Also in the WIP finishing category is my Inspira cowl  (that's a Ravelry link).  

General Patton modeling knit wear again.  I know that the photo seems yellow, but the colors of the cowl read pretty true in this photo.  The yarn is a hand spun Spunky Eclectic colorway -- can't remember which one, but I spun it to maintain the long color repeats.  

I modified the pattern in that I decreased to give it some shoulder shaping.  I knit it on size 9 needles. 

It's rustic and thick and bright.  I kind of love it.

So, yeah, knitting is one way to deal with cold weather.  The other way?

You knew that was coming.   

I'll tell you one thing.  The way my CSA deals with the cold weather is to throw winter squash at us!  I have 2 Acorn, one Butternut, one Delicata, and a baking pumpkin.

Tonight I stuffed two kinds of winter squash with cornbread stuffing, because, to be perfectly honest, my family does not love winter squash.  It's ok as a vehicle for something else like stuffing, though. 

Cornbread Stuffed Winter Squash

• 2 winter squash, halved and seeded
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T butter
• 10 leaves fresh sage, chopped
• 2 T Sherry
• 6 stale corn muffins, about 2 cups (you can use bread cubes that you dry a little in the oven instead)
• 1 1/2 c chicken stock

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Sautee onion, celery, and garlic in butter until soft.  Season with salt and pepper and add sherry.  Reduce slightly.  Add sage.
3. Stir muffin crumbs and chicken stock into vegetable mixture.  Let it absorb the liquid some.
4. Spoon the stuffing into the squash cavities, mounding it up carefully.
5. Bake until squash is cooked through, about an hour.  

I served this with buffalo meatloaf that I seasoned with some of the fresh sage and yukon gold potatoes.  Stick to your ribs food, I tell you.  

There is some stuffed squash left.  I'd call that lunch.

Sweaters That Are and Sweaters That Are Yet to Come... And a Scarf

Here is Remsen, finished and seamed and worn a few times.  I kind of love it and would have modeled it today if I hadn't just ridden to the local farmer's market and back.  I have bike-helmet-head. 

It's flattering and fun to wear.  The weight loss I've accomplished has made a difference in the fit, I'm sorry to say, but not a terrible one.  I'll still wear it.  

We finally got the yarn and the pattern in at the shop and it's generated some interest.  I practice full disclosure:  the pattern is good, the yarn is fiddly to knit with, the end result is worth it.  Oh, and I'll help you put the darned thing together if you so desire.

Next on the needles has been a 4 year old-sized sweater using the numbers from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns.  I'm using five colors of odd ball sock solids that I had kicking around -- someone didn't want them for her sock blanket.

Here is the body of the sweater, up to the arm pits.  I've also got half a sleeve done.  The stripe sequence is counted using the Fibonacci Series of numbers (that's a Wikipedia link if you're not sure what the Fibonacci Series of numbers is.)  I saw a Fibonacci sweater years ago and I've always wanted to to one.  It appeals to the geeky find-hidden-meanings deconstructionist in me.  I do think that the spacing and sequence are appealing.

I also think that the sweater at this stage resembles the 4 year old for which it's intended, probably most 4 year olds actually.  

Darling but a lot of ends to weave in.

We took Dear Daughter to college last weekend and, so far, she's having a great time.  She's playing her trumpet in the pep band today during the school's first football game.  She told me that she's going to fake interest in the game if she has to.  Atta girl!  I got most of the knitting on this Hitchhiker scarf  (Ravelry link) done during the car ride to and from dropping her off.  It's Dyeabolical Bling sock yarn in the We're All Mad Here colorway.  It's really striking, I have to say.  Just as eye-searing and fun in person.  It's too bad that the bling doesn't show up in photography.

Next up?  This yarn jumped to the front of the queue somehow this week... in front the other yarn and pattern book I actually bought several weeks ago with an eye to holiday knitting.  Dangit.  

It's enough of Rachel's Carnivale colorway to do another sock yarn sweater.  I will decide which one soon.  Because I'm jonesing to knit with this stuff, you know?  

Close Only Counts ...

I know, I know, ...in horse shoes and hand grenades.  And after my recent post (perhaps more aptly named a rant) about getting gauge, I feel the need to 'fess up.  I did not knit a swatch before I started this sweater.  

There.  I've said it.  I measured my knitting after I started the back.  More to the point, I didn't wash the swatch I didn't knit either.  The horror.

My only excuse is that I didn't want to.  I usually get gauge and this tape is pretty stable.  Not good excuses, but they're mine.  Please do as I say, not as I do.

Here is Remsen.  Well, most of Remsen, I'm still working on one of the sleeves, but I couldn't wait to see if I'd gotten it right.  After a good, long soak in warmish water and dish soap, this cotton tape yarn relaxed some.  What it really did was grow width wise, a problem remedied by strong lengthwise pulling. 

So far, so good.  I tried to knit the body an inch or so longer than the pattern called for -- 11 1/2 rather than 10 inches here, check. And the width resolved itself in order stretch to the required length.  22 inches.  Good.

Hmm.  Arm openings are 10 inches rather than 9.  Hope I can ease in this stretchy fabric so that the sleeve fits the opening.  If not, I can do a few more increases on the sleeve.  Or pull back the neck.  We'll see in a few hours.

Here was the tricky part.  These pieces interlock to form the tied front of the sweater.  Those outside edges get folded in half and seamed to themselves and the resulting piece gets sewn to the sides of the back.  It works... as I've said before, I've helped 3 customers put this thing together.  An aside on seaming -- I bought smooth cotton yarn in the same color to seam.  No way I'm seaming with a thick and thin cotton tape.

The marvel is that these things resemble both the measurements on the schematic included in the pattern and each other.  The pattern said to make two, reversing the shaping of the second.  Really?  Can you see all that shaping?  It was not television knitting, I'm telling you.

So.  I'm waiting for the pieces to dry so that I can put them together.  Of course, we got like 17 inches of rain this afternoon, so the drying will take awhile.  I might even be able to finish the other sleeve. 

Another aside.  You wish I had Smellivision.  Dear Son is learning to cook bacon so that he doesn't have to wait for me to get up off the couch and make it for him.  He's got a whole package of thick cut bacon in a jelly roll pan on parchment paper in the oven at 400 for 15 or so minutes.  He's watching it like a hawk.  Dinner's in like an hour and a half -- too long to wait.  So, an entire package of bacon it is.  14-year-olds eat either nothing or everything.  Depending on the day.  Today is an everything day.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Home again.  Here are a few more pictures of vacation fun, though, just to keep me centered.

My lack of dolphin sightings was a theme on the vacation.  Everyone but gimpy ol' me had seen them by the 2nd week, either on a boat outing or riding bikes on the beach, which I couldn't do.  Too windy.  It's hard enough on the bike paths with just one leg, and that's all I could use to pedal.  To my credit, I got up to 4 miles round trip toward the end of our stay.  I had to go hear the snapping shrimp again and that marsh was a good ways away from the house.  Yay me.  But I digress.

The whining got to Dear Husband, apparently, so he took me on a dolphin cruise.  This pod was feeding at the inlet round back of the island.  They'd push schools of fish up onto the beach and launch themselves onto the sand to eat the stranded fish.  It's a feeding strategy that apparently started here on the Kiawah river, but is now common from Florida to North Carolina -- naturalists think that the Kiawah pods teach their young, the males of which go out into the ocean and disperse when they come of age.  The behavior's been featured on a National Geographic show.  Really cool, but hard to photograph. 

This photo is kind of fuzzy, but if you look closely, you can see the baby dolphin's dorsal fin just behind his mother's.  He was born in February.  So cute.  My vacation was complete.

There was, of course, shark fishing.  These boys.  No matter how much they are enjoying themselves, they do not smile broadly enough to show their braces...  

Smile, dear daughter...  She's a little more comfortable with the process this year.  ; )

Along with us the second week were Blogless Janet and her family.  Here, her Dear Son is getting pointers from our favorite Kiawah Island naturalist/dolphin spotter/shark fisherman John.  How many scrapbooks do you think that guy's in?  A lot, I bet.

But enough about relaxing.  I've got finished knitting to show off.

Ta Da!  (Many thanks to Photographer Deborah.)  Celery re-worked.  See how the collar lies flat now?  Yay me.  Needs blocking and while I've lost 23 lbs, when I see this picture, I realize I should lose 20 more.  I'll get on that.  Either that or I should crop more selectively...

That aside, did I tell you how much I love this sweater?  The fit is good, the yarn is light, but wool so it'll work through multiple seasons.  One downfall, I guess, is that the color is so distinctive that when I wear it all the freaking time, people will notice.  Let 'em I say.  I love this sweater.  

Too bad I finished it right when the weather is about to turn hot.  Oh, well... I'll have to go to the movies.  Or somewhere where the air conditioning is cold.  Definitely.

Stats: 

Pattern:  Celery, size large

Yarn: Dyeabolical Bling Sparkly Sock, Annie colorway, 3.2 skeins.

Needles:  Size 5 US

And the Cascade baby sweater is done.  It'll be cuter when I actually sew the buttons on.  So, technically not done, I guess.  

This baby's born too, so I'll need to get on the stick.  I should mail it before my surgery.  

Statistics

Pattern:  Cascade, size 1 year

Yarn:  Berroco Vintage, leafy green color, 1.2 skeins

Needles:  size 7

This cutie took just a little more than a skein of yarn and 3 days to knit.  So cute, so fast. 

And finally, a WIP.

Rachel of Dyeabolical is doing sock blanks now.  Except she calls them something else that I can't remember.  (For the uninitiated, a blank is knit fabric that you dye and then unravel to knit something else.  Really.  The joy is in seeing how the dye job knits up in the new article.  Geeky, but fun.)  

She tossed this blank at me last night for a test knit.  I suppose I committed to socks, I can't remember, but by the time I got home, I'd cast on for a long ruffled scarf.  I'm not sure how it happened.  

This blank is knit with two strands, so you knit socks two at a time or you do what I'm doing with a scarf which is alternate rows, 2 with each strand.  Works for me. 

I'm justifying my lack of sock-knitting to myself with the idea that lots of folks knit scarves with sock yarn and Rachel's customers would love to know how this stuff knits up in a long, thin, ruffled, kerchief-shaped scarf.  Who's with me?

Texture

Carole did a lovely post this morning about texture.  It so happens I have some texture for you as well.

I finished the seaming on Dear Godson's Valentine Birthday sweater this morning.  I consider 3 days late to be a personal best.

Statistics:

The sweater:  Cuddle Pullover, from Tadpoles and Tiddlers, 4th size (it'll fit next year).

The yarn:  Berroco Remix, red, 3.5 balls.  Soft, washable, good colors, no wool.  I like it.

The needles:  Size 4 and 6.  Therein lies the rub.  Or should I say repetitive stress injury.  Cabling plus tight gauge plus inelastic yarn equals tennis elbow.  It's better now.

It's drying as I type.  Just in time, Baby, for 60 degree weather.  Aunt Cousin's got your back!

January is for Spinning

And stealth knitting.  First things first. 

Leo's sweater is killer.  He wore it to church last weekend with the sleeves rolled up, a good sign that it might also fit him next winter.

 

 

Here are pictures of the sweater in last week's snow, which, btw, was much more of an event here in the city  than this week's so-called  "snowpocalypse".  Which wasn't one here at all, but was really quite something outstate.  Hubster was stuck in Kansas City for two days as a result of this week's storm and was none too happy about it.  He's driving home as I write as his flights are still cancelled today.

Another recipient of some stealth knitting came over to play with Dear Son's old cars and transformers today as all the kids are still out of school.

He woke up the 13-year-old, played his tuba (really -- made it make a noise and everything), played all the vuvuzellas, ate chicken nuggets and fried apples, watched an aggregate of 1/5 of The Incredibles, played with the dog treats, ran in circles, found the big ball, played with cars, vacuumed the house, and read the beach book three times.  Whew.  2-year-olds are busy.

His stealth knitting will be ready in 2 weeks, in time for his birthday, and only Ravellers can see it.

I received a lot of spinning stuff for Christmas.  Namely a new Matchless wheel and 5 ounces of Quiviut fiber to spin on it.  

After lots of practice and reading up, I screwed up my courage and dove in.  

First I got comfortable with how the wheel works using last month's Spunky Eclectic club offering, David's Gift.  I've got 12 ounces, about 900 yards, of this SW Corriedale.  It's the green, blue, and orange skeins on the left.  Spun like a dream.

 My first plying attempt (not great) is here (above and below) in the middle.  It's Curiosities, SW Merino, from Hello Yarn and it's frighteningly uneven.  I did not have the hang of the tensioned lazy kate -- I'm better now.

The blue and taupe in the middle here is the last thing I spun on the Louet wheel, a SW Merino/cashmere blend.  N-plied.  

And on the far right is the quiviut.  580 yards of really really soft.  I kind of love it.  I found a blog where the gal had spun hers up and made her husband work gloves that have lasted and lasted.  And she swears that she machine washes them as quiviut doesn't have scales so it doesn't felt.  I think I'll pass on the machine washing, but will likely make gloves from this super warm, super soft stuff.  I think I can get two pairs, even.  

So, that's what I've been up to around here.  Stealth knitting and spinning.  Life is good.

A Weight Lifted Off My Shoulders.

 

My mom told me over the phone once, on a Christmas evening after all the kids had left the house and she was home alone, that she was cleaning up all the Christmas stuff -- putting it away -- and it felt so good.  I was appalled.  

Not today.  I spent the morning packing up ornaments and garland and Santa statues and I wish this stuff was at the landfill by this time of year ; )   I have too much of it.  That is, of course, the problem.  Garlands for every horizontal or semi horizontal space, bowls of glass ornaments, Santa and Nativity collections.  Sheesh.  (I secretly love every kitschy piece of Christmas crap that I own.  So there.  But that love won't stop me from complaining about putting it all away come the middle of January.) 

Bridgett was here doing laundry this morning (she's blogged about why... she's a candidate for sainthood) and she looked this pile of stuff over and kind of chortled and said, "This is exhausting..."  As if her life isn't.

Well, it is exhausting.  And this pile doesn't even include the darned fake tree that fell apart this year and would lean if you touched it and was wired together with florist's wire.  I stuffed that thing in a dumpster this morning.  It is gone.  G. O. N. E.  Gone.  And good riddance.  Aren't I jolly?  

Now the boxes are all set to be carried upstairs to the closet they occupy for 48 months out of the year.  Shameless.

Another weight lifted off my shoulders is this finished object.

It's my Aran Wrap Cardigan.  I put it away last spring when I needed another skein of Eco Wool to finish it.  We had the same color (down to the dye lot) as the shop, so after I finished Hubster's Portland, I finished my own heavily cabled sweater.  This thing is warm. Good thing and we've spent some time in single digits this week.  

I have to say that this unstructured kind of knit isn't exactly the most flattering thing I've ever worn.  But I don't give a rip.  I love it.

The only weight left on my shoulders is the weight of all of the ear flap hats I've been asked to knit now that I've shown an aptitude for it.  After some stealth birthday knitting, I'll get to it.  Promise. 

Something that is not weighing me down is this:

My Dyeabolical Sock Yarn and Roving club offerings this month.  Cool and crisp and sparkly and gorgeous.  I'm going to pet them until they tell me what they want to be.  No pressure.