Annie Knits

Swatchorama

The Mystery Stole 3 clues begin on Friday.  I think you can still join if you want to (there is a link in the sidebar) -- over 3000 members at last count according to Melanie's blog.  The yarn I've been waiting for arrived while we were away at my brother's wedding over the weekend(stories in another post).  The astute among you will recognize that with this purchase I fall off of the Knit from your Stash wagon with a resounding thud.  And happy to do so. 

These are 150 gram cones of 100% cashmere from Colourmart.  Oh yeah.  Left to right, vertically:  2/28 in turquoise, blue/green marl, 2 cones of celery, and cream.  At right and above are 2 3/28 weight cones of chestnut and a cone of olive.  150 grams also.  Lots and lots of lace -- 150 grams of 2/28 is about 2300 yards.  Whew.  Now I got these cones from their ebay site, not the internet store.  That yarn is coming later this week.  I told you.  Resounding thud.  There are two lots here -- kind of discounted ends you might say.  The explanation was that the cones made them not work correctly on their machines, so they are just selling them in lots at a discount.   

And no, I don't exactly get what the 2/28 and 3/28 numbers mean -- but the gist of it is in plies and in weight.  The 3 is 3 plies and the 28 means really really thin.

Also in the lot is a cone of laceweight cashmere in a color they call Forsythia.  I'd call it pale butternut, but ... well, you know, to-may-to, to-mah-to.  Proof's in the swatching.  Which I did.  And remember, I'm a process girl.  I don't always finish if the process isn't fun -- product, schmoduct.

This stuff comes "oiled" for machine knitting.  That is to say that when you open the bag, it smells like your Uncle Sal's car repair/gas station.  And when you knit with it, so do your hands.  And it's stringy -- kind of like unwashed hair.  Really.  Not super pleasant.  But the Colourmart guys promise the yarn will bloom and promise my money back if I'm not happy.  So, my mantra through these 18 or so rows was to chant to myself, "This is cashmere, this is cashmere."

Here is the swatch, knit on Addi Lace needles, size US 4, pre-bath.

La would call it "boiled ass".  So did I.  I almost re-swatched a size or two smaller needles because it just looked so stringy.  But Richard (from Colormart) said to wash it.  Hard.  So I did.  In warm water and with dish soap -- not a drop, but a generous squeeze and with plenty of agitation and squishing around.  And lookee:

Not blocked at all, just shaped and still dampish.  And oh my gosh soft!  And light as air.  Oh my gosh.  I love this stuff.  I think the needle size is just right -- the yarn overs show, the line of sk2psso's marches right up the swatch.  Can you see the difference?  What about here:

Unwashed strand of yarn on the right.  Stringy.  Lovely, soft, light swatch on the left.  Not stringy.

So, this product?  Indications are good that I'll be able to pet the swatch and make my self knit with the stuff.  The swatch is that good.

Now I'm off to look for beads.

Edited to add:  Or not.  Maybe I'm off to swatch the chocolate three-ply.  Now what am I gonna do!?

(This one's on US size 6 needles -- and it knit up open like the yellow, but after a bath?  Yum.)

It Turns Out to be Some of the Above...

And none of the above.  Boy am I fickle.

First up, Wedding Blanket is finished and fringed extravagantly (only used up the leftovers, folks!) and ready to gift.  Love it.  Hope baby brother and new wife do too.

Next up is something I didn't knit -- dear friend Bridgett did.  It's for Aunt Judi.  Lot's of "first time" mojo in this hat:  first Fair Isle (I think) and first lace.  This is a powerful object, I tell you.  The pattern?  It's from Head Huggers -- check my sidebar.  Yarn?   It's knit in Classic Elite Premiere and it is soft, soft, soft.  Judi will love it.  Thanks B.! 

More stash knitting in the deepest sense of the word.  This is my Kiri.  Begun at least 3 years ago -- my first shawl.  Knit out of some kind medium blue merino lace yarn -- identifying info lost to the sands of time -- and abandoned for the Flower Basket Shawl.  And while there are mistakes in it and it's kind of non-descript, it's just the kind of knitting I'm up for right now.  Soothing and lace and ... well, easy.  It'll go with jeans in the fall and be kind of comforting.  And blue. 

This shawl wasn't even on my radar last week when I was musing about what to knit next.  But this sweater was.

It's Planalto from the Louisa Harding Hummingbirds collection.  And what with coffee out with the girls and knit night at Knitorious and a pedicure today, I've had lots of time to work on it.  Love the yarn.  And hate the yarn.  Really.  It's cotton/ viscose blend called Mariposa.  There are two  fine strands of a burnt orange cotton spun with a variegated strand of viscose (I guess) and this is where the color changing happens -- shades through a hot pink and a bright orange.  The color play and the sheen of the yarn are gorgeous.  I mean people stop dead when they see it.  And washed, the swatch is quite nice -- firm, not much stretch, but cool to the touch. 

Knitting with it, though?  Murder.  Well, not murder.  But really not the relaxing, squooshy, stretchy experience one gets with lovely wool.  And I can't come close to getting gauge so I've had to resort to math.  Is it worth it?  I'll let you know.  I seem to be making headway in spite of myself, don't I?

And I finished a STR Pebble Beach sock.  Plain vanilla pattern.  LOVE the pooling and color play of this yarn.  Love it.  Could eat it up.

How's Monte did you say?

Look at this cute guy.  And such a good puppy too.  He's 6 months old now (give or take) and about 50 pounds (give or take).  What he'd really like today is a porch to lie down under -- its 93 degrees.

Whew.  I need to blog more often.  I load you all down with all kinds of stuff when I finally get around to posting.

Dear Son's been away at Boy Scout Camp this week -- 6 days in the woods.  With ticks and raccoons and spiders and tents that don't have floors and something called Mud Cave.  Better him than me!  ; )  Husband went and did an overnight with the boys last night and said they're pigs in mud.  Loving nearly every minute -- except when the night scrounging raccoons got their snacks.  I wondered aloud why they didn't just put the snacks in the cars for the night and husband said that half the evening each night is spent trying to outsmart the critters with some new way to store stuff and that I shouldn't mess with the way the guys are spending their time -- in other words, "Pipe down, it's keeping them busy!"

Prior to Scout Camp, husband had been on a week and a half business trip that included Los Angeles and Egypt (Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, and Abu Simbal).  He's whipped.  He travels a lot, but rarely is he gone for more than 3 or 4 days. 

Me?  I'm busy running around flapping my gums where I shouldn't be.  Sheesh.  A wise counselor told me once that while many of his "sins" were sins of the mouth too (gossip, blabbing, just plain going on when other people don't want to hear it), that he also was of the mind that many of his greatest gifts were involved somehow in his propensity to communicate. 

Me too.  On both counts.  Looking back on things, the experiences in my life that make me cringe in hindsight?  They involve my inability to shut my mouth.  But many of my strengths and humor stem from this blather as well.

Also?  I'm really bad at predicting how people will respond to an idea or some news.  Really bad.  I'm a "The glass is half full" kind of gal -- Pollyanna through and through.  And I'm forever getting surprised at the negative responses people have to something I think is good news.  Or interesting.  Or funny.    

So.  Here's a tip.  If you don't want something to be told?  Even to those I don't think know you or will tell you about my blabbing?  Don't tell me.  All things are fodder for my story telling and conversation making -- all things.  From the grossest things to the most mundane.  And strangers?  They are not allowed not to talk to me.  Really.  I suck.

On a lighter note?  Have a great weekend, all.  Love ya!

The World is My Oyster

The knitting world that is... The Wedding Afghan is finished except for the fringe. 

It ended up about 5 1/2 feet long and about 4 feet wide.  I used a lot of yarn.  No technical terms here.  Maybe I'll take it in and weigh it so I know ounces.  Just a lot.  And I'd say I have enough for a baby version left.  Plus fringe.  Sheesh.

A shot doctored to better see color variation.

And a shot with no flash so you can see the pattern.  Yes, I did amuse myself by leaving out the garter row every so often.  This shot is probably more what the blanket looks like in natural light to the naked eye.  The color variations are very subtle in person.

Here are all the yarns lined up -- and at first I obsessed about order and colors.  Then I realized that the variations are subtle when you hold three of the colors together.  Duh.  So.  Wild abandon ensued.  To happy effect, I think.   

So.  What to knit next?  The astute among you will have noticed that I've added a button under the "I'm such a joiner" section in my sidebar -- Mystery Stole 3 sign-ups are underway.  I haven't knit lace in awhile and I'm a'hankerin' to, as they say.  You should join up -- even if you don't have time to knit lace this summer -- at least you can print up the clues and have the pattern for later.  Not as much fun that way, but Melanie's shawls are lovely and you'd do well to have the pattern in your pattern stash for free.

I also have a hankering to jump on the Harlot wagon -- twice.  The Tulip baby sweater calls me in the night.  And I have a source locally for the yarn.  And the Kauni sweater too... The baby sweater would just be for fun -- I guess I do know several expectant mothers, but not the gender of any of the babies.  And I guess, if I buy the yarn (can't get it kitted up, but I can get the yarn for a discount) I could knit many of them, in all different color progressions.  The Kauni is slightly more problematic...  it flies in the face of the stash knitting thing -- which, I must admit, I've done quite well at so far -- as knitting this sweater would require me to order yarn from an overseas source.  I'm going to Knit Night tonight and I'll see if anyone wants to go in on ordering with me.  If I get takers, well, to hell in a handbasket with the stash thing.  I'm going for it.   Lovely restraint I'm exhibiting, no?

Maybe, instead, I'll jump into the Louisa Harding sweaters I used my 'Get out of Jail Free' card to get the yarn for in May.  No way I'll have either for the wedding next week (boy did I underestimate my knitting speed this season!) but I'd have it this summer for sure.

Or I could knit Monkey Socks.

Because I did get this yarn from Dani in honor of the upcoming Harry Potter festivities.  On top is Phoenix and below is ... get this ... Dobby.  I love Dobby.  And I love this yarn.  It's her new Twist yarn -- it's a fine sock yarn, a firm twist and some poly.  Love it.  Oh.  I said that.

You see my conundrum?  What would you knit?  Keeping in mind that "All of the above" is certainly a viable answer.

And...

For the love of God, it's "fewer" wrinkles, or calories, or chips, or miles or whatever else it is that one can count!!  Not "less"!  The word "less" is for things you can't count like air, or water, or fat, or whatever else is a quantity or volume not readily numbered.  Really, people.  Where was your mind during 9th grade English Composition class?! 
You're putting me over the edge.

Whew!

Let the summer games/camps/activities/knitting begin!  Sheesh. 

Filed under "Stick a Fork in it" are the following:

Mason Dixon Baby Mitred Blanked in Cascade Sierra and a matching hat from Itty Bitty Hats.  Yum.  And none too soon, as baby Nathan Garrity (not sure I'm spelling that right, but I'll check on it later) was born early this morning -- a month early.  Mom/sister and baby are fine.  But he needs his blanket and his hat! 

Filed under nearly done is this blanket:

It's a simple Feather and Fan blanket for my brother and his bride to be.  It's mostly wool and a serious stash-buster.  I'm using size 15 needles and three strands of various yarns.  Throughout the blanket is an Encore Colorspun in cream, tan and gray -- the basis for the color scheme -- 3 skeins so far.  Then I went stash diving and came up with all the wool and part wool yarn I own in those colors:  some Knitpics Merino Style, 2 skeins each of camel, light gray, and cream; some Sirdar Country Style DK in light beige, about a skein and a half; some Andes in a camel and gray combo, on skein; and finally some Plymouth Suri Merino in cream, probably 4 skeins by the end of the thing. 

I cast on 100 stitches , leaving 5 on each side for a garter border.  I'll fringe the wavy sides extravagantly.  I tried to use two worsteds and a DK most of the time.  This blanket is HEAVY and it is WOOLY.  It is soft and it measures 46 inches wide before blocking.  Perfect for a Chicago apartment in winter, doncha think?  And ... get this ... I started it last Sunday afternoon after having second thoughts about the other blanket I had begun with this couple in mind.  Only five days of knitting, people, and I'm nearly done.  The magic of size 15 needles. 

Here is what I bailed on/chickened out of gifting the happy couple:

I'm actually nine squares into Lizard Ridge now.  And she is gorgeous, my precioussss.  But the muggles in my life weren't sure about gifting it to the above recipients.   (Oh, mixing literary allusions... is that as bad as mixing metaphors?)

"Um.  Yeah, it's cool.  A little wild though, don't you think?..." was, I believe, the exact quote.

I've come to the conclusion that Lizard Ridge may be a little too knitterly for the muggles.  You know, appreciateable by us and not so much by non-knitters.  Who aren't entranced with the magic that is Kureyon.  Who aren't endlessly amused by the color changes.  Who really just care if something can be washed.  In the washing machine.  And if it's soft enough to wear instead of underwear.

So.  I suppose.  I'll have to keep Lizard Ridge for myself.  Shhhhh.   As in preshhhhhousss.

Thanks to all for all the good graduate wishes.  On now to bigger and better things!

I need to blog about shop woes -- I'll do that another time.  Dear son is hovering.  World of Warcraft calls.