Somebody Stop Me!

A quick review of my Flickr gallery will show that I have knit only one full-sized adult sweater this year, the denim sweater for my fabulous MIL. This year, I mixed in a lot of little projects with ones that required more sustained attention.

However, now I am heading into the end of 2006 knitting two sweaters simultaneously.

Refined Raglan in Malabrigo

This sweater is an act of pure indulgence. I am making this sweater for me in the softest, most gorgeous yarn I have ever knit. I know I have said this before, but this time I mean it! The intense colors and velvety hand are just mesmerizing. The colorblind Mr S noted that the swatch looked like a glass of red wine; the colorway is Burgundy. It is a modified EZ percentage system sweater with lots and lots of stockinette in the round, so it does not require a lot of attention.

Dylan Goes Electric for Mr. S.

This sweater is an act of total commitment and love. Mr S does not like to wear sweaters, which I always considered a good thing, as Mr S has a 44" chest and likes his clothes very roomy. He also has the scratchy-itchies, and even finds cashmere a little scratchy. He seemed content with scarves and slippers and other little projects. However, a year ago, Mr. S picked this pattern and yarn color and asked me to knit him a sweater. The sweater has a roomy, casual fit, and calls for Cascade Sierra, an 80/20 cotton/wool blend. Mostly cotton, but just enough wool to keep it from stretching. Supposedly. And the color he chose is perfect because not only does it match his existing wardrobe of about 25 blue shirts, but it is matches his blue eyes perfectly.

I purchased the yarn right away, but have delayed knitting it because, well, because it is going to be so. Damn. Big. And I am not certain that Mr S will even wear it. Or that it will fit. Or that it will not stretch beyond the point of wearability.

But I can no longer take his crestfallen look when I cast on a sweater for someone else. It may take some time, but Mr S is going to get his sweater.

Pie Man Looking a Bit Short ...

I just keep slowing down as I approach the end of my last skein of yarn for Pie Man. I can't see how it's going to work. I think tonight will find me unraveling the sleeves and tomorrow's knitting group will be spent reknitting them in stockinette. Err. One day I WILL get better about estimating yardage. I hope.

I will leave you with some pictures from our weekend hike to Humpback Rocks in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I get a wiggly stomach near the precipice which is why I have such a grumpy look on my face!

We missed the height of the fall colors, but it was still incredibly beautiful!

This Sweater

There was a time when I heard other knitters talk about designing on-the-needles, I would think that I would never be that knitter. I had settled on being a follow-the-pattern knitter, leaving the designing to other, more creative people. I never thought I would go beyond maybe an Ann Budd formula.

This is the sweater that changed that.



Pattern: Something Mashed-Up, an original design
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, about 7 skeins

Here is the long story of my first design-on-the-fly sweater:

Chapter One: Discard originally intended pattern after reading about fit-issues on other blogs. Reconsider horizontal striped pullovers in general as unflattering on very short yet curvalicious bod.

Chapter Two: After settling on a cardigan, purchase Wendy's Something Red, remembering the love of the top-down raglan.

Chapter Three: Still in love with the effect of original pattern's chevrons in the stripey yarn, decide to substitute them for the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater. Stitch count miraculously works out with the addition of one selvage stitch.

Chapter Four: Try to add chevrons to sleeve cuffs. Can't get chevrons to work in the round. Settle for garter stitch cuffs.

Chapter Five: Decide on shawl collar, knowing nothing about how to knit shawl collar, besides involving short rows. Decide to just wing it as a learning experience. It is uneven and wonky, but not a bad start. At least I know that the body of the sweater is both too short and that the chevron section pulls in too much for desired fit. Mr S notes that the end of sweater body curls and expresses sincere hopes that it blocks out.

Shawl collar, v. 1

Chapter Six: Rip out shawl collar attempt, as well as the chevron section. After hoping for a jacket-like fit, decide to reknit chevrons on larger needle to account for smaller gauge. I also knit last few rows in garter to lesssen curling. Still make sweater a little short to account for Silk Garden's reputed tendency to stretch. I hope this is a good idea.

Chapter Seven: Look at a few patterns for guidance on shawl collars. Realize first attempt was backwards, but generally the right idea. Measure shawl collar on commercially-made shawl collar sweater to get general measurements as a guide.

Chapter Eight: Knit second shawl collar. Try on garment. Mr S declares it will be perfect once its blocked. Mr S has clearly learned the value of blocking.

Chapter Nine: Blocked, ends woven and button sewn. The perfect outer layer for those not-so-cold days at the bus stop.

It is not the best fitting garment; the armscyes are too deep, and the buttonhole is a little low. But as this represents a giant step for this knitter, I am deeply satisfied.

Who Doesn't Need a Cape?

FO Alert! It's a girly cape done with less than one skein of Brown Sheep Nature Spun. I cast on 128 stitches on size 7s and did a couple rows in seed stitch. Then I switched to 8s, and it was off to stockinette land for eight inches. Finally, I decreased every four rows until it was time for the seed stitch again.

Mouse (my DD's new blog name) was so excited that she insisted I sew on a button from the stash this morning. We planned to go button shopping tomorrow, but the client insisted. I think we still need a new button as the one we used is really too small for the hole.

This entire project was from the mind o' Mouse. She specified the color, shape and button detail (she wants a REALLY big silver button). I can't wait to hear what's next. I'm ready!

In Recovery

The Pumpkin Carving Party
Sorry for the lack of knitting news here in Richmond! The BackBou and I are still recovering from the Pumpkin Bash last weekend. It was fabulous! It is never entirely successful without Mo, Liz, and their families, but it was great nonetheless. Here are some of the numbers ...

90 adults
85 children
54 pizzas
10 pounds of onions, carmelized
8 pounds of mozzarella
3 pounds of gorgonzola
1 porch swing twisted out of the ceiling
oh yeah, and some pumpkins were carved too ...

Knitting News
I finally finished the pie man sleeves. I am starting on the front now and very worried that I'm going to run out of yarn. I only have 3 skeins left. I think it took about 3 for the back, but I'm not sure since I was using partial skeins. If I don't have enough, I'm going to unravel the sleeves and do them in stockinette stitch instead of the double moss. However, I really hope to have a finished sweater to post soon!


And I'm very interested in the sweater Liz has in the works!

Halloween

Here's proof that I have but one craft.

Halloween costumes, compliments of my oddball stash.

Princess Crown

Dinosaur Tail

Foodie Post; Scroll Down for Knit-Content

Despite the kitchen-makeover of the last month, I am still dreaming of my ultimate kitchen. In my ultimate kitchen, I will have a comfy couch. I will also have a tribute to Mr. S. and his all-time Triumphant Moments in Eating. I began this collection when his mother gave me a picture of him as a two month old infant, propped up next to the gleaming Thanksgiving turkey, with someone holding the giant turkey leg in his little hand. A particularly prescient and hilariously politically incorrect infant photo-op, it has grown into an annual Kids-With-the-Turkey photo-op.

Thanksgiving 2003

I have a picture of him eating a 4 pound lobster in Maine. The claw was as big as my hand (we took a picture of that too). There's also the grinning shot of him surrounded by giant wheels of cheese at Neal's Yard Dairy. I've saved postcards and match books from some of the fine-dining experiences we've had. I have a pen-and-ink picture of our favorite restaurant in Richmond, a going-away gift from a dear friend. And this weekend, I made an addition to the wall.

This is our menu from Vetri, a 15-table restaurant in Center City Philadelphia. It was handwritten, painted and signed by the chef, Mark Vetri.

Saturday night at Vetri is strictly Degustazione, the chef's menu. Mr S had eight courses, I stuck with six, and we went with the wine-pairing option as well. Thus, we had just about everything on the menu, and every dish was a swoon-worthy winner, and a perfect wine pairing for each course (small pours, though, half-glasses). The spinach gnocchi is light and flavorful, with just the right amount of garlic and parmesan. I generally do not like duck, but the cured duck was smoky and bacony, without that greasy, heavy texture I dislike. The zeppole were like the lightest beignets, sprnkled with light sugar. I am no food critic, but I will say, it was the best fine Italian I've had outside of Italy. The food was exquisite, the wine, incredible. The service was impeccable and the company was incomparable.

KNITTING CONTENT STARTS HERE:

I managed to wrangle a trip to Loop once he heard (thanks, Wendy!) that there was a bar nearby. So off he went for a Bloody Mary, and here's what I bought:

Malabrigo. Gems Pearl.

And I finished my socks, just in time for the end of Socktoberfest!

Yarn: Socks that Rock, lightweight, color Marbles. OK, now I get it. It is a pleasure both knit and wear.
Pattern: Widdershins, Knitty, Summer 2006

I have found my toe-up simple stockinette sock pattern. I love this heel flap construction. You get a great gusset without having to pick up stitches. These socks began life as Pomatomi, then Jaywalkers, but I decided the yarn was best just as a simple stockinette.

Oh, and have I mentioned I'm knitting a sweater? More on that later this week.

Back to My Regularly Scheduled Knitting

Today I (sadly) missed THE pumpkin party to participate in our neighborhood fall festival. I had several felted purses, a bunch of felted stockings and hat ornaments, plus handful of scarves for sale. This little project allowed me to accomplish several things:

• Stash busting -- Started during the Summer of Stash, almost all items were made with stash. Awesome!
• Charity Knitting -- All proceeds from the sale go to Activate Richmond. Some items will go to the Art Karma auction for Art 180.
• Christmas Knitting -- Anything left is fair game for holiday giving. Hello teacher gifts!
• Halloween costume roll out -- Mouse and Rocket Boy got to strut their stuff in their mama-made costumes!

Now, I'm back to my one-armed CeCe Cardi!

The Professor Needs Your Help

Please go to our friend CurlyPurly's blog and consider purchasing her hat pattern, or consider just making a donation through PayPal. All proceeds go to help The Professor and his family.

The Professor's name is Nat. He is three and he has a brain tumor.

I know that knit bloggers are some generous souls, so please consider purchasing a pattern, and please, with Curly Purly's permission, help to spread the word on your blog.

Preparing for the Pumpkin Chaos

Here at the BackBou/XRK Richmond Outpost, things have been just a bit wacky. Downright nutsy-cuckoo. In the midst of volunteer committments (I swore I never would be the overscheduled insane mom, but here I am) and a birthday for the BackBou (who has not lost his password, but just can't find the time to blog ... what's up with that?), we are getting ready for our annual Pumpkin Carving Party.

The Pumpkin Carving Party is a huge affair and this year we're expecting over 150 people. What are we thinking? Well, I just don't know. Except that the BackBou used to work in busy restaurants serving between 150-200 a night and I used to work for a catering company. We never seem to realize that doing this in our own home by ourselves is distinctly, terrifyingly different. And then there are all those very sharp carving tools.

The BackBou prepares to carmelize some onions

But everyone seems to have a great time and the BackBou's pizza is really phenomenal. My lifeline this week has been to keep the music loud and make lots of tiny lists of things to do and paste them up around the house (sweep off the patio, paint the newel post, buy more beer, hide all the domestic detritus in the study and close the door, buy more beer, make dough, find the carving tools, buy more beer ...).

My Zepherine Droughin Rose is putting on her best for the party

Despite the whirlwind of party prep, I was able to knit up another newborn present (commissioned by a friend) in the delicious Blue Sky Organic Cotton.

Umbella Hat from One Skein

Looking Ahead ...
After two years of swearing that she doesn't want any knitted items from me, my mother has requested a pair of socks for Christmas. I am so thrilled!!! She has never in her life had socks that fit. She wears a size 10 1/2 shoe. When she saw my last pair of socks, how they hugged every unique curve of my foot, she was really beside herself. So ...

I need to knit my mother the most luxurious socks ever. I'm having her measure every inch of her foot. I am tempted to buy some Lorna's Laces (Liz, those Embossed Leaves socks may be perfect for my mom). Dearest readers, what is your favorite sock yarn? The most scrumptious foot dressing you have ever encountered? My mother needs only the best, so send me your recommendations!

Don't Fear the Zipper

Accordion is finished! After a marathon finishing session yesterday, I sewed in the zipper, added sleeves, seamed the sides of the sweater and wove in an absolutely enormous number of ends. After all that sturm und drang about the zipper, I have but one thing to say:

It's not that bad. Really. Don't fear the zippers.

But here's the secret. Remember those reverse stockinette rolly front bands I added to the sweater to neaten the edges of this sweater? It turns out that this was truly a flash of unwitting genius. These contrasting bands created a perfect straight line for me to line up the zipper. They also created the perfect hiding place for my horrid hand-sewing. Without them, the zipper would have been a much uglier proposition.

This is not to say that the zipper is perfect, but its imperfections are barely noticeable. I have a lot to learn about sewing, but I figure I did not emerge from the womb knowing how to knit cables either, so why would I know how to sew without learning and trying, making mistakes and trying again, asking more knowledgeable people and trying some more.

Accordion, as some readers may remember, was knitted with recycled yarn from a frogged sweater. What I didn't say is that this particular sweater happened to be my first sweater for me. I had returned to knitting about a year or so previous, and made mostly baby items, but after seeing Tempting, I knew that was my first sweater. So in December of 2003, I cast on. It was a piece of cake to knit, but I was meticulous about it. I learned about substituting yarns, about swatching in the round, and about making seamless garments. I was a beautiful, flawless finished knit, and I was so proud of it.

But, as I wrote before, it looked terrible on me. The knitting was well done, the design was lovely, the pattern was executed correctly, but the sweater itself was unflattering. I had a lesson to learn about what sweaters look good on me, how ribs behave on a, er, generous chest, especially in a light colored yarn. I had to learn to consider the bra that would go under the sweater. You can look here in my Flickr gallery if you dare.

But I have learned, and made better choices since. And now, in the yarn's second incarnation, I have learned more about knitting. I have learned to deviate from a pattern. I have learned to finish knits much better. I have learned that gauge is not as crucial on a ribbed garment for a kid as it is in a fitted garment for a curvy mom. I have learned not to let good yarn languish as an unworn garment.

I have learned how to install zippers.

And I have learned not to expect accolades from my son, who upon donning the sweater for the first time scrunched up his darling face, and said, "Mommy, let's take it off. It hurts me!"

He has since changed his mind. He likes it now. He now wants to know why I didn't make pockets or a hood.

Yarn: Maggi Knits Merino Aran. This very soft 100% merino yarn has held up very well, considering it has been knit, worn, washed, frogged, and knit again. We'll see what a three-year old does to it, if I can get him to wear it.
Pattern: Accordion, Knitty Fall 2003
Needles: US7, US4 for front bands.
Mods: Added front bands, and used a longer zipper, so that the collar can be zipped all the way closed.

I'm Scared of Sewing

The knitting for Pepe's Accordion has been done for weeks. But it has been lingering, marinating in self-doubt. The Inner-Knitter kept saying that the sweater fronts looked really bad. Like needing-to-be-frogged bad. Like no amount of blocking would help. The stitches were stretched and uneven and there were lots and lots of endsas yet unwoven. It was ugly.


And on top of that, this sweater requires a zipper. So take messy cardigan fronts, add that to my terrible hand sewing, and you are going to have one ugly, amateur-ish sweater for my sweet son.

So I've been sort of sitting on these doubts for a couple of weeks, getting up the courage to tackle whatever it would take to finish this sweater. I read up on zipper installation (not so encouraging when Monste Stanley's instructions begin by suggesting that you avoid zippers) and reminded myself that I was not performing brain surgery. And on the knitters-high that was the lace shawl, I decided to just do it. Carefully, meticulously. I would do my best.

I banished the children from the house, turned on the iPod and basted the sweater fronts and the zipper.

The sweater fronts did look truly horrid.

Blech.

So I picked up stitches along the edge, did a reverse stockinette rolly band on both fronts, a vast improvement for sure, and certainly preferable to frogging.

Aaah. That's better.

I began to start the process of zipper installation again, and then I realized my zipper was not a separating zipper. Wrong zipper! Argh!!!

I received the new zipper yesterday, so surely in the next week, I will have time to install it and totally destroy a great piece of knitwear with my horrific sewing.

Or not.

But in the meantime, I did knit Pepe a matching hat. He likes it, but won't wear it for more than three minutes at a time.

A Hard Lesson Learned

Here is the Aran that I knit for the BackBou about a year ago. Doesn't he look smashing in it? It wasn't perfect. Far from it. I was considering ripping out the bottom ribbing (which was pathetic and way too loose) and re-knitting a better bottom. The fit just wasn't right. The BackBou didn't suffer the imperfections silently either. He almost never wore it and the looseness of it bothered him constantly. He appreciated the effort and the yarn (bought on our Ireland trip on the island of Inishmore), but the sweater drove him crazy.

Well, I decided that I would block it. But I just never got around to it. So finally, my beloved BackBou took matters into his own hands.

Can I take a brief moment here to say how painful this is to me? Painful, not because of the results per se, but because I would like our readers to think of me as ... clever? ... well, at the very least, not dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Not handknit savvy in the least. So, if you would like to go on thinking that I am not the most idiotic knitter out there, close this webpage now. Navigate away gentle readers, or else be prepared to be aghast at my stupidity.

When he said that he was going to block the sweater, I may have been doing something else. I know I wasn't really focused on what he was saying. I think I said something like, "mmm, that's nice. Try cold water and the handwash setting." And then I went back to gardening, breaking up a sibling fight, folding laundry, paying bills, ... whatever.

I forgot about it. Forgot until that night when the BackBou yelled up from the basement, "Ann -- you have to come down here right now." It was this horrible, fuzzy, wild ... thing. The sweater is now 20 inches from shoulder to bottom with a 58 inch circumference. 58 inch. 58 inch. And really fuzzy. Lots of fuzz. This picture doesn't even begin to capture how awful the fuzz is.

I can't go on any more. Except to say, it will make great pillows.

Shawl Surprises

I know readers have been awaiting the modeled photos of the shawl in all its autumnal glory. I intended to show you pictures like this:


or like this:
or even this:

as I wore this shawl this weekend to my cousin's wedding. It was going to be a quick little entry, something like this:

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn: Schaefer Anne
Mods: none except for change in yarn weight in pattern.

I was going to tell you about how I would highly recommend this pattern to the beginning lace knitter, because in every row, you have two signposts to tell you if you have made a mistake. If you get to the YOs in the center, and your stitch count is off, you have made a mistake. If you get to the last YO stitches at the end of a row, and your stitch count is off, you made a mistake. There was very little frogging needed, and NO LIFE LINES necessary. I was going that thank Margene for recommending it and Susan for designing it, and I was going to urge everyone to knit it and I was going to take recommendations for my next lace shawl pattern. I was also going to wax on and on about Anne and just tell everyone to Get. Some. Anne. Now.

I was going to bitch a little about how no one even noticed my shawl, but my wonderful sisters (I include my sisters-in-law in the general term) all fawned over the shawl, looked covetously, and one sister-in-law (the one who managed to get my Regia socks) even told my brother when they were getting ready that she wished she had a shawl like mine. (Note to self: explore this further.)

But that is not what I am going to tell you about. Blog-friends, I got knit-spotted at my cousin's wedding. A wedding guest in a chic little black dress, whom I remembered as a reader at the ceremony, approached me and acknowledged (note: she didn't ask) that I was wearing a hand-knit. She asked me if it was Flower Basket. I told her it was Forest Canopy. Knitters met, having spied the pattern across this room. This was awesome! I mean, we were surrounded by Muggles, and she spotted the knit. It is one thing to sit next to someone at a Yarn Harlot reading who just-so-happens to be knitting the same sock pattern as you, but at a wedding? Crazy!

So we sought each other out at another time, and you'll never guess who it was...Ashley! Go check her out (if you don't already -- we have readers in common, as we discovered!) and view her lovely knits and her fantastic blog. We even came out of the knit blogger closet to my cousin, who very kindly told us that our nerdy hobby was really cool and hip.

What a pleasure it was to meet you, Ashley. It was a highlight of a night that was wonderful to begin with.

Socktober Housekeeping

I have finished my Embossed Leaves socks. They are imperfect, but truly lovely.

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks, IK Winter 2005
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Cool. I have the great Grumperina to thank for these socks, as this is the yarn I won from her gallery contest. This yarn is everything it is cracked up to be. I could have knitted these socks for the rest of my life. The colors, the softness...I am truly a convert to Lorna's Laces, and WILL be buying more.

Notes: One of my seventh graders once said to me in the middle of English class, "You got yourself some biiiiig legs!" And he was right. I do have some ample calves. However, I have learned through the year that I like a snug sock. My Retro Ribs are so loose and floppy I am considering giving them away to the right big-footed person. So, my solution on the EL socks was to knit the cuff of US2s and the heel and foot of US1s. This has given me a really nice fit.

This is a lovely pattern, very well thought out, with nice touches and details. I did a regular round toe instead of the fancy one the pattern calls for, mostly because operator error on the gusset caused my stitch counts to be off on the foot of one sock. I almost always do the gussets wrong on my socks. Until...

Socks that Rocktoberfest!

Meet my Widdershins. Idiot-proof socks. More this week.

The First Trek of Trekking Blah

Please welcome a guest blogger, my sister. You may remember her from our discussion of whether one wears socks with sandals. Just in time for Socktoberfest, she has given us a non-knitter's view of the handknit socks. This is clearly someone who reads a knitblog or two. Isn't it time that we got her knitting???

Thanks for your contributions, LS!

The First Trek of Trekking Blah

Recently I became the very happy owner of my first pair of hand-knit socks, the infamous Trekking Blah, and I must confess, I wear them A LOT, just not for the reason they were made.


The first thing that struck me about these socks is that they actually fit around the toes - a rarity for Little Sister's very narrow feet. I also love their soothing zenlike pattern, their surprising softness, and of course the love with which they were made.

Since these socks were made for trekking, I started to feel a little silly about the amount of time they were logging in the home office (40+ hours a week) vs. on the trail (0 hours, 0 miles). This also meant that I hadn't been out for a proper hike recently enough, so
enough was enough. We were going hiking, and in fact, we were going full on camping.


And so it was that my pals and I spent the weekend camping in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area , in the far northeast corner of Pennsylvania. Arriving a bit late at night to a cold, dark camp site, Little Sister was very happy to have not only Trekking Blah on her feet, but also very happy to have a few of TB's friends along: the hat that inspires every subway rider in Philadelphia to quiz me about its origins, and the similarly jealousy-inducing Broad Street Mitten that I adore. Everywhere I go wearing either of these items, total strangers accost me and complement my knits. Philly hearts Big Sister's handiwork!

In fact as you can see, the knitting paparazzi found me huddled in my tent that night sporting said gear:

The next day I finally put TB to the test on the trail, first at Dingmans Falls (a wee stroll to a big waterfall), and then on the Tumbling Waters Trail (a three mile trail through woods, up and down ridges, alongside waterfalls, ponds and meadows) at the nearby Pocono Environmental Education Center . TB certainly got a workout.

And they are absolute champs. No blisters, no irritating rubbing, no extra material jammed into the toe area of my boots, no drooping or slippage, just absolute fit. Neither cold (which is usually my problem), nor hot and soupy (common trail sock issue). These socks are the bomb.

Official statistics for the first trek of TB:

160 miles round trip, 4 miles hiking, 2 nights in a
tent on the banks of the Delaware, 4 jealous hiking
companions and countless adventures to come.

And now for your moment of zen:

Slammed

This past week has kicked my butt. Between the Holiday Bazaar/Safety Group/Newsletter duties for N's school and room mother duties for R's school ... and having a nasty, nasty head cold ... I'm totally wiped out.

I have had some time for knitting, but mostly small things that don't take any concentration. Here's what's been cooking while the germies have had their way with me ...

A Petal Hat for my neighbor's new baby girl (made with stash Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight).


My new favorite socks in the whole wide world! Here they are helping to ease the pain of another Redskin's defeat at the hands of the Giants. Err.
Yarn: Claudia's Handpainted, Purple Midnight
Pattern: 56 stitch, stockinette, with a garter stitch heel (thanks for the tip, Jody! It is wonderfully cushy!)
Needles: US 2s


A Crown fit for a Queen!
Here is my dearest R, the most benevolent monarch, modeling the cute crown. I hope to crank these out for the Holiday Bazaar. The Blogless Amy will be sewing on doo-dads that sparkle and shine. The Nicholette Hoyer pattern for Interweave Knits is here and I used stash Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight.

I also have very sad news about the BackBou's sweater that I knit for him last year. But I can't deal with it this week. I'll tell more next week when I can bring myself to take pictures of the horror.

For now it's back to flushing the sinuses and trying to get some rest ...

And many thanks to Liz's little sis for all the great improvements around here! I hardly recognized the place ...

Will Program For Handknits

Perhaps you've noticed some improvements here at XRK. Those are thanks to my computer programmer sister, who has proven that she will work for knits. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, she is my absolute favorite knit-recipient.

You'll be hearing more from her this week, as she will be guest blogging about her hike with the Trekking Blah Sock.

That 70s Scarf
Pattern: Diamond Chevron Scarf, from Creative Knitting, Sept '06
Yarn: ArtYarns Supermerino in the most super-70s colors. I loved knitting with the yarn. It is super soft and sproingy. I will be buying more of this yarn.

She picked out the yarn herself and it is very autumnal. Kate mentioned that it is the same colors as our family room sofa throughout the 70s, you know, harvest gold and avocado green.

Thanks for the help with the blog. I'll knit for you anytime.

Stolen Moments Sock

Socktoberfest is not the best time to become obsessed with lace as all of my knitting energy has been dedicated to knitting the shawl. As the shawl grew to over 250 stitches across, it became a time commitment just to knit one row. Luckily, I always have multiple WIPs, so when throughout my day, I have little snatches of time here and there I can knit a few rows of something. In honor of Socktoberfest, I chose to take these moments and knit my second Embossed Leaves Sock, and capture the progress made daily.



Sunday: my wrists beagn to hurt after long knitting session with the shawl. Cast on and knit the cuff
Monday: a few moments of quiet after returning from the grocery but before making dinner.
Tuesday: Rosebud's SuperSports class at the YMCA is 45 minutes long.
Wednesday: no progress -- finished the shawl!
Thursday: kids are playing contendedly with their playdate friend


Friday: Pepe konked out while Rosebud was at kindergarten, make it through the heel and gussets.


This is one of the truly wonderful things about sock knitting. It is the ultimate on-the-go project, easily knit during your busiest times. This sock will be done soon!

Transformation

9 million pins later, the Forest Canopy Shawl is blocked.

Another knitter is overcome by the magic of blocking their first lace shawl.