The Girl Gets Her Poncho

My oldest daughter required a poncho but I had no intention of making a poncho of one color that would quickly, certainly knit me deep into insanity. And there were to be no pom-poms or crazy fringe. I have my limits.

After a bit of searching and lots of procrastinating, I found a Drops design for a stunning adult poncho on Ravelry that seemed fun to knit ... and very Norwegian, which we love! Thankfully, my discerning child approved and I set to work.



I used Lamb's Pride Bulky and choose a grey color palette rather than brown to complement the grey/blue of my daughter's eyes (3 skeins of Charcoal Heather, 1.25 of Grey Heather, and 1 of White Frost). I could have used a smidge more of the charcoal in order to finish the collar, but she didn't want a very high collar so I used some of the grey heather.


In retrospect, I wish I had found the exact grey color in a super soft, comfy yarn for the collar. My daughter reports that she doesn't like how the Lamb's Pride feels on her neck, so she turns down the collar. Also, this yarn sheds. I especially noticed it when I knit while wearing my black corduroy pants!


In order to achieve the right size (girls 12-14), I CO 252 stitches on US8s. I followed the directions after that so that I had 210 stitches when I switched to the larger needles - in my case US 10.5s.

One of my favorite features of this poncho, is the wonderful Homegrown Logo tag from Leafcutter Designs. My friend, Mim, gave me these creative and fun tags for my projects. You must check out all the designs! This specific tag can be found here. (And check out Mim's gorgeous purses made with Ikea cotton and vintage fabrics.) Great present ideas!



Aren't the tags dear? Almost a blessing for the garment. My favorite lines: The clicking of needles makes a song. Trace each stitch back to hands like yours. Someone made this just for you.

This poncho is incredibly warm and quite beautiful!! Any pattern downsides? I wish I had either redesigned it for more of a flare or created arm slits in the sides. According to the girl, it's tough to climb trees in it ...

Pippa's Hat, Take 2

Ah, the confusing world of the interwebs. I thought I had put the Pippa's Hat pattern up as a free download, but instead I have linked everyone to a subscriber only service. Sorry!! Here is the pattern. Free and easy!

Pippa's Hat

Yarn:

Chesapeake, Verde Collection by Classic Elite Yarns (50% Organic Cotton/ 50% Merino Wool); 50 grams/ 103 yds per skein. You can knit at least 3 hats with a skein of each.

#1: 5957 (True Blue), #2: 5981 (Tendril Green), #3: 5985 (Mandarin Orange), #4: 5904 (Scuba Blue), #5: 5925 (Tokyo Rose)

Needles: US 7s, 16” circular; US 7s dpn. Use needle size that gives you proper gauge.

Gauge: 24 stitches per 4 inches in stockinette stitch.

Size: 6-12 months

Notions: Stitch marker, darning needle.

Notes: s2togk1PSSO: Slip two stitches knitwise, knit the next stitch, pass the two slipped stitches over this knitted stitch.

When knitting colorwork, if you must carry a strand of yarn behind your work for more than 5 stitches, please secure your floats. This will be necessary when knitting the crown.

If you would like to try this in a larger size, simply add another pattern repeat!

Pattern:

Cable CO 80 stitches in color #1. Place stitch marker and join for working in the round being careful not to twist your stitches.

Work in 2x2 rib for one inch.

*k2 in color #2, k2 in color #3; repeat from * until end of round.

Repeat for 5 rounds total.

Knit 1 round in color #4.

Purl 3 rounds in color #4.

*k4 in color #1, k4 in color #5; repeat from * until the end of the round.

Repeat last round.

*k4 in color #5, k4 in color #1; repeat from * until the end of the round.

Repeat last round.

*k4 in color #1, k4 in color #5; repeat from * until the end of the round.

Repeat last round.

Knit 1 round in color #2.

Purl 3 rounds in color #2.

*k2 in color #3, k2 in color #4; repeat from * until the end of the round.

k1 in color #4; *k2 in color #3, k2 in color #4; repeat from * until the last stitch of the round; k1 in color #4.

*k2 in color #4, k2 in color #3; repeat from * until the end of the round.

k1 in color #3; *k2 in color #4, k2 in color #3; repeat from * until the last stitch of the round; k1 in color #3.

*k2 in color #3, k2 in color #4; repeat from * until the end of the round.

Knit 1 round in color #5.

Purl 3 rounds in color #5.

Knit 1 round in color #2.

Crown Decrease:

*k1 in color #3, k2 in color #2, k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k1 in #3, k2 in #2, k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k1 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k2 in #2, k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k3 in #3, k2 in #2, k2 in #3, k3 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k1 in #2, k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k1 in #3, using color #3: s2togk1PSSO (see note), k1 in #3, k2 in #2, k2 in #3, k2 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k5 in #3, k2 in #2, k1 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k1 in #3, k2 in #2, k2 in #3, s2togk1PSSO in #3, k2 in #3, k2 in #2, k1 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k1 in #3, k1 in #2, k7 in #3, k1 in #2, k1 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k1 in #2, k3 in #3, s2togk1PSSO in #3, k3 in #3, k2 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k9 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k3 in #3, s2togk1PSSO in #3, k3 in #3, k1 in #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*K7 in #3, k1 in #2. You will no long need color #2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

Continue only in color #3: *k2, s2togk1PSSO, k3. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*k1, s2togk1PSSO, k2. Repeat from * until the end of round.

*s2togk1PSSO, k1. Repeat from * until the end of round.

Finishing

ssk all around. 5 stitches remain.

Slide the remaining stitches onto one dpn and make an i-cord for desired length.

Weave in the outrageous number of ends!

Stick With Me Here

I owe an apology to all those who generously contributed their time and efforts to the Nepal project, because my ambivalence about this blog left you all unthanked. I regret not having photographed the giant box of handknits that got shipped to Nepal, but I did manage to count all the items. The final tally was 78 hats,13 pairs of socks, 8 pairs of mittens, 6 scarves, 5 sweaters, and 2 blankets. I was touched by the generosity of my friends and by the contributions of strangers who sent the most beautiful hand made items. I heard this week from my friend in Nepal who said that he "passed the knitted things on to two children's homes and a poor family. There was great appreciation and gratitude. The clothes really are needed and the people are happy to have such beautiful, warm things. Thanks so much for your hard work...!" So again, I thank you for contributing so generously for the people in Nepal. Your efforts are sincerely appreciated.

With that out of the way, I struggle with the status of our humble blog. I still knit a lot, but don't care to think and write in depth about it. I think most agree that knit blogging has run its course, thanks to Ravelry and, to a lesser extent, Flickr. I know that I have said all I have to say about the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman, or how much I like to knit with handspun yarn. Does anyone need another post about the satisfaction of using your scraps? I don't want to make deep observations about how my knitting is a metaphor for life; I'm happy to just enter notes and modifications into my Ravelry project page. I like knitting, and I do like writing, but I don't much want to write about knitting anymore.

But I cannot bring myself to just abandon the blog. I like that we still have this project together, almost 5 years since I moved away. I like to see the things you knit, and I like having my little space to share the things I make with the readers who have not yet deleted us from their GoogleReaders. So while I cannot bring myself to just quit our blog altogether, I won't be carefully photographing and documenting each pair of socks or mittens that I make anymore. But I did just finish a project that made me want to pull out the P & S and share with my knitting friends. In fact, this project was epic, and I did learn a thing or two as a novice crocheter, some lessons to be shared with the ever-shrinking knitblogging world.

My daughter needed a bedspread, and despite having made a few trips to the Big Box Stores, she did not find anything to her liking. What she wanted, she told me, was "rainbow stripes." I immediately decided that I would crochet her a ripple bedspread, using the crapload of Tahki Cotton Classic that I had hoarded acquired through those irresistible closeout grab bags at Webs.

This seemed like a perfect project; I had the yarn already and crochet was fast, so I would whip up the blanket it no time at all. But in reality, I was making a queen-sized bedspread using dk weight cotton yarn and an F hook. This was insanity. A blanket should be made in a heavier gauge yarn and a bigger hook if you actually want to ever finish it. But what else was I going to do with 30+ skeins of totally unmatched, mostly discontinued colorways of TCC but make a crazy ripple blanket for my little girl who asked for rainbow stripes? Why should I buy blanket-quantities of yarn when I had plenty?

Thus I began this ill-conceived, slightly delusional course of making a Very Large Blanket with Thin Yarn and Small Stitches by choosing Attic 24's excellent ripple pattern after struggling through a few others. As a crochet novice, I don't really know how to properly swatch for a crochet project, so I decided that I would wantonly chain a bunch of stitches, make a few stripes and test the size by laying it across the bed to see if it fit. That plan worked, but in my haste, I failed to consider how much yarn I used in each ripple, and several stripes into the blanket, I actually weighed a skein of leftover yarn and learned that each stripe took about 28 grams of yarn or just OVER a half a skein. I could only get one stripe per skein of yarn. My crapload of yarn would only get me about halfway there.

At that point, I had two choices: buy more yarn, or start over, making a slightly narrower bedspread. I ended up with choice number one and bought more yarn. I bought more TCC and supplemented with Online Clip, which had better yardage for the price (although it was awfully splitty, and I didn't enjoy crocheting with it) and some Elann Sonata leftover from previous projects. And really, in the end, I am glad I kept it generously sized, because the last thing anyone wants is a blanket that is a little too narrow or a little too short.

The blanket took the better part of a year to complete. I started it last Spring, put it away over the summer, and worked on it periodically in the Fall. I decided to focus on it in earnest after the Nepal project was complete, and finished it at the beginning of March. There are 84 ripples, each one took about an hour to complete and I used almost 50 skeins of yarn.

This thing is a stunner. I absolutely love it, and so does my daughter, who got her rainbow stripes. It is perfect for her: colorful, unique and whimsical. As Someone Who Makes Things, I am gratified that my daughter sleeps under something I made just for her, and I do hope she cherishes it for many years, long past the age when she prefers tasteful neutrals over rainbow stripes.

And I am glad we still have this blog hanging around so I could share this little piece of insanity with you.

Pippa's Hat

I knitted this little hat for a dear baby, Pippa, on her first birthday. It took about a day and was a joy to knit. At the time, we were dealing with gray, snowy weather and the color palate lifted my spirits. Here's a link to the pattern: Pippa's Hat. Please let me know if I need to make any corrections.

Enjoy!

Watch Out, Liz!

There are some hats coming your way for Project Nepal!

I spotted this pattern on Grumperina's blog. The hats were extremely fast and fun to knit. One hat took me about a football game and a Daily Show episode.

Pattern: Thorpe by Kristen Kapur
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky (one skein is enough for a medium hat with leftovers for trim): Old Sage, Wild Mustard, Aran, Clemetis.

Send your warm, wooly goodies to Liz by the 25th!

Nepal Update

It doesn't take much to move me to tears during the holidays. I am an unabashed sentimentalist, and I embrace the traditions, the giving, even the insane busy-ness of our family during the Christmas season. But this year, what really got the tears flowing was not my annual viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life" or hearing "the Little Drummer Boy" or even seeing the faces of my children light up when they saw the tree on Christmas morning.

This year, the magic came for me in several packages mixed in among Christmas cards and endless amazon.com deliveries over the holidays. I received woolen hats, socks, and mittens bound for children in Nepal. I was so touched that knitters would take time out of their busy holiday-knitting marathons, their Christmas baking or whatever obligations they had to knit, package up, and send along warm items for complete strangers on the other side of the world. Thanks to Karen S, Mar H, and Diana S for their contributions and for giving me more happy tears to shed this holiday.

The current tally is 20 hats, 5 pairs of socks, and 5 pairs of mittens. But there is still time for you to send something too. I made a pair of worsted socks in a small child's size in two days with less than 1/2 a skein of stashed Lambs Pride, and will be cranking out a few more pairs with the remaining Lambs Pride stash.

The deadline to get items to me is January 25. Please contact me at lizjosh1ATverizonDOTnet for mailing information and please knit what you can!

Small Steps

Thank you for all the encouragement and support. I've needed it and I deeply appreciate it. I'm still mulling over the suggestions for the "scarf of grief" (I like your ideas, Teabird) but as for the socks ...


They are now finished!


There is a lot to be said for taking time and having patience. Yes, Anne Marie, the knitting is slowly finding me again.

These are Cookie A's Monkeys with Socks That Rock (24 Karat?). I put them on last night after weaving in my ends and haven't taken them off since. Cozy! Don't they look great with my old beat up clogs? They are a great flash of color.


Also, thanks to my wonderful in-laws, I now have an Ashford Knitter's Loom. I've only tried a few projects so far, but I love it! Learning a new skill has been an excellent distraction.


This is now one of my favorite scarves.

Warp: Brook's Farm Acero. Weft: Louet Gems Sportweight and the Acero.

I'm going to devote a few mornings a week for fiber/handwork. Between the loom, the knitting, and our new sewing machine, I'll have plenty of projects to keep me busy and creative during this long, cold winter.

Retreat

I've unfortunately discovered that a swift and utter retreat is sometimes necessary in order to survive a vicious attack from the whims of fate. This blog, sadly, has been a casualty of my retreat.

My mother died about four months ago. She only lived two months after her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. As many, many of you know from your own personal experiences, these last four months have been difficult in ways that I cannot even begin to describe here.

However, when I consider my knitting, the small particulars of this one aspect of my life seem to reflect and illustrate the larger whole. The impact on my knitting is but a microcosm of the larger system that is, quite frankly, still very much in chaos.

About a month after my mother's death, I experienced a sudden and intense desire to devest myself from all worldly fiber possessions. I gave away at least 80% of my stash. Some perspective: this is a simple, modest amount of yarn but enough to make for a successful Yarn Give Away Party. It was a comforting and social exercise - it felt wonderful to bring pleasure to my friends and to be philosophical about possessions and life. I have absolutely no remorse and I love my closet space.


Around this same time, I ambitiously began gratitude scarves for the Oncology nurse and doctor who administered to my mother. The simple man's scarf for the doctor is finished. The delicate, lace scarf for the nurse is still awaiting the final trim. Whenever I pick it up, I feel sick to my stomach.

After a few weeks, I began to hate that lace scarf. It morphed from a "thank you from the deepest part of my being" scarf to an "every stitch of this pisses me off" scarf. I would hang my project bag around the house hoping to find the one place that would inspire me to work on it. Instead I felt stalked. I now loathe that scarf and cannot in good conscience give it away to the dear woman who helped my mother. It would be such bad juju. I simply continue to detest it. It now reminds me of failed chemo and failed surgery. Frustration and impotency.

Humbled by the hatred of the scarf, I thought I would begin a fun, simple sock project with no deadline, no pressure, and no guilt. The first sock flew by. I can do this, I thought. I felt comforted by the activity and by the successful feeling of one finished sock on my foot.

But then disinterest and apathy arrived on the scene. Big time. It began with an escape trip to the US Virgin Islands. I intended to relax with my family and have plenty of time to knit - to get the mojo back. I had never been to the tropics (in fact, most of our trips are to Northern climes where knitting is a natural past time).



Let me share what I learned: one cannot knit a wool sock when temperatures approach the 90's. It was hot. It was humid. The knitting languished. Even now at home, I'm afraid the classical conditioning is complete. I have absolutely no desire to pick up and knit that sock. I have turned the heel, this is the home stretch, but I couldn't care less. Absolute and utter disinterest.


Baby hats, more scarves, wraps, Christmas ornaments - the litter of unfinished projects trails behind me for three solid months. Maybe a new pattern book? A snappy blog post? Some new equipment? Yarn? Nope, nothing inspires.

One thing is certain, everything changes. So will this. But when? How? Those things that I relied upon, that grounded me, were transient. Impermanent. Fleeting. When the ground itself is too unstable to find footing, it's impossible to knit a sock.

Warming Feet

My son loves hand knitted wool socks. Everyone in my family does, but my boy especially loves them and wears them constantly in winter. Luckily, my LYS always has oddballs of sturdy, self-patterning sock yarns like Regia in its sale bin, so for about 5 bucks and one week's worth of effort, I can whip up a pair of warm socks for my favorite 6 year old. These socks see some really hard wear; my son has been known to wear them outside on the driveway, and keeps the same three or four in constant rotation, and they have yet to wear out. There's nary a hole in socks that are on their third winter.

This year, though, my mind is on other children, the street children of Nepal. I'm still really stuck on that image of homeless children wearing flip flops in the winter. In our comfortable western world, the closest we get to this experience walking to the car after a pedicure in January. My son will surely get his socks, but he'll have to wait. He has a drawer full, sometimes to overflowing, of hand knit and commercially made socks. He has sturdy shoes and footie pajamas, a warm bed and a full belly every night. So right now, I'm making socks for kids in Nepal. I made these two pairs, and started a third this week.


If you are knitting socks for the kids in Nepal, please consider the following:

• use the sturdiest yarn you have. I used Regia and Lang Jawoll (I even knit the heels and toes using that cute spool of reinforcement thread that comes with the Jawoll), but Opal, Trekking XXL, Lion Brand Sock Ease or Patons Kroy would also be good choices, and I'm sure I'm forgetting others in this wool/nylon blend category. Assume that these socks will see constant, hard wear, will rarely be rotated, and almost never washed.
  
• Knit at a tight gauge to ensure sturdiness. I knit my socks at 8 spi. You could also knit a bigger yarn at a tighter gauge. If you have some really sturdy wooly worsted, for example, you could knit it at 6spi and get a really firm pair of socks.
• One 50g ball of yarn was enough for a pair of child's socks, but just enough for adequate cuffs (about 5"). Make the cuffs as long as possible. I happen to have several 50g oddballs saved up for my boy's socks, but if I had more yardage, I'd make the cuffs longer. This is a great time for you to stash-bust your balls of leftover yarns and make your own stripey or wild-self patterning socks.
  
• I used used my Ann Budd's Knitters Handy Book of Patterns as my guide for stitch count and lengths, but there is any number of generic sock patterns out there for children. Skip the lacy patterns, and crank out simple stockinette or ribbed socks. This is why the self-patterning yarns are ideal.

Thanks so much for your enthusiasm for this project, and whatever you knit, whether it is socks, a hat, mittens or anything else will be appreciated.

Project Nepal

I know I have been absent from blog-land lately, and I am not even certain if Ann, Mo, and I have any readers out there anymore. But I am returning with a request for help, and a call to action.

Knitters are generous people, I know. We knit chemo caps for people with cancer, blankets for animal shelters, and prayer shawls for the grieving. We knit for soldiers and veterans, foster children and homeless children. Our sturdy, warm handknits get shipped to all corners of the world where people are cold: Afghanistan, Mongolia, Botswana.

from the ROKPA website

While I hate to take away from any of these other worthy recipients of our generosity, it has been brought to my attention, knitters, that people are also cold in Nepal. I recently received an e-mail from a friend who is involved with an organization called ROKPA which provides services to the homeless and impoverished in Nepal. He shared with me that "many of the homeless people (or even about half) are children who live on the streets or in shanties. During the winter months they are subject to very cold weather and are happy to have something to put on their heads, hands, feet, necks, bodies. The kids need everything from socks (they walk around in flip flops) to wooly hats."

Did you catch that? Homeless kids in Nepal wear flip flops in the winter.

Knitters, I am asking you to contribute something warm and wooly to kids in Nepal this winter. Here are the guidelines if you want to participate:

1. Warm, insulating natural fibers only. Knit for durability, warmth, and of course, beauty.
2. Knit items for kids between the ages of 4-10, whatever size that means to you.
3. The deadline is January 25th.
4. Contact me at lizjosh1ATverizonDOTnet for mailing information.

I am serving as the collection point for this project, and would love to stuff Chris's luggage with socks, hats, scarves, sweaters, shawls, and mittens for the people of Nepal. I know your needles are busy, but if you could spare some time, some stash, and some love for this project, I would so appreciate it. Also, feel free to link on your blog or your favorite corner of Ravelry to help get the word out. I'll be posting here a little more frequently with ideas and patterns, and hopefully, to share photos of whatever knits I receive.

The quick knit that wasn't

Here's my "I need a quick win" knit that ended up requiring an email to the designer in Germany, grilling my favorite knit shop owner for advice during her son's baseball game, too much time on the calucaltor, etc. You understand, right?

I found this cute free pattern on Knotions and purchased some beautiful Pebbles Classic Elite yarn hoping to whip out an easy summer top for Isabel.

Many things got in the way of making this a quick win, mostly trying to get a gauge somewhere close to the pattern.

The final product is super cute, but it is out of season and probably won't fit her past the new year. And, I'm NOT knitting this again. Moving on ...

Congratulations Jared!

The extremely talented Jared Flood is publishing a collection of handknit designs to be released next week. I am so excited about these patterns! Click here for previews and Jared's post. I see more than a few items that will be on my queue!

A Victory Lap For The Drive-Thru

This Drive-Thru was a Tour de France knit. All our evenings for the past three weeks were spent cheering on the boys in the peloton but especially Thor Hushovd from Norway. His remarkable sprints and gritty determination in the mountains won him the honor of the Maillot Vert. Congratulations Thor!


The second time around, this sweater was even faster and easier. The yarn is once again Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed, knit on US 6s and 7s. If I were to knit it again, I would CO more stitches for the cuffs of the sleeves - they seemed a bit snug on both of the girls.


R doesn't seem to like a tight color, so this sweater is a bit looser at the top than I would like. But she loves it. She is actually wearing it inside in the AC today because she doesn't want to take it off. True sweater love!


I have truly appreciated your kind words and prayers concerning my mother's cancer diagnosis. We continue to live day by day and to take the difficulties as they come. Thank you so much for your thoughts and good wishes.

Side-Swiped and a Drive-Thru

About two months ago, I found out my mother was sick with a mysterious GI illness. A month ago yesterday, we learned that the mystery illness was in fact Stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer. Six to eight months. Best case scenario.

BAM! Side-swiped by Cancer. I thought my life could cruise on auto-pilot for a while - at least for the summer - kids, garden, home, friends, food, family. Nope. Seems as though I'm in for a GROWTH OPPORTUNITY. (That's what we optimists call it when life SUCKS.)

Everyday has been different and challenging for my mother, yet she is emerging from this first shocking month courageous and spunky. We're slowly finding a rhythm as my brothers and father and I put together the puzzle pieces of caregiving.

I initially thought that caregiving would mean lots of knitting by my mother's bedside - not so bad, right? But it turns out, it's much more frenetic: running errands, organizing medications, scheduling doctor's appointments, gardening, cleaning, and cooking. Except for the hours spent in hospital waiting rooms, there hasn't been much knitting time.


Luckily, I had the best project in the world for this situation*. The Drive-Thru sweater by Wendy Bernard. This child's yoke sweater is knit in the round with worsted-weight yarn. It is seamless and quick. So quick that I knit it in less than a month - and remember, I am a slow, slow knitter. A knitter who cannot at this moment dedicate any part of her brain to charting, modifying patterns, or stitch counting. The shaping is pure Elizabeth Zimmerman so you know that it is tear-free and fun.



I used Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed. Sigh. A heavenly yarn. I chose an expensive yarn that would provide some tactile delight and luxury - my mother would sometimes just stroke it while I knit.



I started a second Drive-Thru for my other daughter, mixing the colors around. Because I'll need it for the next few weeks. And then after that, maybe one for myself ... one day at a time, one stitch at a time.

*Socks would work as well but my daughter really needed a sweater.

Two Months Of Update!

Having resolved to Knit Less in 2009 (and blog a lot less -- hello, two months since my last post), most of my knitting projects are short on ambition, but long on satisfaction.  Since my last big project, I made a lot of simple, little projects, all of them gifts, almost all of them from stash.  

Here's the first: one simple yet stinkin' cute sweater for the daughter of my dear friends Andrea and Tanya whom we visited in May in Providence.

This sweater took less than a week to make. A yoked sweater knit in the round in a rich red color, it's all about the simple. But those owls have such an impact! They are adorable without being ducky-bunny twee. It makes a unique statement in a world of boring baby sweaters. The biggest challenge by far was the buttons. Joann's did not have 30 matching buttons, and being a lazy, impatient sort, I did not want to wait for a new shipment, look online, or go to yet another store. The simplest solution, one inspired by Kristy, was to go with different colored eyes, so I simply gave one owl dark blue eyes, while the rest are light blue. It is a quirky, individual design element, which is the Whole Point of Handmade Items, no?

I used one of my very favorite baby yarns, Mission Falls 1824 Wool (machine wash & dry! awesome rich colors! 50% off at my LYS!), and used only 3 skeins despite its total crap yardage. Baby Sami, 6 months old, is growing like gangbusters, so I made her about a one year size so she can be warm and owly this winter in New England.

The next sweater was an impulse knit, for my lovely and adorable baby niece, Lila. She has already received and promptly grown out of her first Aunt Lizzie knit, so it was time for another. Some stashed Cotton-Ease and leftover Katia Jamaica combined into yet another Baby Surprise Jacket, this one about a one-year size as well. San Diego babies need sweaters all year round, so I don't really need to worry about the size, and this jacket just makes me happy to look at. I wasn't a confident or experienced knitter when my daughter was a baby, so I have a feeling that Lila will be the recipient of much knitted cuteness from me.

Remember that meme on Facebook, where you agree to make something for 5 people, and they agree to make the same offer?  Here's the knitted stuff I made for some of my FB friends.

L to R:  Fetching Mitts, Green Thumb Mitts, Crocheted Market Bag

But the crazy has snuck back into the crafty life, with my entire creative time being eaten by the Queen Sized Ripple Blanket of Crochet Insanity.  

I love it.  I lovelovelovelovelovelovelove it.  But it is going to be So.  Big.

I'm using Tahki Cotton Classic and an F hook, and it takes almost 45 minutes to complete one color stripe.  I made a tragic error by making it just a little too wide so that one ripple uses about 28 grams of yarn, leaving me about 3 grams short of a second complete ripple.  And much of the yarn I am using is discontinued TCC colorways bought as Webs grab bags over the years, so there is no supplementing with additional skeins for a lot of the colors.  Which means lots of leftovers.  Gah!  

After a great deal of individual attention, it looks like I'm almost halfway done.  But it's getting big enough to be unwieldy, and it requires too much yarn to take on vacation, so I will be putting down the hook periodically and getting back to the pointy needles as I spend most of the rest of the summer on the road:  Baltimore, Vermont, the Chesapeake, and many, many days down the shore.  

Whatcha building?

The Pavilion at The Lareau Farm Inn

I spent this past weekend in Vermont at a lovely Inn - eating delicious, organic food and fraternizing with delightful family and friends.  Saturday morning found me deep in a comfortable chair by the porch while guests and their children wandered in and out enjoying the perfect weather and the local, scrumptious breakfast.  It was the first time in weeks (months?) that I've had quality knit time.


First Sam-the-innkeeper walked by and asked, "Whatcha building?"  Then later Lisabeth-the-innkeeper asked me the same question.  I'm not sure if others use this terminology, but I had never heard it before.  The idea of building a project (versus making or just plain knitting) is new to me.

I am a knitter, but I balk at other descriptions of myself such as artist or crafter.  "Artist" seems to high-falutin'.  "Crafter" conjures up images of popsicle sticks, glue, and glitter.  [This stuff is my own baggage people, label yourselves as you will.]

I'm lounging on the porch to the right on an extremely comfy couch.

When I knit an object, the act of knitting is usually the most time-consuming part of the process, but it is not the only part.  There is the research for the pattern, the measuring, the swatching, the measuring again, the math, the measuring yet again, the adjustments, and then, finally, the cast on.  Just as one might design plans for a structure, lay a foundation, or measure wood for a piece of furniture.  

George Schenk from American Flatbread and his amazing ovens.

As I looked around me at the many things at the Inn that were made by hand with integrity and authenticity, I was proud that Lisabeth and Sam had invited me into their group of builders.  

What I built:


Pattern:  Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang
Yarn:  Rowan felted tweed