Fear Not!

Fear not fellow knitters, I only had to endure a few short hours with no knitting on the needles. (Breathe deeply Madge, I survived! Never again, never again ...)

So here are some FOs as yet unposted.




Pattern: Hiiumaa Socks from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Trekking pro natura (75% New Wool, 25% bamboo) in 1501 (white) and 1503 (brown)
Needles: US 1s
Notes: It's easier to tote around socks when you are only working from 1 skein of yarn! Well, that was the only excuse I could come up with for not knitting these quickly. They were the BackBou's Xmas present which I am happy to report he loves. One minor complaint is that they slouch a bit much for him (I like the slouch myself). Maybe some ribbing changes and calf shaping would have helped with that.


Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Valknitz (55% mohair, 45% wool)
Needles: US 5s
Notes: Quick and easy. When I'm not wearing these, the BackBou is. I'm planning on making some for the girls as well. I get compliments on these constantly. The yarn is really beautiful and warm. Our new Sunday activity is ice skating and these keep me warm while still allowing me to lace up the skates.


Pattern: Syncopated Caps from Interweave Knits (Summer 2007) by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co., natural white and magenta variegated
Needles: US 2s
Notes: I intended this to be for myself, but I noticed early on that my gauge was (duh) incredibly different in the colorwork and in the round. So I didn't stop (because that would have been prudent and sensible) but thought, "oh hecko, it's sure to fit someone ..." And so it does. R now has a new hat! This pattern rocks -- I loved knitting it and could barely put it down.



I am going to the yarn store today to buy another colorway to go with my remaining white so that I can have one as well! What can I say about this yarn other than every knitter should have some in the stash or on the needles.

And I will encourage, by force if necessary, Liz and Mo to pick some up when we see each other this Sunday. That's right! An XRK summit in Richmond! Huzzah!

Wear Report - Sundara Socks

You've surely seen Theresa's new feature on her blog, Time Machine Tuesdays? She is updating previously finished knits, on how frequently she wears them, and how the garments in general and the yarns in particular have held up. Theresa is encouraging other knit bloggers to do the same on their blogs, so that we can share each other's collective wisdom about the habits of our knits in the wild. I'd been considering posting Wear Reports myself, so with Theresa's encouragement, perhaps it will induce more frequent, less-just-the-FOs blogging.

Wear Report: Sundara Superwash Merino Sock
Pattern: Calla Lilly Socks (Ravelry link), knitted in June 2006, original blog post here, flickr page here.

I'm going to start right in with the bad news. These socks have worn holes in both heels. I was a beginning sock knitter when these were made; I didn't have a lot of socks in the rotation at the time and they saw fairly regular use. The first hole came rather quickly, within months., so I darned it and relegated them to very light wear. The second one only got its hole in the last month and is set to be repaired soon.

Now that I have knit many more pairs of socks, it makes sense that a soft merino with no nylon would be more suitable for light wear only, but I didn't really know that when I first knit these. I also want to point out that both socks wore out along the purl seam that bisects the heel. This Welsh Heel construction was a lovely design choice, but I have to wonder if this created a weaker point in the fabric, or maybe just a convenient seam for the worn stitches to run. I haven't made other socks with a welsh heel, so I won't make a generalization. Just an observation.

The good news about this sock is that the amazing colors that Sundara is known for are still vibrant and true, and that there has been minimal felting, pilling and shrinking. I do carefully handwash these socks in Eucalan and hang them to dry, and would recommend careful laundering, but I was pleased to see that the colors did not run or fade, and that the socks did not become a mass of pills and felt like other non-nylon merinos.

I have other Sundara socks that have held up better, again, with light wear. They are far too pretty to throw away, and the first darned sock is holding up beautifully. The holes in the heels of these socks are emblems of wisdom learned the hard way, that unless the yarn has nylon, wear the socks gently and infrequently!

I'd love to read other wear reports on other blogs, so please do let me know if you plan on revisiting any of your knits for a quick review!

New Projects

Last night I finally finished the BackBou's socks. They are his Christmas present. I am cognizant of the fact that it is January 11th. That's 17 days late. Technically. Because Christmas should be in our hearts all year long, right? I shall have to post about them later since he put them on immediately and has yet to take them off. Good man.

So today I have nothing on the needles (eek!) and so many delicious ideas!





Could these yummy skeins of Koigu become my new chevie?



Could this skein of Spirit Trail Sock Yarn become Socks for Veronik? or possibly Whitby socks?



Here is one of two cakes of mohair/wool yarn from ValKnitz. This is from my MIL (don't you love folks who buy you really nice yarn for presents?). I just love the colors and think it may become some fingerless mitts ... maybe the Maine Morning Mitts or the Princess Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn? [Liz, I just LOVE this book!]



Time to cast on! Enjoy your knitting!

Setting the Manos Free

I've had this sweater's worth of Manos in my stash for a couple of years.

A lustrous turquoise, I got it on sale during our lean years in Virginia, and it felt like an incredible indulgence at the time. I wound some, swatched some, even started to make a sweater with it, but it never got made into anything. I diligently considered tons of sweaters, and spent endless hours surfing Ravelry to match the right project with this yarn.

Until I finally figured out what the problem was. I do not want a sweater out of Manos. I just don't. I also really love turquoise, but I do not want a turquoise sweater. I just don't. But turquoise is a flattering color for me, especially near my face, so I decided to wantonly break into my sweater's worth of Manos, and make myself a warm winter hat to match my down jacket.

I started with the the Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat, and it was too small, despite multiple modifications to account for my yarn's different gauge. So I slapped on a huge pom pom and gave it to Rosebud, who also needed a warm winter hat.



This week's spring-like weather does not have me fooled. I know I have many more freezing mornings at the bus stop ahead of me, so I tried again, this time, making Kirsten's Thorpe hat, with some contrasting pink Nature Wool Chunky from the stash.


This hat fit, but it definitely didn't flatter. It took me a day or two to realize that through. And in the meantime, I had begun matching mittens.

The color combo stopped working for me altogether, so the hat and mittens are headed for Dulaan. Yay for serendipitious charity knits!

But I am undaunted. I'll start hat #3 tonight.

Four Year Sweater

It is a good omen to start the new year with a victory, isn't it? I know this little, unassuming mass of stockinette seems like nothing much, but for me, it is wearable proof of how far I have come as a knitter.

I have this commercially made sweater, a boatneck pullover knit with a fuzzy mohair-type yarn, knit at a larger gauge so that the sweater is lightweight but warm. It had seen a lot of wear for a couple of seasons, but it has gotten a bit ratty, and is ready to be retired.

Enter the Deep Breath sweater from Webs. I generally don't look too closely at their patterns, but this one caught my eye since it was for a sweater in laceweight yarn. I had never really considered using my laceweight stash to make a sweater, but I liked the idea. I could have easily purchased the pattern. It costs $1.50. Seriously. But I have, in the past, bought patterns for some top-down sweaters, and felt really suckered in the end. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. If you have Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top, you do not need a pattern to make a sweater. You need a decent sized swatch, a measuring tape, and a calculator, and that is it.

So I used the measurements of my commercial sweater as my guide, and cast on. I was pleased to find as I knit the sweater that I would not need any shaping in the body, since the fabric created by knitting this yarn at this gauge (about 5 spi) is wonderfully stretchy and sexily clingy. So while I planned for no negative ease (I didn't want the fabric to stretch or look distorted over the bust), I didn't have to decrease for the waist. The fabric did all the work for me.

But when I cast off, lightly blocked and tried the thing on, the neckline was way too wide. It drooped and made the armscyes too deep. It rendered the sweater unwearable. The body fit beautifully, so I was loath to frog the whole thing, and cutting off the yoke and grafting was also a bad option in this yarn, which is a bit sticky and shows every uneven stitch.

I tried to crochet an edge at first, but it still sagged in the shoulders. So I began to pick up stitches at the neck, and experimented with necklines that would raise the entire yoke of the sweater.

My mind eventually drifted to one of the very first sweaters I ever tried to make for myself, the Mohair Cowl Pullover from IK Winter 2004. Due to an unfortunate yarn substitution, it was also the first sweater I ever made and them immediately frogged. I referred to the instructions to make a cowl, threw in a couple of short-rows in the front to lengthen the cowl, and eventually ended up with a drapey cowl that is perfect for short-necked, graciously endowed, petite gals like me. It had the added plus of totally camouflaging the old garter-stitch neckline, and fixing the fit issues beautifully.


The cowl does change the overall effect of the sweater, which was intended to be a lightweight layer to wear over a tank. Now, it is cozier and looks great layered with a tissue-tee, although it isn't exactly appropriate for the arctic chill we've been experiencing. I regret using yarn-overs for my raglan increases, but I do think that they'll take the sweater into warmer seasons over the aforementioned tank.

It feels like a full-circle moment, this sweater. This is the sweater I was going for four years ago. Four years ago, there is no way I could take a swatch and a sweater in my closet and make something that fit and flattered. I could never had said things like "threw in a couple of short rows" or "I planned for no negative ease." I could never have problem solved my way out of a loser sweater into a winner. This is a great way to start the year!

Details: Four Year Sweater
Pattern: a combination of the Deep Breath sweater and Barbara Walker's Top-Down wisdom.
Yarn & Needles: Touch of Twist Zephyr, Dianthus colorway, purchased at MDSW for nine dollars, a little less than 900 yds. Addi Lace US 6 needles gave me a gauge of 5spi.

Hello 2008

I'm just going to act like I didn't stop blogging, okay?

We started New Year's Day with our traditional family hike at Pocahontas State Park. The trail is only 2.5 miles, but the wee ones can make it challenging. This year's hike got cut short due to Rocket Man's bloody nose and then my slip and ungrace slide down some rocks. Boy, that's going to hurt tomorrow.

A couple simple recent projects that made me very happy were:

Elephant for my little Mouse. It's from Nashua Zoo and was knit in Rowan Cotton Jeans, Berroco Comfort and Tahki Classic Cotton. (It looks like we may have buttoned it incorrectly, but since it took me this long to take a picture, it will have to do.)

Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts in Koigu PPPM and Colinette Jitterbug. I wear this everyday if I can. It makes me feel great!

I'm on the last sleeve of Rowan's Dinah, so hopefully, I'll have something lovely to show you very soon. Now that I've remembered by blogger password, put new batteries in my camera and gotten a taste of some completed projects that I love, I plan to be back a lot more in 2008.

Happy New Year, everyone!

2007 Roundup

Life here at Chez Ann has finally calmed down. Christmas decorations are down and packed away (when they go up the house feels cozy, by New Year's Eve it feels like I can barely turn around it's so crowded in here). I was able to visit with many, many friends (including my film friends from NYC -- check out Adrian's website for viewing suggestions) and family.

We travelled in the midst of it all up to Johns Hopkins for a 2nd opinion (daughter N was born with a foot birth defect and surgery was recently suggested) where we received our best present of the season -- a "no surgery necessary" opinion from the chief pediatric orthopedist. Hurray!

So medical issues have receded, travel is over for a while, and the entertaining has subsided. Time to post all those knits I gifted as presents!

Pattern: Bright Stripes by Kristin Nicholas from Scarf Style
Yarn: Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Company (colors: Natural White and Magenta Variegated)
Notes: This is the first time I have used this yarn and it now is my absolute favorite 100% Wool yarn. I have always balked at the price, but you get a ton of yardage and the colorways are just incredible. Wouldn't a BSJ in this yarn be delicious? I go mine here but please my knitting friends, do yourself a favor and knit with this yarn in 2008! They don't seem to have a website, but you can contact Ken and Grayce here. This scarf was a present for the girl I mentor at a local school (I did get her a book also, it's not just about fiber mission work ...).

*Notice something different under that hat?

Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts
Yarn: Malabrigo (Stone Blue)
Notes: What can I say? Jared is a genius. The hat fits like a dream. The yarn is soft and warm and the colors are stunning. It was hard for me to hand this over to my MIL. But I did. I must make one for myself in January! I found the cable needle burdensome at first, but developed a rhythm quickly and didn't mind it at all after a while. The crown decreasing is really beautiful. If you click on this link and scroll down a bit, you can see how great it looks in a green -- nice work Cate!

Pattern: Basket Weave Scarf by Ann Budd from Interweave Knits
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (Licorice)
Notes: I really treated myself to some good yarn for holiday knitting, didn't I? Yup, another yummy yarn. The darkness of the color made this hard to photograph well (despite the excellent model), but it really does look nice up close and feels light yet warm around the neck. This was gifted to my FIL -- my in-laws received the handknits along with some Norway themed goodies in honor of our upcoming trip to Norway together in June. Any yarn related travel suggestions for Norway? Lay them on me!

I am currently working on the 2nd sock for the BackBou (the first wasn't even cast on until Christmas Eve -- he is very understanding and patient). I hope to post a completed pair soon!

*Yup, that is short hair sticking out from Koolhaas -- I was able to donate 13 inches of hair to Locks of Love right before Christmas!

Party More!

I can't say my slate is exactly clean; I'm having some neckline issues with my laceweight sweater, but still, I am content with my year's worth of knits.

Here's the final FO for 2007, then, Herringbone Mitts from Elliphantom.

I used Cascade 220 in cream and a tweedy brown and size 6 needles. This is my second attempt at colorwork, and this was the time that it clicked! I think the colorwork bug has bitten me badly, so look for more stranded goodness here at XRK in 2008. In fact, I've even begun major swatching for the next big project, the Sugarplum Pullover (Ravelry link) from Handknit Holidays.

Many New Year's Eve's ago, my family was celebrating together, and we made a series of lists: the 5 best things that happened to us that year, the 5 worst things that happened to us that year, and 5 New Year's Resolutions. It was the one and only year we made such lists, but there was one resolution I remember vividly. It was my sister-in-law, a senior in college, who resolved to "Party More!"

Party. More! I loved it. And I instantly adopted it as a go-to resolution. Now, as a thirty six year old mother of two, partying means something different than my then college-aged sister-in-law, but I love the attitude of wanting more celebration in life. So I resolve to Party More in my life, to celebrate life's precious moments more in 2008, and to look for ways to add more joy to my life and the life of my family.

Knitting remains a joy and a passion, and one of the ways I truly do party in my life. I resist rules and structure in my knitting, and allow whimsy to be my guide. I'll continue to follow the spirit of my inspirations this year, and knit what pleases me with yarn I love.

So from Ann, Mo, and me, we here and XRK wish you a Very Happy New Year and urge you to Party More too!

Clean Slate 2008

It has been the joy of family and the magic of Christmas with young children that has kept me from blogging. I did have a wonderfully blessed Christmas with my family and with Mr S's, and Santa was very good to all of us this year. And while I truly did read many of your wonderful Christmas messages and received all your wonderful wishes with a warm heart, I was just to busy to leave many comments on anyone else's blog. I do hope all of you had a lovely Christmas!

I don't know why I care, but I decided to try to finish all of the WIPs before the new year begins. I am generally not one to leave projects to linger, and am fairly disciplined about finishing or frogging. I have a lot of projects in the queue ready to be cast on, but I decided to just focus my energies for a couple of weeks to finish up, and I think I am going to reach my goal. My current sweater (which I haven't even mentioned on the blog) has about a quarter of the sleeve to go, my colorwork mittens are blocking, and my longest lingering project ever, my New England socks, are finally done!

Pattern: New England socks by Nancy Bush from Knitting on the Road
Yarn and Needles: Koigu KPM, Knit Picks US 1.5 (2.5mm) circular

Notes: These socks were my quiet vacation knitting, sitting on the front porch of our cabin in the Maine woods. They were a part of my summer dalliance with Nancy Bush, and the final remnant of my flirtation with the Single Sock Liberation Movement.

I got through the first sock this summer, but when I first made the second sock, I noticed I had gauge issues when I was about 80% finished. I had swapped out my Knit Picks 1.5 needle for my Addi Lace 1.5, and it really did make a noticeable difference in my gauge. These socks are not difficult to knit, but they do require you to refer to the chart for every other row, so it took my Clean Slate Resolution to muster up the urge to finally finish them. It's my first highly patterned sock pattern, and I'm not sure if you'll see many more in my future. I like to knit socks because they are portable and mindless, and these socks were neither.

They are a little bigger than I prefer, but I hope a few washes will shrink them slightly. I'll give you an update in 2008, for a newly planned feature on the blog, where I'll post updates and wear reports on various knitting projects.

Forecast Notes

As previously mentioned, my Forecast is finished and photographed.



Pattern: Forecast by Stefanie Japel, Knitty Winter 2005
Yarn & Needles: Brooks Farm FourPlay, US 7 & US 8
Mods: Like many Forecast knitters, I used Winnie's mods.

Since picking up the needles 6 years ago, I have learned a lot of techniques that have made me a better knitter, and really improved the look of my garments. I thought about this as I made this sweater, as I used combination knitting to make neat ribs, as I knit backwards to speed the bobble-making, as I cabled without a cable needle. A beginning knitter could easily make this sweater, but I was struck by how some of these simple tricks made the knitting of this sweater easier and neater, more professional looking.

But this sweater is also an example of how an experienced, technically proficient knitter can end up with so-so results. A top-down raglan is usually a no-fail method for me, and Stefanie Japel's patterns are well-written and designed to fit a woman's body. So why does my Forecast, an almost universally flattering pattern, look so freakin' boxy on me?

It's the yarn. Now, I have to say, unequivocally, that I love this yarn. This was one of the most pleasurable yarns to knit with, period. The color changes are so rich and saturated, and the smooth hand and easy knitting were just amazing. I love it so much that after making most of a loser sweater, I ripped it out and immediately cast on for Forecast. So I essentially knit two sweaters in a row with it! And loved it!


But this is a classic example of how you can combine a great pattern and a great yarn and get so-so results. Forecast is all about the structure, while Brooks Farm is all about the drape, which didn't become totally clear to me until I blocked this sweater (I used the steam-block method), and the horizontal ribbing flattened out and the sweater became a bit flabby and lifeless. The sweater sags (don't look too closely at the bottom of the button band) and is just a bit too big. The silk content overrides the merino's memory and springiness. This yarn would be great for a very drapey sweater, but I would definitely NOT recommend it for this one.

On the other hand, it feels divine, and the yarn does look great with this pattern. When I initially used it, I just loved how it looked in garter, but was not pleased with how it was striping in stockinette, so I figured that the combination of garter, cables, and bobbles would break up the color repeats to interrupt the striping, and I was right. Most finished Forecasts I've seen are in a solid or tweedy yarn, but I would not hesitate from using a tonal variegated yarn for this pattern.

Overall, I'm pleased with the sweater, but know that good old Cascade 220 would have served me better for this pattern than the yarn I chose. I still have a lot to learn, which is why I can't wait for my birthday present from Ann to arrive!!!

I Am 36

Dinner with my husband followed by big rock show last week :: this post :: this post, 22 years later, and be sure to read it to the end :: flowers from Mom :: this mug from my sister from here :: dinner with my kids at the local pub :: morning coffee with Carol :: a new Lantern Moon needle case from Aileen :: a finished Forecast (details to follow)

Happy Birthday Liz! (A day late)

How incredibly wonderful it is that you were born! I am so thankful that you are part of my life. It's hard to describe how you have enriched who I am. You are wicked smart. You are irreverent and hysterically funny while never turning away from the intense and deep emotions of love and pain. You are courageous. You are a brilliant, brilliant mother -- someone I use as an example for myself and others time and time again. And you are one of my best friends.

I hope you had a wonderful birthday Liz!

Leave a birthday wish for Liz in the comments!

Gray Gray Gray

Besides the general busy-ness of being Primary Shopper, Chief Organizer and Head-Celebrator-in-Charge in a dual-holiday household, the gray weather has also kept me from my dutiful blogging. I've had a finished Forecast to show you for days, but cannot take a decent photo in this gray weather. When the sun did come out for a precious few hours yesterday, we threw themselves outside into the cold, muddy yard like something out of "All Summer in a Day." I was not about to change clothes and take pictures of my sweater.

Instead, I leave you with a picture of what ranks as one of the single most beautiful skeins of yarn I have ever owned, Sundara Yarn Sock in Fall Foliage. I'm not one to correct Sundara or her sense of color, but this red to me is more like sparkling rubies than autumn leaves. The photo doesn't even come close to capturing the rich reds of this yarn, as the colors in the picture are far more muted.

I've held onto this skein of yarn for over a year now, because I just couldn't imagine putting something this beautiful on my feet but I finally hit upon a worthy use for it in all its cranberry gorgeousness. It's currently being transformed into a Christmas present for Someone Who Reads This Blog, so no more details or pics until after the Big Day. I know I generally eschew holiday knitting, but just one thing won't send me over the edge of sanity, right?

MIA

I have been MIA in the knit world lately. No Ravelry, no blogging, and today was my first knitting group in almost a month. Unfortunate yet this is just what has to happen in order to keep the holidays sane for me. (I will be around much more in January!)

Along with the rest of the family, I've been purging the home of unused or unwanted toys (Diversity Thrift here we come!), cleaning in preparation for our tree and Christmas decorating this weekend, shopping for gifts, and enjoying the smaller holidays (St. Nicholas Day, Santa Lucia Day, Winter Soltice) that happen in December. And of course I am busy with holiday knitting!

Here are a few things so far ...




Pattern: Dashing by Cheryl Niamath
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted, Cafe au Lait
Needles: US 7s
Notes: Great pattern. Easy. Fast. For my older brother. They are already in the mail. I loved knitting these! Isn't this yarn a great colorway?



Pattern: Coronet by Andrea Virgiel
Yarn: Malabrigo, Stone Blue
Needles: US 7s
Notes: Great yarn. Great pattern. I had the band knit for quite a while but had put it down for more than a month. Picked it up and finished it in a day. It was meant for my MIL, but then a neighbor had surgery that left her without any hair and I couldn't think of anything better than having Malabrigo warming her head. My MIL is now getting Koolhaas (I love the pattern and should be done soon!).


Back to my knitting and enjoying the unusually warm weather with a picnic in the park!

When Mom's a Knitter...

...you have conversations like this over the breakfast

Mom: It's going to be cold today. Wear that stripey sweater today.
Daughter: What stripey sweater?
Mom: They one I made you last year.
Daughter: Oh, you mean my Noro sweater?


...you get a new hat just in time for the first snow of the winter


Pattern: the ubiquitous We Call Them Pirates
Yarn & Needles: Cascade 220 (red), Plymouth Encore (black), Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (lining) from (you guessed it!) the stash, US3 needles
Mods: To size down the hat, I knitted at a tighter gauge (about 7 spi) and only did two repeats of the skull motif.

I made a poor choice when I decided not to decrease in the lining. I thought the difference in the weight of the yarns (worsted vs. fingering) would make up for it, and I didn't want the lining to pucker. Well, it flares, dammit! It flares! I did EZ's sewn bind off for the lining for stretch, and then meticulously sewed it down beautifully. I was not about to pick it all out and redo it, so I threaded some elastic in the brim, and it snugged things nicely.

Notes: This was my first colorwork project ever, and it's some pretty craptacular knitting. However, this was knitted as a more of a learning and practice piece, so my expectations were pretty low. Plus, Pepe desperately needed a new hat. And despite some puckering and lack of crispness in the colorwork, Pepe has gotten tons of compliments on it, and I have managed to impress many non-knitters.

I am working on picking comfortably, and have some work to do keeping my floats even. Despite that, though, it was a relatively quick project, knitting up in a just a few afternoons.

Notes on the Calendar

I'm not kidding about the time crunch, people. I promised you details on the calendar for Sunday, and it's Tuesday morning when I get around to it.

Advent Calendar Project Notes:

Inspiration: This one from Garnet Hill was the perfect storm of advent calendars. Cute, but not cutesy. Handmade for the home in that Mason-Dixon sort of way, not the Stitchy McYarnpants sort of way. And knitted! My one and only craft! I am endlessly inspired by craft blogs like Blair's and Amanda's, and how they fill their home with their handwork. Let's face it, I have sewer's envy (Ashley, I'm looking at you), and wish I had the time and inclination to finally figure out how to run my machine.

And if you are looking for other inspiration, check out this flickr pool. I especially love this one. And while I am really impressed at the creative ideas for fillers, I am strictly for candy. And Twiglet Queen, Ann and I want to know more about your chocolate Johnny Depp advent calendar, because I am sure that one is way better. Chocolate AND Johnny Depp? Perfection.

Materials: Various worsted yarns, all from stash. Some Cascade 220. The pink is Patons Classic that I unraveled from a shrug that pilled so bad I never wore it. The last bits of some bargain blue Plymouth Encore. Leftover Lambs Pride and Baabajoe's from gifts knitted several years ago.

This project demonstrates the ultimate reason to embrace an inspiring stash. I was inspired, so I went to the stash. I made an heirloom and didn't spend a dime. I felt resourceful. Virtuous, even. And sentimental, too, since I could think about some of the special things I made from those yarns in their first life. I love you, Stash.

Process: I looked closely at the Garnet Hill picture, and selected my colors based on the ones they used. The appeal to me was the use of non-Christmas-y colors, along with more traditional reds and greens, which tempers the cute. And as the project evolved, I realized that choosing muted colors was key.

But this project was all about keeping things simple, or it would never get finished. Ever. I discarded nothing, as there was no time for ripping-and-redoing. The first hat I made (December 1st, left) was too small. Too round. I kept it. A red hat (December 11th, center) was rejected as too primary. Too Christmasy and obvious. Same with December 21st green mitten. I kept them, though, since this project was all about production.

Each hat or mitten took less than 30 minutes to knit, but the mittens took a little longer. Thus, I made more hats than mittens. I would try to crank out at least 4 in an evening, and if I had some time leftover, I would weave in the ends (very cursorily, I must admit, since this won't ever be worn, and its highly doubtful if it will ever be laundered. I saved all the embroidery for the end, since I wanted to be able to lay out each piece to make a pleasing color sequence. I got really good at duplicate stitch after a while!

Other special details: I wanted to customize this for our family, so one of the things I did was made a special hat for December 17th (coughmybirthdaycough). I included Hanukkah colors as well, since we are an interfaith family, but I was stumped with how to really represent the 8 nights of Hanukkah, since it is a moveable feast, sometimes before Christmas, sometimes after, sometimes straddling the holiday itself.



Mr S came up with a great solution: knit 8 white and blue un-numbered hats, embroidered with Hebrew letters or the Mogen David (next year!), and switch them out each year for the appropriate days. This year, gelt will go in the hats for Hanukkah, and that will just have to do.

In all, I am very satisfied with the way it all came out. And of course, the kids' reactions to it was totally worth the tedium and last minute sprint to the finish. They just adore it.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled knitting of hats, socks, and sweaters.

It's Finished!

Details tomorrow.

Time Crunch

I am feeling the time crunch of the holidays already. I am still unpacking, doing laundry and generally rebooting our life from our Thanksgiving week in Florida, and already and my calendar is packed with commitments and I haven't even had time to draw up the first of many holiday to-do lists. To buy, to bake, to send, to order, to decorate, to schedule, to do....

I have a pair of finished socks to show you, but no time to plan a clever photo shoot, so you'll have to content yourself with these action shots, taken with the self-timer as I emptied the washing machine and unloaded the groceries. Luckily, they are simple stockinette socks, so they are hardly worth a post on their own anyway. They're knit with Austermann Step yarn, and yes, Ann, they are identical to the pair you made this summer.


There's not even much time to knit, but what little knitting time I do have is dedicated to these little mittens and hats for the advent calendar. Only 4 more to go, plus some sort of cord from which to hang them all. And then all 24 to embroider, to pom, to hang, to fill. By tomorrow night.



Will I make it?

A Quick Surprise

At the end of the summer I got a surprise email forwarded to me from N's school -- a friend that I had met backpacking in Spain was trying to track me down and had found my name on the RWS website. We reconnected and it has been such a wonderful time getting to know her again and learning about her family and life.

And last week her family grew a bit ... one more life has joined it. So I will send off a little surprise in the mail tomorrow ...

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by EZ (The Opinionated Knitter)
Needles: US 6s
Yarn: Louet Gems Fine/Sport Weight in Grape and Willow
Notes: I have been blessed with some mighty fine knitting projects lately and this was no exception. What an incredible pattern (my first BSJ) and what fabulous yarn (my first time with Louet Gems as well). I did not modify the pattern at all -- just wanted to knit it as it was written originally and see what happened. I am extremely happy with the results but wish my increases were a bit neater looking.

I changed colors randomly and love how the funky seaming turned out.

This yarn is just wonderful and I am going to use the remaining yarn for something for my girls (I used just about 1/2 skein of each color).

These excellent buttons are from The Yarn Lounge here in Richmond.

When I bought this yarn I had no idea it was from South Africa. Tomorrow I will be sending the BSJ to Cape Town where it will meet it's new little owner ...

Surprises all around!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be taking the week off from blogging while I celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my husband's family in sunny South Florida. Maybe by the time I post, I'll have sewed the buttons onto my Forecast sweater, finished my second New England sock, and who knows what else...

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones, grateful for all your blessings. I know I will be.