Addicted.

I've had a very productive week! The girls attended a 4-H summer day camp in the mornings; they had a fantastic time and I got a bit of relaxing and knitting done. I finished the body of the Gathered Pullover. I did make a few modifications. I added a smidge of waist-shaping, afraid that otherwise I'd end up with a very baggy sweater. I also had to knit a few extra rows (about 3/4 of an inch) above the cable to make the armhole/neckline placement work with my row gauge, which is off from the pattern. I sewed up the shoulders and am very, very pleased with the fit (modeled by the patient and headless Zoe.) I'm about halfway through the first sleeve.. My big accomplishment for the week is the completion of my most ambitious spinning project to date. This is what one pound of targhee wool looks like when it's been spun into 1890 yards of fingering weight yarn: Again, it's the "Blueberry Patch" colorway by Susan's Spinning Bunny. I'm planning to knit a sweater, something simple to showcase the handspun stripes. Getting through the end of such a large (for me) spinning project was a bit difficult. Having the "Ten Minutes a Day" pledge and unofficial "group" on Plurk helped a lot! But with it finished, I needed something new to work on. This is the "Pumpkin Juice" batt from Enchanted Knoll's sock batts club. It's one of the easiest-drafting fibers I've ever spun. I'm in love; no, I'm addicted. Josette definitely puts something more than plain wool-fumes into her batts... All for now.

Promises, promises

Um, yeah. You know how it works when I say I'll be doing something tomorrow? That's pretty much permission to not check in for a couple days. Apparently. Anyway, today turned into a beautiful, sunny day, the first since I finished the Honeymoon Cami, so I took some photos for you.

Honeymoon Cami, from Knitty's Spring 2004 issue

3.5 mm (US 4) needles (Hooray for Knit Picks interchangeables!) Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy (cotton/hemp/modal), color 09 (purple-y blue)

For giggles, I'm also including what I used as a camera stand (lacking a tripod or a human to take the photos for me.) Yes, that would be a tackle box, leveled with a package of weed-eater cords, sitting atop an ATV. Hooray for innovation! I've finally resurrected my Autumn Rose sweater, and am on the home stretch. I finished the second sleeve and am working my way up the shoulders/yoke. So far it's looking great. I was relieved to find that it should fit, as it's the same size as the Honeymoon Cami (I laid them out together.) The Autumn Rose should grow a bit when blocked (unless the swatch lies!) so I'm excited about it again. However, I've made the most progress on the Gathered Pullover. I'm into the cabling portion! I like that the majority of this sweater is plain stockinette - it makes for great knitting while doing other things. Like watching tv. Or making dinner. Or Plurking. So yup, "Plurk" rhymes with "murk," and I've found myself spending an inordinate amount of time on the site. It's like Twitter; they both work like a multi-person instant-messaging. I believe I first heard about it from Wendy, though it was Opal who convinced me to join. I've met a whole slew of "PlurKnitters," and been able to keep up with some real-life friends who live at far corners of the world from Maine. It's a fun way to pass the time at home without feeling alone. Opal and I have started taking 10-minute "spin breaks" to help her keep up with her 10-Minute a Day pledge. (I suppose I should join too, at that...) So feel free to come on over and Plurk with us! It's the Plurkiest plurk you'll find... :) All for now.

Loosen Up!

I knit a lot of socks (you may have noticed!) and there are a couple habits I've picked up that are, I suppose, directly and naturally related to this. Firstly, I greatly prefer small needles and thin yarn. I'd rather knit a sweater from fingering-weight yarn on size 3 needles than a hat with bulky yarn on size 13s. The felted slippers I just finished were surprisingly difficult simply because the needles felt so huge in my hands. I couldn't knit without looking. My hands got tired. I've definitely turned myself into a fine-gauge knitter. (Which suits me additionally because I'm rather nearsighted - I can knit at night without my glasses or contacts!) Secondly, and not nearly as positive, I've become a dense knitter. Yes, my knit stitches are loose, so I'm always going down a needle size or two from the "suggested" size, but what I'm talking about is the fabric produced. I'm so used to the feeling of 7 - 9 stitches per inch (for a good, hard wearing sock) that I've knit more than one nearly-bulletproof garment. I've got a sweater in my closet knit from worsted weight yarn at 5.75 stitches per inch; it's perfect for hard northern winters, the wettest snow can't penetrate it. I've got a couple pairs of mittens made in a similar manner. I believe it's why I so hated knitting with cotton - while wool will tolerate such abuse, cotton just fights you every stitch of the way. The Honeymoon Cami provided me with a good learning curve. Here was a pattern and yarn that both begged, no, demanded to be knit loosely, to let the air flow through. The part I didn't expect was the drape that resulted. While I had a general idea of the concept of "drape," socks don't really allow it to happen. I am thrilled with the soft, flowy fabric I get when I just breathe deeply and loosen up; I've started a new project to work on my lessons. This is the Gathered Pullover, from last winter's Interweave. My knitting group in Homer is doing the pattern as a knitalong, and invited me to participate from afar. The pattern calls for a sportweight yarn worked at 19 stitches per 4 inches, creating a drapey, feather-weight fabric. I'm using Garnstudio's "Silke-Tweed" (in Indigo, color 05) on size 7 (4.5mm) needles, and I'm captivated by the simple stockinette stitch made new by the airy lightness of the fabric. It won't be a sweater to don instead of a coat in sub-zero temperatures, but I believe I'll get three seasons of use from it when it's finished. As for that season left-out from wool wearing, I'm still working away on another light sweater. I'm halfway finished with the first sleeve for my Apres-Surf Hoodie. The lace pattern is just open enough, the yarn is just light enough - I love it! All for now; tomorrow, I'll share what's really been sucking my time... (hint: it rhymes with "murk.")

Oh, the weather outside is...

...well, see for yourself: Wet, foggy, and generally dreary conditions prevail. Which is why I don't have a better photo for you of my finished Honeymoon Cami than this one: So we'll just call it a teaser, shall we? I'll post details and a modeled shot when the sun comes out again. All for now; hope the sun is shining on you.

Back in the swing of things

What's summertime without a little change? The shift in seasons has prompted a little re-decoration in the wool room. If you can't wear your knits, you might as well display them, right? I used two closed eye-screws (sounds like a medieval torture device, no?) and a doubled length of hemp twine (which I use as the material for my spinning wheel drive band) to make an indoor clothesline. It makes me smile when I see it. On the subject of wearable knits, the Honeymoon Cami is nearly finished. I've only got one more triangle to go and then a light blocking to make the yarn bloom and even out any (ahem!) wonky stitches. Felting is a process I have been a bit resistant to for some time now. I mean really, why go to all the time and trouble of knitting something (particularly on those enormous paper-towel-tube needles!) only to go and render it unrecognizable as knitting? I can admit when I'm wrong. I'm very proud to say that I have finally finished my very first felted project and I'm utterly charmed. I hardly need them now, but they will be very cosy when winter comes around again. The pattern (Fiber Trends) was very easy to follow, and they felted right down to size, though I'll admit that I had my doubts when I saw how huge they were pre-felting. My favorite bit is the glimpse of blue inside.

Felt Clogs, pattern AC-33 by Fiber Trends Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, held double, on 8mm (US 11) needles colors: Pistachio (upper), Aubergine (trim), Blue Heirloom (inner sole), and Turkish Olive (sole)

I finished filling four of my five bobbins with singles last week, so it was finally time to start plying the Blueberry Patch targhee wool I've been spinning for the past months. I've got 900 yards so far (that's three skeins like this one) and though it's not my most even spinning ever, it's a passable fingering- to sport-weight. I'm expecting 16oo - 1800 yards total, which should be more than plenty for a sweater. Maybe even one full sweater and the yoke of another. Of related interest, one of my favorite people in the world has a brand-new baby blog. She's a a knitter and a marine biologist for the state of Alaska. Go on over and say hi to her! All for now!

Decisions, decisions...

My morning: portrait of a moment.

Today is the last full day of school for the Squirrel Girls (we had a lot of snow days this year, so they ran school a couple weeks later than usual.) I'll be glad to be finished with The Routine for a few months, but I'm also savoring my last day of "freedom." Coffee, knitting, computer... Hey, wait! Is that a knitting project you haven't seen before? Ah, yes, didn't I say something about a new project I was swatching for? (despite the copious amount of knitting already in progress?) The heat wave we've been having (It reached 94 on Monday! A much more reasonable 63 this morning so far...) inspired me to start a little summer top. It's the Honeymoon Cami from Knitty (Spring 2004) and I'm working it up in Elsebeth Lavold's "Hempathy." (Color 09, which is a greyish-purpley-blue. Me likes.) If I pay it extra-special attention, I could be wearing it by this weekend. While I'm still (still) working away at spinning the targhee I've had on the wheel for forever (no photos, cause it still just looks like a stack of bobbins with green, blue, and purple singles. Lovely, but not too exciting.) I'm tempted to throw caution to the wind and spin more sock yarn. I've now got a little collection of Enchanted Knoll's Happy Hooves sock batts, and the sparkles and colors are killing me... This first one is called "Queen Mermaid." Wallow in her luscious depths! That was (alas) last month's installment. I'm so behind... This pretty arrived in my mailbox the other day. She's called Pumpkin Juice, and it's difficult to capture the subtle variations in tone. Suffice to say, it's lovely stuff. One whole day to do whatever I please. Hmmmm.... Decisions, decisions!

Cat Bordhi Made Me Do It

I've been in a frenzy of start-itis, and I blame at least the beginning of it on Cat Bordhi. Before I get into that though, I have a couple "Thank You"s to say. I won some gorgeous handspun from Cayli when she was running a contest/fundraiser for her 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. The colors are beautiful, and it's wonderful to see someone else's handspun for a change. Becky over at Westerly Whimsies held a contest to celebrate her graduation and blogiversary, and I won some great sock yarn. It's Brown Sheep Wildefoote in "Elderberry," and it's going to be wonderful to knit up. I love the deep, rich colors. Thank you so much, you guys! So, what did Cat Bordhi make me do? Well, I finally got my hands on a copy of her book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters (Book One), and I read through it twice at my local yarn shop before it leaped into my bag and came home with me. Rebel that I am, I started out with one of the full-size patterns rather than the baby-sized socks. (Ooo, walking on the dangerous side!) This is the first of "Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks" (Ravelry link) knit up in a Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel sock yarn (colorway: "Icicle.") Something about them makes me think of elves, so I call them my "Cloud Elf Socks." The pattern is great, though a bit tricky. It was like knitting socks for the first time - I was just following directions without a thorough understanding of what I was making as I approached the heel... No heel flap? Increase in the leg section? Very odd indeed! I'm absolutely hooked. Inspired by Ms. Bordhi's take on form, I started her Mobius cowl, which I figured (correctly) would be a quicker and easier knit. It only took a day and a half. I used just over half the skein of 50/50 wool/silk yarn from Done Roving Farms that I bought last winter. (The color is called "Carnival.") I'm very pleased with the outcome. Because the yarn is a light worsted weight, I only used a 4.0 mm (US 6) needle, so my cowl is closer fitting than the sample pictured on the pattern website. (The original pattern calls for bulky yarn and a 6mm/US 10 needle, creating a much larger cowl.) I like it that way, though, and the heaviness of the yarn lends a wonderful drape to the fabric. Once that "easy" project was finished, I wanted something else to work on in front of a movie in the evenings. I started knitting a pair of Fiber Trends' Felted Clogs, using some of the Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted I've accumulated. Since the yarn is held double throughout, I've made a bit of a dent in that section of the stash. The clogs have yet to be felted, as you can see. I should add, too, that I managed to get entirely turned around while I was knitting them, and actually knit the first clog three times to finally get it right. *Sigh* Perhaps not such a great movie-watching project after all... I've had my eye on the Apres Surf Hoodie from the most recent Interweave Knits ever since I saw it on the preview page. I found a great deal on some cones of Brown Sheep's Cotton Fine (from Patternworks!) in a discontinued color ("Silver Plum") and I had to cast on as soon as it arrived. I really love how it's working up so far. I'm using 3.25mm needles (US 3) and I'm pretty much using the sleeve as a gauge swatch. The fabric is light and lovely, and I'm anxious to finish the sweater and wear it in the coolness of the Maine summer evenings. Oops! Hey, look at that, I finished one of the "Cloud Elf" socks and started another! What do you know... Actually, Andy had the second part of his sleep-apnea-surgery this past Monday, and this sock got some attention paid during my time waiting in the hospital. He's doing alright and we're back home now. With all these new projects on the needles, I have to assure you I haven't forgotten about my other works-in-progress; the Autumn Rose sweater (My Preciousssss) is still around, though I'm sorry to say I seem to have done a bit of *ahem* growing this winter so it may be a bit tight unless I can keep going to the gym as I started this week... I'll admit, that's the reason I've not been working on it lately. That, and I need to sit down with the charts and some quiet to knit it, and busy life circumstances have made that difficult lately. I'm still working on the "Chickadee Scarf" here and there, which is a modification of the Nancy Bush's "Stork's Nest Scarf" from the Jan/Feb issue of Piecework Magazine. (The winter issue is sold out on the Interweave site, but there are some available through other sources online, if one is interested.) I had less yardage, so I cast on fewer stitches for a more narrow scarf. I have nearly forgiven the Spider's Web Shawl for her transgressions a couple months ago; I may pull it out soon and try to figure where I lost my place and how to salvage the knitting. Again, though, there's the issue of charts and uninterrupted time... I'm spinning away at the pound of targhee wool I started some time ago. I've got almost four bobbins full, so it will be time for some plying to make room for more singles. But still... I've been swatching with some new projects in mind. It's summer. I want lighter knits. I'm on vacation from school. Anyone else got any good excuses for me? :D All for now.