Coachella FO'd!

The cowl is cowl-y and the linen is drapey. Can you ask for anything more?



It was even a good day for modeling.



I cast off first thing this morning (those twisted stitches are slow going) after dropping a whole mess of stitches last night and giving up in disgust.



I really ought to undo the bottom edge and cast off more loosely. It looked almost ridiculously loose when I was casting off, but it is definitely too tight. But really, I am far too pleased with this top. I am smug, even.

Also smug about this:



I started a new job this week and celebrated by buying my very first skein of Socks That Rock! The colourway is algae and it was very very hard to choose. I think I finally have my Monkey yarn!

So, I am now projectless and bereft. I need something new and exciting. I have a whole mess of sweaters in my Ravelry queue, but after my very first summer top success, I sort of want to run with that. Any suggestions?

Progress is Made (Heather)

Though my non-sleeping/eating/bathing time has been pretty much consumed by a family project this week, I have managed to finish up some loose ends!



We took pictures of Amaya! (right before the skies opened up yet again). Now if I could only get it in the mail...



I knit a bit on Coachella! The linen is working for me, surprisingly! I am using to cotton bugging my hands, so I was pleasantly surprised that the linen seems to be easy to work with so far. My hands do get tired, but it takes longer, and they aren't sore. I love how knitting stockinette in smaller needles creates a nice tight rolled edge that doesn't take over. I am a little concerned that the neck will not be droopy enough, I pulled it over my head and it doesn't seem that loose. But I am knitting to gauge and I have followed the pattern, so I guess I will just trust the designer and knit on.

In fabric news, Leslie took me to Quilter's Palette on Saturday morning!

As some of you may know, I am a dedicated Kaffe girl. The problem with that is that I love Kaffe's fabrics too much to experiment on!



I picked out some fat quarters at QP that I loved, but hopefully not so much that I will be afraid to cut into them. The roll of fabric is a bolt end, about 0.6m, so altogether I have about 1.5 metres to play with. Could either be enough to put together a pieced sampler-type quilt, or if I found a few more co-ordinating colours it could be a good start to a 'stack and cut' stained-glass type quilt. I saw a fantastic quilt that New Brunswick Kate's mom had made for her and I have been thinking about it ever since. Thanks to Leslie for taking me out to the wilds of Etobicoke; I haven't been fabric shopping with a sewer since I got interested in fabric, so I needed that knowledgeable presence.

Another busy weekend approaches, so who knows how much progress will continue. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Finished Socks and Kitty Jarheads (Heather)

While not the most productive weekend knitting-wise, I did manage to finish Mike's second sock. I've even sewed in the ends since I took this picture!



Yarn: Regia Canadian Colour
Pattern: My standard sock pattern.
Needles: Addi Turbo 2mm 32"circ
Sleeping Cat: Molly

While Gen and I were shlepping around downtown TO on Friday, we came across Romni's brand spankin' new Fleece Artist shipment. Gen managed to snag a 750m ball of fingering weight Merino for a really great price. The same price, actually, as the 325m skeins.



And it don't look too shabby, either! I am in love with this yarn! Gen cannot resist the lure of potential itty-bitty baby garments. They are like potato chips! Finish your blanket first!

Do you know how long it takes to wind 750m of yarn?



A loooooooong time.

The basil continues to shoot up. I took this picture after I snipped off the entire top leaf growth in an attempt to stop the plant from getting tall without getting wide. Anyone got a good recipe for pesto that wouldn't require garlic?



Now that the sock is done, I am free to start a fun sock. I have so many top-of-the-list socks that I am having a hard time choosing. In the meantime, I am going to finish Amaya.

In completely random and probably unneeded news, the catnip has gotten sufficiently low in the container that Molly has to stick her entire head in to get at the yummy catcrack. This makes me laugh more than it ought to, I suspect.



Phlox won't even try...

Delinquent Blogger Returns... footage at 6 (Heather)

Yes, it seems I took a little impromptu blog break. I didn't completely abandon knitting, and I did my best to check up on the blogs every so often, but I didn't have much to say, and in my defense, it was a busy busy month. I am still trying to catch my breath!

I did not finish Salina, nor am I likely to finish the Greek Pullover by June 12th, since I haven't started it. I did finish Evie, so that will have to count as my May sweater:



Evie!
Pattern: Debbie Bliss Stella/Pure Cotton (This is a great book! I already want to knit three more designs)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Stella Colour 15, 7 balls
Comments: a very quick knit, very simple, but with interest. The bulky yarn really makes the knitting zip along, but the yarn is not unpleasantly heavy. The wet-blocking really evened out the stitches and gave the fabric more drape. This was a sample project commissioned by Needles and Pins.

She is already holding court in the window at Needles and Pins. I have to say, it was a really easy, fun, and quick project! It only took a while because I had other things on my plate and knitting projects oddly don't progress very fast when you don't touch them for a week or more.

I am pledging to do better by Amaya.




This is my next store project, and I am loving it even more than Evie! The yarn is Rowan's new Bamboo Tape, and it is absolutely luscious. The feel of silk, but the tape gives it nice elasticity. This wool adherent has found her match!



The pattern is Amaya, from the Bamboo Tape Collection. At first glance it looks as simple as Evie, but there is some really elegant shaping and a neat neck treatment!



I had the back completely finished in less than two days of knitting... I could have laid it out for you to see the shape, but I wanted to portray the luxurious drape for you. It feels like you could pour it through your fingers. And since it is a tape, there is no splittiness. If my addi catches on the yarn, it doesn't catch. I think I am in love! I have the front done except for one side of the v-neck, and then the finishing (which includes the fancy next twist). I think I can have it done before June 12th, and therefore might fulfill my three sweaters in three months vow after all!

On an unrelated note: what the heck are these?



They came with Mike's new dress shirt, and similar ones came with his last shirt. I am really curious, and I feel like I ought to know, but I am clueless! Any help?

Central Park Hoodie (Heather)

Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Cable

I did sew the last button on this baby at 10 AM on Easter Sunday, finishing it just in time to wear to church (my determination was perhaps fueled by the fact that I had packed no other appropriate outfit) and so I did have my new sweater for that day. Even a bonnet, if you count the hood.

None of my pictures are that helpful for people who want details on the sweater, but really it looks pretty darn exact to the pictures in Knitscene (yay!) but if anyone has questions or want to see a particular part, just let me know.



We may have gotten a little artsy accidentally. Yesterday afternoon we walked up and down Yonge St. and generally had a good time. It was almost dusk when we got off the subway, so we had a short window of time to take a few pictures.


(could I look goofier? must be spring fumes)

One of the things I love most about this sweater is the colour. It is so super-saturated that I am sure I will have to wash it separately all its life, but it is completely worth it. Look at how it pops out from the gray of spring! When I walk down the street in it (and trust me, I throw it on whenever I am leaving the apartment) I feel like I couldn't stand out more from the dreary sidewalks and naked hedges if I were wearing a fluorescent orange vest. Now, my goal is not usually to stand out, but for this sweater I will make a happy exception.

It was a great pattern to knit, some errata, but nothing that I couldn't have figured out on my own. A very fast knit, despite the hood. (note: there is a LOT more knitting in a hood than you think there is. It is the area equivalent to about 2/3 of the back!) The cables are easy-peasy without a cable needle, and with the nice elasticy wool they spring into place and really pop.



So: the details!

Central Park Hoodie
Started: March 12, 2007
Finished: April 8, 2007
Pattern: Knitscene, Fall 2006, from Rosemary!
Needles: This loose knitter used a 3.5mm Addi for everything but the ribbing.
Yarn: Ram Wools Selkirk in Red (120) 4.5 skeins (248m each)

Modifications: I extended the main body (the cable repeats) of the sweater in length. I wanted a size small for snugness, but I am long-waisted and this extension makes the sweater much more wearable than it would have been on me.

I also extended the button bands to 2" instead of 1.5". I don't know if I would do this again, the edges of the button bands flip up a bit, but I haven't actually blocked them yet, so we shall see.

I wet blocked all the main pieces, and it really really improved the wool. This is a rough under-processed wool with lots of vegetable matter in it, but with a fairly even ply. The label says it gets softer with each wash, and I have had no problem with it against my skin so far.

This is a warm snug sweater, and I have been wearing it as a jacket over a tank top in our April weather of 5 degrees. It might be chilly, but the snow is gone and the plants are starting to wake up again!



I have started my next Spring Surge Sweater and am beavering away on my store project. Pictures (yay!) to come.

Studies in Odessa no. 6

Six Ways to See Odessa... the hat, not the city.

You all know those patterns a mile away. The ones that are sweeping the knitting world. The difference between a Clapotis and an Odessa is that you can whip out three Odessae in the time it takes you to get to that first dropped stitch. Is it any wonder that these spirally hats are virtually piling up over here??

Gen (aka Azura) started the trend last fall. She had only knit a couple of projects but she courageously dove into this pattern which was more complicated than anything she had done before. We're not really sure what happened but the result was not Odessa. Don't get me wrong, we all think it's beautiful and wish we knew what she did so it could be recreated on purpose. This hat has been christened the "Corinna" for it's recipient. (It's RYC Cashsoft DK in white)



Gen decided to have another go at this pattern for her sister in Cashsoft DK cream (huge difference there). After a few setbacks, she finished a true Odessa!



Needless to say after all this drama Gen needs a break from the pattern but she had already bought the yarn to make herself one. She would love to hear any suggestions for similar but different hat patterns.

Heather was the next to jump on the bandwagon. She made Odessa for her sister's Christmas present in a lovely olive green, here posed with photogenic kitty Molly (she wasn't posed, she actually jumped up there herself).



Despite her issues with hats intended for herself, Heather bowed to peer pressure and was convinced to knit herself an Odessa out of Manos.



After a few length issues, there is a slight problem with the top having a bit of a nipply effect, a common hat related issue attested to by other knitters. As long as Heather doesn't mind walking around looking like a Hershey Kiss, it will work out just fine.

With all this Odessa-making going on Adriana wasn't going to be left out. Since everyone else was making hats for their sisters, she decided to make one for the person most likely to become her sister, her brother's girlfriend Courtney. After deep discussions at Romni with Heather, she caved and used the same olive-y colour of Cashsoft DK but decided to make things a little more complicated for herself and use beads. The amber beads seem to go perfectly with the olive green.



Adriana also decided to make a one for herself, unconsciously copying Grumperina's original by choosing Cashsoft in Belladonna and going with pearly beads. Unfortunately she got a little impatient and decreased too soon so this hat does not properly cover her ears. It will be fixed soon before it gets too warm out to need hats.



Same pattern, six very different finished objects. It is nice to see that even with the pattern du jour, creativity can still be expressed! Now, how about all those calorimetries out there...

Greetings from the Deep Freeze (Heather)

One subway sock down...



One to go...


(chapstick included for scale)

I am chronically worried about running out of yarn, and when you are dealing with socks of epic proportions, one perhaps has a valid reason to worry. If the proprietors of my local post office weren't so grumpy, I would ask them to weigh the remaining yarn for me, but as it is, I think I will just play it by ear.

You guys brought up some important things to consider with the log cabin blanket... I will have to ponder further. I didn't really expect such support for option #2! Portability is not crucial to this project, but it would make it more convenient.

Gen asked about the tidiness of my seams: I am twisting each picked-up stitch by knitting through the back of the loop, and I am really happy with how tight a seam this produces. I don't know if this is recommended, but since I am a loose knitter, I think it really improves the look of my squares. Also, I am using wool, not cotton, which has a very forgiving amount of elasticity.

Any suggestions for her on picking up stitches more neatly?

Now, to cast on for the second sock before I get distracted...

Log Jam (Heather)

First off, proof that I imanaged to block the Donegal hat yesterday. It is missing this morning, so I imagine it was carried off to brave the chills of downtown Toronto.



I knit it with one full skein of Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed, I knit it top down, using this pattern and cast off when I thought I was going to run out. Since I was left with about a metre, I can say that this worked very well. Also, since this hat was 24 inches in circumference, and with brim unfolded can cover the nose, I can say with fair authority that there is enough yarn in one skein for any human-sized hat. I also knit it at a tighter gauge for extra warmth, so the result is a nice and sturdy hat that can stand up to our delayed but now vigorous winter.

Now, on to the crux of the post!

Since I seem unable to knit with only one thing on the needles, I had a bit of startitis the other day. Long meaning to knit a log cabin blanket, and inspired by a friend's start, I got busy and knit a square. Then I knit some more, and so on...



As I got to this point, I stopped and pondered. I have a bag of Noro Kureyon that was earmarked for this adventure, you see it in the middle. I wanted a blanket with potential to be as big as I wanted, so I decided to add a contrasting plain colour, cue some Ram Wools Selkirk: certainly not the softest yarn out there, but neither is Kureyon, and they are nearly identical in weight.

My original plan was something that looked like this:



The swampy-brown representing the Kureyon, of course... it will move from bright pink to electric teal, etc. This option has the benefit of having no finite end, therefore I can stop when I run out. I have enough extra selkirk to make a border of my choice.

Of course, a quilt would be lovely... cue option 2!



This would be stunning, no? But there is a finite end to this quilt, and knowing my luck, that end would come just after I run out of Kureyon...

Option 3:



I was too lazy to make a brand new template, so you will have to extrapolate for yourself. I haven't seen one done like this, but maybe there is a reason? Maybe this blanket would be unbalanced? This one of course ends when you want it to, so no yarn shortage looming here.

This is going to be a long-term need-some-boring-garter-stitch project, no deadlines.

Any ideas? I can't promise I will stick to your advice, but I would sure like to hear what you think!

One thing this ain't... (Heather)

And that's a green sweater.

There is another swatch, on larger needles. Still not loose enough. I am waiting to borrow larger needles. I have no need for bigger addis than the ones I have, at least not on a regular basis. We hates the gauge, yes we do!

In the meantime, I have been at loose ends. I finished Mike's Donegal Tweed hat, it needs a good blocking, but I can't seem to snatch it away, which is a good sign. I finished that Trekking sock which was kicking around, waiting for an in-person foot fitting...



There are many pictures, they are all this fuzzy. The trekking defies photography. But they fit! I love love love this yarn. I think the next pair of socks on the needles will be a pair for me.

Speaking of socks, for a while the subway sock was the only thing on the needles so they got some attention this weekend:



If these were for me, I would be done now! This is usually the point in the sock where I lose interest. I mean, the gusset decreases are done, right? Time for the toe... wait! I have to knit many inches of straight stockinette before I can start thinking about toes. Bah.

So I did what any self respecting knitter would do. I started a few other things, just to take the edge off from knitting with wee metal toothpicks.



I cast on for a sweater. It occurs to me that I asked for advice on what sweater to do after Kermit, gave two options, and this is neither one. This is in fact yarn that I had completely forgotten about, acquired at clearance prices sometime last year (?). It is Gedifra English Tweed, in a delightfully creamy pumpkin coloured mix of merino, angora, and nylon. It has that same two dimensional fabric effect as Felted Tweed, but it has a recommended gauge of 16 sts, which makes it a little easier to swallow in my current apathy. And did I mention the fact that it is orange? It looks so yummy that it begged a kitchen photo shoot. What shall I name her?

I am planning a fitted sweater with a deep v-neck, as this yarn is more than delicious enough to wear against skin. I am doing the sleeves first since I have to make some measurements from my closet regarding neck depth. I also have not made any decisions regarding edgings, hence the provisional cast on. I tried a twisted rib, but it looked very wonky.

I finished something else, and started something else too, but that will have to wait for a later post.

(Oh! The Spring Interweave preview is out, and I for one am excited!)

Tubey or not Tubey? (I couldn't resist :P) (Adriana)

Tubey is done!! I actually finished on Tuesday but I had to wait until I arrived at Heather's for pictures. Heather, Gen and I hit up a not-so-local yarn store and I spent too much money (but Heather was good, just getting what she needed to finish something). Due our adventures and a forgotten camera, we missed out on natural light so we had to get creative:


Finished Tubey in the floral department at the local Loblaws :)
(Please note that you are not "technically" allowed to take pictures in Loblaws. The kind florist lady said that we could do it as long as we were fast)


Just smellin' the flowers (I'd like to say that this picture lies and I do not have a big gut as it seems to show. That's all bulging fabric)


Tubey in all it's glory


Artsy shot!

This is, of course, Cassie Rovitti's Tubey knit in Mission Falls 1824 Wool (Natural, Teal and Mallow, I think). It was a pretty fast knit, done in 16 days. I love this wool; this is my second sweater made of it (and I have enough for a third). I think that this is my favourite handknit sweater (I especially like the bell sleeves) and I promise to wear it lots!
I tried on my sweater as I went along (the plus side to the unusual construction) to determine length and location of stripes. Unfortunately, MF is a very heavy wool, especially when wet so it stretched A LOT during the washing process. This resulted in a larger, or rather longer, garment that had been planned. I'll need to get the boyfriend's help next time to try to keep it in shape. Thank goodness for the elastic quality of wool.

City of York (Heather)

is done!

Well, truthfully it was finished about 3:30 on Thursday afternoon. I just lacked another pair of hands to take pictures for me. And my usual photographer didn't get home before dusk either Thursday or Friday. Such are the hard times that befall us these short winter days. Even more apalling, it actually snowed last night! Really!

Anyway, we headed off to the park to get the shot I have been waiting for all these months:



See? Sweater named York? City of York? Get it? Even better, just a block or so over is Raglan Ave. Be prepared. There was a 'York Region' park bench that I wanted to get a shot of, but there was a guy sitting on it, and he just didn't seem to be the sharing type.

Yep, the sweater odyssey is over. I can't believe that a sweater this simple took so long to complete. A testament to a short attention span if ever I saw one.

But I don't regret a minute of it (well, except for having to rip back BOTH sleeves upon the discovery that the cast on edge was just too loosey-goosey for my own admittedly low standards).



York from Noro Knits (by Jane Ellison)
Noro Silk Garden 247, just under 8 balls
Started August 2006, finished January 11, 2007
Final word? LOVE IT!

One word of warning, though: I used almost an entire ball more than the pattern called for in my size. And there was a lot of this:



This drives me a little crazy at the best of times, but in Noro it is even worse because the breaks in the yarn ALWAYS break up colour patterns. Until I wised up and started spit-splicing, I had ends dangling from every edge. The thing is, I have knit two clapotises and a sweater previous with noro yarns, and the random knots are usually the exception, not the rule. Maybe this bag caught Mr. Noro on a bad day. Still, I love the yarn and wouldn't hesitate to use it again. And the sweater itself is extremely comfortable and wearable and well-fitting. Even despite the fact that I apparently missed part of the neck shaping on the fronts. Did I mention a short attention span?

So, as soon as I finish that trekking sock and Mike's sweater (wait, did I say finish the sweater? how about start?) then I can freely start on a whole new batch of knits for 2007!


(see? snow!)

Christmas Part Two (Adriana)

Now that I finally got the last of the Christmas pictures from my relatives' cameras I can show off the rest of my Christmas knitting.

My Granny is one of my favourite people to knit for. She adores everything I make for her and wears them all the time. Last year for Christmas I knit her a pair of socks which she wore so much that it was hard to get her to give them up for a weekend trip to me so I could double check the dimensions. This year's socks are made of Austermann Step with aloe and jojoba oil; nothing but the best for my Granny.


Granny reclining on the couch in her new socks (note the cool glowing cane!)

Close up on the socks. The long colour blocks were boring to me so I made the socks fraternal twins to spice things up!
I'm pleased to report that these socks are a hit! Granny wore them every day from Christmas on. I got a call from my mom early in January to say that she finally managed to pry them away from Granny in order to wash them :)

When I was packing to come home I couldn't bring much beyond the essentials since my uncle had to squeeze 4 adults and a cat into his little Honda Civic. As a result I couldn't bring any projects home with me beyond a pair of socks. Once those were complete I offered to knit my mom a cool hat and she happily agreed. We hit up the local Michaels (my hometown is sadly lacking in a LYS) to get supplies to feed my cravings.
I decided to make my mom a Fake Isle hat with Patons SWS in Natural Plum and Patons Classic Merino in Purple. It was a fairly fast pattern and a lot of fun. We ran into disaster when I finished and tried it on mom only to discover that the point at the top stuck out a full 2 inches beyond her head. After ripping back and doing more rapid decreases it was done at 6pm on Christmas Eve (apparently I'm all about dramatic completion times).

Mom showing off her new favourite hat (notice she's still wearing her Christmas sweater even though this picture was taken days later)

Gotta love those decreases.

Time to get back to Tubey. I've had to rethink my striping plan due to fear of running out of yarn. Hopefully I'll have something to show off soon.