Another Knitter

Silencing The Screamers

2012-02-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

There's been many debates through the years that have played out in the knitiverse. Circulars or straights? Seamless or seamed? Organic or acrylic? Is your knitting art or craft? Do you knit for love of the process or product? Does declaring your work "Not your Grandma's knitting." make you hip and progressive or a short sighted ingrate? (In the interest of full disclosure I would have to say circulars, seamless, organic, craft for me, art for a rare few, both, and the latter.)

The Land of Lost Knits

On the matter of how many WIPs (Works In Progress) are acceptable and how one decides which WIP will become a FO (Finished Object) first, the choices are left largely to the individual knitter without judgement or condemnation. Even the most monogamous of knitters can come down with a mild case of Startitis on occasion. Years ago I was listening to a podcast, I believe it was either Craftborg or SSK, I confess I'm not sure which, and the co-hosts were discussing how they like to work on "the screamers." They defined screamers as those projects which demand your attention and cry out to be worked on at any given time. In the past I've heard of knitters who only have one project on the needles at a time, but I don't believe I've ever actually met one. I've also heard of knitters that keep a log of their WIPs with a set schedule of which projects will be worked on certain days of the week. Neither option sounded like much fun to me. I fully embraced the concept of giving my fickle attention to the squeakiest wheel in my knitting bag, casting on whatever and whenever. No limits. No deadlines. So here we are all these years later and how's that working out for me? Have you seen my updated sidebar of WIPs? I'm sure what's most amusing to my husband is how incomplete it is. I've left off all the small unfinished objects still lurking in drawers and cupboards. He knows where the bodies are buried.

Two recent events have caused me to reconsider. First was my decision to cast on a pair of socks for a friend and let her know that some lovely, silky, stripey socks were forthcoming. Do you know what happens when I knit a pair of socks with even a flexible self-imposed deadline? I finish a pair of *$%# socks, That's what happens! Brilliant. The final confirmation came for me shortly after this...

The most important work in progress

Sublime Yarns, Little Captain
Cableman from book 8

The hubby and I began day dreaming and planning even before the wedding, but thought, "If it happens it happens and if it doesn't... life will still be wonderful, but wouldn't it be nice, but let's not get too excited. I mean we're no spring chickens and it probably won't happen...can't happen, but if it did....can you imagine?" Then whammo! Two months of trying and convincing myself that we were just setting ourselves up for disappointment and there it was. Two faint lines on a home pregnancy test and life changes in an instant. Here comes the son. All of a sudden I had a brand new deadline. A certain amount of time and blue yarn to tackle with all these cute little baby knits just flying off my needles. They're quick, they give me the chance to tackle new techniques on a small scale and I am focused. I had forgotten how helpful that last piece of the equation can be.

Newly inspired I pulled out all those lingering FOs. I will finish these off one by one. I have declared socks and travel knitting exempt, but I will tackle the rest one at a time and I will take back the knits!!! In the spirit of a previous KAL (Knit Along) of several years ago, "Naked Sticks by 2006" I tried to come up with a catchy title for my belated New Years resolution, but the best I could do was "WIP it out in 2012" which, A) doesn't rhyme and B) runs the risk of attracting a very different following than the one intended. I guess I'm just going to put my head down and get this done. If you'll excuse me I must tend to my knitting.

Vitamin D Cardigan in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool

Casting On

2012-01-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

So what else have I been up to? Let's see....

Ah, yes. I got married. After saying never again I found someone who made me reconsider. Or rather, re-found someone. Our Mothers were coworkers and friends when we were still in utero. I arrived first. He showed up six weeks later. We went to each other's birthday parties, Halloween parties (I was Princess Leia. He was C3po) and we stayed aware of each other's lives via our Mothers.

Something transformative can happen with time, maturity, hard life lessons and years of reflecting on what's missing in life and what you wish it looked like. If you're very brave or blissfully ignorant and naive or a bit of all three, one day you wake up and life looks something like this.

In anticipation of this day I decided to cast on something special. Something delicate and ethereal. Something complicated that would keep my hands busy in the days leading up to our wedding, but if you've ever planned a wedding you know there is PLENTY to keep you busy. Especially when you and your beloved are also blending a family and raising eight children together.

Needless to say very little progress was made on what was supposed to be a wedding shawl. The pattern is Kiri by Polly Outhwaite from All Tangled Up and the yarn is Aloft from Knitpicks in the color Sky. I've wanted to knit this pattern for so long and I do love it, but the process is far from relaxing. At least at this point in my life. Every time I vow to take it up again I live in dread of that moment when someone distracts me or bumps my chart keeper or just looks at me sideways and suddenly my stitch counts are off. I'm lace phobic. I'll work it out and overcome my fears and this may be finished in time for our fifth anniversary.

In fact I have a strategy to move beyond my lace phobia. Five years ago when the baby who is no longer a baby was born, I posted about my affection for self-striping sock yarn hand dyed by Meg at Twisted Fiber Art . At that time she was selling through Etsy and with one of my orders she included a sample skein of superwash sock yarn in a colorway called Octarine. I fell in love with the colors, but then life happened. We moved house, money was tight, calamity struck and as it turns out I am not one of those people who can heed Elizabeth Zimmermann's advice to "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises." Still, I held onto that sample Skein. So here we are in better times and a quick search turned up Meg's new site. Lo and behold she still offers Octarine in many more styles.

I ordered the colorway in Evolution which is made up of very long, gradual transitions in a fingering weight silk/merino blend. I think knitting up something lacey in a heavier weight than Aloft is going to build a little confidence and set me on my way. I had already purchased Ysolda's Ishbel pattern before ordering this yarn, but was inspired after seeing Pearl Power's Ishbel in the same yarn posted on Meg's site. Can yarn bring you closure? It may sound hokey, but having this yarn turn up on my doorstep after all these years was symbolic for me. It took us a long time to finally come together and I wish it could have been sooner, but timing is everything.

Aaaaaannnnd We're Back.

2012-01-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Life is funny and not always “funny-Ha! Ha!” It’s been far too long since I last posted, but in that time I’ve learned so much and life has changed so much since that inaugural post on April 21, 2005. After a difficult marriage, painful divorce (a phrase which now sounds ridiculously redundant,) time as a single mom of seven, the long illness and eventual death of my Father, and
now, miraculously, finding myself in a happier place it’s time to review what we’ve learned class…

1. It’s a cliché, but it’s true, time goes faster as you get older.

2. Children have their own path in life which they generously let you be a part of for a time.

3. You never fully comprehend how horrible your circumstances have become until you come out the other side and look back on it from a safe place. This is probably for the best or you’d never find the strength to push on and get to aforementioned safe place.

4. If someone you love continually tells you in word and/or deed that you’re worthless and can’t do anything right, at some point in the journey, no matter how strong you think you are, you start to
believe them.

5. If someone you love tells you you’re worthless and can’t do anything right it’s probably time to find someone else to love….like yourself.

6. Among friends and family who truly love you, no one will be harder on you than you. They
just sometimes have an easier time being honest with you than you do with yourself.

7. Sometimes when a wrecking ball hits your life it clears the way for something beyond your wildest dreams.

8. Men who know how to cook AND do laundry and are happy to do so without complaining or expecting a medal- They do exist.

9. It’s possible to love someone and wish them all the best and not particularly like them very much.

10. I have given more than I should have, put up with more than I care to admit, but received far more than I deserve. It all balances out in the end.

11. I am blessed.

12. I am blessed.

13. I am blessed.

Well that was heavy. Now that we’re all caught up, How about some knitting???

Babes in Toyland

2010-06-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ah, the twists and turns of parenthood. Someone threw out the handbook and the road map and I didn't get the memo. It happened to fashion. Wear white whenever the spirit moves you and pajamas are now suitable outerwear. It happened to social discourse. The checkout girl can now ask me if the weather's still crap and talk my ear off about her equally crap boyfriend. But parenting? I have my common sense and gut maternal instincts to fall back on, but otherwise I'm improvising here without a net.

I've been parenting for just under two decades, but T. Berry Brazelton doesn't tell you how to maintain a cheery, festive environment for the first Thanksgiving when Mommy and Daddy have two households. Or how to entertain yourself on weekends that the kids are away visiting aforementioned daddy and you finally have a few hours to fall apart in private and maybe squeeze in a pedicure.

I had a long list of parenting goals during my first pregnancy at the ripe old age of 21. Some were lofty and slightly unrealistic. My children would not eat Happy Meals. My children would not play with Barbies or war toys. My children would have days full of nurturing teaching moments and never get a sunburn or need stitches.

Nineteen years later my parenting goal boils down to, I will not arse this up! Once upon a time I met the babysitter with detailed lists of rules and regulations. Now on those rare occasions when I find a babysitter, I leave emergency contact info, a bedtime and the direction that I'd like everyone to still be alive when I return and not in need of therapy, babysitter included.

A friend of mine recently told me that her therapist was helping her get in touch with her "inner goddess." This is a working mother of three that seems to hold it all together with poise and enviable ease. All I could think is that the carrot of feminine goddess hood has been crammed down my throat. Maybe I need to get in touch with my inner humanity? Maybe I need to roll around in the dirty laundry which threatens to overtake me and eat a twinkie and trust that there are other women within primal screaming distance that work just as hard to create a sanctuary for the ones they love more than life in this glorious, all too human, domestic maze.

Ravelry Killed The Knit Blog

2008-04-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

A few days ago on Ravelry I received an e-mail from someone asking me to please update my knitting blog.

Knitting blog? What knitting blog? I have a knitting blog??!

So I zipped over here to check my last posting date and was horrified to see "May 2007". I am dangerously close to one year with no posts, no pics, Nada.

The idea of covering everything I've done for a year is way too daunting, especially since it's all been lovingly cataloged over at Ravelry. Ah, Ravelry. Where I can search for a yarn in my stash and find page after page of patterns appropriate for it. Or better yet, new and ingenious modifications for patterns already on my shelves. *sigh*

Clearly, what little computer time I get has been eaten up by my new Ravelry obsession and if this is wrong, I don't want to be right. But the least I can do is offer an update from my last post. The somewhat cowl is frogged. I love this Andean Treasure yarn, but I know now from experience that 100% alpaca is deliciously soft to the hand, but itchy, itchy, itchy everywhere else. This is destined to be a cardigan at some future date.

The Greek Pullover is done, but no pics yet. I'll get right on it.

Marylin's not so shrunken cardi is done as well and it's by far a favorite. I love the Silky Tweed I knit it up in and would definitely use this yarn again. It wasn't the most exciting thing I've ever knit when it was on the needles, but it's a great, basic cardigan that I wear at least once a week. Again no pics of that. Sorry, I'll get right on it.

I do have a bonus FO. I finished Sahara.
Ta Da
I originally added short sleeves, but didn't like the way they flared out. I ripped them back and re knit the edging again with artyarns beaded silk. The body was knit in a Classic Elite cotton/tencel blend called Premiere. I knit the bottom edging in Premiere as well so I wouldn't end up with a big beige stripe across my hips.

Last, but not least, I'm still slogging through the Cathay Boat neck Aran. I say slogging, because the pattern requires more time and concentration than I can typically muster on any given day. How many years has it been on the needles now? 2? 3? I'm on the last sleeve and then I just have to knit up the neckline and seam. The only thing that keeps me going is seeing how beautiful it looks already in it's unfinished state. Well, that and Ravelry. Whenever I slow down I just log on and check out other Ravelers finished boat neck arans and take up my needles again.

Rain, Rain Go Away

2007-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about UFOs. Mine have spent over a month packed and waiting for moving day. This was an excellent strategy for finishing Patti since it left me with nothing else to work on for several weeks. The only drawback is now I have all these unfinished wooly items that frankly I don't want to knit in warm weather. So do I put them on the back burner until Fall and cast on something cooler or do I force myself to finish up and get them off the needles? Here's the line up from left to right... The Somewhat Cowl in KnitPicks Andean Treasure, Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardi in Silky Tweed, and the IK Greek Pullover in Rowan Kid Classic. Both the Greek Pullover & the Shrunken Cardi are 2nd timers for me, but this time I'm using the suggested yarn for both patterns. The Silky Tweed is gorgeous by the way and no pictures I've seen of it have ever done it justice. I love this yarn! I don't include the Cathay Boatneck Aran in this list because I've cast on the back this week and made some good progress which you can see here...

But what's that next to the boatneck aran? Not the oranges. I mean the little yarn cakes pyramid. Hmmm, that just might be a little Classic Elite Premiere and Artyarns Beaded Silk destined to be a shortsleeved Sahara. Considering that I cast on the boatneck sweater over a year ago and I've only just now cast on the back, I'm thinking that another work in progress might not be such a hot idea. On the other hand, I know that when I'm crazy about a pattern, especially short sleeves with a worsted weight yarn, it flies off my needles. I guarantee that by sundown I'll have come up with at least 3 more rationalizations for casting on and I'll have a gauge swatch done. Can you blame me? Tempting, isn't it? In the midst of all this UFO guilt I was suddenly struck with cabin fever. It's been raining for days here and I'm a stranger in a strange land. I needed to go in search of my people, so I googled local yarn shops and found one over a 1/2 hour away, but worth the trip. They were running a special where you could bring in your gently used knitting books in exchange for store credit of 50% of the cover price. While packing for the move I had discovered many of my newbie knitter books really didn't see the light of day anymore and here was a chance to turn them into new yarn! I have to confess it seemed too good to be true and I thought for sure there was a catch, but dreams do come true and I turned over my old books and received an $85.00 giftcard. WooHoo!!! I was so overwhelmed, I think the shop owner must be a sock knitter. There was Koigu, Claudia Handpaints, Trekking, Regia, Twisted Sisters, Colinette Jitterbug and more I'm sure I'm forgetting. They also had the 2 Noni bag patterns I've coveted for months, but could never find in the shops.

I finally settled on 2 skeins of Claudia Handpaint sock yarn in the Red Wagon colorway, 2 balls of Zephyr wool/silk laceweight in teal the new Interweave Knits Magazine, the Portofino pattern from Dolce Knits and these 2 Noni bag patterns. Prism & Adventure. The baby likes them as well.

Space... The Final Frontier

2007-05-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

How long ago did I first post that we were house hunting? It's been at least a year. I know I was knitting the Clapotis. (I mark time by knitting projects now.) All the while folks kept telling us the perfect place would come along at the perfect time and they were right. Blogging's been light because we've been moving house. After moving the belongings of all 9 of us, I never want to move again. At least not till the children have grown and taken all their worldly possessions with them. You know what's kind of fun about packing up everything you own? Finding hidden yarn you forgot about. I used to know this fella whose Mother was an alcoholic and growing up he'd periodically find a flask of liquor hidden in a bookshelf or the breadbox or what have you and after stumbling across various skeins I barely remember buying, ah yes... I think it's like that.

I love our new house and the yarn actually has it's own little room. The one drag is the lack of yarn shops. I've gone from feast to famine. Of course anyone who saw the boxes marked "YARN" coming off the moving truck might say this is a good thing. It got downright embarrassing after about box #5.

Now I have my first project finished in our new home. Patti from Rowan Studio, issue 1. It nearly broke my heart, but we worked it out and I love it. Here she is on Sally Stitch filmed live in my real live actual knitting/sewing room.

Sally Stitch has far narrower shoulders than I, so here's a back shot of the pleats. The reason Patti nearly broke my heart is that I knit an entire side reversing the slip stitches, so the pleat wanted to fold out instead of in. Keep in mind this is a sportweight yarn for a swing jacket no less. It took me a few days to make peace with the fact the whole thing had to be unravelled and re-knit, but eventually I pulled out the ball winder and just resigned myself to doing whatever I had to do to get it right. This was my first time working with Rowan's Felted Tweed (I used the camel color) and I would knit a big ol' swatch before substituting another yarn. Besides just personally liking the fabric it creates, I think the wool with a touch of rayon makes for a very light and forgiving fiber, but with a nice drape.

Next up, I'm reviving an old work in progress. The Debbie Bliss Boatneck Aran from the Cathay pattern book. I started this while pregnant with baby #7 and was knitting merrily along until one day, about 8 months along and sleep deprived I flipped open the cable charts to pick up where I left off and the whole thing may as well have been written in Greek. I knew I had better put it away until I could concentrate again or it was just going to be a nightmare. I'm using the Cathay yarn in the Duck's Egg Blue. The front is done. I'll cast on the back tonight.

Mocktails

2007-04-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

I've been hankering for a hank of Yarntini sock yarn in Vintage Stripe for longer than I can remember. Then Jessie posted on the Yarntini blog that she would start doing self striping yarns primarily as custom orders. Then a few months later that she was so busy, new custom orders were on hold.

After seeing the colorway on other blogs I decided to take matters into my own hands. Let me state for the record that I would have been much happier paying for the real thing, but desperate times call for desperate measures. A girls gotta have her sock yarn. So I grabbed some Knitpicks Merino and silk blend sock yarn (YUM!) some koolaid & vinegar and wound up some reeeeeally long skeins. Thanks to Eunny Jang's post here on self striping yarns, I ended up with an FO I really love.

Ooooooh, purty. But how does it knit up? So glad you asked.

Love, love, love.

Recycle, Reuse, Repeat....

2007-04-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a very thrifty (cheap) girl. I have no sense of urgency when it comes to knitting up my entire stash. If a finished object no longer works for me, I have no qualms about ripping it out and turning it into something new.

When I found out I was pregnant with #7 I cast on Rosebud from Knitty. The sweater was designed by Alison Hansel and she posted possible modifications on her blog that would convert the original pattern into a maternity top. Those mods can be found here. I knit it up with a few changes of my own and it worked beautifully. I knew I was due in mid November so I shortened the sleeves so they ended where they would normally start to flare out. I also used Merino Style from Knit Picks in place of the yarn originally called for.

Not only did the short row shaping work over the belly, but I was able to wear this right up to the end quite literally. I actually wore this sweater to the hospital on delivery day. If I hadn't been in labor on and off for hours I probably would have thought to have someone snap a picture, but you'll have to settle for the lovely Sally Stitches with a little help from a throw pillow.

So where is Rosebud now that I'm no longer pregnant?

I was suddenly taken with the idea of using the yarn from my maternity sweater to knit up a little woolly coat for baby next fall, but ecru is such a bad idea when knitting for little ones, so into the dye pot it went with some Jacquard acid dye in brown. et voila!

I know what you're thinking. Brown for a girl? YES! After 5 daughters in a row I'm so over the pink I could scream. Have you been to the baby girl section of your local dept. store lately? It's a sea of pink, pink and more pink, with the occasional pastel purple thrown in to break things up. Would you want to open your closet door and see variations on the same hue 365 days a year? I didn't think so. Plus I love the cool browns mixed with pastels that Debbie Bliss has been working with lately, so that was my inspiration.

I was a little concerned at first that I would have to throw this all back in the dye pot for a second time to even out the color, but I knit a test swatch alternating skeins, using a seed/moss stitch and I really like the results.

Busy Bees & Toasty Feet

2007-03-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a whirlwind of activity here at Chez Aimee. I finally finished the Rebound Socks using Wendy's Toe Up sock formula and I can't imagine knitting socks any other way now. I know some folks have no love for short row toes or heels, but something about the fit is just perfect for my stumpy little hobbit feet. I also love that I don't have to worry about having too much or too little of my precious sock yarn left over. In the spirit of using up my yarn I think I got a wee bit carried away and ended up with some pretty funky knee highs, but it's been so freezing cold around here, I'll take all the woolly coverage I can get.

There's been some sewing going on as well. I received a new sewing machine for Christmas which I adore. My old kenmore bit the dust after 14 years of abuse just as I was finishing up Halloween costumes for my 2 eldest daughters. One was Pippi Longstockings. I used this apron pattern from The Paisley Pincushion, but basted on patch pockets that could be removed after Halloween, so now it's a useful reversible apron I keep in the kitchen for whichever child wants to be my assistant chef.

My other daughter wanted to be her American Girl doll, Kirsten. Sorry about the grainy picture. Everyone was more intent on getting to the candy than having their picture taken, but here you can also see the crossed back on Pippi's apron. The Kirsten costume was made up of The Girls' Regency Dress & Pantaloons from Sense & Sensibility Patterns and this Prairie Bonnet pattern. I was very pleased with all the patterns and the service from both Sense & Sensibility patterns and Sew Thankful was excellent. The pattern for the Kirsten apron was my own.

My new machine is Singer Model 7444. I'm not a quilter and I'm not interested in machine embroidery, so this was a really great fit for me. There's been so many changes in sewing machines in the past decade, that this one feels like a big improvement even though it's still a pretty basic machine. Just the fact that it adjusts tension automatically and only requires 1 step to make a buttonhole is fantastic! For my first pattern I decided to make a flannel version of this pattern from Built By Wendy.

I made the long sleeve version, but left off the ruffles. Even if it's been awhile since you've sewn, the conversational tone of her pattern directions make it very user friendly. I plan on making another in cotton with shorter sleeves for Summer. Maybe with contrasting fabric on the bodice. This is one of my favorite tops right now with the freezing temps we're experiencing here in New England. "It's wicked cold!" as the locals say. Stay warm.

Whip Lash

2007-02-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

So here it is. My completed Licorice Whip, a free pattern from Blue Alvarez Designs, modeled for you by the lovely Sally Stitches. I cast this on while I was in labor and finally picked it up and finished when the baby was about 2 months old. Picture if you will me timing contractions & trying to count out stitches and markers while jotting down the starting and ending times for said contractions in a little notebook I keep in my knitting bag. My husband would check in on me, in between cooking dinner (Spaghettios) for the kids. "I'm contracting every other lace round." I'd say. Laughing hysterically at my own knitting humor. He didn't get it and would duck out of the room looking concerned for my mental stability. But my mental health survived intact, the baby was born and the sweater is done.

I've worn it quite a bit and it's a flattering design post-baby. Long enough to cover the recovering belly, but not so baggy that it adds extra weight and that long open work panel down the front draws the eye vertically. My only warning is this, when the pattern says bind off loosely, they mean "bind off LOOSELY". This should have occurred to me at the time. It is knit in unforgiving 100% cotton and the bind off edge has to fit around the hips, but I just barely made it with what I considered a pretty loose cast off. I would suggest binding off with a much larger needle.

My last complaint was the yarn itself. I used the yarn originally called for in the pattern, Blue Sky Dyed Cotton in the color Thistle. All the while I was knitting I loved this yarn. Really soft and really nice stitch definition with lovely muted colors. I've heard Wendy over at Knit & Tonic wax poetic about this yarn and her newest pattern is knit up in this stuff so I had high hopes. However, once the sweater was finished and actually on my body it began to pill like crazy! I looked like a mangy muppet by the end of the first day. The picture above doesn't really show that and in fact it seems to show more of a sheen to the fabric than is really there in person. I tried and tried to get a more accurate picture, but no luck. I purchased Wendy's pattern, Flair, but I think I'll be substituting some KnitPicks Salishan, a worsted weight wool/cotton blend they offered for a limited time a few months back.

My main project on the needles right now is Patti from Rowan Studio issue 1. I'm using Rowan's Felted Tweed in the color Camel and it's wonderful. This yarn is my last major yarn purchase for the year as I try to knit my stash. We'll see how that goes. I also completed the first rebound sock and got 1/3 of the way through the second while watching Band of Brothers for a few nights. Nothing like having a colorful sock to focus on during bloody battle scenes.

Knits Gone Wild (Jan. 2, 2007)

2007-02-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

It's official, I survived the Christmas knitting of 2006! Now that I can knit whatever I like I'm a little overwhelmed by my options. I decided to kick things off with what I call my "rebound socks". Quick, easy, out of character and thoroughly inappropriate. It's a Lana Grossa self patterning sock yarn. The color is #4833 and they're all for me. These are my first ever toe up socks, so I'm actually learning a little something in the process, but their mostly just a fun fling.
Near the end of the pregnancy and before I had to really dig into my Christmas knits I had cast on some Blue Sky Cotton in Thistle for the Licorice Whip sweater by Alvarez Designs. I finally picked it up again yesterday and it's such a joy to knit. The cotton is really soft and the color is growing on me fast. I had originally gone into my LYS looking for black or dark brown yarn, but all they had in the Blue Sky Cotton was pastel shades for some reason. I settled for the thistle with some trepidation, but now that I see it knitted up I really love it. I highly recommend this yarn especially for anyone with a wool allergy. I also love that I'll be able to try this on as I knit and will have minimal finishing at the end.
I did have one non-Christmas knit last month which was the Odessa Pattern from Grumperina which can be found at magKnits. It was for my 3 year old daughter and she absolutely loves it and shows it to anyone who'll listen, shouting, "That's my hat! That's my hat!" I had a partially used skein of Debbie Bliss Merino DK and afraid that I would run out of yarn I decided to knit the brim out of some leftover Rowan wool cotton in grey. In retrospect I would have had enough of the pink merino to complete the whole thing, but perhaps the cotton blend feels better against her forehead and it looks nice with the silvery beads. She certainly approves.
Last, but not least, I could not resist the pull of the Twisted Fiber Arts sock yarn for sale on Etsy again. It was a total impulse buy as a reward to myself on the day I finished all the gift knits. The colorway is Neapolitan and it's beautiful. The sock I'm wearing in that picture however is not from Twisted, it's Koigu. See the hubby and I went on vacation this summer to the Berkshires. I didn't bring ANY knitting, because I convinced myself that I would be too busy sharing romantic moments with my husband to knit. That lasted right up to the point that I saw a phonebook in our Inn room, and if you're a knitter on vacation and you see a phonebook you just naturally have to look up yarn stores and if you realize that Colorful Stitches with 2 floors of every yarn you've ever loved is just one town over, well, what's more romantic than watching your man buy you yarn?! That's 2 skeins of Koigu and 3 skeins of Rowan Denim he's got in the bag there. Colorful Stitches is so lovely and it was the first time I had actually seen koigu in person. I grabbed these skeins of bright hot pink and chocolate brown. I don't know what came over me. There were so many beautiful more subtle shades to choose from, but it was like going out for the first time on your 21st birthday and ordering the drink with the paper umbrellas and sparklers that comes in a plastic coconut when all you really wanted was a glass of wine. I picked up dpns and cast on right away. I knit till I was carsick all the way home and you know what? They were never quite what I hoped they would be. I still smile when I see them because of the happy memories I associate with them, but ever since I've had a hankering for a sock yarn with wider stripes and a slightly cooler, more muted shades of pink. Enter Meg over at Twisted to save the day! As soon as the rebound socks are done I think this skein will be next.

Chanel-ish (Dec. 11, 2006)

2007-02-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of knitting going on here at Chez Aimee, but most of it is Christmas knitting and not available for photo ops yet. I've gotten quite a bit done, considering that I'm exhausted and having to hold a newborn for a good portion of the day, but I am one wooly mitten away from sheer panic. If I don't wrap up 2 projects by Friday I will be in trouble. As it is now, each day ends with the baby resting on a boppy pillow in my lap while I knit until my eyes start to close and I literally fall asleep sitting & knitting.
In an uncharacteristic fit of self-discipline I've refused to cast on anything for myself until the gift knits are done. I did however take time to finish up the Chanel-ish Cardigan Jacket from Greetings from Knit Cafe. In part because Winter has finally arrived and I wanted something warm and flattering to the post-baby figure, but my primary motivation was not wanting to start the new year with this @#%&*% project still on my needles! This was not a fun knit. I still love the Knit Cafe book and have had great experiences with other designs in the book, but this one was a pain. I wanted to make it on the cheap, so I used Knitpicks Wool of The Andes. The price was right and I was able to get gauge, but it was pretty rough on the hands. Maybe I've gotten spoiled rotten by all the soft fibers I'm able to find at my LYS, but I was not eager to pick this up and work on it whenever I had a free moment. The stitch pattern looks nice, but trying to maintain it while working armhole decreases under the influence of Third Trimester brain shrinkage was frustrating. I think I ripped the top half of the back out and reknit it about 4 times. By the time I finished I had 5 inches left of the main yarn, so do yourself a favor and order an extra skein just in case. In retrospect I wish I had spent a little bit more and used Andean Silk instead. The good news is I really like the finished product and will get lots of wear out of it for my trouble.
While I was wrapping that up and knitting things for everybody else, I decided to reward my self with some new hand dyed sock yarn. After months of trying to get my hands on some Vesper or Yarntini self striping sock yarn I decided to check out Etsy and see what I could find and I'm SO glad I did. Look at this big honkin' skein of yarny goodness. This was my first purchase from an Etsy shop and I couldn't be more pleased. When I unwrapped the package I literally gasped outloud it was so beautiful and that was before I even touched it and realized how soft it was. You can check out more of Meg's work on her site which includes a link to her Etsy shop. The yarn in this pic is resting on some new fabric purchased to make baby a new sling for Christmas. Speaking of baby...
Isn't there an old wives tale that placing knitting needles in the hand of a new baby assures them a life of happy knitting? If there isn't, there should be. While I don't normally give the baby pointy objects to play with, here's a picture of that landmark moment. The needle is an old wooden one that belonged to my Nana.
Happy Knitting Baby.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation (Nov. 22, 2006)

2007-02-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

I grew a little human! One of my best "FO's" so far. She was also the best dressed baby in the nursery with her little Schaefer Anne hat. I picked up the yarn at a NEW local yarn shop. One of 2 NEW local yarn shops. I now suffer from an abundance of yarn choices as I happily select which of my 5 local shops to visit. This last one to open was particularly exciting because they carry Rowan. I haven't been too excited about the Rowan magazines lately, but their Kidsilk Haze and wool cotton are two of my favorite yarns. The first time I walked into the store and saw all those fluffy little piles of Rowan goodness I literally gasped outloud. The shop owner came over to greet me and it took every ounce of self control not to grab her in a bear hug and offer to name the baby after her. This shop is also where I purchased the Schaefer Anne for baby's hat. This is the Eternal Gobstopper of yarn. If you check out my recently updated "Finished Objects" gallery, you'll see that I used one skein to knit a hat, sweater, and baby socks, and still have yarn left over!
You might notice that I haven't posted in a good long time. I always seem to go into this very introverted phase when I'm pregnant and have no desire to write anything for public consumption. I realize that pregnancy shouldn't require such intense concentration on my part, but I can't help it. At least I'm back now so here's my summer in a nutshell (minus the morning sickness and mood swings) I finally tackled the lace knitting and got the hang of it, thanks in large part to a wonderfully straight forward pattern by Evelyn Clark and some wonderfully pointy needles from KnitPicks. And yes, that's a loom you see happily coexisting with my knitting. Over the summer my husband and I took a little vacation to the Berkshires and while visiting Hancock Shaker Village I had the opportunity to try one of their floor looms. I was instantly hooked. Once I got home I started doing some research into the different types of looms available and discovered Syne Mitchell's Weavecast on itunes. I mentioned to a friend how eager I was to try weaving and he said he had a loom that he'd picked up at a yardsale and never used and I was welcome to give it a try. Turns out it was a 25" Rigid Heddle Loom, never used, and sold through the JC Penney catalog back in the early 70s. It had all it's parts and I was able to put it together, warp it up and start weaving in fairly short order. I have no warping board, so that was a pain, but now I've just been playing around with different fibers and weights to see how they behave in plain weave. This particular loom model is designed to sit right on the table's edge and propped up against your abdomen, so it became rather uncomfortable in the last few months. Now I'm stuck with one big question. If I get a little extra money in my Christmas stocking, do I pick up some lovely yarn, like the Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure I've been lusting after, or do I put it towards a 32" Kromski Harp rigid heddle loom with built in warping board?!!!!? This is what I'm thinking about when the baby wakes me up in the middle of the night and I can't get back to sleep. Decisions, descisions....

Come Check Out My New Digs

2006-04-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a movin' on up.
From now on you can find me here http://anotherknitter.typepad.com/

Knitting Olympics Fever

2006-02-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

When I heard about The Knitting Olympics my first thought was that it's not for me. I'm not much of a joiner and knowing how long it takes me to complete a project with my crazy buzy life I figured the chance that I could complete anything before the Olympic flame was extinguished was slim to none. However, the more I read and hear about Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's reasoning behind starting this, the more it appeals to me. I know I'm too late to join on, but I'm declaring myself an unofficial alternate for team USA. An "alter-knit" if you will. My only challenge is this, I will stay true blue to my Debbie Bliss ribbed sweater and cast on no further projects until the end of the winter games. This is tougher than you might expect since I found this today and immediately wanted to give it a try. I will not be distracted. I am committed and I'm stating it here so you can all hold me accountable if I suddenly pop in a few days from now with a new scarf or ipod cozy, etc. Let the games (belatedly) begin.

At Loose Ends: A Cautionary Tale

2006-02-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

My knitting bag has become the Bermuda Triangle of fiber arts. It is a cute bag though, isn't it? I finally made use of one of those Jo-Ann's 50% off coupons that end up in my e-mail box all year long and picked up the circles bag from ArtBin pretty darn cheap.

I have cast on in the past few days two projects that have come out just so-so, and that's being generous. I'm not going to tell you what projects those were because I don't want to cast aspersions on innocent knitwear designers. It's not them, it's me. I've gotten cocky and I've gotten lazy. I completed a lovely tank top, except that it was perfect for someone about three sizes larger than me. I confess, I didn't swatch. Not only that, but I ignored the little voice inside. The little voice that watched this project grow larger and larger and kept whispering in my ear, "Psst! Hey, don't you think you should grab a ruler and check that gauge before you go any further?"

Earlier on in my knitting days I would have looked at this finished object and resolved to find someway to rehabilitate it. Now older & wiser , I frogged it. I frogged the whole thing (rip it rip it.) I will knit it again. I WILL knit a gauge swatch this time, but I'm not ready to tackle it yet.

The lesson in all of this is, I'm a fickle knitter. I had this lovely Debbie Bliss sweater I was working on. I loved the pattern, I loved the yarn, I was clicking along at a merry pace and then.... I heard the siren song of all these quick, funky little knits and now I have nothing to show for it. If I had just stuck with my original sweater I'd probably have it done by now and I'd be enjoying a lovely alpaca sweater in this New England Winter weather. Instead, I'm trying to muster the courage to face it again with my tail between my legs and trying to forget days and days of really bad karma knitting.

Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan

2006-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan
Originally uploaded by aimee70us.

I've been so busy nursing my family back to health that I haven't had time to take more detailed pictures of Blackberry or Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan. I did wear the latter to a Christmas party last month and here's a snapshot from that night.

Germapalooza

2006-01-31T13:40:00.000-08:00

Someone needs to call the Guiness Book of World Records. My family has been sick for about all stinkin' Winter. This latest round was the dreaded flu. The flu that stops toddlers in their little footie sleeper tracks. The flu which tests the limits of seemingly bottomless mother love. When your little darling, the one you've nurtured since conception and gladly kissed away any boo boos, real or imagined, comes to you first thing in the morning with vomit encrusted hair saying , "Mommy, I think I'm sick." And you turn to her and say, "Oh, my sweetie. Come let mother feel your forehead and.....EWWWWWW!!!! Go see your Father."

The only way to atone for my maternal guilt over that less than loving response was to knit up some ankle socks in a toasty merino wool for one of my lovely assistants so she could recover in style. Knit up with Sock Landscape in Spring Prairie from KnitPicks, from a free pattern at The Blue Blog. They were the perfect quick knit inbetween cooling fevered brows and changing bed linens.

One of the worst parts about caring for sick children once you realize that they're on the road to recovery is the nagging thought that you're next. Washing my hands like Howard Hughes, contemplating a plastic suit a la John Travolta in The Boy In The Plastic Bubble, and all the while hearing that little voice, "You're next lady. MwaHaHaHaHa..." The hard truth is that when Mom gets sick she's still the go to girl for all household emergencies. It defies all reason, but I know my husband could set up a Customer Service booth in the livingroom while I'm five blocks away hosting Middle East peace talks and my children would still stand on the front porch hollering, "Maaaaaa! I can't find my shooooooes!"

Exhausted

2006-01-17T05:51:00.000-08:00

I am exhausted. And I don't mean your wimpy Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Simpson brand of exhaustion. I mean bone deep, "Calgon, take me away!" exhaustion. I hate to sound like Scrooge, but I've never been so happy to wake up and realize the holidays have passed. However, I think I may have found a solution to my little problem. I'm establishing the Celebrity Domestication Normalization Therapy Center (CDNTC). For a nominal fee Hollywood A-listers can come to my house and get back to basics. Change a few diapers, do a few dishes and give me a break in the process.

"Paris, be a dear and run to the grocery store for me. And please do NOT return with just a cart full of Starbucks coffee and sunless tanner this time."

I did manage to get some knitting done during my blogging break. I finished the Hourglass sweater. No pictures of that yet. I also started the tubular camisole from Stephanie Japel and knit up a sweater for my daughter's American Girls doll.

I used some leftover Merino Style from the Marylin's Not-So-Shrunken Cardi and Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton (Yes, the same yarn I used to truss the Thanksgiving turkey.) One of my Christmas presents was a KnitPicks gift certificate and I used it to buy the Sweater Wizard software. So this little doll sweater was a great way to try it out. My daughter told me exactly what she wanted and in a few minutes I had a pattern. All in all I was pleased with the program, but it definately helps that I've already made several sweaters, ie: learned from my many mistakes. For example the software only allows for ribbed edging and my daughter wanted lace, so I had to select something from Knitting On The Edge and make adjustments myself. Not a big deal, but it could be limiting for a newbie.

I Surrender

2005-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

Years ago I read a story about Martha Stewart. It alleged that the domestic doyen had sent her family away one Thanksgiving just so she could decorate the house without distractions or interference. The purpose of this tale was to vilify the woman and make her look like a cold hearted perfectionist. However, now that I have children of my own, this all makes absolute sense to me.

Christmas decorating with children is a lesson in surrender. My tree has been up for about two weeks now and has been decorated and rearranged so much, if I didn't know any better I would think we have Christmas Elves in hiding who come out at night when everyone's asleep.
The younger children try to climb the tree and play with the ornaments, the older children disagree on the arrangement of decorations. So far we've lost 3 glass ornaments and one snowman statue to the overly enthusiastic 2 yr old and the creche under the tree now has the Christ child being watched over by angels, shepherds, Hello Kitty and a big plastic elephant.

Today was Christmas cookie baking day and I began to roll out my perfect little circular treats. My 4 year old lovely assistant wanted to pitch in as you can see from the picture above. Mangled globs of dough never tasted so good. If I want perfection I can go buy some Oreos, these are one of a kind.

The Christmas shopping is also done. Hip! Hip! Hoorah!! I was very disappointed in the Barbie selections this year. When I was little I loved getting clothes, clothes and more clothes for my Barbies, but now it's all about the dolls themselves and very few outfits are sold seperately. The doll selection was very limited as well. Whatever happened to "NASA Barbie" and "President Barbie"? Now you can choose between the My Scene Bling Bling dolls which look like little street walkers (I knew she should never have broken up with that nice Ken boy.) Think I'm being harsh? Go ahead click on that link. I dare you. Then click the doll for a larger image. I'll wait here. See?!

If that's not to your liking there's also a pregnant barbie that looks so angelic and chaste it must be a virgin birth. Personally I think they should sell the dolls together as "Cause 'N Effect Barbie". By next year I think we can look forward to "Abnormal Pap Smear Barbie" and "Who's Your Daddy: DNA Surprise Barbie". Big sellers for sure.

And last, but not least I've been sick. It hasn't been fun, but it has been a good excuse to grab a box of Kleenex, put my feet up and knit. I'm posting pics with nobody in them because I'm really not picture ready right now. Runny, red nose. Dark circles under my eyes. Maybe I'll post another picture later when I'm feeling better.
I finished the Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardi in KnitPicks Merino Style. I made it a little shorter than the original pattern and left off one row of decreases and made the sleeves just a tiny bit longer. I also left off the ruffles and worked 2 finished button bands with no holes. I'm on the lookout for a small pewter clasp that I can sew at the neckline. It has a retro-bolero feel that works nicely over some of my vintage dresses and it was fun learning how to work a sweater from the top down with minimal finishing.

Next to it is Blackberry from last months Knitty. This was just what I needed right now. A quick bulky knit with interesting details to keep me entertained. I used KnitPicks Andean Silk double stranded and it's so warm and soft. Ahhh. This is now the sweater I slip on in the morning when there's a chill in the air. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect broach to keep this one closed too. Clearly people, I need closure.

Is That What You're Wearing?

2005-12-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

These are possibly my least favorite words that occasionally come out of my husband's mouth. It's a close race between that and, "I just threw in a load of laundry." Which usually means some article of Dry Clean Only finery has gone to meet its fate.

But the "Is that what you're wearing?" question is especially cutting when it involves something I've knit myself. For example this cabled newsboy cap from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. Knit up with under a skein of Naturewool . It was a quick, fun knit. I loved the way it looked and then that dreaded question struck.

Sure we were on our way to a gathering at his workplace which requires me to be not so much a human being as a calling card/accessory. And sure his workplace is a convent and we were going to meet one of the apparitioners of Medjugorje, but I figured if anyone could appreciate a handknit Rasta hat, it's a fella who supposedly meets the Queen of Heaven for a chat every night.

There are certainly times when a little style intervention is called for. Like those leopard print pants I wore onstage at T.T.'s with my old band when my entertainment lawyer/manager told me I needed to be more "styled". (don't ever take fashion tips from your attorney, ok kids.) My drummer told me I looked great, but then one of his most prized possessions are his vintage breakaway tuxedo pants.

Or if I decided to leave the house looking like this I would understand if some kind soul suggested I buy a full length mirror and learn to use it. Unless of course I had some inner ear problem which upset my balance and I really needed all those big pom poms to act like bumpers.

Speaking of celebrity fashion missteps, I've been contemplating all those pictures of Jessica Simpson while waiting in line at the grocery store and I've been racking my brain trying to think of who she reminds me of. Suddenly last night as I was cleaning one of the childrens' rooms it hit me. Seriously, If you got My Little Pony some cosmetic dentistry and a little time in a spray-on tanning booth, Jessica Simpson would have a new stand in.

But I digress. So I resisted the urge to respond to the "Is that what you're wearing?" question with, "Ha! Ha! No. This was just a clever ruse to make you THINK this is what I'm wearing. In fact I have a much cooler ensemble hidden under this one, which I will reveal at the last possible moment." and instead cut him some slack for wanting to put his best foot forward at a new job and removed the hat. The things we do for love.

Exhibit A: I collect old magazines from the 1940s such as True Romance, Modern Romance, etc. While flipping through a copy of Modern Romance I found this add for Lysol Disinfectant.
I know the print's probably too small to read, but it's explaining to lonely housewives why their husbands are staying away. It's because they should be using Lysol Disinfectant for feminine hygiene of course. I almost fell off my chair when I saw this. Did women really do this? The advert assures me that, "More women should use Lysol regularly for intimate bodily daintiness." so I'm guessing at least a few did. And if you did this would it leave your nether regions smelling like a pine forest? And however it smelled would this then trigger some kind of Pavlovian response in your spouse everytime you mopped the floor? I picture all these germ free housewives being chased around the coffee table whenever they try to get a little light housekeeping done. Maybe the slight against my hat wasn't such a big deal after all.

The Sweater That Knit Itself

2005-12-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ta Da! The Interweave Knits Greek Pullover is finished and it flew off my needles. It was designed by Sharon Shoji who also has a free twinset pattern available from the IK Knitscene site. I love this design, I love this yarn. I used KnitPicks Andean Silk in Hollyberry and knit it up on size 8 Addi Turbos. I had an awful time trying to get an accurate picture of the chiffon ruffle at the sleeves. For some reason on my camera, the fabric read much more pink than it is in person. I originally sewed a ruffle at the waist as well, but felt like one of Degas' little ballerinas and removed it. I prefer it sans ruffle. The waistline is not an area where I really want to add extra puff 'n fluff. In case you're curious as to how it looked with ruffles at the waist, I asked my husband to snap a picture of the back so you could see how it ties and this was the end result. No pun intended. You'll have to excuse him, he's easily distracted.

I hope to knit up another one in Cornflower Andean Silk, but this time I'll add a little length to the torso and maybe a picot hem. And for any of you Andean Silk knitters out there, it itches like crazy when it's newly finished, but softens up with washing and blocking.

Next up is the Hourglass Sweater in Cinnamon Andean Silk.

Also on the needles is a variation of the Marilyn's Not So Shrunken Cardigan from Wendy over at Knit and Tonic. No pics of that yet, but I left the body a little boxier and more cropped and I think I'm going to lengthen the sleeves to 3/4 length and skip the ruffles.
Also this little number from Debbie Bliss' Cathay book. I'm using Andean Treasure in Fog. This has been a nice break from all the endless St st I've been doing lately.

Ye Olde New England Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

In which our plucky heroine leaves everything till the last minute and then runs around like a madwoman for 24 hours.

6:00am: Wake up and realize that it's the day before Thanksgiving and everyone is coming to your house. You've not yet written out a menu, nor do you have many of the required ingredients already in your kitchen. Your darling husband's employer has offered to supply the turkey as a lovely Thanksgiving bonus, but it's not here yet and you have no idea if it will be large enough to feed everyone or if it's frozen solid. Consider selling children on the idea of "A Very Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and simply serving toast and popcorn. Go back to sleep.
7:00am: Children wake you up jumping up and down squealing, "Tomorrow's Thanksgiving!" Consider selling children on the idea of "A Very Britney Spear's Thanksgiving," Cheetoes and Red Bull y'all. Must get coffee, stat.
7:15: First cup of coffee, brain cells reviving. Turn on morning news and watch touching piece about Thanksgiving dinners being prepared for our military. Consider joining military before next Thanksgiving.
7:30: Grab ye olde family recipe box and start writing out menu while various and sundry children file through the kitchen looking for breakfast. Pop Tarts and Lucky Charms all around. Wonder if this annual sugar binge is part of why your children enjoy Thanksgiving so much.
8:00am: Second cup of coffee. Realize that if you go to the grocery store now, you could probably beat the crowd and get back in time to have all the baking done before nightfall. Take shower first, Lord knows you won't get one tomorrow. Give children usual pre-shower instructions, "Knock if you need me. No fighting. I want everyone to still be alive when I get out."
8:45am: Put My Little Pony video on constant loop and leave eldest in charge. Get shopping done in record time and load groceries into car feeling pretty darn good. Receive cell phone call from eldest concerning the 2 year old, "ahh, she stripped down and took her dirty diaper off herself. She's running around the house now and she's a mess. What should I do?" Instruct eldest to deposit youngest into tub. Hurry home. Wonder what adopted Mom, Angelina, is doing for Thanksgiving? (Satay and Cristal in between mad boffing sessions in the pantry and text messages from Kofi Annan.)
9:15am: Clean youngest. Clean house. Clean out fridge to make room for what is hopefully a very large turkey. Phone call from hubby to say he's stopping by to drop off the bird. Employer doesn't disappoint. This thing is huge and frozen hard as a rock. Forget fridge, fill sink with cool water and set turkey in there. Children gather around sink to ooh and ahh. Four older children start swapping bad jokes about mom giving the bird swimming lessons so it won't drown in gravy. *badumpbump*
10:00am: Toffee time. The culinary highlight of the children's Thanksgiving every year, homemade, chocolate covered toffee. One by one each child stops by the kitchen to ask if they can taste test when it's done. Everyone gets a sample. One lovely assistant wisely suggests hiding toffee from Dad until tomorrow.
11:00am: Prepare crabmeat stuffed mushrooms and filling for little cheese, pastry puff thingies. Realize that this effort will be totally lost on children who abhor mushrooms.
12:00pm: Inhale lunch.
12:15pm: Cook pie crust and whip up pumpkin filling while it cools. Eldest comes in to see how things are moving along and lights up at sight of nearly completed pie. Remember why you do this.
1:30pm: Set pie in fridge to chill and clean kitchen. Give bird in sink fresh water.
2:30pm: Knit, knit, knit Greek Pullover. Aran weight Andean Silk on Size 8 Addi Turbo needles with an Interweave pattern. It doesn't get any better than this.
4:00pm: Watch Rachel Ray on Oprah while folding laundry. Wish you and family were having Thanksgiving at Rachel's place while Oprah mixes up pomegranate martinis and buys you a house.
5:00pm: Hubby arrives home, "What's for dinner?" Resist urge to strangle darling husband. Wrestle with large turkey instead. Mother-in-law arrives to drop off stuffing and roasting pan.
6:00pm: Fix sorry excuse for a dinner. Chicken nuggets and rice for kids, omelettes for self and spouse.
7:00pm: Help children get ready for bed.
8:00pm: Have embarassingly good time watching Kenny Chesney concert special even though he looks like your 8th grade math teacher when he takes that cowboy hat off. Knit.
9:00pm: Stuff bird. Realize you have no proper kitchen twine and truss turkey with some leftover Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton in ecru. Use aluminum foil to tuck bird in for the night, set him in preheated oven with timer set to go off in 8 hours. Hope for the best.
9:30am: Resist urge to knit just one more row. Get some sleep.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Strange Phenomena

2005-11-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

So there I was. Minding my own business. Knitting up a test swatch of Andean Silk in the Pumpkin Patch colorway, because I'm thinking of using it for this. I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for one of my lovely assistants. After I had knit up a few rows, a mother walked in with her young son. I'd say he was about 4. Mom kept walking into the office, but I looked up to find him frozen in his tracks, staring at me slack jawed and wide eyed, like he'd just stumbled across a dinosaur. A curious creature who makes things with her hands, two sticks and some string. I wasn't at all surprised, because this happens quite a bit when I knit in public. Usually the girls are a bit chattier. "Oooh, look." I'll hear them whisper to their mothers. "What's she doing?"

"She's knitting. Mommy used to knit." they say a little wistfully, watching me too now like they want to pry the needles out of my hands and have a go. Seeing if their hands still know what their minds have forgotten.

And then it happens. The little one has inched closer and closer to have a better view and there's that ball of yarn just sitting there all plush and fuzzy and colorful and the mesmerizing click, click, click of the needles and how can any curious little soul resist. The hands reach out tentatively to touch and mom panics. "No!" she scolds, "Don't Touch!"

"It's alright." I say, "I don't mind."

And it is alright, because they've grown up in a disposable world. Toys break the day after you buy them and Happy Meals don't make you happy and the sweater from the mall falls apart with the very first washing, but it doesn't really matter because the shops have a new style in fashion next week, so you'll need to buy a new one anyways. And sure it feels like plastic, but why would you invest in anything else when it's not going to be around long enough to hold any true value for you?

So, I tell them it's alright and I tell them what animal the yarn comes from. We talk about farming and shearing and spinning and dyeing and making sweaters by hand that actually feel good when you wear them and how I really don't know how long it takes me to make something because I just want to be in the moment and enjoy the softness of my yarn and the click, click, click of my own needles. And then they smile at me in recognition because we understand one another perfectly.

Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing

2005-11-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

I fell off the wagon. A big wagon full of yarn. It's all KnitPicks fault. Why do they have to be such enablers with their free shipping and their little knitable sample in the catalog. Why?!
You knew it had to happen. I've been on a yarn diet so long it hurts. Here I am after my bender. The blue lace weight is for that Karabella shawl I'll never finish and the red is for the IK Greek Pullover. I think the cream might be for that off the shoulder aran knit in the Cathay pattern book from Debbie Bliss, but fiddle di dee, I'll think on that tomorrow. Right now I just need to sleep it off.

Wake Me When It's Over

2005-11-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

I've come down with a little something. It's not a cold or the flu. It's much worse. I've got Knitter's Ennui. I got it bad and that aint good. I think I just burnt myself out with a bazillion projects on the needles. One of which was the Erte Cloche pictured above. I knit it up in black KnitPicks Essential sock yarn with a little KnitPicks Sock Landscape in a contrast color. I'm pleased with how it came out, but I am having some floppy brim issues. I'm thinking of inserting a thin wire in the outer edge, but we'll see.

Or maybe it all started with Jury Duty. Normally I would look forward to a little time away from the house, but this was the equivalent of a five hour trip to the principal's office. First I had the difficult task of figuring out what knitting to bring and then making sure everything was on bamboo or plastic needles that wouldn't set off the metal detectors. After all my care and concern I was waved through security with barely a glance. We were quickly given multiple directions to the same jury holding room, which I think may be their ingenious way of weeding out bad prospects. We all scattered like hamsters in a maze and you know if you're too stupid to find your way to the correct room, they don't want you sitting on a jury anyway.

I was so busy watching instructional videos and waiting for orders that I found it impossible to concentrate on my knitting. I was trying some cablework for a cardigan and I was so afraid I'd be sent to the courtroom mid-row and lose my place on the chart, that I just couldn't do it. Fortunately they had a large bookshelf full of magazines, so I finally got to catch up with Kenny & Renee. I secretly love to read celebrity gossip rags, but there's a celebrity that lives part time in our area and once in a while I see her in the grocery store. It's important to protect her identity, so we'll call her, Sloopy Snolburg. Anyways, I live in fear that I'll be standing in the grocery line, discreetly slipping a copy of Star Magazine into my cart only to turn and find Sloopy behind me in line, glaring at me in disgust from behind her little tinted spectacles.

I was finally brought into one of the courtrooms, but my number wasn't called which was Very fortunate because as soon as I walked in there I broke out in a cold sweat and was suddenly overcome with the fear that I'd developed some kind of judicial Tourette's Syndrome. You know where I suddenly jump up and shout, "It was me! I did it! Whatever it is. I'm GUILTY!" Here's my little internal monologue as the judge was instructing us...

"Is the judge staring at me?
He is, he's staring right at me.
Why is he staring at me like that?
Oh, God. I'm not blinking.
Only guilty people don't blink. I have to blink,
but now I look like I'm thinking about blinking.
Why is he still talking straight to me?
Try and look attentive, not psycho.
Attentive not psycho."

and so on until they finally dismissed me. I can't imagine why.

Of course if they had clapped me in irons and put me on trial I would have the perfect defense. Remember the Karabela crocheted victorian shawl pattern? The one I fell in love with, even though I haven't crocheted in years and it's all done in barely there lace weight yarn? I figure my attorney could just whip that out as exhibit A, along with 2,000 yards of knotted, tear stained alpaca and announce to the jury that his client is clearly insane because she thought she could not only complete this project, but find someplace to wear it. Maybe grocery shopping with Sloopy?

There's No Place Like Home

2005-10-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

You Probably Knit Too Much If...

2005-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

I dyed my hair to match my Clapotis.

Don't look at me like that. It wasn't all vanity. I was looking at all those gorgeous Noro Silk Garden colors today. Amethyst purples, cobalt blues and emerald greens melting into one another and realized that I had knit this for the old me. I was a redhead as a child and had a love-hate relationship with my hair. It got me quite a bit of attention, not all of it positive, but at least folks knew who I was. When random people talked about our meeting later they could say to each other, "You know, the redhead." or "I forgot the name of the redhead." or, more often than not "The cute blonde says she'll go out with me if I find a blind date for her friend, the redhead."

Well nature plays a cruel joke on us redheads. Red fades with age, which means that just as you reach an age where you can laugh in the face of other peoples' perceptions, "redheaded stepchild" jokes et al, it starts to vanish. Now, when I could finally stare down the bozo who asks, "You gotta temper to match that hair?" it starts to fade to a dishwater blonde.

So today as I looked at Clapotis I realized that my draw to those shades of violet and green stemmed from the fact that they used to be the only shades I could wear that wouldn't clash with my hair. Suddenly I got so homesick for myself, and I did it. I drove to the drugstore and bought some L'oreal Excellence Creme 6R and dyed my hair to match my Clapotis!

Now I once again have that hair that says, "I'm probably descended from Vikings, so while we're having a polite conversation now, you'd best stay on my good side lest my genetic predisposition for burning and pillaging kicks in."

For the first time in a long time I looked in the mirror and recognized myself. I could have used this hair yesterday. We were invited to a birthday party at Chuckie Cheese. For those of you unfamiliar with this establishment, Chuckie Cheese is like Mickey Mouse's out of control, nakedly exploitive and opportunistic younger sibling. Or for all you SAT lovers out there...

Chuckie is to Mickey
As Paris is to Nicky

The only good to come out of this experience is that I can now report with confidence that none of my children have previously undiagnosed epilepsy. Chuckie Cheese is Vegas for children. Bad dinner theater, tokens, gambling,smoke and mirrors. The only thing missing was free cocktails for high stakes gamblers. To which I say, "Ha! you lock me in this building with flashing lights and a 7 foot animatronic mouse, you better make it worth my while."

One interesting side note of the event was watching the interaction between parents. The crowd was made up of women clothed in full Burkas - face covering, the whole nine yards (of fabric) and women in painted on jeans and lingerie as outer wear who were there to spend some quality time with their "baby's daddy" which afforded my children the opportunity to witness the Madonna/Whore Complex in action. Still I felt the need to find some common ground and considered gathering all the women together to hold hands in a circle and sing the Whitney Houston hit I'm Every Woman, but by this point my two year old had gone into electronic overstimulation shock (EOS) and was staring at the mini-carousel screaming "Horsey, Help me! Horsey Help meeeeee!!!!!!!!!" I looked at my husband with that desperate "I know this is your family, but you have to get me out of here before my head implodes." look on my face. Fortunately he felt the same way and together we convinced the children that a three hour wait at the prize counter to redeem 120 points worth of tickets which would earn them a "Let's Go To Chuckie Cheese!" bumper sticker, really wasn't worth it.

And my childrens' only complaint after the fact? They didn't get to spend any quality time with their cousin, the birthday girl.

Rampant consumerism- 1
Human relations- 0

Swing Low Sweet Chariot...

2005-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

There is progress on the Clapotis pictured above. It's wrapped around my lovely Irish dancing assistant. This same assistant has not had a very good day. I know this because she sang about it between sobs after she had locked herself in the bathroom. She sang an epic lament about the pain and torment of having me for a mother. I am REALLY looking forward to puberty.

She woke up sad. I know I've had days like that. After a fight with her older sister she came to me for breakfast. I gave her the list of options and nothing sounded good to her. She asked me for the menu twice more and I curtly told her that she had to select from what was available or go hungry. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself in. After a gut wrenching crying jag the (rather loud) pleas to heaven began. "Please God, help me. This is the meanest she's ever been to me. Why does it have to be this way? I do EVERYTHING around here!" This is what comes of watching Cinderella one too many times. And then the singing..." a very bad day, a very bad day, I remember good days so long ago."

This doesn't happen very often, but she has done it before, because it works. There's something about being bad-mouthed to The Almighty by a 6 year old that stops me in my frazzled tracks. I eventually coaxed her out and she later boasted to me "I took a bad day and turned it upside down!" But I secretly fear she's ready to interview new mothers.
I'd like to take this opportunity to beat her to the punch,

Dear Angelina,
If you're reading this, maybe looking for knitting info so you can knit something up for little Zahara? Please adopt me. I'm potty trained, I do dishes, and I have no qualms about calling Brad "Daddy" (insert Soon Yi joke here.) Heck you can even give me the same mohawk as Maddox and change my name to Tonya, but spell it Dhanja, thereby condemming me to a life of having to spell it for every underpaid, overworked office worker that comes my way. I won't write a tell all book and I don't require designer clothes. Just keep me in quality yarn and nobody gets hurt.

Sincerely,
Aimee

Friday Foolishness

2005-10-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this over at Lickety Knit and a few other blogs. Google “[Your Name] needs” and see what kind of sentences come up.

Here are mine:

Aimee needs more cheese.
Aimee needs to spend a few months training in the ring!
Aimee needs a new t-shirt designer.
Aimee needs some retraining.
Aimee needs a caring family to cherish and pamper her for the rest of her life.
Aimee needs wet milling service in Europe.
Aimee needs to stand on a box the next time we take a photo.

pass it on.

The Constant Knitter

2005-10-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have serious blogger's guilt. It's been too long since I've posted, but I have two settings right now. Full speed ahead and full stop! I wake up every morning with the frantic sense that I'm supposed to be somewhere and about 70% of the time I'm right. The other 30% is spent not wanting to do anything at all in protest.
Except knit of course.
I'm knitting like mad to shut out the noise. I have so many projects on the needles right now I've stopped trying to update my WIP bar, at least for the time being.

I have 2 current favorites though that occupy most of my time. First is the Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken cardi from Wendy at Knit & Tonic which I'm knitting up in Merino Style from KnitPicks. I love this yarn with a passion that knows no depths. It's Dk weight, soft, spongy merino goodness for a little over $2. Plus I love this pattern. It's the first time I've knit a sweater from the top down and I love it. I'm not the biggest fan of finishing, so this project is just what I needed right now. I'm already day dreaming of all the ways I could adapt this pattern in myriad shapes and colors.

The other project is my, at long last, Clapotis. The Clapotis had taken on mythical proportions for me. I've been loathe to blog about this, but we're in the process of attempting to buy a house in a market that's not very accomodating. When we placed our first bid I had visions of myself knitting in front of the fireplace draped in a lovely Clapotis. I decided to cast on with some Noro Silk Garden in a desperate act of wishful knitting. Before I could even get it on the needles we were outbid. Now we've bid on another place and I've been knitting that Clapotis like I could knit the future together just the way I see it. I don't know what's coming or where we're going, but I know that I have to knit into the front and back of every stitch before the markers and I know that Silk Garden drapes lovely and I know that dropped stitches take some coaxing when you actually want them to drop for a change.

In reference to the title of the post, If you haven't been to see The Constant Gardner yet, do your self a favor and see it. Fantastic!

Wonder of Wonders

2005-09-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

One of my lovely assistants is shown here modeling Glampyre's One Skein Wonder. I modified the pattern to fit her and knit it up in a maroon yarn called Touch Me and some Manos del Uruguay wool in the color Butane. It came out perfect. I had very little to do with that. Pattern adjustments mean math and math and I don't usually mix in the context of relaxing hobbies. Not only was I downsizing the pattern, but these yarns knit up at a bulkier gauge than the pattern called for. Instead of grabbing my calculator, I cast on and eye balled the work as I went. If my intuition told me to stop the increases and move on to the edge stitches then that's what I did. Lo and behold it all worked out just right, which is well and fitting since it was a gift for this particular lovely assistant.

Since the day she was born she has had an inner focus that locks onto an objective and never looks back. There's no contemplating the pros and cons, no questioning her own abilities. Just a laser beam straight ahead. As a toddler we would take her to the beach and she would run straight for the water, as high as she could go before we snatched her back to the safety of our sandy blanket. Never mind that she couldn't swim, she just wanted to be there in the waves and I would be franticly pulling her back over and over. In retrospect, if I had let her go, she would have just set about the business of successfully growing fins.

Now she wants to dance. It's all she thinks about. All she does in her free time when she thinks no one's looking. She fell in love with the movie The Secret of Roan Inish and the music captivated her. She began to speak to us with an Irish accent. We brought her to our local pub where a friend was playing his fiddle and she was so thrilled. "It's Roan Inish music!" she said. And then some girls got up to dance and the rhythm of the song was the rhythm of their feet and she dove in.

I made the One Skein Wonder so she would have something special to wear on a special night. For her birthday we surprised her with tickets to Riverdance. She wasn't told where we were going until we arrived at the Theater and she saw the poster. "It's Roan Inish Dancing." she whispered. Beyond ecstatic, she danced in the lobby waiting for the show to start, she sat on the edge of her seat from curtain up to curtain down.

Since the producers of Riverdance failed to notice her remarkable talent as she danced through the lobby, she realized she might have to pay some dues and began dance classes today. The parents aren't allowed to watch class, but my husband later confessed that he peeked in. "All they were doing was hopping around in a line with one leg out." he said. Now I have to confess, I have a nasty trait that I've passed on to the majority of my children. If I can't do something really fantastic from the get go, I lose steam fairly quickly. I remember being in awe of figure skaters as a child until my parents actually signed me up for lessons. I spent class after class just skating in circles, holding on to the waist of the girl in front of me like some conga line in purgatory, thinking, "Hey! When do I get to do a triple toe loop?" So I was sure my daughter would come home with her enthusiasm dampened. Not a chance. She set the dining room chairs up like traffic cones so she could perfect her one leg out hopping on a precise rectangular path. Full steam ahead.

Je Ne Sais Quoi

2005-09-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

What is it about the French? When I was about 11 or 12 my uncle had a French girlfriend, Fabian. She would arrive from New York for a weekend visit with just the shoes on her feet and an overnight bag the size of my wallet, but out of it she would pull the makings of a stylish ensemble for every possible situation. She was a fashion "MacGyver"! And I would study her like a science project making mental notes to myself when she arrived at the breakfast table each morning. Nothing fussy. Understated, but undeniably fashion forward, yet never trendy. I wanted to be Fabian when I grew up.

Alas, I was doomed. I grew up in the age of Madonna's Like A Virgin phase. Big hair, parachute pants, linebacker shoulder pads and stirrup pants. Plus, besides Fabian, my other fashion icon was Barbie. I didn't stand a chance. To this day I start out at my closet door with the best of intentions and end up in whatever's clean and comfy (T-shirt & Jeans, T-shirt & Jeans, T-shirt & jeans.) Or the other extreme. I don't know which is worse.

Even with my knitting I always plan on opting for a yarn that's as high quality as my budget allows, in a shade that compliments the stitch pattern and design, but then I actually see the yarn display and ooooohhh that hot pink really catches my eye and wouldn't it look great with some purple metalic lurex at the edge and maybe some rhinestone buttons or beading? Yes, perfect!

So today as I was killing time waiting for the 110th load of laundry to finish in the dryer which is now making an exhausted squeaking noise and I decided to go see how Francoise's vacation went over at Knitwise. She posted pictures of her newest cast on, the Valenciennes cardigan, which is exquisite and naturally from a French pattern. From her site I linked to Le Blog de Caro, which I had never visited before and decided to check out her gallery of finished projects. All of a sudden I was 12 years old again, sitting at the breakfast table with Fabian, feeling utterly inferior in my neon plastic bracelets with an oversized lace bow in my permed hair. Caro's work was all clean lines, rich, but muted hues and delicate edging. *sigh*

So now I want to be Caro when I grow up.
For now I've installed a Babel Fish translator on my sidebar. We can just click on the French flag to translate this page and make believe I'm French. My description of scabies is Much more romantic that way, trust me.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

2005-09-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this post by stating that I love my life and I realize that there are many families who have had far, far worse weeks than I've had. However, it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to.

We homeschool and we have six children. This time of year is naturally very busy. Now add to that the fact that my 4 year old is going through a serious "mommy phase". ie: everything has to be done by Mom (aka- me). Dad won't do, brother won't do, grandma won't do. It has to be mom. As a result, this is my view all day...

So my darling husband has a job he loves very much. He helps care for the injured and elderly sisters at our local convent. Usually it's a wonderful blessing. The children love to go visit and it's like having 200 grandmothers all fighting to fill you up with cookies, cakes and juice and I have 200 sisters praying for me everyday, which believe me I NEED.

Well, this week one of the sisters came down with Scabies. What's Scabies you ask? I'd do a search and post a link with some graphic pictures and grotesque descriptions, but frankly I don't want to see them myself. Suffice it to say they're microscopic bugs that nest in the skin and they're highly contagious. I prefer to call them kooties. A much nicer image than the alternative. Anyways, because hubby was caring for her and then coming home to us we all have been exposed and must be treated. The treatment itself isn't too bad. Just a topical lotion applied before bed and then washed off in the morning. The hubby tried to make it fun (?) for the children. I applied the lotion while he rounded them up one by one and played emcee- "Congratulations! You're the next contestant on name that itch."

My problem is the laundry. UGH! The laundry. We normally have quite a bit of laundry each week anyways, but this morning all the beds had to be stripped and all the clothes, towels, blankets, etc that have been used lately have to be washed. Just between you and me, a large bonfire in the backyard actually sounds like a reasonable option right now. Minus any handknits of course.

But all is not lost. I actually finished the IK retro rib socks for my mom, plus one of the Glampyre One Skein Wonders for myself in TLC Cotton Plus. I love this little shrug and made myself a second one in pale yellow Lamb's Pride Cotton Fleece which is presently at the bottom of that laundry pile.
A top secret sweater I've been knitting for my FIL for his birthday on Saturday was also completed in the knick of time. I was going for a slouchy, v-neck sweatshirt feel with the sweater and it's my first project from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, which I love. I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. Here it is,

All gifts will be washed before giving. No one really wants some kooties with their knitwear.

Back to the laundry I go.

S O S

2005-09-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

The American Red Cross

Give A Little - for charity minded knitters

Show & Tell

2005-08-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Look what I made!

Life's been a little crazy lately, so I took a break from reality and played with yarn and dye all day. I've been experimenting and finally came up with a technique I like. I took some leftover aran weight wool and some fingering weight merino wool that I had dyed previously solid colors and I overdyed them with 2 shades each and created this effect.

I love them both and just knitted up this test swatch with a few different stitches to make sure I didn't end up with some crazy splotches of pooling. So far so good.

My big knitting lessons of the week....give me some natural fibers and dyes and I'm like a pig in mud. Happy, Happy! Ask me to do some lace knitting and you'll find me later in a puddle of tears and knotted yarn.

Dear Santa,
If you're reading this, I'd like 2 bags of Henry's Attic Andromeda from Discount Yarns that I can dye myself and knit up a lovely Clapotis. (I prefer to see myself as not so much a knitting lemming, but rather a woman who knows a good thing when she sees it.) I promise I'll be a very good girl for the rest of the year.
Love,
Me

Star Crossed Lovers

2005-08-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you see a pattern and think, "That's pretty cute and I have that yarn in my stash. Sure, I'll cast on."
and then sometimes you see a pattern and your little knitter's heart starts to race and you HAVE to make it? That's what happened to me when I stumbled across this shawl pattern from Karabella in an old Patternworks catalog. After picking myself up off the floor I read on to find that it's actually a crochet pattern and I haven't crocheted, with the exception of some decorative edging, for over a decade.

No problem. It's like riding a bike, right?

Then I saw the suggested yarn was Karabella LW Supercashmere which costs roughly an arm and a leg.

No problem. I have some heathered lace weight super soft alpaca from Knit Picks that would probably work.

Then I tried to order the pattern from the Patternworks site only to find they no longer carry it.

No problem. A quick Google search and I tracked it down at Knit Pixie.

Now I will sit by my window everyday and wait for the mail man with my crochet hook in one hand and a ball of lace weight alpaca in the other, because although the odds are clearly against us, with God as my witness, I will do whatever I need to do to make this work and we will live happily ever after.

Li'l Miss Crumpet

2005-08-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've been wrapping up a flourish of finishing. Here's the completed Crumpets babydoll top in KnitPicks' Shine, green apple. Doesn't she look sweet & adorable. You should know I had to delay this post to call Poison Control because I found my little darling eating craft glitter shortly after this picture was taken. This is the same child who had to go to the ER a few weeks ago when she shoved plastic beads up her nose. (If you ever need to know how to extract beads from the nose of a toddler just drop me a line. I can spare you a trip.) Not content with just sticking one up there, she managed to insert 3 before she realized they weren't at all comfortable. The next day I also discovered that she had eaten 2. I'll spare you the details as to how I know this, but let's just say it came out alright in the end.

Awww...I Think She Takes After Me

2005-08-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here are my completed baby gifts. Now let's just hope the ultrasound tech was correct and it's a girl. I tried to make everything big enough so it'll fit in the cooler weather and I certainly hope for the expectant mother's sake she's not born with a head big enough to wear that hat home from the hospital. Ouch!

The hat is Miss Dashwood from Knitty. I used cream colored Andean Silk from KnitPicks. The Mittens are from Zoe Mellor's Nursery Knits, the socks are the ruffle rib Better Than Booties socks from Interweave (PDF file) and all of those were done with KnitPicks Sock Memories in Paperdoll.

God Save The Queen

2005-07-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

My regal assistant is modeling the recently completed Elizabeth ruff from Kate Gilbert, the evil genius who loosed Clapotis on an unsuspecting knitting public. I love this design. Not only was it a quick, fun knit which let me use up odds and ends of Rowan Kidsilk Haze left over from my Maggie sweater, but it's a great option for moms who don't want their little ones running around the playground wearing long scarves.

Also on the needles is a variety of baby booties, mittens, hats, etc. for friends having babies. I'm using knit picks self striping sock yarn in the Paper Doll colorway right now and LOVE it. The colors are more vibrant than they appeared on my computer screen, but still softer than the other shades they offer and the merino is nice and soft and very easy to knit with. I ordered a few extra skeins in a dark purple colorway (the name of which escapes me now) that I'll use to knit up the Erte Cloche from Marnie MacLean as soon as all my gift knitting is done.

Comic Relief

2005-07-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry blogging's been light. With everything that's happened in London writing about knitting seemed a little ridiculous. But here I am, so I mine as well offer the ultimate in ridiculous knitting for a little comic relief. Go check out You Knit What? and have a good laugh.

Sock & Crumpets

2005-07-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy girl this holiday weekend, knitting away when I wasn't yelling at the TV screen during Live8.

Warning: Non-Knitting Side Rant. Could the MTV coverage have been any worse?!

V.J.: "Scissor Sisters is really tearing it up here live, but let's go now to some pre-recorded footage of Jay-Z and Lincoln Park for the umpteenth time."

And how sad is the state of the modern music industry that Pink Floyd walked out on stage and mopped up the floor with every "artist" who apparently put more thought into their wardrobe than their music.

OK, rant over.

Anyways, I finished the first Retro-Rib sock and cast on Crumpets from Chiagu in the leftover Green Apple Shine from KnitPicks. I'm taking a cue from Wendy over at Knit & Tonic and knitting it as a little baby doll tank for my daughter. So far I really love how the pattern is knitting up. Unfortunately I had originally started on larger needles, but the gauge was way too loose and looked so sloppy I frogged the whole thing and started over on smaller needles. All better now. I found a Crumpets Knit Along and I think I may join. It'll be my first Knit-Along.

I Am The Champion My Friends!

2005-06-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Behold the domesticated monster. I was in such a funk this week I knew there was only one project that could pull me through. I had to tackle that fuzzy sweater from Rowan Magazine #31 that's been sitting in the box under my nightstand for over a year and show it who's boss.

Once I pulled it all out and figured where I left off, I was stunned at how quickly it came together. Not only did I finish it, but it's actually my favorite finished piece yet! It's a true testament to the beauty of Kidsilk Haze that I'm still eager to knit with it again after all this and the sweater has a flirty Donna Reed feel that makes me want to greet my family with fresh baked muffins in the morning and vacume in high heels and pearls.

Never again will I be intimidated by two sticks and some yarn. I will knit intarsia. I will knit fair isle. I will knit lace. Who knows, maybe I'll even knit enterlac and NO ONE CAN STOP ME! except maybe my husband when he gets the yarn bill.

Speaking of yarn. Here's a great mystery of the knitting universe to ponder, if KnitPixie receives a new supply of Vesper Sock Yarn every week, why is it always out of stock??? I obsessively check everyday and it's never there. Has anyone tried it? Is my adoration from afar well founded? Will I ultimately be disappointed when I finally get my hands on some? And how does Knitterly Things dye a self striping sock yarn with so many shades of Kool-Aid anyways? The worlds biggest microwave?

5...4...3...2....

2005-06-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Inspirations Yarn Womb Watch! Margaret's due for an induction any time now. Watch her blog for the big announcement.

Good News, Bad News

2005-06-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

The good news is, I'm no longer the only knitter in the house.

The bad news is, I'm no longer the only knitter in the house and she'll soon learn where I stash the good yarn.

Melancholy Baby

2005-06-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

My best friend is being abducted.

Ok, maybe I'm exagerating just a little.

Jenn has been my best friend since 7th grade. She was in 8th grade, but we both were scheduled for Mr. Vail's quiet study at Danvers High School right after lunch period. On the first day of school I arrived in the classroom and sat in the very front row. Suddenly I heard a voice from the back of the room saying, "Psst.... Hey ding dong, Nobody sits in the front row for Study Hall! Sit back here by me." She's been saving me from my innate dorkiness ever since.

Well now she's gone and married a hockey coach whose job requires them to move all the way to Switzerland. I cannot hop on the "T" and go to Switzerland. This is causing an unexpected amount of angst. The fact is, for the past few years we've both been busy with our own young families and haven't seen each other as much as I would have liked, but at least I always knew where she was. If I wanted to talk to her I didn't have to calculate time zone changes and deal with overseas phone service.

I am in serious danger of being thrown into some nostalgic gloom where I will be found wearing my old baton squad uniform, drinking Zima and listening to Michael Bolton sing "How Am I supposed To Live Without You" over and over again. The only cure for this is Sushi. Whenever life gets crazy Jenn and I leave the kids with our respective hubbies and meet for Sushi. Does Sushi go well with Zima?

Another For The "Must-Knit" List

2005-06-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Just for the record, if you had told me a year ago that I would be this excited about socks I would have said you were crazy, but here goes...

Alison over at The Blue Blog has just posted her new pattern for the cutest little ankle socks with pom poms no less. It's free, go get it.

Speaking of socks, There's even an entire blog devoted just to sock knitting. Be still my beating heart.

A Second Chance At Love

2005-06-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the sock knitting saddle again.
It's the Interweave Knits Retro Rib socks for my Mom, knit in KnitPicks Dancing sock yarn.

After the lemon yellow socks and I parted ways some time ago I was a little leary, but just look at how playful this one is. Fun to watch how it develops & just complicated enough to keep things interesting.

I guess you knew it had to be serious if I was introducing it to Mom.

Happy Father's Day!

2005-06-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

awwww...

Aren't you glad I didn't knit you a tie?

Congrats Kids!

2005-06-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Totally unrelated to knitting, but too hilarious not to share.

TomKat have announced their sincere and non-PR related engagement.

In honor of this momentous occassion I'd like to share the following links...

If you thought this montage of Mr. Cruise on Oprah was funny, this clip of Dane Cook impersonating Tom Cruise on Jimmy Kimmel's show will have you shooting your beverage of choice out your nostrils. Better put your knitting down first.

Cruel Summer

2005-06-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

A picture of the Flame halter top from Rowan Magazine #31 , as promised.

Phew! Good thing I finished just in time to enjoy another lovely New England Summer.

That's Monmouth Cap #1 by the way and the Purl Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

Alive & Knitting

2005-06-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from vacation to find my computer in a state of rebellion. I can blog, but I can't post pictures right now. Just the process of getting online again was like trying to unravel double stranded mohair in the dark.

I finished the Rowan Flame pattern while I was away and actually started a new pair of socks for my Mom. It's the Retro Rib sock pattern from Interweave and I'm knitting them in Knit Picks Dancing sock yarn. I'm using "Rumba".

Before I had a chance to sew up Flame, my youngest daughter got a hold of the front piece after eating Doritoes and managed to get nacho cheese powder all over it and pull a few stitches out of shape with her teeth. One of the selling points for the KnitPicks Shine yarn is that it's machine washable. I tossed the finished garment into a cold wash and then into the dryer, said a knitter's prayer and hoped for the best. It came out just fine. I have a few possible baby gifts to knit and this yarn will be my first choice.

2005-06-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Rowan Flame, still on the needles.

Knitting in Toyland

2005-06-03T03:49:00.000-07:00

I have a new daily read and I just added it to my list of favorite knitblogs . Go visit Knit & Tonic . Just be warned, after reading it you'll want to go to Glampyre Knits and get the pattern for this which is evidently Highly addictive. I think I may have to knit this myself for a little instant knitty gratification once the sock is done. Yes, the sock looks like it may be finished today. No really, I mean it this time.

As I read other knit blogs I'm always astonished at how quickly other people turn out completed projects. Unfortunately what I practice is something that I like to call "extreme knitting". I have a gaggle of young children so whenever I sit down to knit I always know that I will be interrupted and forced to get up at least three times a row for the putting on of little shoes, the search for a lost toy, refilling the sippy cup, etc. I also know that when I do start knitting I will have to do so while dodging peanut butter & jelly fingers with a 2 yr. old trying to climb me like Mt Everest. By the time my little darlings are asleep for the night and I could actually do some knitting I am catatonic.

Which brings me to my third point. No, the Rowan Flame pattern is not done yet either, even though this should be a fairly quick project. I'm on the second halter strap now which requires me to reverse the shaping while doing decreases at both the neckline and armhole at varying rows. This has become similar to those word problems that made my head hurt in 6th grade math class. Yes, I can figure it out and do it correctly, but my sleep deprived brain needs a block of undistracted knitting time to start and finish it otherwise I know I will lose my place and/or my mind. But when will I have a block of undistracted knitting time? Oh, about 16yrs, at which point I will have NO business wearing a low cut halter top.

Drum Roll Please...

2005-05-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Taaaa Daaaa! One down and as soon as I finished I cast on the second. It's much more fun the second time around now that I know what I'm doing. I'm definately more of a hands-on learner. The pattern originally made absolutely no sense to me until I started doing it. I'm going on vacation soon and looking forward to having some compact, but satisfying knitting to bring along.

True Confessions: It's Supposed To Look Like This...

2005-05-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

(only with a bra) ,but instead it hides in shame in a box under my nightstand.

2005-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Green Apple Flame halter top is coming along nicely, which is encouraging considering this same Rowan Magazine #31 gave birth to my monster in a box (my apologies to Spalding Gray.) It's cursed.

I lovingly ordered the kidsilk haze in this candy pink which is now discontinued and eagerly cast on while visions of myself like a modern day sweater girl danced in my head, and then, it all went sour.

I won't go into the gory details, but it involves young people with no appreciation for the art of handknitting, a glass of red wine, some intensive psychotherapy, perhaps a mild sedative. It's all a little foggy now.

Green Apple Destiny

2005-05-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

I think the Knit Picks, Shine & Twist has found it's place in the world. I'm in love with this yarn. Maybe it's just a post-sock rebound thing, but if this is wrong I don't want to be right. The colors are great, it knits up even and feels like a dream and it's cheap to boot.

And the lucky pattern is......
Flame from Rowan Magazine #31. Wish I had a better picture of it, but you get the idea. The neckline is a wee bit J-low as shown here, but fortunately the straps tie behind the neck, so I plan on adjusting that.

A Time of Heeling

2005-05-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

I did it! The heel is turned. All I have to do now is knit around, do the toe decreases and graft the toe. I'm considering building a shrine to the lovely Amy Finlay, seeing as her free online heel turning video saved my sanity.

I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing and then my husband ominously reminded me that socks usually travel in pairs. I think I feel a case of early onset SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) coming on.

Feeling Sorry For Yourself?

2005-05-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Check in with the Mossy Cottage blog and see how the Dulaan Project is coming along. You'll have to scroll down to around May 2nd to see the latest pictures. Then, in the name of everything good and decent in this world, grab some needles and wool and knit them something.

Reunited (and it feels so good.)

2005-05-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

After a brief seperation, the sock and I have worked things out for the sake of the child who will one day wear it. I found a spare size 1 dpn that used to belong to my Nana. She's the one who taught me to knit by the by.

Ever since I made it past the ribbed cuff things have gone well, but there's a heel to turn in our future. I'm not at all sure we'll make it.

*heavy sigh*

The Way We Were...

2005-05-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

See How It Mocks Me!? This is supposed to be a sock, but I knit and I knit and it refuses to grow. Now one of my eensie size 1 dpns has gone missing. We've started avoiding each other, this sock and I. It's just so awkward when we bump into each other in my knitting bag.

Mission Accomplished

2005-05-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Realizing I needed a little instant knitting gratification I decided to knit up a buttonhole bag from Mason Dixon Knitting with the various skeins of Lamb's Pride Bulky I've been collecting. It was my first time felting (intentionally) and I can see why it's so popular. I couldn't wait to knit up another bag just to see how it turned out. Oddly enough, I used the same exact pattern with the same brand of yarn, but ended up with 2 different heights. I guess that's just the way the fiber shrinks. I love them both and can't wait to use them.

Now that I've got the felting bug I've added the cloche hat from KnitPicks and the French Market bag from Knitty to my "must knit" list. Can you believe I thought knitting this project would help make that list shorter. Ha ha! I should know better by now.

2005-05-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

You can't knit just one.

2005-05-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

FlyGrrrlz

2005-05-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Orchid From Rowan #31. Next project in line...maybe....

Too Many Options...

2005-05-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

There are far, far greater knitting problems I could have, but right now I have so many projects I would like to start that I just don't know where to begin.

I may eat my words about my green apple cotton yarn from Knit Picks. Remember when I said I couldn't imagine an entire sweater knit in that stuff? Well...ahem, that was until I knit up a little swatch of it and realized how incredibly soft and cuddly it was and how nicely it reflected the light which softened up all that green. Anyways I'm thinking of using it to do the pattern Orchid from Rowan Magazine #31.

On the otherhand I recently received my copy of the Spring Rebecca Magazine and I have enough kidsoft in my stash to knit that beautiful eyelet wrap cardigan.

But then there's that short sleeved pullover from Vintage Knits and the felted Buttonhole Bag from Mason-Dixon Knitting and my first sock project and that lacy cardigan from the Spring Knitty and I'm still finishing the wave shrug and................

A Day of Firsts

2005-05-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

My first order from the new Knit Happens online store was delivered today and the only way it could have arrived quicker was if the Yarn Fairy had left it under my pillow while I was sleeping. As if that wasn't nice enough, the yarn is bee-yooooo-teeful. 2 Skeins of Lorna's Laces sock yarn in "Knit Happens".

So I've added my first Lorna's Laces purchase to the stash and soon hopefully my first socks.

2005-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Aren't you pink & green with envy?

2005-05-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yay me! Finished Rowan's "Bell" Pattern

2005-04-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rowan Cotton Glace in Candyfloss

Almost Finished

2005-04-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've been dragging my feet as I reach the end of Bell from Rowan Magazine #27. I just haven't been in the mood to pick up stitches and knit the button bands. I'm feeling the need to get it off the needles before I cast on a new project though. Which means I also need to pick up 7 pretty buttons too. Should I be a complete Rowanette and splurge on these shell buttons? (see, we're back to the nautical theme already.)

Nautical Knitting

2005-04-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

I live in a seaside town and the colors and textures of that sometimes find their way into my knitting. I knit a shawl sometime ago that was a lovely, soft green/blue mohair which reminded me of seaglass. Last week I found the same brand of mohair (Le Gran from Classic Elite) at my local yarn shop. It was a pale celery green and reminded me again of seaglass. I bought a skein and hope to use it to add some kind of fringe to the shawl using the beads below. I have no idea exactly how I'm going to do this, but I'm hoping and praying for some free time soon when I can lay it all out without worrying that little inquisitive hands will make a grab for it.

I've also been working on my very first lace project. I bought some Shimmer yarn in the color Turquoise Splendor from Knit Picks. The variations in color reminded me of the ocean so I decided to try making a shrug in an Old Shale pattern. I started out on bamboo needles which was a bit of a nightmare. The yarn felt sticky on the needles and I was forever tugging and pulling at it. Finally picked up some Bryspun needles and I'm a happy girl. The pattern doesn't look like much now, but I've been assured that it'll look prettier once it's washed and blocked properly. Of course at the rate it's knitting up, I should be finished just in time to see the Shrug go the way of the Poncho. Must knit faster!

2005-04-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

SeaShawl

2005-04-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Wave Shrug

2005-04-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

brim up

Drum Roll Please...

2005-04-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

The cap is finished. Sewed the button on this morning and it's modeled below by my lovely assistants.

After a Monmouth break I'd like to try it again on double pointed needles in the larger size and see how it felts up.

2005-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Finished Monmouth Cap

2005-04-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Monmouth Cap, button view

2005-04-26T18:42:00.001-07:00

Rowan Bag

2005-04-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

bag lining

Meanwhile, back in the 21st Century.....

2005-04-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

While anxiously waiting to sew a button on my cap I decided to finally sew a lining into my Rowan Big Wool bag. According to the pattern, a lining was optional. They lied. If it contains a tube of lipstick the bag suddenly becomes a misshapen mess. I found the perfect fabric in the remnants bin at my local craft shop and sewed it in today. And to think, this project has only been sitting in my sewing bag for about a year.

As a side note, Rowan's Big Wool would give you the perfect gauge for the monmouth cap as long as you don't mind taking out a second mortgage to finance a hat.

Historical Knitting Epiphany #2

2005-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling there were more than a few pilgrims to the new world who came to regret only bringing one Monmouth Cap on their voyage. I've recently discovered that a wet bulky wool cap takes FOREVER to dry.
*sigh*

2005-04-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

the happy hat family

The Evolution of The Wooly Monmouth

2005-04-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've developed what my husband charitably refers to as "an interesting fixation." While watching the PBS series Colonial House I took a liking to their knit hats and wanted to make one. I knit it in green bulky wool on circular US size 10.5 needles from the bottom up, starting with a K2 P2 rib.

It wasn't quite right, so I did a little research and learned about the Monmouth Cap. I decided to try again, but this time knitted from the top down with a brim that folded under and was grafted to the inside of the hat. I only learned to knit on double pointed needles a few days ago and was a little intimidated to try and write a pattern while also knitting in the round so I knit it on straight needles, kirchener stitched the hem and tried to make the back seam as invisible as possible. Still not quite right. The back seam was too obvious and it was a little too large compared to reported measurements I found online. My gauge was off slightly too, but that had more to do with what I was able to find handy at my local yarn shop. I deally this should be worked in a super bulky hand spun wool or a close facsimile like Bartlett Bulky.

Back to the drawing board. I started again with some Lamb's Pride Bulky in brown which is the color most commonly associated with the Monmouth Cap. I worked it with 4 double pointed needles and it wasn't nearly as tricky as I expected (see photo below.) When it was time to graft the hem I got a little nervous. To work around the needles I'd have to do a kind of inverted kirchener stitch. Once I started though I had a little historical knitting epiphany. I don't know if the original cap knitters worked their caps from the top down or not, but as I worked the hem it naturally created a purl row that made it easier for the brim to be turned up and not only stay in place, but also have a neat decorative edge whether the brim was worn up or down. Sa-weeeeeet!

I chain stitched a back loop and washed and blocked it. The last thing to do is add a top button. For lack of more info on the original buttons used I made a sorry excuse for a traditional Dorset button such as these , except the bulky quality of the yarn made any detailed needlework impossible. I'm waiting for my Monmouth cap to finish drying so I can sew the button on.

2005-04-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

What could it be?

It's Not Easy Being Green.

2005-04-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

How do you think this poor yarn felt after it had traveled all this way to a new home, only to be greeted with a gasp of shock from me? I knew it was going to be green, but it is oh so very, very green. Based on the picture from the Knit Picks site I was expecting a softer more yellow-y, first buds of Spring green, but instead I have the strange urge to sing about "The Rainbow Connection" whenever it's near.
My first reaction was that it would have to go back, but I confess it's growing on me. I can't imagine wearing an entire sweater of this stuff, but it is a deliciously soft cotton and would make a great little cropped cardigan or tank or such. We're learning to coexist.

2005-04-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Howya like them apples?

Mildly Obsessed

2005-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my own special place. Here I will ramble on about knitting, so my poor family doesn't have to feign interest anymore.