Unexpected Absences

Well I certainly didn't intend to disappear last week! Sunday had been a very busy day. Visiting both The Stockinette Knitting Cafe in Jersey City and Knitting Nation in Nyack in one afternoon! Try as I might to spend not a penny, I did manage to reign myself in enough to purchase only for intended gifts. Mostly.

But wait, there's more. I managed to get home in time to freshen myself up and head into the City for my cousin's birthday dinner. There I joined not only he, his wife and kids, but also his parents and brother, visiting from England. It was a wonderful family get together, though it did POUR on me all the way from E 49th back to Port Authority bus station (about a 20 minute walk). The whole thing (especially the weather) left me a bit weak. I suppose it wasn't surprising that I woke up the next morning to a killer migraine and remained in bed the better of that day and the next. By the time I got myself back to a normal schedule I just couldn't get it together to write. Of course I did find time to knit with some of my new found stashiness.

First the Dream in Color Classy I picked up at Knitting Nation. This was bought with purpose. To make Kirsten Kapur's new baby vest design Pembroke (Rav linky) for the Wigged One's Wee Little Wiggins.

This knit up nicely in two days and I am very happy with the result!

back

front

cable detail

v-neck closeup

I even managed to find the perfect buttons!

Now we just have to wait for Wee Little Wiggins to be a wee bit larger so he can properly model this for us. He should be a natural, his mama was a great model back in the day!

I also managed to pick up this great Portland Tweed from Classic Elite at the The Stockinette. What could be better than a classic tweed for a Jared Flood pattern?


This (and about 1/4 of another) transformed itself into Habitat (Rav linky) in just over 24 hours. My birthday present to my cousin. Of course it's been blocking since this morning so I'll photograph it when it's dry.

And lest anyone be wondering about other projects, I did indeed finish the Endpaper Mitts. The second one was knit quite a bit more loosely. I had to reblock the living daylights out of the first mitt so they would be the same size.

This pattern proved to be my own personal knitting nemesis. I am so NOT knitting these again. I hope they fit The Cheerleader well enough, and if they don't, well I just don't want to know. She'll just have to love her hat, when I make it.

Better Late Than Never?

While I feel like I'm pretty back on schedule with my writing, I do seem to have a Thursday night block. Perhaps it is because I come home exhausted, know I won't be working the next day, sit and knit and forget about the photos. Or perhaps it's because it is STILL raining and has been hard to get any good shots (it was cold and rained ALL day yesterday!) Of course this doesn't mean I haven't been knitting and I took yesterday evening to make some real headway with the Endpaper Mitts. Really! I'm not kidding.

Only 5 rows until I put the thumb to the side and then 14 more rows. Then it's just about the ribbing and I'm finished. Honestly, barring any negative thoughts, this baby should be done by the next posting!

In the meantime, Here's a shot of my Ulmus progress.


This too is progressing nicely. Three more rows and I'd be ready for the edging. IF I wanted a size Small. To get to the Large (or even bigger!) is going to take a bit more time. Like over 150 stitches worth. But it's still fun and I'm not feeling pressured. Yet.

Report Card

Sometimes it feels like I'm back at school, bringing home reports and having my mom sign off on them. All of this work on shawls and stoles sometimes makes me feel like I'm not getting too far so I guess it's good that Wednesday rolls around once a week, giving me a clearer picture of my progress.

When we last saw Hanami I had ripped it out and started over with 16 extra stitches to give a better width. Like all the projects I have to show this week, the pattern has finally kicked in and I'm doing a lot more reading my knitting than staring at the pattern. This is always a plus. I've also gotten farther along in the pattern than I had before ripping. I'm firmly into the third repeat. Only 5 more to go before the transition chart!

Ulmus has been keeping me company, my constant companion and this week's travel and lunch time knit of choice. Unfortunately I cut it very close with the natural sunlight this evening and the pictures of the entire shawl came out too blurry to show. Rest assured, I am progressing at a decent pace, and am very close to being at size Small. Of course I intend to take this all the way to the full 335 stitches, or perhaps wider. We'll see when I get a bit closer. In the meantime, I am thrilled to report that I, at least, am still totally in love with the colors!


Before Ulmus took back control of the needles, I did get in some work on Clapotis. Before I get too close to the end of this hank, I'll have to decide if it I want to keep it going and order one more.


I am quite pleased with the depth of the Hand Maiden Cashbah Ivory colorway. And the cashmere content makes it so luxuriously squishy I almost wish it were Winter! Almost!


Dare I say I worked through the angst we call Endpaper? Is it true I've loosened up, jumped the hurdle and am really, really on my way? The three repeats for the cuff are done. Now it's on to the increase/gusset section. Keep thinking the good thoughts people and this knit may actually get finished!

Nemesis

I love a challenge, don't get me wrong. In fact, I get bored if all goes too smoothly, too easily, too brainlessly. Over the last three years I have continued to challenge myself, and for the most part succeeded. But no matter how accomplished I think I have become, I know there is so much left to learn. And that sometimes a well written, seemingly innocuous pattern may in fact be out to get you!

Last autumn, I started out on my first stranded pattern. THE pattern, I was told, for beginning stranded knitting. I was so excited. I knew these would be perfect for my friend, the Cheerleader. And on the face of it, Endpaper Mitts is just that. Straightforward, well written. 2310 Knitters can't be wrong. And yet. Here's how it looked in February. Mitt one, finally finished, Mitt 2 finally on the needles.

And here is how it looks this evening

only I have knit and ripped and knit and ripped and knit and ripped more times that I care to admit to. The fact that yarn is still viable is a testament to Shibui sock. I've put it away for long periods of time, feeling guilty all the while. And of course the Cheerleader has in turns asked when it will be ready or suggested I give it up more times than I care to remember. Well she has been out of town, and I thought here is a chance to get this done and surprise her when she returns. I got past the thumb gusset and was ready to actually change back to tiny needles to do the ribbing. I thought, dear Readers, that I was really almost finished! Then I compared it to Mitt One and I realized I had started the pattern in the WRONG placed, forgetting the 30 rows of a straight cuff! (Yes, I should have photographed this but it was late and my frustration had me ripping before I common sense kicked in.) So I ripped back once more to the ribbing and have gotten through the first 10 rows. But I am not giving up! It's the principal of the thing. You know?

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A week of physical pain followed by another of the worst flu ever has left me with little to show for myself. And don't be fooled into thinking I got a lot of knitting in from my sick bed. Though I admit I did try. Everything I touched turned to straw. Seriously! From my progress on the Endpaper Mitts to my work on Longbourn. From my Charlotte's Web (ugh!) to my comfort knit of a new hat. Nada. All gone ribbiting away to the big Frog Pond.

You want to see how bad things have gotten? Well, this is how far I got on the Endpaper Mitt before I realized I had done something very wrong. Again.

Look at that seem. Same mistake I made with the first mitt. Could I have paid any less attention to what I was doing?

Longbourn. Yes, I got through the leg and I think it looks rather nice. But the heel. The heel.

I've already said the short-row wasn't working for me. This was just the last stitch and the re-attachment to the sock. So I decided to go with a heel flap and gusset. No problem. I made one and reattached, only to learn I had made the flap in the wrong place! Upon working the gusset I saw that I had shifted the entire pattern. So I ripped that out and started again. I'm only a few rows into the new flap and I think I'm going to hold off. When I feel back to normal, I'm going to go for the short-row heel after all.

Charlotte's Web. I have admitted defeat. The color combo I want isn't going to happen until Tina releases or relreleases the elusive colors I need. In the meantime, I have swatched some other combos and think I may have a FEW winners. I'll keep you posted.

And the biggest disaster of all. My comfort knitting project. The one I chose to take me away from all my failures. My flop.


Red Rose by Ysolda Teaugue in just the WRONG weight yarn. Fear not. I did some stash diving and have come upon a replacement. I won't kick it out in a day or two but I think it will work.

But let's end on a happy note. I am feeling better and my knitting mojo is returning. Tomorrow will be all about successes!

The Best Laid Plans

Yes, they do go awry. Take this weekend. A three day weekend. A Knitter's dream. And it all started off nice enough. Lovely Shabbos meals. Motzei Shabbos knitting. My regular Sunday morning Starbucks date with my good friend D. Another coffee date on Monday with Madstitcher1. I was plodding along, resolute in finishing my Druid Mittens. And then. Who'd have thought a holiday weekend could take such a turn. Monday afternoon I started feeling, well, not so great. And I took to my bed in early evening and pretty much stayed there for the next 36 hours. I got myself back to work yesterday but knit nary a stitch during my lunch break. Just. Wasn't. Interested. (Did I just write that?) I perked up a bit yesterday evening and had a lovely visit with the Wigged One. And then AFTER she left I picked up my knitting again and did two rows on my Charlotte's Web. And that's it folks. That's it.


Of course you may have noticed that I've frogged the lovely Jasper and replaced it with Star Sapphire. No, I don't love it as much. No, it is not the shawl that I envisioned. But I believe it is a better gateway to Color 4 and, ultimately, Color 5 which means that I may some day actually have a shawl.

And the good news in all of this. I DID finish the Druid Mittens before disaster struck. You'll just have to wait for some photos. I think I do a pretty good job with the picture taking but I don't think I can manage taking a picture with no hands!

And now, all that stands between me and Almeara is this:

Half Way There

It seems that I have been stricken with that scary affliction with which we Knitters are often cursed. Second Sock Syndrome. Mine has even developed into Second Mitten Syndrome. As much as I love some of my projects, the need for new has led me astray. But I am determined to get past this. I am moving forward, casting on and completing my pairs. And why am I so motivated? Because there's a whole lot of knitting that I have denied myself until the task is completed!

Leyburn is close indeed. One more pattern repeat and then it's time for the cuff. I've loved being part of the KAL and love the way the socks look. They aren't as challenging as I prefer, but they have been the perfect lunch break project.



Django. Love. What else is there to say. And until I make the second sock I can't cast on for Stricken, Marlene, Twisted Flower or any other Cookie A sock I'm hankering to make.



Longbourn. Ok I'm sneaking this one in. I just cast on last night. But Longbourn sounds like Leyburn so it counts, right? And I'm very happy to knitting with my Sundara stash. Very happy indeed.



Endpaper Mitts. The bane of my existence. Poor Cheerleader has been waiting for months. Although I love the color combo and the finished mitt in general, this has not been a happy knitting experience. I've ripped as much as I've knit because of silly, stupid mistakes. I'm not sure I like this stranded knitting thing. I adore the way it looks but the process? Still not sure. So ask me why I cast on for Longbourn!



And last, but certainly not least, my Druid Mittens. I am a Jared Flood devotee. I can't wait to cast on for the new gloves with yarn to match my Gretel. I'm not sure I share his love for tweed though. It looks great but the yarn is a bit of a pain to work with.



Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you about the continuing saga of the Charlotte's Web.

Nothing to Show for it

Thank you all for your warm words. The loss of a family member is always difficult. Losing my younger brother left me pretty out of breath. We lived such different lives, so far from each other, for so long that it had been a very long time since we had seen each other. I still find it hard to believe that we will never see each other again. Although Robert was a father of two, I will always remember him as the young boy with a beautiful smile, as the young man who helped me pack up the vestiges of college life in La Jolla and return it back to San Francisco. Probably the last time we spent a great deal of time together it was a road trip to remember. I am still coming to terms of how much I miss someone I should have been missing for years.

Although I have done a lot of knitting in the last couple of weeks, I have done just as much frogging and tinking. In layman's terms, Knit, Rip, Knit Rip and really, I've got nothing to show you. Half way through Mitt 2 on the Endpaper Mitts and I realized I'd gone terribly wrong.

Mitt 1 on left, 2 on right

Yep, I'd held the yarn in the wrong hand, again. I tried ripping back to the ribbing but the count just seemed off so I need to cast on once again.

And my Druid Mittens, well they were going fabulously. I realized that my bigger, longer hand needed a deeper thumb gusset so I continued on with the thumb section a few extra rows.

But when I got to the end of the pattern before the decreases I decided not to adjust and add more rows there too. Big mistake.

I worked late into the night on Sunday to finish them up only to find I was curling my fingers to get them completely inside. And so I ripped back to before the decreases and am adding in one more repeat. That isn't going as smoothly as it should but I am persevering.

I have read many times of the comfort knitters take in their knitting after the loss of a loved one. I admit now I always thought that was a bit much to believe. Never judge a man until you have stood in his shoes. The only knitting success I do have is the knitting I did in the days following my brother's death. Cast on Monday (MLK day) and finished up early Tuesday morning, Gretel is my new favorite knit.

For my big head and big hair, the shape is much better suited for me than hats I've previously made.

More details to follow, but for now, here is the Rav Link .

Contest winner to be announced Monday, so stay tuned. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

What I Did on my Day Off

It may not seem like I did a lot, but then I attacked four different projects...

First up: Lazy Daisy Neck Warmer. You thought it was finished? So did I. But I just wasn't happy with it. I didn't like the way it looked buttoned up and so I looked around at some other neck warmers. One of my biggest concerns was weather or not it would fit correctly when the recipient FINALLY received it. So based on some neck warmers I found in Ravelry I decided to remove the scalloped edge, open up the bind off and add some more length. Of course I removed the buttons as well. I've decided to present it without the buttons so I can get a good measurement and then sew the buttons on.

Here is the added length. See how much nicer that looks.

Yes, I also added a scalloped edge to the other side.

I think I'm really happy with this now.

Next, of course, was some work on the End Paper Mitts. I have about seven more rounds until I place the thumb stitches on a holder.

This is usually my lunch break project so I decided that I should do my requisite few rounds. The Cheerleader is currently basking in the Florida sunshine, so I still have a bit of time...

Of course, this is still mitt 1, so I better start getting a move on.

And out of the frying pan, into the fire. I've started another cardigan. A Norah Gaughan cardigan. I have long admired Norah's designs but after the Capecho fiasco I was hesitant to try again. But Norah's designs continue to inspire and there are two new ones that I just MUST make. As Norah is the Design Director of Berroco her patterns call for that yarn. So I decided it was time to try it out. O. M. G. What a pleasure to work with!

The first Norah cardi design to tackle is Kingscot, from the Twist Collective.

If you haven't been over there yet, I highly recommend it. It's the next generation knit-zene. The photos are gorgeous, articles are free, and the patterns purchased individually. This better compensates the designers than traditional magazines, and the Twist Collective promises to leave all patterns available, even after the next issue comes out. I love the idea and many, many of the patterns. You know what else I like, if errata is released on the pattern, they will email you directly!

You know what else I love? Socks! But it's been a long time, hasn't it. My sock yarn seems to be multiplying like bunnies and I'm not knitting it fast enough! Of course, I am starting to learn the joys of using it for non-sock projects but, I'm telling you, my fingers just NEEDED to be working on socks today. Still, I'm trying to cut back on my WiPs, so instead of casting on something new (like Livia, Stricken, Twisted Flower...) I got back to Django, who has been languishing since I ripped back most of a leg.

Starting with the completed cuff, I got through the first repeat, paying more attention to the shift rows, and so far I think it's looking good.


Now I am planning on starting off the year dedicated to finishing up my WiPs, including the long languishing Jeanie. But, I have already planned to cast on for two more projects. I have committed myself to the Socks that Rock Leyburn KAL, where we each will knit up Leyburn socks in a different BMF colorway. I'll be using Deck the Halls, as soon as my BMF sale order arrives. If you belong to Ravelry you can read more about it here. And of course, I will be working on Charlotte's Web. Just waiting for the afore mentioned BMF yarn to arrive for that one too.