Eleven Stitches

A Perfect Cowl

Merry Belated Christmas!  I hope that you had a wonderful holiday, if you are one who celebrates it.  Yesterday, I spent some time making a cowl for another co-worker.

Pattern: Darkside Cowl (Rav link) by Sarah Fama
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Quick in boysenberry, 1 skein (almost exactly)
Needles: US 13 circulars
Time to Knit: Dec 24 - 25
Modifications: Since my gauge was different, I only cast on 64 stitches for this pattern.

I love how all of this came together!  The yarn is very squooshy and it's a blend of several beautiful colors.  I don't often knit with super bulky yarn, but it's perfect for a cowl. And it knits up so quickly!

The cowl is a great size.  It fits and has enough body to cover my neck and keep me warm. My co-worker loves purple, and I think this will suit her well.

I ordered two skeins of the yarn because I wasn't sure if one skein would do.  Since I used almost exactly one skein for this cowl, I can make a second one! 

3 Years Later: Silk Sweater

I hear there was some type of snow event on the East Coast?  Well, this is what it was like yesterday in San Francisco :)

 

Actually, I was very aware of the predicted snow storm last weekend.  We flew out of Newark on Saturday morning, and I felt like the blizzard was right on our heels! But back to the lovely sweater in the photo above.....

I bought the yarn for this sweater at Art Fibers almost exactly three years ago.  I was a newish knitter, and I didn't know how to make my own pattern up for a sweater.  They wrote a pattern for me, based on this bloused dress they had on display in the store.  I got started on it right away, I believe, and I even talk about the sweater in my third post of my blog. 

The Art Fibers pattern started out pretty well. I didn't have circulars of the correct size to start the collar, so I knit it flat and joined to work in the round after a couple of inches.  This worked out well in the end.  I just added a button and a loop to the top and voila, the sweater has a keyhole opening in the back. 

As I was knitting the body of the sweater I realized that the blousing effect from the pattern would not work. The silk was too heavy, and it wouldn't have enough memory to do the ribbing to pull it in at the bottom.  This is, I believe, when the sweater went unknit for over a year.

Eventually I came back to it, and I finished the sweater with the same lacy ribbing that I had used at the collar. Then the sweater sat, armless, for another very long time.  

In November, I came across the sweater again and tried it on.  It fit.  I liked the color.  I liked the way it felt.  Why the heck did I never finish it?  After a few evenings, it was all finished up. I made the sleeves 3/4 length, and I finished them off with some deep lacy ribbing like you see in the rest of the sweater.  Since I hadn't knit that lace pattern in over a year, I had to re-construct it.  It's a good thing it was pretty simple!

It's so nice to have finished something that long in the making!

Pattern: Started out as an Art Fibers custom pattern, but then it became my own custom pattern
Yarn: Art Fibers Hana, 5 skeins
Needles: US 1.5 for the ribbing, US 3 for the stockinette
Time to Knit: January 2007 - November 2009

Breathe Deep

I have to say that I love the name of these mittens that I just finished. Several years ago, I had an anxiety condition where I would hold my breath.  That's a thing of the past now, but the words "breathe deep" make me instantly do so, and even now it calms me down.

Pattern: Breathe Deep by Through the Loops
Yarn: Brooks Farm Solana in 31
Needles: US 4
Modifications: None
Sizing: I used smaller needles and made the larger size. They seem to fit well this way.

I made these mittens for a co-worker.  She is often cold, and part of our job is being outside even in the cold weather! She also loves the color red.  She has told me that her entire house is decorated with little pops of red.

I find making holiday gifts for my co-workers stressful.  (They must be done by Friday!) But I do love finding just the right pattern, yarn, and color for a preson I know well.  I hope that she likes them!

PS. I decided to frog Betty.  It is a cardigan pattern already, so I don't think adding button bands would give me enough width for it to fit.  Also, the sleeves are too tight. It needs to become something else!

A Difficult Choice

Over this Thanksgiving holiday, I've been finishing things up.  I got a lot done on Betty.   I steeked the arm holes, and seamed them into the sweater body.

Alas, the sweater is too small.  I tried it on to show a couple of people, and their response is "Well, maybe it could work...", or "It's not really that bad."  But, I know myself when it comes to the sweaters I knit.  If I feel uncomfortable in them before they're finished, I'm likely to never wear them once they're done. So I think I've got a few options, some of which I've ruled out already.

1. I could finish the sweater and try to block it out and wear it.  I don't want to do this.  I don't think it will result in success.

2. I could frog this sweater and re-knit the pattern in a larger size.  I think I'm kind of "done" with this pattern for the moment.  I don't want to knit it again.

3. I could give this sweater to a smaller person, like my mother. My mom tried it on, and it fit her pretty well.  But she seemed pretty uncomfortable when she was wearing it, and she admitted that she would be too nervous to wear it very often because she would be afraid of ruining it.

4. I could frog the sweater and use the yarn to knit a different pattern. I cannot get all of the yarn back from this sweater because it's steeked past the armholes, but that leaves a large part of the body and sleeves that can be salvaged.  I also have about 600 yards of this yarn that's un-knit, so I think there's enough to do something with it.

Are there any other options I'm missing? I've been thinking about it for a couple of days now, and I'm leaning towards option 4, but I'm open to suggestions. I was thinking about option 3, but my mom really didn't seem comfortable with the idea, and I think she was the best candidate to wear the sweater.

I think that the sweater was fitting when I was knitting it.  Perhaps it shrunk some when I blocked it?  Anyway, I'm sad that it didn't work out, and I hope I'll be able to move on soon!

Intrinsic V. Extrinsic

At a recent teacher meeting, we were discussing intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards.  Ideally, at a Montessori school, our students are intrinsically motivated.  They enjoy working in the classroom because of the value they find in themselves.  We don't hand out gold stars, put stickers on papers, or have smiley face stamps.  I'm retraining myself to not say "Great job!", but instead say "Look at all the work you did! How do you feel?"

I am not a child of Montessori education, and I have to admit that outside praise feels pretty darn good sometimes. I would have to think that most people who have blogs are, at least in part, looking for some affirmation from others. But sometimes, I just knit things for my own satisfaction.

 

Here are some simple stockinette socks.  They have a garter cuff, and then they are plain vanilla all the way through the heel flap and the standard toe. Totally boring.

I love them.

When I wore them to work, I didn't show off my socks.  I didn't even make my husband look at them after I kitchenered the second toe. But they are soft, they are a delicious brown, and my feet feel good wearing them.

I knit these socks because I enjoyed knitting them. I wear them because I enjoy wearing them.  And if nobody ever notices them and throws me a compliment?  That's OK.

I know that my motivations for knitting are mixed.  Of course I want my knitting to be noticed and admired.  But if it wasn't, I can't imagine that I'd give up knitting. Instead, I think I might say to myself: Look at these socks I made.  I feel great.

Something Complicated

I did have something a little more complicated standing by when I was knitting my simple socks.  A Selbu Modern for me!

Pattern: Selbu Modern by Kate Gagnon Osborn
Yarn: Blue Moon Socks that Rock in Tanzanite and Tess Supersock & Baby in Lime
Needles: US1 and US 4

I made a version of this hat for my sister last Christmas, and I have always meant to make one for myself as well.  I used the same yarn for this hat that I used for my fingerless gloves, so they go together (to some degree) now.

Since I have already knit this once before, I had an easy time with it.  The pattern is complicated enough, though, that I didn't get bored the second time around.

It really hasn't been cold enough here to wear hats yet. (This is not a complaint.) But when the weather gets colder, I'll have something new to wear!

I still have a fair amount of the green and a little bit of the purple left.  Myabe I can stretch it and make a coordinating cowl?  We'll see!

Something(s) Simple

I've got to say that a lot of my knitting has been simple recently.  I'm tired at the end of the day, and I just want something soothing to do with my hands.  Using yarn with delicious texture and colors makes the knitting even more soothing!

I felt compelled to cast on with the Creatively Dyed yarn that I got at Rhinebeck this year.  My travel companions wound up their Creatively Dyed yarn while we were still in Red Hook, and they both got started on garter stitch projects right away. I did wait a couple of days before gave in to the call of the yarn, and I was inspired to make a simple garter stitch sock.

 

I haven't knit socks in garter before, and I was surprised at the stretch I got in it.  I took out 6 stitches from my usual stockinette number to get this sock to fit correctly.

Of all the socks I knit last year, my simple Malabrigo socks have been the ones I want to wear when I'm feeling tired or I've had a bad day.  They're so soft, and they kind of drape around my foot. I had been thinking that I needed to have more socks like those when I got to see some Madeline Tosh sock yarn in person.  The rich brown color and the luxuriously soft yarn (with a nice sheen) won me over so quickly. 

I started out with a knit/purl pattern, but that seemed too busy.  I ripped it out and went to a plain stockinette with a double-garter cuff. It feels like a comfort sock to me.

I liked it so much that I started on the second one right away!

Marilinda

This is the first pair of socks I've finished in a long time, and the first pair of interesting (non-stockinette) socks I've finished this year.

 

Pattern: Marilinda, by Cookie A.
Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Sock in Marigold
Needles: US 1 DPNs

I'm not sure if it was all the people getting ready for Socktober or just the coming of the cooler weather, but I was suddenly itching to start some socks about a month ago. And I thought I'd finish up a pair so I could actually wear them!

I got this yarn at Rhinebeck in 2008.  At the time, I was obsessed with this color.  Since then I've knit a sweater in this color, sewn a dress in this color, and I've bought a jacket, tank top, and handbag in this color.  I think I'm pretty much satisfied, but if you see any (comfortable) shoes in this color, please do let me know.

The socks were fun to knit, and I could knit without the chart after a couple of repeats.  I like the little seam of stitches that go down the back of the sock, and the charted heels are also a nice touch.

In case you're worried that there are now not enough single socks at my house, I hope this sets your mind to rest. I don't think I'll ever run out of single socks!

Back

I'm back home after my trip to Rhinebeck, and I'm hoping that I'm also back to my blog. My real life has been really busy, and my online life has suffered! I want to be able to blog more regularly, and I will try to stop back here more often.

Last weekend, Jody, Christy, and I traveled to Rhinebeck, New York for the New York Sheep and Wool Festival.  We left Thursday evening, and had a lazy Friday before the festival.  The cabin was cute, we ate good food, we knitted, and I took no pictures.

I had a great time at the festival this year. This was my fourth time, so I was prepared for all the wool and I was able to make some reasoned decisions about what I want to get. And it's always fun to see so many knitters in person!

For the first time ever, I went back to the festival on Sunday morning.  The weather wasn't as good: cold, windy, and rainy. It was nice to be able to look at the booths without fighting through a crowd, and I picked up the two things that had been nagging at me Saturday evening.

My biggest regret was standing in line for an hour (!) to get some artichokes.  They are good, but an hour was a little much. Next time I'll get a burger.

I also took no pictures during the festival, because I forgot I owned a camera :)

This is what I picked up this year.  It's not as much in the years past, and this makes me happy.

 

Clockwise, from top left:

• March Hare sock yarn in Glacier.  Ann has been raving about this yarn, and I decided to give it a try.
• Awesome ceramic buttons from the pottery lady near the front entrance.  I heart them.
• A pound of soap from GotSoap.com  I've bought soap from them every year.
• Some sport weight cormo from Foxhill Farms, to make some legwarmers.
• A slinky skein of wool, bamboo and silk from Maple Creek Farm. I love my drapey pink sweater so much that I want to make a similar one, and I think this yarn work for that.
• Two skeins of cream and two of brown from Green Mountain Spinnery, to make the Shocking! skirt.  The accent color is still undecided.
• Sock yarn from Creatively Dyed. I've actually already cast on a sock with this yarn.

Rhinebeck is a great motivator to finish up some old projects, and I've got something to show you!  I"ll be back soon.

Brand New Bag

Let me show you my new handbag, which I think is my favorite handbag ever.

 

Pattern: Upsized Buttercup Bag, by Made by Rae
Fabric: Scrap bundle from A Stitch in Dye, similar to this one for sale, and brown corduroy with a blue background, from JoAnn Fabrics a few years ago
Modifications: I lengthened the bag by about 2 inches, I added a zipper to the top and inside pocket, and I added a front pocket

This pattern was easy to use, and I love the bag that I have!  I've made (and used) enough handbags to know exactly what I want now.  In addition to an attractive bag with nice fabrics, I want a front pocket for my cell phone, an inside pocket, and a way to find my keys easily.  For the keys, I added these.

 

Two ribbons (or bias binding, to be exact) attached to mini-carabiners, and sewn on the inside of my bag close to the opening. I clip in my keys, and they're easy to find when I need them!

I couldn't find my fusible interfacing, so I fused some canvas to the lining to give the bag a little support. The lining is a pink and orange batik that's been in my stash for awhile.

 

The fabrics from A Stitch in Dye are just as beautiful in person as they are in her photos.  I think this bag was a great way to showcase them! Her book is on my wishlist, and I'm looking forward to its release date.

 

Oh, I love this bag!