stash, knit, repeat

Well, the party was this weekend, so now I can share!

Pattern: Nicky Epstein’s “Animal Pullovers (Elephant)”, from back issue of Knit It!

Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8, colors 14 and 201 (6 and 1 balls for the 4-year size)

Time Elapsed: 6 days, booyah

Notes/Modifications: The biggest change (other than skipping the Wool-Ease) was to make the edges seed stitch instead of rolled stockinette. I made most of the length measurements slightly shorter to accommodate this.

I also made the neckline a crewneck, since A. doesn’t like anything snug around his neck. I like the changes, and will probably do the same thing again when I make the duck version for Jacob. I’m not the biggest fan of intarsia, but sometimes the result is cute enough to be worth it.

I loved, loved, loved working with the Aurora and am already planning a sweater for myself in the stuff. It’s the softest merino ever, even softer than the Zara I used for my Jo Sharp cardi. Also, machine-washable! I put my swatch in the washer with a bunch of Jacob’s clothes on the “normal/fast” agitation setting (cold water), and it only showed a minimal difference from the sweater (which I’d soaked in Eucalan). I’m sure one wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the gentle cycle and hand-washing.

But the best part about knitting this sweater was seeing A.’s reaction when he opened it. He got this huge grin, and immediately wanted to put it on despite rather warm temperatures. He refused to take it off for dinner yesterday, and when his mom (who generously took all of the modeled FO shots today) suggested he take it off after the photo-shoot was done, he refused again. Such obvious enjoyment is definitely the best part of knitting gifts, for me.

Final details round-up is in ravelry and the FO gallery here. And that’s it for secret knitting in these parts! Happy mother’s day to all who celebrate–I’m off to snuggle with my own munchkin.

One of my favorite things about this knitblogging community is reading running commentary about works-in-progress–seeing how projects take shape, getting fresh impressions of how a particular knit goes rather than the sum-up feelings at the end, the vicarious thrill of others’ triumphs and the keen empathy when I read about a stumbling block. The creative process fascinates me, and I love to think that I might be able to offer others the same glimpses they grant me.

I was looking through past entries on a shawl I knit, the other day, and noticed two things I don’t like about my own blogging: When I do take notes, they’re never as detailed or useful a year down the road as they seemed when I wrote them, and my WIP posts are much less frequent than they used to be. Part of the latter, of course, is that I’m doing a lot of baby stuff lately. Most of the knitting is done within a week, so there’s only an opportunity for one or two posts at most for this stuff. But I think some of it is laziness on my part, too–it’s tough to get good pictures of WIPs, particularly something like lace or colorwork that looks (let’s be honest) less than appetizing pre-blocking.

Still, to increase my own satisfaction and reward from what I’m doing here, I’m really going to try to make an effort to (a) better catalog my thoughts and impressions and problems and solutions while I’m actually knitting a piece, and (b) post more WIP shots. So here we go!

I’m mostly focusing on gift knitting this week, but while I waited for the yarn to arrive in the mail I picked up the Cleopatra Wrap (ravelry link here) I started ages ago. I’m knitting it in the Sundara silk lace I received as part of the Seasons Club that just ended, and I put it aside after only 7 rows back in January because I couldn’t for the life of me follow the simple chart. While preggo brain is still definitely in evidence, I’ve come to my knitting senses again and found the lace both engaging and easy this time around. The pattern uses what I think is a really neat construction: You cast on, do the edging chart, place the live stitches on a spare needle, and then repeat for the second edging (followed immediately by the body). At the end, graft the stitches together.

This technique has three big advantages that I see at the moment: First, the edges of the rectangular stole match. Second, I get to use up all of that precious silk with no guesswork. Third, once you’re done with the first edging, a progress shot is really easy!

I’m a little stunned at how much more I like the lace when the points are pinned out vs. when it’s straight across the bottom. The points add such a grace to the piece that’s not evident when it’s just hanging from the needle. One thing this picture doesn’t show, though, is the way the yarn is knitting up. I was a little unsure about this first installment of Sundara’s club–the color (”copper over bamboo”) seemed too bright, too pink, not subtle enough. Something was off about it, wound into a ball.

It knits up much more nicely than the ball might indicate. The sheen is incredible, and when the yarn has a little bit of room around it in the lace, I see less fuschia and more of the subtle bits of “bamboo” peeking through. There’s depth without streaking, delicacy, shine. I just can’t wait to wear it. I can’t wait to pick it up again after my current deadline wip is finished.

So what’s the secret knitting, then? A birthday sweater for one of our most special friends who is turning 2. I’ll talk about it more next week after the reveal, but details are in ravelry and here’s a sneak peek:

And finally, here’s a knits-in-action shot for you. You’ll have to excuse the glazed, slack-jawed, post-nap expression! I woke up from my nap with Jacob the other day and NEEDED POPCORN. So I threw on my new favorite maternity sweater and stumbled downstairs like a zombie.

As it turns out, the shaped v-neck sweater I knit myself a little over a year ago can accommodate a belly, too.

I still feel like I’m so behind, but now that our houseguests are gone and Passover is over and there’s no business travel on the horizon, I should be able to catch up!

…at least until we move (in mid-to-late June). Riiiight.

Anyway, some of the secret knitting has been gifted so now I can share with you all. One of the ladies in our knitting group just had her second child, so 5 of us got together and all knit strips of a baby blanket for her. I seamed them all together and edged them:

We knit the blanket out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, in the lovely purple color you see. I was worried about gauge issues until the end, but it all worked out just fine. I wrote the care instructions on a little card, wrapped it up, and it was all ready for C.!

She really seemed to love it, which was a huge sigh of relief.

Also, while the past month has been extremely busy and not always fun, today the mailman brought me something almost special enough to make me forget all of it:

The final installment of my current Seasons Club subscription. Yum, yum, and yum.

I’ll spare you any more stream-of-consciousness posting and go knit on my very first socks for Jacob, now. (!) Next up: A completed baby beret/sock set, and the weirdest sock construction ever.

Yeah, yeah, there’s another FO to share, but hasn’t it been awhile since we just chatted? Life has sure been busy, and it seems like I have lots to tell you.

First of all, the wee beastie is doing just fine. Unfortunately, the swelling that plagued me for so much of my pregnancy with Jacob is back with a vengeance (good-bye, wedding ring!). I don’t think I’ll ever actually enjoy being pregnant. But all in all, 22 weeks isn’t as bad as it could be. At least I’m able to stomach coffee again.

Both my knitting and my yarn-buying are going well. Faced with the prospect of at least a year without practical sweater-for-myself opportunities, I’ve gone a little crazy with the cheez whizyarn clubs. After another shipment of Sundara’s club, and a general diminishing of the raging hormones, I’ve decided the club is both enjoyable and good for me. Unable to decide which season appealed to me most, I chose both Summer and Autumn this time around. As if that weren’t yarn enough, Madelinetosh came out with a club of her own. Her yarn is definitely a contender for #1 favorite, so I joined up. I guess my needles will be plenty busy, and hopefully I’ll be too focused on the luscious yarn to notice the lack of sweaters!

My secret knitting du jour involves what is probably my most favorite cable ever.

Also, it’s purple. How could purple be bad?

And finally, things seem to have gotten settled enough for me to share that we’re making a big move back to our house in the Boston area this summer. We have lots of good reasons to leave CA, most of them boiling down to family and culture. I’m so excited to go back that I can hardly stand it. We’ve been renting out our place, and I love the thought of being in my very own house again–although I’m daunted by the toddler-proofing challenges! The last time we were there, Jacob looked like this:

Now, things are a little different.

(Yes, he’s hiding something in my shoe.) What do you all like most about the place you’re living?