stash, knit, repeat

I feel like the biggest dork in the world.

So this is the back of Torgeir, from Elsbeth Lavold’s Viking Knits 1. Cute sweater, and I’m knitting it in the 2 year old size. At least, I will be when I can stop swearing at myself long enough to rip it out. See the cables along the side, there? They’re supposed to be 8-row cables. And the very first one, down at the very bottom there, is. But for the rest, I somehow managed to convince myself they were a 10-row repeat. This despite thinking they looked too long for the entirety of the back. Gotta love it.

I realized this when I looked at the chart again as I started the front. So now, the front will be the back, the back will be ripped out, and I’ll get right on all of that once I’ve cast on a little palate cleanser. I was thinking that I should wind up my Sundara silk lace and either do Icarus or the Cleopatra Wrap with it as a palate cleanser. Any votes?

Because I need these corny little games and the little timelines they give, I’m declaring this year a Year. Of. SOCKS! And here’s January’s installment.

The Pomatomus, they are finished.

Pattern: Cookie A.’s Pomatomus, from the Winter 2005 Knitty

Yarn: Madelinetosh sock yarn, color vermillion

Time Elapsed: I dragged my feet (har) on these for a whole month!

Modifications / Notes: My only modification was to make the toe on these socks more blunt, grafting at 20 stitches remaining instead of 12. I knit the first sock as written, and it just seemed too pronounced. Other than that, I knit them exactly as written and it was a wonderful pattern. Clever, predictable, and the results are just lovely.

Be warned, though–they’re slow going! The bulk of the sock is essentially a 1×1 twisted rib, so unless you’re a super-fast ribber these will drag a bit.

The real story on these is the yarn. Rarely have I had the pleasure of working with a yarn so fantastic. The color saturation, combined with the softness, combined with the subtle variations… just stunning. I’ve two more colorways of this sock yarn now, and I just can’t wait to work with them.

So there you have it, my January socks. Or, I should say, my friend Stacy’s January socks, because when I finished them they were just too perfect for her to keep to myself. I think this may be her first hand-knit pair of socks, and it makes me so happy to bring her into the “club”. :)

*****

In other, belated news, it turns out that I make some of your days. I was and am really, truly touched to be thought of in such a way, especially by some of my own favorite reads.

I found this an unexpectedly hard meme to pass on. The sappy-but-real response is that all of you make my day–comments in my inbox that make me smile, knowing that there are others out there who share my particular little brand of crazy, following you all along on your own fiber adventures. But of course, it’d be silly to share my entire blog roll with you–it’s huge, it morphs as time goes on, it’s likely redundant with many of your own.

I eventually decided to come up with ten blogs of knitters that I’ve been blessed to meet in real life. One, I’ve known for decades (gasp). Some I only met at Rhinebeck this year. If you’re listed here, and you’re of a mind, grab the image and share the love yourself! If you’re not listed here, don’t fret. Trust me. You all make my day. You really do.

1. I have to start this list with Marlena. She’s been a friend since before I can remember, and has encouraged me with every step of the knitting journey I’ve made as an adult. She taught me how to stash, people.
2. Keeping with that theme, Ellen makes it dangerously easy to keep on stashing. Plus, she’s wicked awesome.
3. Ms. Bestitched is a whole bunch of witty fabulousness all wrapped up with way more talent than any one person should lay claim to. She bakes, she knits, she sews, and she has an amazingly cute kiddo.
4. Anna is one of those knitters. The ones that churn out perfect project after perfect project, dizzying amounts of lace and sweaters (and now socks! muahaha) that all represent the very best marriage of yarn, pattern, and fit. And you can’t even be envious, because she’s just the nicest person around.
5. Cheryl is a fantastic knitter, to be sure. And very fun, and generous with the excellent photographs. But the thing about Cheryl that continuously amazes me is that she makes yarn so beautiful that I can’t help but stare, slack-jawed and drooling, at my screen.
6. At Rhinebeck this year, I had the distinct pleasure of sharing a pretty phenomenal meal with Ms. Octopus Knits. She’s funny, she has great taste in knits, and she’s an excellent dessert enabler.
7. The Wry Punster? Just as cool in real life, let me assure you. Plus, who else do you know that would knit a fair isle dress (and look so darn good doing it)?
8. Finally, I will take to my grave the five minutes at Rhinebeck when Marlena, Cara, Vicki, Ann and me were all told in the sweetest possible way by a complete stranger that others find knitting beautiful, too.

   (Edited to add: I noticed while going through my blogs this afternoon that I’d missed a couple more people who were kind enough to say I’d made their day. My fingers are linking-tired, but thanks SO much, all of you.)

   26 comments

Run, don’t walk, to your local grocery store and purchase the ingredients for this.

Even without the glaze, it is the most moist, scrumptious, spiced, wonderful thing I have eaten in months. Plus, I got to use my weirdo Yankee apple contraption–and how cool is that, really?

(Jacob thought it was pretty cool.)

Well. Just had to get that off my chest. Pigging out on coffee cake is much more fun with company, you know.

*****

I was reading a certain blog yesterday, and noted a certain resolution to knit a pair of socks per month this year. Now, I’d be far from sock-yarn-stashless even if I knit twice that amount, but it seemed like a good idea to try and knock off a pair of socks each month this year anyway. Just think! A year from now, I’ll have 12 more pairs to combat this chilly, chilly house.

Of course, that leaves me with only 6 more days to finish the Pomatomi.

Surely I can manage that, though, right? Especially if I stop eating coffeecake long enough to knit a little each day?

…you all have such fantastic ideas! I ripped out the sock (and two baby sweaters and a baby hat), stuffed the yarn in the closet, and took a total knitting break for a couple of days. Read a few books I’d been meaning to get to, cleaned the house, and generally tried not to think about my knitting.

Then the February shipment of the Seasons Yarn Club showed up at my door.

She named the colorway “Bronzed Sienna”, and it is absolutely the essence of autumn in New England, to me. My favorite time of the year in my favorite place in the world. I put it on my desk and smiled every time I walked by.

I cast on for the second Pomatomus. Even if I’ve only knit a few rows, it’s started, damnit, and that makes things seem much more cheery.

The end is in sight, even if it’ll be slow going to get there. And then I let the whole question of what excites me (knitting-wise) roll around in my head during my little break. And eventually came up with the same answer as some of you: I need sweaters. I love socks, I love lace, I love all knitting–but I need sweaters. I’d written them off for the immediate future, because knitting one for myself is currently impractical. But eventually my brain kicked in and I realized I could knit a sweater for someone else, too. Enter Torgeir, from Elsebeth Lavold’s Viking Knits I booklet.

I should have juuuuuuust enough of the dark blue I used for Gram’s Fir Cone Cardigan to make the two-year size for Jacob. And just like that, I’m back. Nice to see you again!

Not from my current projects, anyway. There’s Pomatomus. The first sock is done, and I fear I’m going to be joining the movement at just the wrong time. It’s not that I don’t like the sock, even though it looks pretty crappy off a foot.

On the foot it is gorgeous and comfortable. I love the pattern, its cleverness, its simplicity, and I love the yarn so much hubby is starting to be jealous. I think it’s just that this is my main (only?) project right now, and a 1×1 rib sock is inherently slow, for me. I dunno. Whatever the reason, I’m just not feeling the love to cast on for the second sock.

With the alligator scarf finished, and a day-long game with friends this Saturday, I decided to cast on a simple stockinette sock for some mindless knitting. After three different attempts, I finally found a stitch count that would work for my feet and prevented pooling. It’s striping, of course.

(That’s artyarns ultramerino, in 3×1 rib.)

…which means a short-row heel, and I’m not even that crazy about the striping. I tend to like it on other people’s socks, or when the yarn is absolutely self-striping, but it’s not working for me here.

So okay, I rip this out and rewind the yarn and maybe try to find a baby sweater pattern that will use it, and give the resulting sweater to my colorist for her first baby. (Got any favorite patterns?) But… where’s my next “wow” project? The big thing that keeps me going, and excited, with breaks for socks or baby sweaters? I look at my queue on ravelry, and shrug. I browse through my stash, and shrug. I just don’t know what to do next, I guess.

Any recommendations, commiseration, or tips for getting that mojo back where it belongs? What do you all do when boredom strikes?

For a project that only took me around 4 days to knit, this one sure hung around awhile.

Pattern: Baby Alligator Scarf, from Morehouse Merino

Yarn: Kit yarn–merino 3 ply, maybe?

Time Elapsed:This took 4 days to knit, but it took me almost two months to make those 4 days happen.

Modifications/Notes: No modifications to this baby. And not many notes, either–it’s a clever but simple knit. And despite the toddler ennui in that first picture, Jacob adores it.

In fact, I had some trouble getting FO shots because he was so possessive of it. He wanted it nearby, at all times. He’s even sleeping with it!

The bumps in the middle are formed by increasing stitches over a few rows, binding them off, and just pulling the yarn tightly together on the next row. Very easy, very cute, but a little tedious. Hence the two months. This is the first project in years that I’ve procrastinated on like this. And for such a simple thing! I felt like a heel, so I’m glad it’s done.

Boo!

There’s really not much to say about this one. Here are some FO shots, and have a lovely day!

It feels a little anti-climactic, but here are the details on the HoJo Pullover I knit for Jessica.

Pattern: HoJo Pullover by Fiona Ellis, from the fall 2002 issue of Interweave Knits.

Yarn: Berroco Pure Merino, 12 balls of blue, 1 each of cream, lime, rust.

Time Elapsed: Definitely under a month

Modifications/Notes: I made two modifications–switching the pure merino for the (discontinued) Classic Elite Follies called for in the pattern, and knitting the back in a solid color instead of adding another fair isle band.

I thought, since the color work is so high on the front, that it would look strange to continue the fair isle in the back without also adding it to the sleeves. Jessica proclaimed the sweater perfect, so I’m glad I did this. Note to others considering the same thing: You’ll need more blue.

It was an interesting challenge to knit such a fitted sweater for someone else, especially as a gift. I enlisted the help of her boyfriend (hubby’s brother) to get the measurements of one of her favorite existing sweaters, and knit to that. It worked out quite well, but I wouldn’t have wanted to try without “cheat” measurements to rely upon.

This project included something unusual–fair isle done flat with patterning on both sides. I didn’t find doing wrong-side fair isle work to be difficult at all, and as the wry punster mentions in her little series on color work, it definitely cuts down on the bulk. I can more viscerally understand the advantages of an adult garment done this way, now.

I’m not sure there’s much else to say–but this sweater sure was a pleasant way to end my knitting year!

(Of the hand-knitted gifts kind. No New Year’s resolutions for me, this time around. I’m just happy 2007 is over.)

It was a fantastic trip, there was much knitting, and now I’m crashing back to reality here in CA. It is my sincere hope not to spend too many more holiday seasons frantically trying to see everyone, do everything, while living out of a suitcase. We’ll see.

I wound up finishing everything I really wanted to get done. Koolhaas for Adam:

(This shot is cuter than the FO. Just imagine it without the yarn strand, there.)

Shedir for my grandmother Grace:

Log cabin slippers for Nancy:

Silk Rhapsody scarf for Beth:

Bev’s hat and mitt set:

And last but certainly not least, the HoJo sweater for Jessica. As you all predicted, she loved it.

(And the fit is just great, if I do say so myself.)

It feels like I have a lot of catching up to do, with all of you. And there’s some blog housekeeping–FO post on HoJo, updates to my 2007 FO album, sharing pictures of a tiny bit of new yarn, the scoop on my current WIPs…

…but all of that can come some other day. May you all have a wonderful 2008, full of shining laughter and scrumptious hand knits.

Knitting time has been pretty damn scarce these past two weeks. At least that’s my excuse for taking that long to knit a pair of bulky-weight slipper socks.

As I was knitting them, I started to worry that there wouldn’t be enough shrinkage room for some slight fulling (I’m planning on stealing the lovely Ashley’s idea and giving them some sole). Now that they’re blocking, though, I think I have plenty of stretch. So, into a hot washer they’ll soon go!

Now that I’m safely ensconced in the babysitting-rich state of Maine, knitting is picking back up again.

..and given that it looks like this outside:

…I don’t think it will slow down any time soon.

To, uh, bake and knit, apparently.

(Clockwise from bottom: Finished lace hat and wine and roses mitts, finished HoJo, Almond-apricot cookie sandwiches, chocolate checkerboard cookies, mint brownies, ginger cookies, chocolate rugelach. We’ve had a busy day.)

The log cabin socks are started, but there’s very little chance I’ll finish them before hitting the road on Monday. I’m told there’s a lot of snow back east, and I just can’t wait to spend some time stomping around in it. Snowmen! Sledding! Snowshoeing! Knitting! Hot cocoa!

The possibilities are endless.

I do hope to blog while I’m back there, although I probably won’t be able to keep up on others’ blogs as obsessive-compulsivelyclosely as I do now. I have such big knitting plans! We’ll see if any come to fruition.

I’m going to save FO posts for all of the holiday knitting until I have proper modeled shots, but HoJo is done and I just have to say I’m in love with this sweater. My teeny-tiny friend Catherine offered to model the sweater for you all, since it won’t fit on my mannequin:

I hope Jessica likes it!