Conspiracy

Just when I started to think I had this time management thing licked...

~ An Ode to Joy~

You know the drill, no spoilers please (and I don't mean for the IK - I cracked that open before I got it in the house).

Coming soon... a guest blogger will grace this space, and we'll have ourselves another go 'round the Discussion Table!

Knitty's Amy Singer & Lettuce Knit Loot

I keep getting these great reminders of why traveling for work doesn't entirely suck.

First stop - Tim Horton's Doughnuts - a Canadian gem!

I crossed the Canadian border last weekend and found a fiber haven - none other than Stephanie's infamous hangout, Lettuce Knit in the coolest, very hip(pie)st part of downtown Toronto. What a treat! I had this on my Sunday plan just as soon as I found out I'd be traveling to TO (which was 2 days before the trip by the way), but here's a photo review of some of the unexpected treats that awaited me there.


Green Art


Lettuce Knit Yarn Shop

Denny, TO's coolest LYS owner

Upon entering the store, I overheard a a fellow knitter and Knitty fan, Julie talking with another person in the store. Julie was just so sweet and modest that when I saw who it was she was talking to - I realized the source of her shyness. Knitty's Amy Singer was in the house! After some chit chat and some truly admirable patience(we'll get to that in a minute), a great little story unfolded.




The story behind Julie's patience is that when she very modestly introduced herself to Amy, and Amy greeted her immediately like an old friend, I could see a HUGE photo opp awaiting us, so I offered to be the photographer (knitters, bloggers, you know how this works.) Well, wouldn't you know it - my camera batteries picked that very second to crap out. But I don't give up that easily. Julie was getting this picture, and if I was lucky, I'd get one too. It took me 3 trips to 3 different stores and alot of running down the streets of mid-town TO to get them, but batteries were procured and photos were taken. I didn't post Julie's photo here because (duh) I forgot to ask her permission to do so, but she has my blog address now, she'll let me know ;)

Knitty Buddies

So, the only thing that could come a close second to meeting Amy Singer in person, is NEW YARN!

HandMaiden Ottawa

My first Manos del Uruguay!
Traveling for business and pleasure - such a welcome combination when you're a fiber fan. As a Canadian citizen, there's a special place in my heart for Canucks who love the yarn and the needles. If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit - tell them I sent you!

From the Mouth of Babes

Adachi (to Mizan): PBS Kids says that an asteroid is coming toward earth

Mizan: Oh no! We need to tell mommy and daddy, and then they can tell God and then God will do something about it.

Seems to me they have the logic right (even if PBS Kids might have their information wrong).

May I Present: The Walnut Raglan Pullover

C'est Fini! Knit in 18 days. Pretty happy about that. This project monogamy thing is not half bad!

Pattern: VERY loosely based on Circumnavigate from the book Children's Sweaters & Hats: Knitting Seamless Raglans Top Down by Mary Rich Goodwin
Size: Child's size 6, 28” chest circumference


Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted in Walnut (from Stash)
Yarn Amt: almost 600 yds (200 yds per ball)
Needles: Knit Picks Option - US 8 (5mm) for body and sleeves, US 7(4.5mm) for ribbing on sleeve cuffs, US 9(5.5mm) for bind off on all edges
Source: Great Balls of Yarn in South FL


Modifications: 3x1 ribbing on the lower body to avoid too much pulling in. I nixed the Fair Isle patterning but did use the suggested short row yoke method to pull the back up slightly (love that!); made the sleeve ribbing 3" instead of 1" and bound off loosely for a slight flaring effect.


Raglan yoke was done with evenly spaced increases, but the number of stitches from the join of each section was varied around the yoke; sometimes I would inc 4 sts before and after the marker, sometimes 6, then 2, then 10. Because of this there is no distinct raglan line, but the shaping is still that of a raglan yoke.


Cast On: 6/29/07 during a weekend trip to Tallahassee & Jacksonville
Cast Off: 7/17/07 during an episode from Season 3 of the Gilmore Girls


I think she likes it!

This is about as bread & butter as knitting gets. Knitting in the round; stockinette with a bit of ribbing; only 2 armhole gaps to close and a fit-as-you-go construction from the top down. 5 stars in my book. Now I want one for me...

What is it About a Deadline

...that suddenly makes me OK with monogamous knitting?

I've woven in ends, I have one sleeve to go, and I'm happy with the overall (albeit baggy) fit. I think I just might make the deadline for my Stashalong goal for July.







Who knew I could churn like this when I put my mind to it? Better not tempt the Fiber Fates though...I'll get back to my project A.D.D immediately. Well...after that second sleeve is done of course.

Progress

From this ...

...to this

...to this

Good to the last bite! Only 27 more in the yard to go... wish I could share with you!

In other news, my trip to Jersey was quite productive knitwise, I have a deadline of July 31st to finish a sweater for Adachi, and...

So far so good!

Have a wonderful and restful weekend.

Startitis*

*n. /start eyetis'/: A common condition affecting those involved with handcrafting, specifically the fiber arts. Primary symptom is an overwhelming need to begin multiple projects, usually before other projects have been completed.

That's right. What you see there is a picture of what I assume must be the 9,000th Clapotis cast-on and in progress. Was I expected to resist it though, really? I mean with sites like this one showing proof that you truly can make this scarf/wrap in just about any yarn, and with pictures of finished objects posted everywhere on the net - did I ever really stand a chance? Obviously not.

Stats:
Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert (uh huh, you have this one bookmarked too, right?)
Yarn: Auracania Atacama Alpaca in Color 506, 10 skeins to make a large wrap
Needles: started on US 7 (4.5mm), but dropped down to a 6 (4.0mm) for a firmer fabric
Gauge: 5.5 sts/inch in the stockinette areas

Have you made one yet? I sure would love to have links to see some finished by you. If not, let me know if this is in your queue...perhaps we could knit along on it together? Good times.

I can't finish up without saying, simply - YOU ROCK! Our last round table discussion was a good one, just as I hoped. As you could see, we share some common hesitations with our pointy stick passion. Mostly I was impressed with the positive attitude that still comes through when you write about what you do plan to tackle when the time is right. Love, love, love the conversation. We'll have more of them too. Why not write and tell me what you would like to chat about and hear about from your fellow handcrafters? I'm always willing to take Round Table suggestions, so speak up!

Sending you sunshine and good thoughts from blistering summery New Jersey this week. Stay cool!

Skeery Knits: Techniques That Terrify...Let's Discuss

My good buddy Sean and I first "met" in cyberspace and discovered that we had a string of random things in common - Florida, knitting, similar page protectors for our patterns and fasting for better health. You can check the archives for more on any of those topics, but I'm including this disjointed intro to say that our stars aligned yet again today. I was just thinking this morning that we're due for another go 'round our discussion table, and there he is in the comments saying the very same thing. Thanks for the nudge Sean!

This discussion is one that I've wanted to open for some time, and to break tradition a little I will include my own answers within the call for responses. I've been spitting out FOs left and right lately (and there now, I've just jinxed that by writing it...ah well). Each of those finished objects is the product of thousands of stitches and anywhere from one to 5 different techniques. In some cases, these are things I had tackled before (cables, shaping, picking up stitches, Turning A Heel.); and in others, the techniques were new to me, and therefore quite daunting (magic loop knitting, 2 socks on 2 circulars). But in all cases, I knew that there were only a few ways to skin the cat, if you will, and without pressing ahead with a specific technique, the project just would not be finished. Believe me when I tell you that the thought of some of these steps gave me great pause. In fact, something as simple as mattress stitch seaming up my Central Park Hoodie caused me to neglect it for weeks. And don't get me started on what picking up over 300 stitches evenly did for my confidence (shudder). For my Sangria Socks, I snapped a dpn and cursed another pair of socks tying up my circulars before I finally buckled down and googled "Magic Loop" to get the pair finished on a spare needle. Why so afraid of these things? Well, they were either unfamiliar to me, or they had very negative associations based on what I had heard or read from other knitters.





Speaking of other knitters...there is much talk of knitting stardom around our community, and what constitutes a really good knitter. Whether someone is or isn't a Knitter with a capital "K" gets tossed about quite a bit. And let's face it, we all measure how "good" a knitter is by what techniques they have been willing to try, and by how well those attempts come out. Now, allow me to digress for a minute - the amount of courage one has does not always directly equate to the measure of one's skill. To see that someone has braved Fair Isle, or a moebius, doesn't necessarily mean they are a better knitter. So to put such a knitter above yourself based on their courage to try such things doesn't seem quite right to me. I think learning to cast-on at all, and then sticking with it is about the height of knit bravery, because really every other thing is just a product of that, right? Hmmm..that may well be a discussion for another day. I will concede that if you have tried or are willing to give certain knit tricks a go, then you do deserve the admiration you get when it works. Hopefully, as a group, we can agree to let those examples inspire us.



But we're not talking inspiration today folks, we're talking fear.
I assume you all traverse the web at least as much as I do, and if you haunt the library and bookstore craft sections as I do, then you've probably seen just about every technique out there. Which of them just gives you the heebeejeebees? Is it mitered squares? How about (GASP!) steeking, or shadow knitting? Have you done a sock yet? What about cabling without the use of a cable needle? Is it tools that get you shook? Are you afraid to branch out in the round by trying those new fangled circular needles? Maybe you throw (English) and you've considered trying to pick (Continental), but haven't made the switch. And what about yarn and pattern types?! Does the thought of lace knitting with cobweb weight yarn on size 0000 needles just make you dizzy? (That one makes me a bit lightheaded I must say)

You'll notice I intentionally didn't link to many of these techniques I've mentioned and that's because (a) I trust your research skills, and (b) I would not want to bias your answers here by linking to some page/example that actually makes you afraid to try something you were not daunted by before. However, please feel free to share your own links with the group - links that address the dreaded techniques you see listed by others, or those that show examples of your own unconquered skill. That way we can better appreciate what makes you quiver, or we can find something to add to our own list of Techniques to Tackle.



So, Share with the group...we promise we won't laugh. If anything we'll more likely say things like "Mmm hmmm, I know that's right." Let's name the enemy, call it out and face it together! Just think - this could be the start or the expansion of your knitting arsenal. Pull up a chair, and let's discuss...when it comes to your knitting,

What techniques terrify you?

Finishing

That's the theme around these parts lately and I'm loving it! Don't tell my boss though, he might think it refers to the work projects I have in queue and we all know how that could affect my knitting productivity.

In August 2006, I met my knit buddy Cindy and she gave me this beautiful Sangria sock yarn that she had dyed herself. Now, this was at a time when I didn't even know that people had such talents with fiber, so I was especially grateful and really impressed. She has probably been looking forward to this FO about as much as I have, so I'm proud to present, my Sangria socks - finally a pair!

yarn: Sangria from Cherry Blossom Fibers
source: Cindy

pattern: Garter Ribs, a 4-stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks

This pattern is a breeze. Just really a K2 P2 rib row followed by a straight knit row. But it makes the ribbing look just a little different, subtle, but cool. I also really liked the slight change up on the gussett for these. On both sides of the heel flap, you knit a 3-st garter border. I like to think this will work wonders for reinforcing that area. That Charlene Schurch knows some neat little tricks I tell ya!

Look ma! No pooling!

needles: Size 1 1/2 (2.5mm) dpsn and circulars - I used ALL the knit in the round techniques to get these done.

A bonus: Thanks to these socks, I met my goal for the June KAL over at stashalong. For those of you who haven't tried socks yet, let me join the chorus and say that there is NOTHING quite the same as a pair of handknit socks. I tried them on last night, and when I took them off, my feet missed them immediately. If you find just the right pattern, heel shaping and fit for you, you won't be sorry.

We're on vacation until Monday, so lots of knit time in the car. I believe my next adventure will be a winter pullover for one my girls to wear on a trip we have planned to Canada.

What's on your pointy sticks? Has the finishing fairy been to visit you too? If so, treat yourself to some swag by entering Amanda's Contest!

Super Saturday & Ravelry

Woo hooo!!!

I got my Ravelry invite in my email today and I had to laugh at myself for how excited I was. It was like opening a present and you sort of know what's inside, but some of it is hidden and you can't WAIT to explore it all. Great day in the mornin'! I'm hooked. Must save some of this for the wee hours when I can really indulge....Get your email addy on the list quick so we can be neighbors over there! Go go go!

Our latest Super Saturday adventure was a family trip to Sea World in Orlando.

Del made a funny comment recently about how Floridians take their vacations to other Florida cities and that made me giggle because it's all too true. The girls had no CLUE this trip was coming, and that just made it all the better. The sound of their screams when they realized where we were was worth the price of admission and then some. I'll let the pictures tell the rest...

For a closer look at the photos, check out our Flickr Slideshow.

Another Shrug? Sure, Why Not

You'd think I have secret plans to move to a remote arctic village or something the way I'm craving (and finishing) wooly sweaters lately. Working for a NJ-based company certainly helps to justify my winter fibers collection somewhat, but as for the rapid succession of sweaters joining my to-do list lately (when it's 94 degrees on a cool day here), well...I really can't speak for it. Some of you are knitters and crafters, you understand the compulsion. The rest of you are still scratching your heads as to why I knit at all! Ha! :)

Well, if you've been reading here for a while, you know how I feel about supporting local artists - and by local I mean those in my expanding circle of friends and loved ones. To my delight, yet another superstar has popped up in my circle - she's not a newbie by any means, but she's new to me and I'm glad! Introducing Sarah Wilson.

Sarah's a featured designer now at my LYS, and one of the newest members of my InStitches knitting group. Sarah doesn't know it, but her latest design, the Girl's Best Friend Shrug has come to the rescue of my stash in a BIG way. Here are some shots from the pattern:

Now I know EXACTLY what to do with those 4 delicious skeins of Malabrigo that I bought at Stiches Midwest last year. YAY! Nearly 800 yards will be gobbled up by this beauty, and I can't wait! If you like this one too, just CLICK HERE to download the FREE PDF.

Enjoy! I'm sure we haven't seen this last of this lovely lady's talents.

Knitting as Therapy

I've heard small bits of information on the topic of inmates knitting, but this article gives some interesting insight and "insider" commentary. There is something to be said about people repaying their debt to society and turning out charity items for others. Good on them!

Travel Tales / Super Saturday

Yesterday I returned from a 7-day trip away from home. Another one of my classic leisure/business combos. I found out that my friend Gia was going to DC for a conference and so I hitched a ride with another friend of ours from New Jersey into DC. We had a good time catching up and exploring some places in the city. We also spent some time with another couple of friends and their adorable baby Zora. Korey and Kishanna are expecting again this fall and it was great to see them.

DC festivities on a hot Saturday afternoon


The lovely Ms. Giavanni


Tunde & I with my knitting in public on World Wide Knit In Public Day


Kishanna, Korey, and little Zora

From the knitting bag, 2 main projects kept me company during the trip, the Forever Jacquard self-striping socks



and sock #2 in the Sangria Sock pair. Because the blue socks have both my KnitPicks size 1 (2.5mm) circulars in use, I ordered another 32# size 1 and will attempt to complete this sock using the Magic Loop method. My status over at the Stashalong depends on it. Wish me luck!



How are things in your neck of the woods?

May I Present: The Hot Lava Cardigan

You have been patient dearest reader, and I will make you wait no longer.
After about 3 weeks of knitting on and off, plus 1 full day of blocking, my Hot Lava Cardigan made its debut in our photo studio yard on Friday.

Pattern: Hot Lava Cardigan by Blue Alvarez Designs
Needle: US Size 10 ½ (for collar) and 11 for sleeves and body
Started: May 15, 2007 / Finished: June 4, 2007

If you’ve perused my sidebar lists, you’ll see that this is one of the items on my “I Can’t Wait to Make These” list. I couldn’t add it to my progress bar list of course, because that would have spoiled the surprise. This shrug (it doesn’t really strike me as a cardigan) has been on my wish list for more than a year. It’s actually one of the first projects I downloaded from the web and stashed away to make. The only delay all this time has been to find just the right yarn – enter Noro Iro.

Yarn: 5 skeins Noro Iro, Color # 43?
Purchased at Knit NY in January 2007
Retail ~ $19.99 per skein (I won yarn money in Atlantic City – hee hee)

Noro’s Self-striping blended yarn is 75% wool and 25% silk, and if you’ve ever felt Kureyon or some of the other Noro yarns, you know that that little bit of silk can make the difference between “mmmmmm” and “yes, it’s a gorgeous colorway, now get it off my skin!!”. But I digress.

This yarn was mostly great to work with. I have to qualify that because the fiber itself was wonderful. There wasn’t too much slubbiness so my gauge stayed on track most of the way through. And the colors flow well into each other. That is until you come across a knot. And in 5 skeins of this, I came across at minimum 3 knots per skein. Uh huh. You know what that can mean for a sweater knit in the round that you’re cruising along with – unexpected and unwanted stops and starts.

Two things about the knots: On the one hand, it didn’t allow me to predict color changes in the striping as I would have liked. But I gave up a notion of perfectly symmetrical sleeves and fronts right from the beginning, so that was fine. On the other hand, coming across my first knot jolted my memory about using a felted join. Because these are all natural fibers, I was able to undo the knots, wet the two ends of the yarn and rub them together to felt them – then I just kept knitting away. Well, the major triumph here of course is that I used this SAME technique for joining a new ball of the yarn. And what does that mean? I only had THREE ends to weave in when I was all done. Beauty!

Sleeves knit using the Magic Loop method (very clear instructions!)
Shoulders/shrug knit back and forth on 24” circular
Back and front of the bolero section knit in the round on two 24” circulars

The other technique this sweater allowed me to really put to the test is blocking. It would have been difficult to show this in before and after shots, but trust me when I tell you that the shrug part of this was cutting off circulation and airways. After I blocked it, I could breath and smile and love it again. If you make this, you'll definitely want to try it on as you go - the shrug needs to fit well across your back, and the bolero section needs enough increases to fit around your back and curve just right toward to front to avoid curling. Knit and learn darlings, knit and learn!

That's all the news that's fit to print. If you're considering this project, do let me know!

P.S. I shared some of your compliments with hubby regarding the photos of my CPH, let’s just say he was VERY happy to get out in the yard and snap pictures of this project yesterday. Thanks you guys!!

Tidbits

The mystery knit is now complete and will be blocked in the next couple of days, then pictures will soon follow. I'm about 80% happy with this one, but that should change if the blocking affects the fit the way I'm hoping it will. Much of my glee comes with having used 655 yards up from the stash and completed it in under a month!



I had a mini crisis moment last night when I nearly ran out of yarn for the bind off, but then the Yarn Harlot came to my rescue (an old post, but OH SO valuable). I didn't end up using this technique because I frogged a few rows to salvage some yarn (grrr). But knowing that this was available if I ran out mid-way kept me sane.



The tidbit that's left.


Once I show you the mystery knit modeled, I will try to remember to cover some key points:

- Pattern/Technique Specifics (the wooly details)
- Spit felting (sounds so ick, but works like a charm - less ends to weave in!)
- Manhandling wool - Do blocked knits really have more fun? (or at least get more wear?)




In the mean time, pull up a chair at the table, the discussion is going quite well and will only get better once you show up.

Passion or Pastime: Why Do You Knit? Let's Discuss...

Good time for another go 'round the table? I think so. But first! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your wonderful compliments on my Central Park Hoodie. Whooooweee do you guys know how to make a knitta feel good! I'm really touched by those of you that keep coming by here to see what I'm going on and on about, but having some new names in the comment list was this week's extra special treat. I'd wrap you all in cashmere if I could! As I said to some of you by email and comments, I'm very happy to help in anyway I can if/when you decide to start on this pattern. I got by with a lot of help, and I'd love to offer that back to you.

Another housekeeping item; for those of you who tagged me for my 7 random things, I'm not ignoring you darlings. I acutually did this over at the BriarRose Fibers KAL - and you can read that (and ogle great yarns) at this link. It does appear though that I've waited past the decent time frame for tagging others because everyone I would have picked already has their list posted. If you do leave a comment and you have posted your 7, let me know because I would like to check them out.

Okay, chat time. This morning I knit a few rounds on some socks out on the patio. It's particularly stormy and damp down this way lately, which puts me in a pensive state. I got to thinking about what it is that makes me reach for my needles first thing in the morning when I get up, and again right before I crawl into bed at night. More and more I find that my packing for any trip - long or short- is not complete without a project bag crammed with yarn, needles, more yarn, a pattern, my knit notebook and a magazine...and another ball of yarn (we call this project delusion). I acknowledge that I don't have any real "down time" because every spare moment is spent pattern browsing, stash fondling, blog posting, taking project pictures, soaking up a podcast or (gasp!) actually knitting. Where did this obsession come from? And how come it has hit me so hard?

As usual, I won't give my own answer just yet. I want to hear from you! Share with me and with the others here at the table - why do you knit? If you had to label it, would it be your Passion or your Pastime, or is it some wonderful mish-mash of both? If you're one that is new to knitting - welcome! Why did you choose this handcraft over the many others available? If you're a sticks veteran, what has kept you interested this long? What makes you keep at it stitch by stitch until the next thing comes off the needles? And if you don't knit, but you do put your hands to use in some other passion or pastime - tell us about it, and why you keep at it. Go philosophical if you like - it's totally allowed.

To add to the dialogue, I'd also love to hear about why you knit or make specific things. If socks float your boat, enlighten us about their magnetism. If baby knits, lace, or charity knits really do it for you, give us reason to join you in doing that.

As usual, share freely and share whenever you like, no time limits. I like these semi-regular chances to open the floor to you out there and to learn from you. And if you'd like to know why other people pick up their pointy sticks and cast on again and again, tell them to come on by! Give them this link and they'll come right to this post:
http://thebrownberry.blogspot.com/2007/06/passion-or-pastime-why-do-you-knit-lets.html

So, why do you knit?

Let's discuss....