Knitting Obsession

Blocking, revisited

First off, happy 4th of July to all who celebrate it....I am "celebrating" while at work, where I will be all weekend as well. The hospitals are usually somewhat empty around holidays, except for accidents, so it looks to be a quiet weekend (any nurse reading this will wince in anticipation of the giant come-down from the universe coming for using the Q word).

I was thinking over my completed Desert Sun, and feeling like I wasn't really satisfied with the blocking job I had done. I am not the most flexible person in the world, and with the cats helping as well it is challenging to crawl around on the floor pinning the shawl. So....I asked my father to build me a blocking frame (that link is a pdf), and he did! Daddy always builds me beautiful stuff, and this is no exception. It was a definite case of trial and error getting the shawl up onto the frame, and Jess and I learned a lot of good lessons for next time (somewhere, Jess is saying "THERE WON'T BE A NEXT TIME, CRAZY.).

This was the first attempt. We never took it completely off after this, instead persevering with what we had, but we realized that we were going to need a lot more string to tie it on. I also needed a few stiff drinks, but I held off. I misread the instructions which recommended three times the length OF EACH SIDE rather than three times the length of the whole piece. We also should have cut several lengths rather than one looooooong length. There were some serious knot issues. We overcame a lot of those problems and got here (and I also sprayed the shawl numerous times with a quirt bottle of water to keep it damp)...

....which is about where Jess had the brilliant idea of stringing up a bullseye to indicate the center of the frame and then she did some mathy things to figure out exactly how many inches I should stretch each point and then....

Perfection. We moved the frame to the porch door to get natural light the next day. It is amazing. Perfectly round, a perfect bullseye, and the lace loved it.

All of the stitches evened out, and then I cut it down to weave in the ends, and the lace just....stayed perfect.

There are a lot more pictures over at Flickr, in a set. One other thing I learned...string the cotton through yarn overs if at all possible. This may seem like an obvious thing, but I strung the cotton through the knit stitches on the point because I thought it would make a prettier point. It was so hard to work knotted string through the damp shawl. When we had to add thread and catch some point on the frame, we went through the yarn overs at the point instead, and it's impossible to tell the difference.

I can't wait to use the frame again (thank you Daddy!)-I'll still block on the floor with wires for stoles and scarves but this is the way to go for large round, square or triangular shawls.

Again, a happy and safe holiday for all who celebrate it!

Contemplation

Isn't knitting supposed to be relaxing?

Jojoland Harmony, HC06

I started my new lace shawl, the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. This is my first time doing one of these mystery things, in which you get clues every week (the clues being the actual pattern, divided into easy to digest parts). This is another pi construction circular shawl (inspired by a mandala, apparently. My previous experience with mandalas? A fiction book in which the mandala makes you a crazed, homicidal monster. I hope the outcome isn't the same here.) . I like these shawls because who doesn't like circular knitting? They also are very portable, and like all lace have an amazing payoff in the blocking. HOWEVER. They are next to impossible to start-for me, at least. With Desert Sun, I tried about 10 times to get the cast on (9 stitches on size 4 needles) right, and I finally thought I had it...until I blocked the final product. What I thought was a nice round hole in the center was really a sort of trefoil:

Ick. I actually don't mind it too much, but I wanted to make sure I did it RIGHT the next time. The Desert Sun was done on laceweight merino/silk, which is about 30 wpi and I used size 4 needles. The Harmony is a different beast altogether; a wispy, cobwebby beauty that claims to be 30 wpi but really clocks in at about 36 or so for me...and I am using size 3 needles. I cast on....oh, maybe 17 times? Maybe it wasn't that bad, but it felt like it. After the 16th or so time, I gathered my shattered wits about me and tried "just one more time" with 2 DPNs, knitting with the 3rd. I had been using 5 DPNs (I am stubborn. I have no desire to try magic loop or 2 circulars, and I never have problems with the actual cast on and joining...it's the first row that gets me. Needles slipping out, twisting rows, cat attacks, distraction by Season 2 of "The Wire"...etc., etc., etc.). I was finally successful and completed Clue 1.

Man, I had to work my tail off for it. Clue 2 should come Saturday, when I will be at the Baltimore Rowing Club's Charm City Sprints, cheering on friends. I have renewed my passing acquaintance with the gym and my personal trainer (who promises to "go easy on me"...that isn't going to help this booty though! Beach trip planned for early August...scary!) and it will be great to see my old rowing comrades. Maybe the rowing bug will bite me again? I had pulled away after two injuries and a change in the social feel of the place for me. It might be time to get over some old hurts.

Also in the knitting pipeline: a scarf. Not just any scarf though...this is a scarf with a purpose, a purpose which is admittedly a joke between a good friend and me, but still...it's double knitting, and the pattern being knitted into it? If someone (some manly someone, still undefined) can recognize it for what it is, it will ring my bell. Right now, one can't really tell what it is....

...but it is very pretty. If someone (NOT JESS!) can tell me what it is, maybe they will win a prize!

Summer solstice this weekend....not looking forward to the mugginess of the inner city at its peak.

How to bathe a cat without losing a limb

Well, it helps if you have a pretty sedate cat to begin with. Chloe has a slipped disc in her back, and hasn't been able to reach her lower back/tail area for a long time. We've been managing with wipes and dry shampoo, but eventually we got to a point where her fur felt dirty and greasy, and she seemed uncomfortable (twitching her back a lot, etc.).

She looks like a dust mop anyways, but it was getting a little out of hand on her spine. So, armed with baby shampoo and a reading of the About.com's web page about bathing cats, I drew a euthermic bath of a few inches and gingerly lowered her in. I was expecting complete annihilation of the bathroom, myself, and my part time roomie Jess, or at the very least severe blood loss, but she just stood in the water. Admittedly, she did try to climb me a couple times, but overall she was so good!

(This is the "what did I do?" face). After she was all clean, I dried her off as much as I could and then I let her go out on the porch. I had already turned off the air conditioning, but it was 95 degrees outside so I knew she would be nice and warm. She marched right out and ate her Greenies (for being a good girl) and then commenced licking. Lick, lick, lick, lick. I expect a big gray hairball soon.

(Tootsie is trying to act concerned about Chloe, but she is really concerned about whether there are any Greenies for her.)

Oh my gosh....I couldn't resist the poor pink paw pads. SO CUTE AND PATHETIC. She was completely blase about the whole thing and was all over me much like her usual self almost immediately. I've been watching her closely since the bath and she seems much happier. Plus she smells pretty.

Knitting? Well, since I finished Desert Sun, I am getting ready to start a new project. The same designer is doing a new Mystery Shawl, and I joined that. I'm using Jojoland Harmony in HC06, which swatched on 3s to a small size, but the drape and feel are great. I'll add extra repeats to the last round if needed to get to a good size.

Cheers! Hope all is going well.

Delicious lace goodness!

Hi! I finished an object! I have an FO!

This is my first large lace project, and it was so much fun. The yarn, the pattern, everything. Some of you may know that I like my yarn colorways to speak to the pattern. In this case, I went searching for the yarn (called Campfire Songs) for the pattern (called Desert Sun).  The yarn just sang to me....so evocative of the desert and the sunrise or sunset, and all of the different colors....

This is a pi shawl, so as it got larger it started to feel like it was never going to end. And then, I started the edging. Goodness gracious....that took almost as long as the last motif.

I did have a lot of help with blocking. Chloe supervised everything. Isn't it amazing how this:

turns into this?

Specs:

Pattern: Desert Sun by Renee Leverington/Goddess Knits, available for purchase here.

Yarn: Yarn Chef  Crème Brûlée, 50%merino/50%silk laceweight. Colorway "Campfire Songs." This yarn is a dream. The dyer has an Etsy shop here. I will most definitely partake in this again.

Mods: I went down a needle size to US 4, as I am a loose knitter. I did 5 repeats of the last motif (you can do 4-8) before I got scared I would run out of yarn. As it is, I have a bit left over, but definitely not enough to have done another repeat. My gauge was 6 sts/inch rather than 5 sts/inch, and I liked that drape better. I ended up with a shawl about 52 inches in diameter.

My name is Suzanne, and I am addicted to lace.

(The following is for a swap I am doing on Ravelry. Feel free to comment at will.)

1.  What is your name? What is your quest?  What is your favorite color?

Suzanne, to win the internet, and pink or red.

> 2.  When is your birthdate (year optional)?

May 3, 1975.

> 3.  Do you have any special birthday traditions?

My parents often come to help me celebrate. For a few years we planted flowers in my flower boxes that died in a few weeks from a combination of overzealous watering for days followed by forgetting about them completely for days. We also go out to lunch and get yummy cream of crab soup. This past year, a new tradition may have started in that the MD Sheep and Wool festival is the same weekend as my birthday, and a horde of knitters descended upon me. It was awesome!

> 4.  What is your favorite birthday memory?

One of my favorites is the one right after I moved back to the East Coast from Colorado. A lot of my family was here at my new apartment and it was such a good feeling!

> 5.  Any allergies we should know about?

Pineapples.

> 6.  What crafts do you do - knit, crochet, spin, dye, bead, quilt,
> etc. etc. ?

Knit mostly. Some crochet and spinning....but right now it's all about the knitting.

> 7.  Any sorts of fibers you particularly love or hate or are dying to
> work with?

I am an equal opportunity fiber ho.

> 8.  What weight of yarn do you prefer?

Right now? Lace, lace, lace! Or maybe cobweb. Or gossamer. See a pattern?

> 9.  What are your favorite knitting accessories? (i.e.: stitch
> markers, row counters…)

I love cute and little stitch markers that match my current project.

> 10.  Do you subscribe to any crafty magazines?

IK, VK, Spin Off.

> 11.  What do collect aside from fiber-related things?

Fans (my Aunt Barbara started me on them when I was very young. They are all over my walls).

> 12.  Favorite candy, chocolate (dark, white, or milk), tea, coffee,
> other treats?

I am an equal opportunity food and drink ho.

> 13.  Do you enjoy handmade soap and body products?

Yes, indeed!

> 14.  Are there any scents you love or hate?

I don't like very strong florals or heavy musks. I like clean, natural scents right now.

> 15.  What is your favorite: flavor, flower, letter, number, film, artist?

Chocolate, carnation, no idea, 17, three way tie between "A Princess Bride", "Top Gun", and "Dirty Dancing", and I love impressionism.

> 16.  Anything we should *not* get for you?

A large crate of pineapples.

> 17.  Do you have a blog and or wishlist that are not linked on Ravery
> or listed in the GoogleDoc?

nope!

> 18.  Anything special you would like your partner to know?

Have fun!

Tootsie says

*cough hack gag* ackkk (doesn't she kind of look like Bill the Cat there?)

Yay birthday goodness!

Two weekends ago, Maryland Sheep and Wool happened. As usual, it fell on my birthday weekend. This year, Ravelry helped me make my plans. My fellow helpers and I decided to have a slumber party and 10 people total ended up staying in my (ONE BATHROOM) apartment. It was so much fun! I have lots of picture goodness but they are not on this computer....so hopefully more posts to come.

(photo by Mary-Heather)

It was enough for me that so many of my friends came to stay with me, but then they got all sneaky on me and made me a blankie. Everyone made squares and it is being seamed by Jess and I love it so much.

It really hit me hard-I got very emotional and it was a wonderful feeling. Later on at the Ravelry party people kept bringing me gin and tonics so that didn't hurt the wonderful feeling. Then everyone including Jess and Casey and Mary-Heather sang me Happy Birthday and I cried again. Oof! Quell embarrassing.

(picture by Mary-Heather). That's Aimee head-butting me, much like Brynn head-butts me. My girls GET me, you know? I love them like they love me.

Even my brother wants to know why I haven't blogged

....and he has a kid and everything. I have no such excuse, other than the R word, which continues to suck my time continually but in A Good Way, and really I don't have any other excuses. I can't even say that I have kept up with other blogs because...I haven't...so I expect my subscriber list is rather skimpy right now. I'm flying out to California to see my nephew (and my brother and sister-in-law) soon and I think I will archive all of the blogs I am behind on so I can read them on the plane. I have many big plans.

So, knitting! I did finish all of my Christmas knitting, which was amazing. My sister-in-law loves bright colors, so I made her Haruha in a bright J.Knits sock yarn in colorway Kansas:

This is blocking. It is pretty wild, but I am very happy with it. It pooled in an interesting way, almost stripy. The knit itself was fast and fun.

For Mom, I finally, finally made her something out of the brown-gold mohair that she has been coveting. This is a simple wrap, which I think needs a little more length, but for now is working out well. The yarn is Misty Mountain Farm Brushed Mohair, in an unknown colorway, which has been marinating since MD S&W 2006.

I'm certainly glad I managed to take a great picture of the one BIG mistake, which is the double row of garter stitch from when I put the wrap down in a fit of "can't take anymore" and picked it back up weeks later.

Since Christmas, I've been casting on innumerable projects and have developed severe second sock syndrome. I think I have 8 single socks hanging about. I also have a bit of a lace fetish going, which is keeping me hopping until my sock mojo comes back. The Ravelry Helpers are doing a KAL, for Tiger Eyes (that is a .pdf!), and here is mine (well, now it has about 5 more repeats. But I don't have a more current picture):

This is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Sierra. It is tasty. I love the slight halo the mohair gives it. The pattern is a lot of fun, but I am always a little thrown off by the row in which you create the eyes, since you end up knitting and purling into the same giant yo four times, and it's kind of tricksy (for me). But fun nonetheless and currently marinating.  PS-I love my new camera. I "lost" ("lost"= intoxicated at New Years Eve ball and left it on the table when finding cab-hi Mom!) my other one. I lurve this one. It has image stabilizer. Good for the trembling hands.

I did also start the Kitri Mantilla, which is a kit I picked up in Rhinebeck last year. I got it with the Kitri sock pattern, but the mantilla has been calling me. This is truly my first large and real lace project, real in the sense that this is the smallest yarn I have ever worked with (unless I count crocheting doilies on size 20 yarn, which isn't that small really). It was agonizing the first two rows, and now I am getting a bit of a rhythm. I think I am going to wear this undraped, that is without the gathered area at the bottom, because really. I don't need to accentuate my booty that much. My booty is a little smaller since dropping 30 pounds, but let's face it. It's still there. The mantilla will still be gorgeous and as I am a fan collector, this really makes sense to me. Here's a pathetic cell phone blurry shot, with Bob as accent.

Let's see....I'm sure I have something else new on needles....oh! I started my first double knitting project. This was a wee challenging to me at first, but now it is humming right along.

I kind of love it. I love the bright colors. This is Uncle Argyle's Scarf from "Son of Stitch and Bitch" and the designer is Lindsey Hendricks, who I KNOW in REAL LIFE and who autographed my book. Sweet! Notice how I was able to cover up my mistakes with rotten duplicate stitching. Well, hopefully you can't notice it. Because otherwise what would be the point?

Tootsie is not impressed.

Hope to see you soon!

Long time no see

Hi! Wow, it has been a long time since I've blogged. I've been concentrating on my health (joined a gym and got a personal trainer and nutritionist) and that has taken up what little time is left over from the time suck of Ravelry. I'm a Helper there, along with a bunch of other wonderful women,  to help take the burden off the lone coder who is developing the site. The site is growing by leaps and bounds every day and it's amazing to watch. The organization of my stash alone has been great. The site developers are planning an Open House in January, since the site won't be out of beta for a while. It will be a chance for some of you to see what I've been yakking about for months (hi Mom!).

Needles-wise, I am slogging through Christmas knitting, and have one more gift to complete. It shouldn't be a problem, and I'll post those projects after Christmas. As soon as I finish Christmas stuff, I can get back to Jeanie from the most recent Knitty, which is entrancing. I'm using this gorgeous stuff:

which is Dream in Color Smooshy Sock in Black Parade, and I lurve it. I love the depth of this colorway. It is a little challenging to knit at night though! I need brighter light bulbs, I think.

My other WIP that is on hold till Christmas knitting is over is my first Clapotis, which I started to stave off my longing for Jeanie.

Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb in Gold Hill. Mmmmmm soft.

The kitties are doing well....and here is Tootsie, snoring on the scraps from one of my Christmas gifts.

She is so loud....wakes me up sometimes. Chloe has arthritis, so she is on a multivitamin with glucosamine. She is not very enthusiastic about her chewable tablets. I have to hide them in her food and bribe her with Greenies, and she still eats her way around the pieces. She is as active as ever, so she can't be in too much pain.

I did make it to Rhinebeck, and it was amazing. I drove up with two good friends from Ravelry, (bunnysquirrel and booksherpa) and we had a blast.

It was beautiful, and we met Casey and Jess from Ravelry, a whole lot of other Ravelers, and the party was so much fun. Bob guarded our car, along with bunnysquirrel Jess's animals.

We were sorry to come home.

I'm gonna try hard to blog more...a friend suggested following WIP Wednesday and Yarn Pr0n Fridays and I may try that. I also have been spinning on Katarina off and on (more off while trying to get through the Xmas stuff) and want to blog that too, as I am spinning stuff that looks less like garbage and more like string.

I am so far behind on my blogs that Google Reader refuses to count above 1000. I am a little (a lot) ashamed about it and need to remember to do the thing where you can save up a bunch of posts to read off line while I am in PA for Christmas. That will help me catch up though I won't be able to comment. But know that I am thinking of all of my friends and hoping you are having a safe and blessed holiday season.

Bad Blogger Alert!

This is me.

Highly pixellated b/c it's an avatar picture and I can't handle taking another one. I'm a square on Saturday at Rhinebeck and I think I'll wear the Noro scarf above for indentification purposes. My hair will likely be in my face too. It's often there. I'm also going to have a Blogger Bingo T shirt on and my teardrop bag has lots of buttons including a Ravelry ribbon and a Blogger Bingo button. I'll be there with other squares/players if that helps....I was going to be wearing Kerry but Kerry is in a time out in my knitting bag as I could NOT finish the never ending sleeves in time. Full disclosure-I really started the sleeves about a week ago. I'll bring the sleeves with me though! Maybe I'll finish it in NY.

Ok! Who else is going? I know a couple of you are...but let me know for sure! Saturday, 12 noon, Ravelry meetup. I'll be there~ and will be at the Ravelry party and likely the Morehouse Merino party. See some of you then!

I had a fun day today

Guess who I met?

The most famous kitty in blogland, Lucy.
Here is Lucy and her momma, Wendy.

Will you look at those blue eyes! Notice also all of the socks in front of Wendy and Lucy. Those are Wendy's Summer of Socks spoils. I got to see them up close and personal, and it was a real pleasure. I'm in awe of Wendy's skillz knitting so many socks up!
Why, may you ask, was I at Wendy's?

Besides flirting with Lucy, that is. You will notice what is behind Lucy? Now it is in my living room.

Wendy graciously allowed me to buy her Kromski Minstrel, Katarina (I'm not going to rename her. I have a firm policy on not renaming anything...I doubt I would have named Brynn that if I got her before she got a name, but that was her name and I couldn't call her anything else. So Katarina stays Katarina!). She has a mahogany finish and she is really beautiful. I've been thinking and thinking about buying a wheel and I couldn't stop thinking about the Minstrel that I played with at Maryland Sheep and Wool. There's just something about the way it looks. I watched the video that came with the wheel which was very earnest and educational and then I made some really really crappy yarn.

My goodness, spinning is hard! I have some serious work to do. Wendy, it was a pleasure meeting you and Lucy, and I'm so excited about the wheel! Thank you! I need to work hard on my predrafting and slowing down my treadling and maybe I'll be able to make some nice yarn someday.

Yet Another Single Sock

Here is yet another single sock...socks are still very comforting, and they have been small and easy to complete.
   
This is the Twisted Flower sock, pattern by Cookie A. I am using Dream In Color Smooshy Sock in Petal Shower, purchased from the Loopy Ewe, and a lovely yarn. The pattern is enchanting and the charts are very easy to follow...even though it looks intimidating. I really like the way the pattern goes down the heel too...I need to find clogs that I can wear without killing myself to show them off.

I have been saving my spare change, and selling off a bunch of my yarn, in order to be able to buy a used spinning wheel. I managed to save it all up (it's amazing how fast spare change adds up) and sold a lot of sock yarn that I wasn't going to use...I am too enchanted with my handpainted sock yarn collection. I also haven't bought yarn in a while, and the only new yarn that has come into the house has been from sock clubs that I paid for a while ago. This is all going to make my mom stick her tongue out at me and say "Nyah, nyah, nyah" since I was able to save some money. And I have knitted up quite a few pretty socks from my stash! I'll be picking up the wheel this weekend and will be sure to post pictures.

I also realized that I could go to Rhinebeck after all, though my budget will be curtailed. I am looking forward to it! I may bring my wheel!