T R E M O N T

January, almost over? Sheesh, I really need to get with the program. I have loads and loads of WIPs and FOs people, so if you can still tolerate my erratic and maddeningly undependable ways, you are in for quite the treat once I get my blogging act together.

The Specs
Pattern: Tremont by Cecily Glowik McDonald
Yarn: Quince and Co. Lark, 1 skein in "Goldfinch"
Needles: size 6
Mods: Accidentally doing more cable repeats than called for. I'm an over-achiever!

First off, the yarn: ARE YOU KIDDING ME it it so unbelievably soft! Not sure how Quince and Co. has achieved this, but man alive is it luscious. A true joy to knit with. I chose "Goldfinch" but spent about 20 minutes deliberating in my decision-making process because there are many tempting colors.

The pattern was an easy, simple knit. Sadly it has only been made by two other people on Ravelry. This is completely surprising to me and I don't quite get it. Is it too plain? Or do people see the pattern and say "please I could do that myself" à la my dad re: every Jackson Pollock painting ever?


I am going to give this pattern and yarn combination a sold stamp of personal approval. Yes it's not earth shatteringly unique but is quite pleasing in its utter simplicity. It's solid. Not flashy. Functional. Practical and utilitarian. If our Amish pals were ever to make hand knits a part of their 21st century garb and yellow an approved color for outer garments, this hat would be a perfect addition to their wardrobe. Perhaps the pattern should be promoted by the Seamen's Institute as a perfectly cheerful and not too snazzy option for their knitting program? Not sure, but I am quite certain that this pattern has yet to find its niche. Any ideas?

Ripley and a woodland delight

Oh hello! Yes I'm the person that was just going to give away a skein of Malabrigo a few days after posting and BOOM it's a month later. Yes, well, that's par for course around here I'm afraid to to tell you. However I am rectifying the gross injustice that has been committed by sending it out straight away to the Greenhorn Knitter. Enjoy!

I recently acquired a few skeins of Rowan Creative Focus Worsted in a series of events that went something like this: go to lys for something totally unrelated->chat with owner Cynthia (love her!) about Rowan->buy Rowan pattern mag "City Retreat"->get home and feverishly order four skeins (don't hate on me, her store doesn't carry it!)->twiddle thumbs/stare into the void waiting for yarn to arrive-> receive yarn but realize the Rowan hat pattern I'd wanted to do is knit flat (HATE THAT WHY DOES MARTIN STOREY DO THAT)->troll Ravelry for a better pattern and voilà-> Ripley!

The Specs:
Pattern: Ripley by Ysolda Teague
Yarn:Rowan Creative Focus Worsted in Heathery Lavender, .75 skein
Needles: size 10
Mods: see below

Ripley was quite a lot of fun once I got past the band. The pattern gives you the choice of either a picot/lace band or a garter st one. I chose the latter as it seems less fussy and femme, and I'm happy with this choice although next time I might just instead do a regular cast-on band as this took a tad longer than I'd like.

This is the first time I've ever done the "knitting pleats into the back of that hat" maneuver. Yeah, that! Such a nice built-in slouchy effect and bonus: you always know where the back of the hat is. Nice touch, Ysolda!

As I am on the record as being a bona fide alpaca nut, it will come as no surprise that Rowan can put me down as a Creative Focus Worsted fangirl. So soft! And yet sturdy (thanks wool, I still like you too). The color selection is nice as well. Rowan, I was mad at you for the whole discontinuing Calmer debacle, but this makes me slightly less angry with you...

You might notice a disturbing trend in the photos shown here. They all feature a young lass who is, dare I say it, not unhappy? The smiles you see pictured here are real. She was, at this particular moment, the opposite of glum. But stay tuned! Things can turn on a dime around here...

Not only have I been knitting like a whirling dervish (lots to show you in due time), I've also been dabbling in other areas. Why just look at this delectable woodland hideaway that made its way on to our Christmas dinner table yesterday:

To say that I was thrilled with this scene would be an understatement. After arranging my tiny pals just so (I knew I was collecting wee woodland wooden figurines for a reason), I basically went into a fugue state and stared at it (think: drooling) for a good 20 minutes. The kids were, oh how shall I put it, concerned for my mental health/mortified? "If you post that on Facebook I AM GOING TO DIE!", I believe one of them said. Feh! Not sure which one because I was too enthralled with my special fantasy world of toadstools and tiny hedgehogs to really notice. In any case, this was our stump de Noël cake. It's like a bûche, but it's a stump--get it?

féileacán hataí

I consider myself quite lucky because just as my tempermental junior divas grow increasingly weary of my FO photo shoot requests and start to try to write riders into their contracts with me (iTunes gift cards & the Justin Bieber perfume in exchange for modeling a hat, are you kidding me?), I have new talent rising up through the ranks. We had the good fortune of hosting the Ireland-Brooklyn-Moroccan contingent of our family for Thanksgiving which meant that the younger siblings of my daughters would be available for action. The older sister here is quite fond of the camera and the younger one can't speak yet, so no protest from her at all!


The Specs
Pattern: Butterfly hat by Sofiya Cremin
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Uva and Tigerlily, about 60% of each skein
Needles: Sizes 4 and 7
Mods: none


I originally made the orange hat for the big sister. She quite craftily let me know that "...this hat is for the baby, MY HAT is purple". I mean, how can I refuse a sly request like that? You better believe I was off like a shot to rifle through my stash to find the perfect color.

The older sister noticed the butterfly motif right away and exclaimed "Féileacán!" (fail-uh-con-- butterfly in Irish) in her excitement. The butterfly stitch is gimmicky for sure, and it's definitely a one-trick pony typa deal, but for kids it's a super cute idea, right?

Malabrigo is a dream...for certain projects. I would never be so foolish as to knit a sweater out of it, it's an accessories only affair in my opinion as the pill factor is a little out of control. But the colors, the colors! Honestly they are quite unreal. I used to wax poetic over Frank Ochre and Bobby Blue, but this Tiger Lily is pretty dazzling. What's your favorite shade? Let me know in the comments and I'll set up a mini Tombola. I'm going to the post office on the last day of November, so leave your comment by then and you might be a winner!

Effie!

Seeing as I seem to be acquiring "special order" yarn like it's my job, I figured it was time to actually knit with the stuff. What good is stoking an Internet yarn sensation if you don't actually knit with it? I had the perfect pattern ready to go, so I made myself a cocktail (unrelated), got out my X-acto knife and tore into my box of shiny new yarn. Hot tip: don't use X-acto knives around boxes of yarn unless splicing and dicing is your game. Yarn carnage aside, all I can say is I was so pleased with the Internet super shopper me that had ordered the assorted Quince and co. yarn ten days previously because WOW. Soft. Colors for days. Gorgeous hand. Swoon.

The Specs
Pattern: Effie by Melissa LaBarre
Yarn: Quince and co. Osprey in "Twig", .85 of a skein
Needles: size 9
Mods: why?

I love the ribbing action on this hat. Cute! Classy! (Just kidding, I hate that word). The shaping is perfection and the knitting couldn't be more pleasingly mindless. I am so happy with how this hat turned out. And the yarn is so unbelievably plush. I strongly urge you to fondle it soon.

This hat is a long overdue donation to a local charity. Over a year ago I became inspired (first warning sign) to donate a knitted hat to a charity auction (they should have run screaming) A very nice lady had the misfortune to bid on my hat THINKING she was getting a wooly garment that would keep her warm during a blisteringly cold winter. BWAHAHAHAHA! Oops. Somehow this one got away from me and the guilt started to fester. But now it's done, so...there's that? In any case, I should not be permitted to ever volunteer my knitting services for any charity function whatsoever. If you are soliciting knitted donations for your (probably) worthy cause, please don't ask me to knit for you unless you want to engender Bad Feelings toward you and your organization. Just go ahead and mark me down in the "will make a small token cash donation" column permanently for life. Thanks!


Also, I can't hear the name of this pattern without thinking of this song and my previous life in the swingin' town of Athens, GA...

Horatio Hornbobber

Of one of the pure joys of fall is being able to fire up the hat assembly line and crank out hats in pure Fordist fashion. Nothing is more exciting to this knitter than making hats. Sweaters are fine and dandy but oh when you have a lot of real estate to cover they're decidedly less exciting--can I get an amen from the XLs among you? Scarves start with a bang and invariably lost their luster when it's clear you're in it for the long haul. Mittens and socks are fun and games until you have to replicate the whole thing--suddenly not so fun! But the hat is a perfect project, from start to finish. No time to fizzle out, you are just going great guns from start to finish.

The Specs
Pattern: Horatio by Knitting Kninja (Kristen Hanley Cardozo)
Size: Adult M/L
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted Merino in "Vaa", .85 of a skein
Needles: size 7
Modifications: None except accidentally doing slightly more on the brim that was called for in the pattern. Oops!

I have pure, unbridled enthusiasm for this pattern. Is saw Kristen post it on Flickr and was immediately hot to trot for it. I shamelessly asked when the pattern would be ready because I was dying to make it and luck would have it, it was ready earlier than expected. I am leading such a charmed life.

The pattern is loads of fun because it's composed of the semaphore stitch which keeps a potential stockinette snoozefest interesting and visually appealing. The Malabrigo knit-up on a 7 gives such a nice, tight gauge. This hat is going to be a warm one, folks.

I have dubbed my particular version of this hat Horatio Hornbobber to fit the individual you see pictured here. Similar to the Little Girl with a Curl, when he is good he is very, very good but when he is bad, he is...a hornbobber! This is term that we have invented amongst ourselves and are trying to have gain traction and become a term for general usage. To hornbob is to ceaselessly complain, belly ache and generally grouse about insignificant details that one has inevitably blown out of proportion. It is a behavior that does not endear the hornbobber to those around him. The individual you see pictured here is the person most likely to hornbob in our household, hence the masculine pronoun in the previous sentence. This photo shoot was done post-hornbobbing fit, the topic of which I honestly can't recall, but it is likely that the complaints involved the number of lip balms owned by your truly, the mounting number of yogurts in the fridge and their impending expiration dates of doom, or some other matter of great import. I'm sure you might know a few hornbobbers, please do not hesitate to categorize them as such and let them know of their horrid hornbobbing ways. Hornbobbing will only be tolerated in small amounts!

Rhinebeck 2011

Oh well hello there! Yes it's been quite an eventful month. You know, things like fiber festival wing dings, having your house partially remodeled and watching in realtime as your marriage implodes at Lowe's while you SHOUT OVER one another about Levolor blind options and dual fuel ovens [for the record, I won both those arguments with my implacable logic but alas allowed him to get his way on one of two accounts], the maelstrom of the semester and learning how to make Siri do my bidding have really thrown my knit-something-post-it-to-my-blog-and-then-Ravelry into a tailspin. But luckily I have still been knitting and have quite a backlog of FOs to show you in upcoming, super-thrilling posts. For now I'm posting this mosaic from Rhinebeck which, if you haven't been and are somewhat mobile and on the east coast of the US, should really try to make it to at some point [note: I know my mother will be commenting upon the syntax of this sentence to me at some point. It's ok. This is how the young folk raised in the 80s talk nowadays]. If the yarn won't entice you, maybe the dough lady might mean something to you? In any case, I had a rollicking good time with my Knitpals as it really affirmed to me HOW MUCH I LOVE KNITTING AND MOST PEOPLE WHO KNIT!

GAP-tastic

Excuse me whileI brush that dust off my shoulder à la Jay-Z while I tell you all about the latest roll I'm on. PEOPLE--I'm on a roll because for the second time in the last five years Nora has asked me to knit her something that she actually wore and did not throw down in disgust or pile it on her Poang which is a repository for all her crumpled, discarded garments!! I am such a winner right now.

The Specs

Pattern: GAP-tastic cowl by Jen Geigley

Yarn: 1 skein Malabrigo Chunky in Geranio

Needles: size 13

Mods: I only cast on 112 sts as I had a long-tail cast-on dysfunctional moment and couldn’t imagine casting it on all over again. So the cowl is not quite as epic as it could’ve been but it’s still long enough to loop around her neck a few times.

Nora approached me several weeks ago and indicated her desire for a colorful long neck wrap. We perused Ravelry and alighted upon this pattern. Now I have no illusions that the fact the the Gap is named-checked in the pattern didn't have something to do with her enthusiasm. That little touch of branding helped immensely in our decision, and she chose this pattern. Thank you corporate America for colonizing the minds of our youth and lending your imprimatur of authenticity to this pattern!

The pattern is modeled after a well-known Gap cowl that the author saw and like any self-respecting knitter thought There is no way I'm paying for that. I could knit that up in a heartbeat. And she did! Thanks Jen, because I am just lame enough that had I been with my daughter in Satan's Lair i.e. the mall, I would've been the loser knitter that lazily shelled out the cash for it. My self-respect thanks you!

Next-up for me: a finished Rhinebeck sweater. I KNOW!!