Gimme Shelter

One of the big buzz yarns that all the knitter types were chattering about at Rhinebeck was Jared Flood's Shelter. I'll admit that I hadn't heard tell of it before then, but being the lemming that I am, once I heard 'unbelievable colors' and 'tweed that isn't as scratchy as it could be', I knew that Shelter and I had a date with destiny. So I ordered one lonely skein on a trial basis and I can say that I will definitely be back for more in the future. Once acquired, I trolled around Ravelry for the perfect one skein project, and came up with a pattern that I not only already owned but had specially colored coded with my handy colored pencils: Habitat!

The Specs
Pattern: Habitat by Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Shelter in 'Sap', one skein exactly
Needles: sizes 6 & 7
Size: S/M
Mods: None at all, although I did have a misstep. I knit the first 15 rows without realizing that I had neglected to do chart A. As my kids would say 'durrrr'...so yeah, instead of trying to wing it, I did the adult thing by frogging and starting over.

Right away I had the sense that I wouldn't have enough yarn for a size L so I decided to ding it down to S/M. Phew! So glad I did as I had less than 5 yards left. The result is a perfect snug little hat.

My first foray with this pattern was done with Shelter's polar opposite, Malabrigo. It made for a hat that was poofty and lofty whereas this iteration is quite the opposite. I have to say that both versions have their charms, but I am slightly partial to this one as the color is a mind-blower. Do you remember the most fabulously beloved but now discontinued color of Felted Tweed 'Pickle'? (what--you don't have all the Felted Tweed colors available in your mind for immediate recall?) It's reminiscent of that luscious green but with flecks of orange as well. Simply put, it's perfection.


I am so happy to have refound my knitting inspiration. I am back to that happy place where I think about knitting like it's my job and text back and forth with Babs about what out next (knitting) move is. Because of this increased activity and enthusiasm, I have more small accessories in the pipeline, so stay tuned because I am cranking. them. OUT!

Rhinebeck Sweater, 10 days later

After a series of miscalculations as to how long it actually takes to knit two sleeves and a collar [answer: longer than a car ride from PA to NY], this year's Rhinebeck sweater did not make its debut at the ball but instead languished in inchoate agony back in the hotel room. No matter, it's done now and is ready for cool weather action.

The Specs:

Pattern: Vine Lace Top-Down Cardigan by Sweaterbabe

Yarn: Rowan Cocoon, 7.5 skeins. The other .5 was sacrificed to my cat and his special libidinal needs [see below].

Needles: size 11

Size: 46

Mods: None really except for inadvertent mistakes...like getting it sopping wet during the blocking process and the sweater getting so stretched out and heavy that the stitches became deformed and resembled chain mail, so much so that you needed to put it in the dryer and it felted ever so slightly...yeah that.

I've made this pattern before and it's a complete winner. If you're looking for a big, giant cardigan, this is your next project. It basically took 10 days of on and off knitting, with time out for various other projects [hint: I got LOTS in the pipeline, YO].

My cat has confirmed what I thought I detected in him a year ago when I knitted my Heather Hoodie in Rowan Cocoon, and that is he takes a special shine to this yarn. Which is to say that he seems to like having private sexytimes with it as on more than one occasion I have caught him hugging and cuddling the skein as if it were a giant blow up doll. Yes, Mr. Kitten has been caught red handed trying to get it on with some Cocoon. Such a nasty little culprit.

Aww....sorry kitten, you're going to have to take your business elsewhere because this is a respectable family establishment! This sweater is not your own private pleasure pad, mkay?

Below you see a mosaic of Rhinebeck which as a truly epic event. Imagine a Star Wars convention of knitters but instead of people in Jedi costumes with light sabers, visualize folks wearing Tea Leaves cardigans holding Jennie the Potter mugs. Get it? Yeah, it's fun. Hope to see you there next year!

Textured Wedding SHAWLETTE

I must say the extent to which I go to play games with myself is truly astounding. From the outset I declared this project a shawlette and not a shawl in order to take the pressure off. What--I can finish a shawlette in four week days. Piece o'cake! Such are the deluded machinations of a person who casts on for a wedding present during an especially busy work week as she has promised the wrap for the bride to wear at the reception. Which is being held outdoors in October. In Minnesota. Heh.

The Specs:

Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe by Orlane

Needles: size 9

Yarn: Madeline Tosh DK in Oxblood, exactly one skein.

Mods: It's $^&$ small, how that for a mod? But it doesn't matter because when you lower the bar from the height of shawl down to the very pedestrian and quite doable shawlette, it doesn't matter. I win!

Seriously,my intention all along was for her to wear this more as a scarf anyway. It's small, yes, but will look ultra cute as a cat poncho gamine-like scarf tied ever so fashionably around her neck. I'm declaring it a success.

The yarn is an utter joy to behold. Soft beyond all measure. The color is also so rich that when I spied it on the table at the yarn store, the employee gave me a knowing glance that basically said "I know, right?". Wowza.

This pattern is truly the most adaptable shawl(ette) pattern out there. You are the master of your own destiny as you decided exactly how big you want it to be. Which is perfect for impatient knitters who just want bind off already, dammit. In my case this was at 5 am the morning of the service, which was itself in the morning. But I did finish in time to do a photo shoot at the hotel pool (sad) and give it to my niece at the reception. And she's such a gracious, obliging lassie that she cooed and oohed and awwed over it, just like her auntie wanted her to.

The visit to Minneapolis was short and somewhat bittersweet. That was my last 'scheduled' visit there as there are no big events coming up and my mom has been successfully moved . A friend asked me if that was tough on me, and I have to say that it isn't. I believe in making your life work wherever you are, and yearnings of a geographical nature rarely bring fulfillment. I had the most stupendous childhood there, and am fortunate to have all the those happy memories. So I say congratulations to J and L, we're so happy for you! And I'll see the rest of you lot at Rhinebeck (hopefully)!

ZOMGBBQWTF Fair Isle Mania!

People I'm in the throes of a major fair isle obsession and I don't see it letting go anytime soon. Between the 'Fair Isle Revisited' Debbie Bliss magazine , Rowan 48 and the Fall 2010 Vogue Knitting (my taste for which proves to me beyond any doubt that yes, I am middle aged), I am on a bona fide fair isle tear.

First up for me is the terribly unimaginatively named 'Fair Isle Hat'. Seriously generic name for a honey of a pattern. Gee, I guess 'hat' had already been taken. Vogue Knitting, you are ever the inscrutable publication, one day I will decipher yours ways...

The Specs:
Pattern: Fair Isle hat by Sheila Joynes
Yarn: Felted Tweed, six colors, only scant amounts used of the following: 158, 165, 168, 151, 170, 164. Since I collect Felted Tweed like it's my job, these leftovers don't present a problem.
Needles: size 5. If there's a next time I'll surely go down a needle size as the hat is going from slouchy to something altogether much larger and potato sack-y.
Mods:My only mod was not knitting the crown in the pattern indicated--I just hate decreasing in pattern, so I free-styled it.

The pattern was a lot of fun to make and already have number 2 planned. Sadly not everyone around this house gets the whole slouchy thing. I did have a moment of sheer horror and blanched in agony when one of the junior texting crew asked 'OMG is that one of those Jamaican hats that white people with dreadlocks wear?'. Children are so precious, are they NOT?

My lovely friend and colleague Gina agreed to model the hat for me today after our morning commute [note the (almost double)Rainbow over her shoulder. Kismet!]. I was so pleased that she obliged my request because she is my silver style icon! In fact if you see me at Rhinebeck you will indeed notice that I am going the silver fox route. Stop me and say 'hi', under my hat I'll be the lady with the skunk stripe.

Traveling Woman, and how!

This post brought to you by the power of sheer determination. Since we last spoke I have put the finishing touches on two small yet unbelievably demanding manuscripts, sorted through 40+ years worth of Consumer Reports magazines and then threw them in a dumpster, packed up my family home, moved my mom from the comfortable environs of Minneapolis *sniff* to the unfamiliar wilds of Central PA. (where, just to review, they serve French fries on salads, address you if you're more than one as yinz, eat large quantities of scrapple as if it's an accepted social practice and ask you if your car needs fixed. Somewhat of a hard sell at times, I know, but the place does have its charms). Whew!

Somehow in this maelstrom of activity I was able to knit---wait for it--one thing! Yes, I have a project to show you...

The Specs:

Traveling Woman by Feministy

Yarn: STR Mediumweight in 'Lodestar'

Needles: size 6

Mods: I knit the middle size for the stockinette portion and then did 3 lace repeats. This made for a nice, medium size wrap.

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This pattern was a true joy to work on. First and foremost I love that the pattern is flexible enough to allow you to size as you see fit--I played it safe and shot my arrow straight down the middle and did three repeats. Bull's eye! The shawl was not too big, not too small (because GOD how I hate a too small shawl). The lace pattern and border are also intuitive as all get out and completely easy to follow. Lastly I am loving this pattern because I made it for one of my oldest friends on the books. Elizabeth and I shared a cradle together! We had every holiday together from the 70s to the 00s! Our parents were 60s people together and sometime in the 70s we almost all moved in together commune-style (yeah, SO relieved that one never happened because, hello, how do you explain that particular freak flag at your Episcopal day school?)! And we have remained good friends, so it was a joy to be able to attend her wedding on our last day ever in Mpls *sniff* and welcome her husband into the fold.

I gave this shawl to her at the reception and there was just enough of a nip in the air to make it appropriate. The shimmery light blue of the STR sort of screams 'summer special occasion', if that is possible. All told, this pattern was a breeze to make and a joy to give away.

Thank you so much for the deluge of nice comments and sweet messages you have been leaving me over the summer--I have read each one with gratitude and delight. We sort of have a special thing going on here, this whole fiber community thing, right? Knitters FTW!

Gone

I've been gone.

Many of you have sent me very nice queries indeed asking me 'Hey knitting pal, where are you?'. About six weeks ago, while I was in Minneapolis with my family, my dear old dad finally let go and left this mortal coil. He left behind a family that was worn out by his terrible disease but nevertheless shattered by his departure. Since then our lives have been spent planning, sorting, packing, and getting ready to ease my mom into the next phase of her life which will be here in PA., near me.

During his final hours the greatest gift that my parents ever gave me was revealed to me: the gift of their love for one another. Since his death I've thought more and more about the relationships and involvements in this world that truly matter, and the petty distractions that drain your energy and pay you in a currency that has no value. I am grateful for this shift in perspective.

Normally this would be the point at which run the look, here's my latest project script. But I have no finished project. In fact there has been little knitting to speak of. Sure, I have a few projects that are in various states of almost finishedness, but the fire to maniacally knit all the time has receded. After a few rows here and there I inevitably feel weirdly depleted and enervated. Knitting has suddenly gone from default response to everything, something you do when you are happy/sad/tired/stressed/bored/angry, sort of how the time is always right for chocolate, to something that feels, dare I say, pointless?

I've been told my unbridled enthusiasm will come back, and I'm hoping it's true, because I've gotta a hella amount of yarn to deal with! Not to mention a knitting blog to maintain! Don't worry, if I jump ship and do a stash fire sale, you'll be the first to know.


In the meantime, while I'm refinding my knitting self, please tell me what YOU'VE been knitting, because I really want to know.

MDS&W Gemütlichkeit

One of the pleasures of Maryland Sheep and Wool is seeing people that you know from the Interwebs, knitters and designers you've struck up friendships with whom you have instant rapport and a general feeling of Gemütlichkeit. On the long walk from the car in the middle of the field to the venue, Peeper-Lou asked me if "....my Internet friends were going to be there". Ahem. Why yes, child, many of them were!

I am also quite please to inform you that my usual maniacal hemmoraging of ca$h was kept to a very restrained, virtuous trickle as a. it was so hot that I was very concentrated on not vomiting and thus had to conserve my energy and b. I have so much freaking yarn that getting a lot more would somehow propel me into a category of greed and gluttony that even I cannot handle. Plus, it was just mostly fun to see people! Ohai I'm now my mother...what has happened to that child of the 80's that measured her fun by items acquired rather than *gasp* personal interactions? Oh wait, she waited til the Coach Outlet in Hagerstown to bust out and show her dark side. WHEW!
In any case, I did manage to pick up several things so that the festival wasn't a total wash:

Another Jennie the Potter mug, because I'm crazy about these mugs.


Miss Babs Bamboo Baby, maybe destined to be a Daybreak? When a finish the one I'm already doing?

Three skeins of Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Vancouver Violet. People--do you know how impossible it is to score this stuff at MDS&W? It requires one to push and shove more than one normally does in the Fold booth.

More Socks that Rock, destined to become socks (yeah, mmkay...) and most definitely an Ulmus Rectangle. Speaking of, another pleasure of of MDS&W was seeing a great pal, talented and lovely Kirsten Kapur:

Yes, that's her ring. Isn't it kind of amazing? She was kind enough to help me figure out where I was on my Ulmus, the viral hit from last year's festival (note: it's where I saw JulieFrick's Ulmus and had to buy yarn and cast on immediately for it).


I am so stoked about this pattern and can't recall why I ran out of gas on it last year. It is a phenomenal pattern--and like all her other patterns, it's on sale right now! So make your way over to Through the Loops and nab it, along with all of her other patterns.

Baby Knitting Protip

I'm going to give you the straight dope on baby knitting and it's this: it's tricky. On one hand you assume that it's going to be mighty speedy because babies are the tiniest of the species. On the other hand, whatever time is trimmed off the project due to the nano-ness of the recipient, you make up for in the sheer amount of deliberation time required. After putting the call out to my Tweeps (who gave a variety of suggestions), I settled on a project that I've done before and that is a sheer delight in terms of ease and cute-factor: the Child's Placket-Neck Sweater.

The Specs:
Pattern: Child's Placket-Neck Sweater by Joelle Halverson
Yarn: Sublime Organic Cotton DK, #98, 1.5 skeins total--maybe?
Size: small
Needles: Size 6
Mods: none
Time: Began on a Monday after work, knit off and on during the week, finished on Friday afternoon with minutes to spare.

This is truly a fast knit--you could crank a whole bunch of these out if you needed to, which come to think of it I sort of need to do given the backlog of babies in my life at the moment. It's waaay faster that the BSJ I'm afraid, and the result is a tiny sweater that has surefire, wide appeal.

The next time I make this I will solve the armhole problem. Both versions of this sweater have had a gaping hole where the arms are joined with the three-needle bind-off--and because I was in my office with the door closed trying to desperately finish the sweater as the recipient and her baby wheeled down the hall, ever closer *cue Jaws music*, I was in a rush and just carelessly stitched the holes closed. Next time I'll come up with a proper solution.


A word about the yarn: I bought three skeins, but used a total of what might be two. Why the lack of certainty? Well, each skein ended up like this:

There's something about the way this yarn is wound that after knitting about halfway through it turns into insta-yarnvomit. Yes--all three skeins did this, and for this reason, Sublime DK Organic Cotton: you are dead to me.

Tomorrow I hit the road with my not-so-tiny-MDS&W pal (she'll be wearing a Penguins shirt) and I'll be dorking out with the button pictured above. I've been so busy lately that I actually haven't put together any schemes for what to buy, except the odd realization that all my stitchmarkers have gone missing. So--if you think that I should know about a hot pattern or yarn that I have yet to detect, let me know!

WIP Rodeo Round-Up!

The title of this post can only mean one thing: I haven't got sh*t accomplished and I'm stalling for time. In my defense, I have been working like a busy beaver on several work projects that have been immensely satisfying. As it turns out, you can get a tremendous amount accomplished when you're not sitting on your duff knitting 'round the clock. Why didn't anyone clue me into this closely-guarded industry secret that might well be key to my professional survival?

During my micro-breaks from generating text, I've been switch hitting between two different shawl projects, each one affording me a different type of personal satisfaction. First up we have Daybreak, a viral pattern if ever there were one. You can bet that if there's a Rav bandwagon to jump on, I will be hoisting my large frame onto it. I spent h-o-u-r-s in the project gallery on this one, trying to determine the perfect combo of socks yarns for this shawl. I was two-steps away from making some sort of excel spreadsheet detailing the potential pairs of sock yarns for this one, with the only thing stopping me being my slipshod approach to such tasks and general inability to distinguish between 'rows' & 'columns' in such computing matters. See also: inertia. But I thought about it. After numerous hypothetical pairings, and way too much time, I settled on the original idea I had all along: two madcap Zauberballs. Gee, perhaps I could have read the pattern slightly more carefully--I would have then seen that it is fact one of the recommended yarns. Of course! Perfect.


My other project, i.e. my car/work project, is another Liz Abinante project. This time: Traveling Woman. This is the perfect stoplight knitting--and don't even try to pretend you don't do that, because if you read this blog, you are sufficiently far gone enough to know exactly what I'm taking about, mmkay? Besides being my commuting companion, because I have yet to hit the lace section, this shawl is also my 'watching the Penguins', 'waiting for my advisee to arrive' and, perhaps cheekiest of all, 'my kid is serving at the altar, so I might as well knit during most of the service except the Eucharist' knitting. Yes--this is what 'no boundaries' looks like. I'm using some Socks that Rock Lightweight (Blue Moonstone)--something I haven't touched in years--and I'm remembering what all the fuss is about over this yarn. Which is quite handy, since in a little over a week from today I'll be pushing and shoving with the best of 'em in that Fold booth at Maryland Sheep and Wool. I'll be there with a sullen 12 year old who will be texting the entire time. Stop us and say hello!

Crooked Paths & Paypal Meltdown

When Melissa released her two most recent hat patterns, Acorns and Crooked Paths, I knew beyond any doubt that I would be making both of them. Her patterns are among the clearest and most fun to knit out there, and since I am a bona fide small accessory fangirl, well the three of us were 100 % meant to be.

First up: Crooked Paths. This is an absolute delight of a pattern. The byzantine twists and turns are so visually pleasing, their circuitousness belies the actual ease of the pattern. Crooked Paths is beyond easy! So much so that I even knit a few rounds after several Pimm's cups and the hat isn't any worse for it.

Specs:
Pattern: Crooked Paths by Melissa LaBarre (Knittingschool Dropout)
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Tosh Merino in Moss, 80% of one skein
Needles: size 6 & size 8
Time: About a week
Mods: None at all

This is the first time I've used the Tosh Merino and I am 100% charmed by it. I can seen what all the hullabaloo is about--the color is sublime and the softness? Off the charts. Here is an example of an Internet sensation that isn't a bunch of malarkey.

Speaking of Internet sensations...I've been on a bit of a Paypal tear this week and am not at all sorry about it. Virtue be damned! I'm all about coming home from work and finding a parcel waiting on the stoop. Students, are you ready to be schooled with some show and tell?

1.) A brand new DSLR strap from one of the biggest talents out there, Caro of Splityarn. If you are into cheerful patterns, ingenious design and an eye for color, then you are well aware of her handiwork. This is Splityarn strap #2 for me. Why a second one? Well obvs. I need one for when the first one is being washed. Yes, they are that essential. She also makes a mean wee pouch & an even meaner box bag if camera straps aren't your bag. Heh.

2.) A brand-new project bag from Stitchy McYarnpants--do you know her stuff? She has a knack for wicked humor and everything she makes just basically sends you into retro paroxysms of happiness. One quick glance at her Etsy shop will send you over the cliff, and if it doesn't, you are dead to me. I'm only sort of kidding! Recognize the design on that fabric? If you lived through the 70s you certainly d0. Wacky Packages my friend, Wacky Packages. If you lived in my neighborhood in the summer of 1976, and you checked the drug store for them on the tri-daily basis like my friend Carrie and I did, then you know we would have cut a bitch to add to our collection. They were a scarce, valuable currency in our cruel, candy fueled underworld.


Hilarious footnote from the land of the husky jeans: At some point Target came out with Wacky Packs t-shirts and I begged my mom to let me get the POUNDS shirt (take-off on the Mounds candy bar).
Mom: Oh lovie....Golly...I don't think that's such a good idea...
Me (clueless): What? Why not?
She had some serious tact, right? Luckily she was able to steer me clear of the humiliation that would have surely rained down on me.

3.) You might have noticed that I used my flash on several of the above shots. But...I thought she hated the flash, is what you might be wondering. Well not any more I don't, because I am the proud owner of a Lightscoop, an ingenious little device that allows you to deftly bounce the pop-up flash off the ceiling, thereby creating pictures that don't make you despair. Love this thing!

So that's my little consumer round-up for you. You are now kindly invited to share all of your amazing Interwebs deals, because that's what we do. GO!