The IAD (Dulles) hat you see pictured above was given as a Christmas present to my very good friend and colleague, and yesterday was the first day I ever saw the hat in action. She breezed in to my office with a big grin, knowing what a major charge I would get out of seeing the hat in use. And she was right! I feel bad for the student with whom I was speaking, because I had to have a photo session right then and there. Thanks iPhone!
The thing you see pictured above represents an example of what happens when you run out the door of the in-laws' house à la any good prison break movie without rechecking the pattern before buying expensive Lantern Moon dpns at Purl. Yeah, 10.5 needles....that's what I need. Oops. Make that size 9. Umm, yeah. End result? My first attempt at Thorpe basically resembled one of those giant squid-like kombucha micro-organism colonies, or a knitted placenta, or some such other gross thing. So I did the mature thing--I frogged that mofo, broke out the correct size needles, started over, and all is now right in the world.
That's much better, isn't it? You know that feeling when you keep on knitting even though you know something has gone terribly, terribly wrong? It's the knitting equivalent of whistling in the dark. "If I just keep doing what I'm doing....everything will be fine...". This lesson must be learned over and over, it would appear. You will note that there is no double-crocheted edge around it and no cute braids. I have successfully avoided crochet for 42 years, I'm not about to start now. Don't get me wrong, I love the results, but I really, really suck at it, so after several pathetic attempts I have decided that my low self-esteem requires me to create an ideological position against crocheting rather than actually learn how to do it properly.
Dulles Specs Pattern: IAD (Dulles) hat by Sarah Gilbert Yarn: Ella Rae 'Palermo', #4. A great, all-purpose single ply that would sub nicely for Malabrigo or Manos. Needles: size 8
Thorpe Specs Pattern: Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur Yarn: RYC Cashsoft Chunky in #701 and #711. Pricey but soft! Needles: size 9
Doesn't every picture of Purl look the same? They should just issue a standard shot available on the their web site for bloggers to download and use, that would just simplify the process and save you from the trouble of standing in the street. Purl is a great shop with fantastic yarn, but if you hit it at the wrong time, it can be a claustrophobic experience. Luckily I knew what I wanted and was in and out in a flash. The Curmudgeon was in tow, and even said the magic words "take as much time as you need". Can you believe this guy? He's just getting better and better with age...
While in NY I was able to finally present in person a handknit gift to a special friend. I delivered the gift in a Schrodinger original cube. Doesn't it make a perfect little gift bag? Such a precious item indeed that will no doubt be used for mini toiletries.
Sorry for the blurriness--night time + restaurant + wine = not optimum photo shoot:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you, that's another Koolhaas, number three in fact. But this was my first one in Malabrigo (Water Green). I needed to see what all the fuss was about and if it really was worthy of the hype. Well, I am here to tell you that the Malabrigo-Koolhaas combination is a winning one. I was not disappointed, and the recipient confirmed that it was truly a soft experience.
This will be my last Koolhaas for a while. Don't get me wrong, the pattern is a winner, and I am glad that I got to give it a whirl in Malabrigo. But knitting it any more than three times would be a little much, wouldn't it?
There was a stage in this knitter's life when I disliked nothing more than the wavy gravy look of garter stitch. (Incidentally, Wavy Gravy is Ben & Jerry's grossest flavor. Ever). Garter stitch seemed so unsophisticated and screamed 'amateur hour' to me. My disdain and revulsion were unequivocal. But I must say that within the past several months I have done an about-face and am absolutely smitten with the old world stylings of this simple stitch. I can't get enough of it. Upon receiving the Opinionated Knitter several days ago, the frontispiece alone stopped me in my tracks and put me into a mini-trance. I stared and stared and couldn't stop staring. The garter stitch. It's so right. And when done in Noro? Well that my friends just sends me into paroxysms, gasping for air because of the rustic charm of the two together. What took me so long?
It's Love American Style, starring me and garter stitch in Noro. Right now I'm working on a plain jane scarf in Silk Garden (2 skeins of #242, alternating every-other-row for maximum mini-striping) and the simple beauty of it all is killing me. All other knitting has ceased for the moment. We're talking about a grinding, screeching halt, here.
Such changes of heart can't be specific to me alone. I am very curious: what in the world of knitting did you used to despise, but now love? Or vice versa, what do you currently loathe that you once adored?
When I was growing up, the refrain heard from me most often by our patient, beleaguered mother was no doubt "Mom, he's copying me!". Granted, on the whole he was mostly a good boy and I was a naughty, bully of a sister, and 80% of the time I was the evil aggressor, but he knew how to get to me with sneaky, behind-the scenes mimicry and mockery that left me flailing and wailing and him smelling like a rose. I was the dope who fell for his tricks and traps every time. My mother would also try to get me to understand that "...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", which usually caused me to have another major hissy fit, punch him, and get in huge trouble. Those were some seriously good times...
Well now I am the copycat. You know that person at the table that changes her order after seeing what everyone else has ordered? That's me, except with knitting. See, my best pal Babs a.k.a Purlfriend has just about the best judgment ever in most situations, and her knitting taste is beyond compare. So whenever she's doing a project, well I just have to follow suit. And since it is keeping with the whole scarf theme happening around these parts, copying was the right thing to do. The Specs Pattern: Bainbridge Scarf, a little darling of a project by Miss Minty Yarn: Socks That Rock Heavyweight in Oregon Red Clover Honey Needles: Size 6 Time: One day...seriously. Except for the ties, which don't count. The construction of this little neck-warmer is brilliant, and the broken rib gives the garment excellent elasticity and makes it all around springy and sproingy. I just love this little thing, it's like a fetish object that someone could develop a dirty little attachment to, but don't worry, we're keeping it PG-13 for the kids... I am always on the lookout for ways to be using sock yarn for non-sock projects. I don't know what my problem is, but I am not feeling socks right now at all. I mean, I feel like I might start welding or glassblowing before I ever knit another sock again, that's how not in to socks I am. But out of a sense of duty (?), I feel I must finish my most recent pair, so I entered a little contest over at on Ali's blog in order to motivate myself. I am hoping to finish those blasted RPM socks from back in August by the end of January, we'll see what happens.
Being that I am basically a lemming at heart, I figured I would try my hand at the scarf that is taking the nation by storm. I am of course referring to My So Called Scarf, a winning project that has been undertaken by no less that 1,779 knitters on Ravelry. I told myself that if 1,779 people can do it, why can't I? And since I would place my knitting i.q. squarely within the respectable B+ range, I figured that I would be safe in assuming that I could tackle this pattern without too much fuss. Well, I futzed around with the directions for an hour or so trying to comprehend the first row, but to no avail. I even sent the Darling of the room because he was trying to talk to me about how much he loves Jack Lemmon (a subject for which I would normally be very, very game) and I simply couldn't focus on the task at hand. The directions are simple and clear yet I just wasn't grasping their meaning. Scratching my head I went back over to Ravelry and looked at the icons of the people who had successfully completed the pattern. They ranged in gender, age, and geographical location and didn't seem like they looked THAT much smarter than me. Ever more frustrated and peeved, I snooped around some more and found links to what would turn out to be my salvation: Youtube. Several knitters had actually posted video tutorials to the pattern, and after no less than 10 minutes I was well on my way. Hip Hip Hooray! Youtube: it's not just for Kelly videos anymore but a bona fide knitting resource. Who knew? Maybe you did--do you have any particularly helpful Youtube tutorials to share ?
I did the scarf in Dream in Color Classy (Ruby River), a recently acquired yarn that I am just absolutely loving the living daylights out of despite its ridiculous, and I mean RIDICULOUS name. Classy? Tacky. Right? Anyway, the variation in the color is subtle and produced a rich, textured garment. The yarn is also soft and not even slightly splitty. If you haven't tried it, I urge you to do so asap, despite the unfortunate name. The Specs Pattern: My So-Called Scarf Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Ruby River, .65 of a skein Needles: size 9 Mods: I only cast on 22 sts as I was in the mood for a skinny scarf.
Should I be concerned that during our fashion shoot Tween Thing noted that "...all I need are some pumps and a Marc Jacobs skirt and I'm ready for the business world!"? At her age I dare say I was still in Levis husky cords and (very unflattering) rugby shirts and had no clue about designers and fashion. The next couple of years might indeed bring on that nervous breakdown I have just so deftly avoided... Please stay tuned for the last gasp of I'm-on-break-from-school knitting, which will include a Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed Drive-Thru extravaganza, copycat knitting (meaning that whatever Babs does I have to do, too--she has that effect on people), and an upcoming series of top-secret knitted gifts for a very special Bald Soprano Tenor...
It's funny how time off from work tends to bring out familiar indolent patterns of behavior in (these two) academics. Raiding my parents fridge for chocolate-covered apricots? Yes. Playing Scrabble til the wee hours of the morning? You better believe it. Spending a little extra time on making stupendous dinners? But of course. Watching films in a bulimic kind of way? Bring it. My mother nagging me for not cleaning my room knitting all the time? WTF? Luckily she's not the boss of me anymore...
The Darling Resident Husband (Notice the change in nomenclature. He's been renamed due to the incredibly generous Christmas present of an iPhone which signals his capitulation to the surrounding culture. Principles be damned! I love this man!) became very teary watching a Truffaut film (a change as he's normally a Godard kinda guy) and noted that the director "just loved what he did". We contemplated this concept and decided that doing what you love is of no small importance.
And now, on to the knitting content! Recently I've been on a scarf kick, which is odd because normally this garment is way down on my knitting list as a. they are frequently tedious and b. always take longer than you think they're going to take. If you can identify with these sentiments, might I suggest the Child's Rainbow Scarf from LMKG? I have seen plenty of these on Ravelry and elsewhere that encouraged me to give it a whirl. This project is ultra-fast (about a day and a half, off and on) and affords one the ability to be ever surprised by the changing colors of the Kureyon. Sometimes the colors go together in the most pleasing way imaginable (blue + green, blue + orange, both combos are so right on...) and sometimes the colors just completely clash and make you ill (purple + brown, anyone?), but the overall result has strong visual appeal due to the mistake rib and vibrant colors. The Specs Pattern: Child's Rainbow Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts Yarn: Noro Kureyon, colors 40 & 54 Needles: Size 9 Time: About a day and a half Next up: Wendy Bernard's Drive-Thru for Peeper-Lou. Knit completely out of stash yarn!
Back in Minneapolis I had a chance to connect with a childhood family friend who has also become an avid knitter. Our kids are all roughly the same age, so she brought them over for a visit and we got to talking knitting. I introduced her to Ravelry, and she brought our her knitting bag and showed me her recent projects. We didn't even notice as the room began to clear with our talk of Malabrigo, Twin Cities LYS yore and Waldorf school needlework projects. She gave me the wayworn ball band pattern of the lovely little neck warmer she was wearing, and faster than you can say 'yarn addiction', I was on my way to Needlework Unlimited across town and then Borealis yarns in St. Paul. "St. Paul?!" my family exclaimed, "Why are you going all the way over there?". My family has yet to figure out that knitting is not only an all-consuming lifestyle but also provides one with an excellent excuse to get out of the house... The Specs Pattern: One Skein Virtue Lace Jabot Yarn: This pattern is written for the dearly departed Artful Yarns Virtue, but I subbed a skein of Elsebeth Lavold Baby Llama in kiwi and it worked like a dream. Needles: Size 7 Mods: As written the scarf is supposed to be 17 ins., but I went for broke and made it much longer. Borealis Yarns and Needlework Unlimited. How can I adequately describe the shear plenitude of needful yarns contained therein? I will finish this post and thus the year with a cavalcade of new yarn, and hope that all of you have a happy and healthy new year and that you remain the ebullient, cheeky knitters that I know you indeed all are. 1. Crystal Palace Merino 5 2. Elsebeth Lavold Baby Llama 3. Dream in Color Classy in Blue Lagoon 4. Dream in Color Smooshy in Spring Tickle 5. Dream in Color Classy in Ruby River 6. Malabrigo Worsted in Water Green 7. Shibuiknits 8. Diakeito Diamusée fine in 117 9. Shibuiknits 10. Cherry Tree Hill Supersock DK in Brights 11. Rowan Felted Tweed 12. Rowan Kid Classis 13. Jo Sharp Silk Aran Tweed 14. Koigi Kpppm 15. Colinette Cadenza in Toscana
I am pleased to report that the Curmudgeon and I are spending a lovely winter break with Peeper-Lou and Tween Thing in the Land of 10,000 lakes, where we have been enjoying many holiday delights such as….
Trifle:
Christmas Pudding:
Yorkshire Pudding i.e. Popovers:
Seeing movies every night: So far we’ve seen No Country For Old Men—grim but fantastic, There Will Be Blood—the Curmudgeon’s favorite director, a spectacular film, Juno—a Minneapolis stripper/screenwriter hits the big time(!), and tonight it’s The Savages. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Need I say more?
There has also been knitting, talking about knitting, and the giving of hand knitted gifts. None of the A.D.D. Knitter Holiday Hand Knit Gifts of 2007 ™ are overly impressive in any way, mind you, but they were appreciated by their recipients and therefore fit the bill:
Worsted Weight Big Stripe socks Yarn: Schoeller and Stahl Big Print Pattern: Just Basic Cuff-Down Socks Needles: Size 6 Magic Loop Comments: For my 81 year-old dad who is slowly fading away due to Alzheimer’s disease. He loved these socks, and so do I.
Rowan Chunky Tweed Hat Yarn: Rowan Chunky Tweed, lost the ball band ages ago and don’t know the color Pattern: From Ann Budd’s The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns Needles: Size 8 addis Comments: During this trip we have learned that ages ago there was a huge flood in Holmfirth (where Rowan is produced) that killed several of my mother’s relatives, so the yarn was a point of conversation and allowed everyone to note how lucky some of us have been in our lives.
Rowan Tweed Almost Meathead Yarn: Rowan Tweed, one ball on sale at the Skein Attraction Pattern: Meathead Needles: Size 15 addis Comments: I ran out of yarn before I could give it the full-on pointy head treatment, but this hat took me about 2 hours to make from start to finish, so naturally I love it.
Of course no trip home would be complete without trips to Borealis Yarns and The Yarnery in Saint Paul, so stay tuned for an exciting account of gift certificate tomfoolery!
Oh yes I did. I have fallen again really hard for one of my first loves. A certain Japanese yarn has been calling my name over the last few weeks, and I am powerless when subjected to its seductive siren song. Noro. Say it with me again: No-ro. Those two syllables combine to make a lovely mellifluous music that have lulled me into a yarn trance and caused me to spend a lot of my Christmas money (How sad that at my age, that's still a concept. But there you have it. Even sadder, I haven't even received it yet and I'm already spending it!). I've already shared my recent Cash Iroha binge. The hemorrhaging of cash did not stop there. However in my defense I haven't just been buying, I've also been actually knitting with it. I even have a FO to show for my tawdry misdeeds. But let's start with the purchases:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you, those are two skeins of the incredibly sought-after Noro Kureyon sock yarn. What's it like, you might be wondering? In one composite word: mind-blowing. Yes, that about sums it up. New also around these parts is Cashmere Island or 'Cash Island' as it's known in the biz. The name alone suggests fantasy and mystery. I am so excited to have found this, and cannot wait to make something special out of it. Any suggestions?
Finally on my list is Iro. Wow this is luscious. Really I just want to stare and stare into it. Luckily I was able to break out of its spell long enough to actually make something with it. James suggested a Mistake Rib scarf as a super quick project, and boy was he right. Such an appealing pattern, and the Iro is so, so lovely. The Specs: Pattern: Mistake Rib Scarf, by Wendy Yarn: Iro, color 72, one skein Needles: size 9 Time: 2 days from start to finish So tell me, which Noro yarn is number one with a bullet in your world?
I am so glad to know that you all have my back with the whole 'justification of yarn gluttony' thing. Thanks for so very many stupendous rationalizations. Perhaps some of you could have some words of advice regarding other problems of mine, such as 'screaming at Tween Thing about the clothes on her floor' and 'eating French Fries in the car'? But since those behaviors most likely won't be changing anytime soon, maybe we should just skip it.
Peeper-lou has reached her hand in and drawn the names of Turtle and Shoeless Val. Congrats, my state of stash tumescence is your gain! My stash will be two skeins lighter as of tomorrow afternoon, when I will be sending the last remaining skeins of Opal to their new owners who will love them and treat them right. Hey--there's a new gimmick around this joint. It involves getting stunningly gorgeous French grad students with perfect skin and shiny hair to model my FOs! Since Tween Thing is never speaking to me again, I needed to get some new talent for my knitting dog and pony show. And so without further ado, I present my latest FO, the Koolhaas hat. I loved this hat so much, as it has the Shedir lite vibe (meaning less complicated and more memorizable).
In fact I loved this pattern so much, I made two of them:
The Specs Pattern: Koolhaas pattern, you know where to find it (IK Holiday 07) Yarn: Lorna's Laces Worsted in Cranberry (red) and Shokay Shambala in Regal (purple) Needles: size 8 addis Mods: None, absolutely none. Please people, we're talking about Jared here! These Koolhaas hats will now conclude my knitting for myself routine, as it's time for a Holidays Knitting Interlude. Too late in the game, you might be thinking? Wrong. My handknit prezzies won't be a complicated affair as we'll be sticking strictly with ball-band dishcloths, ultra basic mittens and hats, like this one.
I am very curious, what is your go-to handknit, present-in-a-jiffy pattern?
