FO: Stripey Tweedy Knee Highs

Yes, they're finally finished! And it only took a year! *shaking head- at myself* I started these roughly a year ago, during last year's Socktoberfest. Oh the shame! But, I was determined to finish them during this year's Soctoberfest, and here we are, just in the nick of time! Ta-daa!!

Let's see if I can recall all the details...it's been so long...The fabulous stripey, tweedy yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit Colortweed and the contrasting espresso brown yarn is Lang Jawoll. Knit up concurrently on US2 DPNs. Um, what else? Lots of firsts may be checked off the list:

First knee socks. Verdict: They definitely won't be my last!
First knee socks with calf shaping. Verdict: Love it, not to mention it's a total necessity for someone with normal sized ankles and *ahem* "shapely" calves.
First toe-up socks. Verdict: Kind of fun.
First short-row heel. Verdict: Not so much. I like the way they look, but I think a heel flap is much more suited to my particular foot/heel/arch.
First go with self-striping yarn. Verdict: Fun, though a little stressful for such an uptight symmetry nerd like me.
First tubular bind-off. Verdict: Totally worth it and another necessity. I couldn't have finished these (and worn them) without it.

I will do a lot of things differently the next time I knit knee highs - like oh, maybe follow an actual pattern - but this was such a great learning experience for me, and I did rather enjoy making it up as I went along. Well, for the most part...(Thank goodness they fit!)

Final verdict: I love these. I mean, come on. Who doesn't love knee highs?

I'm officially ready for autumn and winter now. Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Nasus!

Join me one and all in wishing our Nasus a Happy Birthday! She even dressed for the part!

And a little Haiku for our birthday girl, our:

Marathon-running,
Studying, giving, loving,
Favorite Nasus

Boy, oh boy...

I'm not quite sure how to describe the last few days. In most ways, it would trivialize what so many people are currently going through and what they will continue to go through in the coming days, weeks, months, and even years. But, I did at least want to say that we are safe, our families are safe and we are hanging in there. Our area of town has not been as affected as it had been during the Cedar Fire four years ago, but the smoke and ash still made its way to us.

We've been holed up in our place for the last two days trying to not breathe smoke and soot, and I just got word that it will be at least one more day before I can go back to work. Stir crazy doesn't begin to describe how I feel, but hey, I am in my own house right now, so I am not complaining, not one bit.

For everyone affected by the fires in San Diego and Southern California, please continue to be safe until this is over. Things are looking up, but we aren't there yet. Take care, everyone.

FO: Cosette

Don't you love it when you are able to get what you want? Remember back when I couldn't decide what I wanted to knit? You know, before the WIPs began accumulating? I thought a little hat might just do the trick to get me out of my knitting funk. I am a hat girl, after all. I love hats. But what kind of hat? I've already got beanies and a lovely beret. I was looking for something a little different. Then I happened to see this adorable, luxurious (cashmere) Stewart Brown Peasant Cap. So cute! I wanted one!

So one day while I was Ravelrying, I thought I would do a search for peasant capish patterns- just, you know, on the off chance there would be one. And wouldn't you know it, there certainly was! Moreover, it seemed to be a replica of the exact cap I wanted! (Yay, because I wasn't looking to throw down $165 on a hat I could, theoretically, knit for myself). And so, here we have Cosette.

This pattern is aptly named Just Like a Peasant Cap by Amber Daniels, knit in Interlacements Toasty Toes (hand-dyed Superwash Merino) in colorway 259. Are these shades of green to die for or what?

I breezed through the knitting portion of the cap, but hit at a bit of stalemate when it can to the finishing. I couldn't quite get the back (or side, depending on how you wear it) to lay right. It took some fidgeting, but I was finally able to make it work. I do believe Tim Gunn would be proud.

I'm really happy with my new hat...and that I now have something else to hide my growing-out length hair (which I couldn't hate more at the moment)! :)

Whose knitting basket is this??

Surely it can't belong to Nonnahs. I mean, is this ridiculous, or what? I have 5 (five) WIPs on the needles. Five (!) for cryin' out loud! I'm actually knitting from my stash, which is gratifying, and I'm curbing the urge to cast on even more. Who is this girl? What is the meaning of this impetuousness? Hard to tell. I'm not questioning it.

The stripey tweedy knee highs- they just need to be finished (I know, MJ, I know). I want to wear them! It's kind of annoying to know that if these were regular socks, I could be done by now, but of course the knee length really puts a damper on that. And, they *have* to be knee highs. No getting around that. And so, I continue...

Oscar, my Tangled Yoke Cardigan, is also coming along. I choose to view this sweater as a character-building project. I will be quite proud indeed if I can get through a mostly stockinette sweater. I've gotten past the garter rib, so that was one small battle won, but the bigger challenge is ahead. I'm trying to remain optimistic. One thing I have going in my favor is this yarn. I love it.

I also reached for a couple of instant gratification projects, just for fun, and to cut the monotony of Oscar and my yet-to-be-named shawl. No photos of said shawl because it has barely grown since you last saw it.

You may recognize this next one as Juliet, which will be called Claire. Tangent: After returning home from running my usual Friday errands, I stumbled upon a Six Feet Under marathon on TV which included the last several episodes and the series finale. And you better believe I cried my eyes out again, just as I did when I first watched it. One of the best hours on television ever, in my opinion. Man, that was a good show. I miss the Fishers.

My other impulse knit also used yarn from my stash. It's going to be a hat, named Cosette. I'm a little frustrated with this one right now, so more details once I can figure it out.

Woo-hoo, look at me! This is fun! What's in your knitting basket/bag/pile right now?

WIP Catch Up!

First of all, thank you for your nice comments about my capelet and Silk Garden Lite socks! I'd probably already be well on my way to a finished second sock except that knitting these socks is killing my hands! That when combined with A LOT of typing at the office has made for a seriously sore right hand. So sore, that I've had to forgo knitting in the evenings a couple times this week. :-(

Anyway, I wanted to follow up my FO Catch Up post with an equally enthralling ( :-P ) update of my current projects. First of all, I've FINALLY started my Icarus. I had been going back and forth on what yarn to use for this project since it was first published and nothing I had in my stash seemed to be right. Then on our way to this year's retreat, we made a quick stop in at A Mano where Nonnahs and I found their stash of Malabrigo lace. I fell head over heels for the Pearl colorway. It's a lovely, subtly variegated combination of soft grays, purples, pinks and white. I knew instantly it was destined to become my Icarus! And so, as soon as I got home from the retreat, I cast on.

I am now almost done with the third repeat of the repeat portion of the first chart. I've been working on the shawl fairly consistently and it has served as my break-from-the-killer-socks project.

I am also test knitting these lovely stitch markers. A friend of mine at the office is in the process of opening an Etsy shop and plans to carry stitch markers. I'm test knitting with them to make sure they are aren't too heavy and don't snag. I really like them and will let you all know once they are available for purchase.

I have also started a new wool project. I've been itching for a 'real' sweater to work on, but also I know that wool is easier on my hands than cotton and except for my shawl and socks, everything I have on the needles is cotton. I have several sweaters in my queue, but I don't quite feel like reading a cable chart, so I decided to knit my Hourglass from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I'm using the Brooks Farm Solana that I got at Stitches in February. It reminded me a lot of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, which I really liked in the version Knitzalot knit. So, I swatched and ended up casting on last night.

I'm a bit concerned about the quantity of yarn I have, so I decided to knit the hems in a different yarn. Cora had a ball of a dark gold Mission Falls that matches perfectly. It should be exactly what I need to stretch the yardage of my Solana. But of course I didn't manage to take a photo!

Finally, I have made a little more progress on my Britannia. I still really like the looks of this top, but I hate knitting the twisted rib. I picked out some Kona Bay Cotton I had in my stash for this project because I thought that the pattern could work with the way I know the cotton is going to end up flopping. However, part way through the ribbing on the front, I began to question the ability of this yarn to hold up the ribbed waste band at all.

I contemplated just stopping now and riping it out completely, but the idea of knitting all of that twisted ribbing again in a different yarn killed me. So, once I finished the ribbing for the front, I pinned it together and tried on the complete waste band portion. It actually fit better than I expected, at least well enough to continue with the stockinette portion of the front. I will seam it together once the front is done and try it on again before I knit the sleeves and all the collar twisted ribbing. I do want this top, but I DO NOT want to knit any more of that ribbing if it isn't going to work out.

(Incidentally, don't look too close at this WIP photo, after I took it, I discovered that I had made a MASSIVE mistake on the front portion when I divided it for the front and back. I have no idea what I was thinking (or not, in this case) but, I'm just glad I discovered the mistake when I did or I KNOW Britannia would have never, ever seen the light of day again.)

FO Catch Up!

Recently it seems like I've been living one of those secret knitting lives. I have been very remiss in showing progress on my current projects and have neglected mentioning new projects all together! I have managed a couple finished object posts (thank you for all the great comments - one of these days we will have a blog that will be more conducive to personal thank yous), but it was difficult. I don't know what the problem is, but my goal is to get back to posting more as things happen, rather than always playing catch up.

So to get things started I thought I'd clear my backlog of finished objects. First up, I finished my Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet in Espresso Kona Bay Cotton.

The knitting was done several weeks ago, but it took awhile to find just the right broach to close it. After searching a few brick and mortar stores (and finding out that apparently broaches are "out") and turned my efforts to Etsy. Let's just say, I need to start making Etsy my first stop for searches like this. I stumbled upon Cocoonwillfly.etsy.com and found the perfect broach. Her shipping was super fast and she was *really* nice. Plus, the packaging was cute as can be once it arrived.

As for stats, I re-gauged the pattern for a light worsted weight yarn. I ended up using a little over 3 balls of Kona Bay Cotton in Espresso (78) on size 6 needles. I also reversed the stockinette to right-side being right-side out. Other than that, it was a super quick knit and I look forward to actually wearing it out, but with the weather getting cooler and my move back into pants, it may be a little while before that happens.

So fortunately, I have a couple more seasonally appropriate projects on the needles. This one is part FO and part WIP as it is a pair of socks!

This is my September contribution to the 2007 UFO Resurrection Challenge. It turns out that I started these LAST September and put them down when I started to have some hand problems. While very fun to knit, Silk Garden Lite is not easy on my hands, especially at this gauge.

These are now back in my knitting bag for my spare time at the office and I look forward to having a pair of socks I can actually wear! I've already cast on for the second sock, so my poor left foot won't be cold for long!

National Brain Tumor Foundation Walk

Last Saturday, I walked with my fellow "Endure to Conquer" team members in honor of our friend Tim, who has been diagnosed with brain cancer. He has had two surgeries so far and the doctors aren't optimistic about how many more years he has to live. He has three amazing kids who pray every night that the cancer in daddy's head goes away.

We were the top fund-raising group for the NBTF Angel Adventure walk, which was a smaller-scale event. We got a chance to talk to other brain tumor survivors, including a mother of a one-year-old. A total of five survivors stood up during the closing ceremony. The air was filled with hope traced with tragedy... it was quite an emotional event.

Here's the youngest member of our group - Mateo, Tim's youngest son. Isn't he absolutely adorable?

Tweed and lace and cables - oh my!

Leave it to me to start a project, abandon it for say...oh, a year, and then pick it up again. (Carmelita, what?) Next up, I'm back with my stripey, tweedy knee highs that I abandoned after *ahem* last year's Socktoberfestivities. How embarrassing.

It's purely coincidence that I just recently picked up these socks again when we also find ourselves in the midst of Soctoberfest, but regardless of the nonplanning on my part, I'm quite pleased that these socks and I are back together. I immediately remembered how much I loved these once I dug them out. After all, it was never for lack of love that I put these away in the first place. Just a seasonal thing. Who wants to work on tweedy wool knee socks in warm weather- am I right?

Now I've got to work some increases to compensate for my calves. The winging continues...

As does another fling with me and tweed. Rowan Felted Tweed. I purchased a bag at the infamous Blacksheep Knittery sale back whenever it was. I didn't know what I would use it for, but a sweater's worth of this color was too good to pass up.

I've since decided it will become a Tangled Yoke Cardigan. At least for now. Whether I actually finish this knit remains to be seen. We all know how I am with plain stockinette, which is a large portion of this sweater. Wish me luck. I'm hoping the fact that I have other WIPs competing for attention will actually allow me to work on this sweater at a leisurely, non-stressful) pace. Let's see how it goes...so far so good...

I also recently started working on another lace shawl. One can only hope this won't take me nearly as long to complete as Carmelita (though she was well worth the wait). I'm using Malabrigo lace, the most incredibly soft baby merino wool you could imagine. Yummy, yum yum yum!

Here we have the very beginning of a Spring Things Shawl. I owe this one to aimless wandering on Ravelry.

...And if those aren't enough, I also swatched for another sweater while at our little retreat last month. I haven't started it yet, but it's waiting in the wings.

You may be asking yourself, what is she like right now, with all these projects going at once? Who does she think she is? Trust me; no one is as surprised as much as I am. For many knitters having numerous projects on the needles at the same time is no big deal. But for a (mostly) monogamous knitter like me, it's a bit much. I think it's a result of overcompensation for not really feeling overly jazzed or consumed by a single project. After the epic that was Carmelita had come to an end, I wasn't drawn to any one project in particular. So, I just started casting on, one thing after another, using yarn from my stash (at least that part is productive, right?). Will I follow through on all these, or will one or two start to consume me, while others are cast aside? Will I start to feel overwhelmed? Hmm. Only time will tell. But for now, the variety is nice.

Manos Blanket

I managed to finish my Four Seasons Throw just in time for the wrap up of this year's Project Spectrum. I couldn't have asked for better timing if I had planned for it! Oh wait, that WAS the plan! I'm just surprised it actually worked out that way. I generally intend for things to progress on a certain schedule but it rarely seems to actually turn out that way (I have yet to actually complete a Sexy Knitters Club KAL on time).

As for the blanket, the final count is 12 different Manos colorways in 12 different pattern blocks. I chose to make my own version of this blanket using the pattern booklet as a guideline rather than one of the patterns provided. This ended up working out well, but there were a *quite* a few times I was afraid I was going to end up with a swampy mess. And given the investment this blanket represents (even with 1/2 the hanks purchased on sale or gifts), that was not acceptable.

Fortunately the addition of the Canyon (102) colorway (kindly picked up for me by Nonnahs at that amazing Blacksheep Knittery 50% off sale) was the key to pulling it all together.

Other colors included: Mallard (36), Flame (115), Moss (112), Bing Cherry (M), Thrush (37), Cinnamon (V), Citric (68), Thistle (41), Goldenrod (40), Olive (55), and Aster (38).

As for blocking...I was somewhat concerned if Manos would bleed, so I gave each finished strip of four squares a vinegar bath prior to it's wash. I then wet-blocked each strip to final measurements, which for me were ~14X14.5 (I let the blanket tell me what size it wanted to be). This blanket also taught me that I've been seaming garter stitch (very) wrongly. I had NO idea that you could seam garter side to side, flush. Unfortunately, I only found this out after seaming 5 of the 8 seams. Of course. But, they are all nice and flush now and I have had lots of time to practice this new skill!

Also as you can see, it's a good sized blanket. At least, it's big enough to cover me kiddy-corner during nap time. I know this because it was tested...as soon as it was sewn together. Something that Jenny was very happy about.

Overall, I would give this project a big thumbs up! It is perfect if you are concerned about your ability to make it through a blanket project without getting bored. The color changes and pattern changes kept it interesting. The biggest downside is the price. HOWEVER, if you plan ahead and buy the squares as you go or as you can, it is much more affordable and worth every penny. Finally, I want to thank Lickety Knit again for the inspiration for this project. It really has been a fun knit.