Belated Earth Day Postcard From Sedona

Well, B, Dakota, and I are back from our lil' family road trip to Sedona! In case you're wondering where I've been. (The ! is for Sedona, not for being back.) I have oh so much to share about our visit to this spectacular place, I can't wait! But, first thing's first: the usual post-vacation depression that I experience upon re-entry is in full swing and the reality of the real world is upon me. I have a lot of work to catch up on, including roughly 200 emails. As I try to get caught up on work, not to mention much blog reading, I will leave you with a few images to get you into a Sedona state of mind. Much more to come in the following days, I promise!

Choices, choices

I took longer to pick out this next project than I have in a long time. It wasn't because I had a hard time finding something I wanted to make. There was almost too much. And since I am making an effort to limit my projects on the needles, I knew that the decision was a careful one. I am aching to make spring and summer projects, but when it came time to "put away the wool for the summer," I just wasn't ready. I also figured the temperatures this time of year in San Diego fluctuates quite a bit from day to day and even from day to night, so I may even get a bit of wear time still this season. If nothing else, I can wear wool all year inside my office. (The thought of which makes me sad.)

I had three sweaters worth of wool that were fairly recently acquired (two of which at Stitches this year, Blue Moon Twisted and Brooksfarm Solana), and to be honest, they were still sitting in bags on my bedroom waiting to be put away properly. I figured might as well use one of those and save me having to actually find a home for it. What made this selection process a little more challenging is that for whatever reason, these recent acquisitions are fairly busy. All three are wools with various "stuff" going on. I LOVE simple colors and plain wool. BUT I also like fun colors and clearly color has been on my mind lately.

I decided that a simple pattern that shows off the yarn was in order. I narrowed the yarns down to two choices because I want to save my Brooksfarm yarn for an Hourglass and I'm afraid that won't get done in time before summer is really here and I lose all motivation for wool. I ended up picking the third yarn, Classic Elite Beatrice that I picked up at Lori's in Alpine for 1/2 off. The yarn in 100% merino in a fairly busy combination of three strands of 4-ply variegated yarn, plied together. Now, I don't think I normally would have liked this yarn or even payed much attention to it. But one of the two colors Lori had on sale really spoke to me. It is #3272 (WEBS calls is Hedgerow but it is a really bad picture of the colors) and in real life it has a really nice combination of cool and warm colors. At the time, I thought it would make a great cardigan or pull-over that would go with almost anything. So what to make?


You know how when you know you've seen something but when you go looking for it, you can't find it? That's what looking for this pattern was like. I wanted a simple v-neck pull over that was fitted. Almost everything I found (which must say something to my normal taste in patterns) would just get lost in this yarn. I wanted something that would look really nice but let the yarn speak for itself. I also knew that I could work up the pattern myself, but I wanted something that I didn't have to think much about since all of that energy is going into my design sweater at the moment. And then it clicked: The Cozy V-Neck Pullover from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits.

I have always loved Stefanie's patterns and have made more of her designs than from any other designer. I was anxious to knit something from the book (although there will be many because I think the book is great) and thought her simple v-neck would be a great choice for this project. The only thing is that I really want a deeper v in my v neck, so I'm making one! So far I've been working the v-neck increases over more rows that the pattern calls for and I am also going to put a thiner neck band on when I'm all done.

It's coming along very quickly and I'm almost to the point where I can take the arms off the needles. This has been great knit group knitting since the rows are so LONG right now! I'll be sure to share some better updates once I get to where I can try it on.

Finally, happy Saturday! I hope you all get a little time to yourself no matter how busy your week has been. I know Jenny is!

The Celtic Durrow

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you for all your kind comments about my Under the Hoodie. We've had a bit of a coolish spell in San Diego lately so to my surprise I've actually been able to wear my hoodie a lot. This has also been helpful because it helped to relieve a bit of the guilt I was feeling over only now finishing my brother's sweater...nothing like a new wool sweater in spring! ;-)

This project is fulfilling my April contribution to the 2007 UFO Resurrection Challenge. It took all last month, but I finally sat down, figured out what I needed to do to finish this sweater and did it! And I'm glad I did. I think it fits him great and it just "looks like him," too. This was always what I was going for, but it's exceptionally nice when it actually works out that way.

This is a fairly heavily modified Durrow from MagKnits. The originally is great, but I wanted my brother to have a sweater that was more Celtic looking. I also really wanted the cable to continue from the arm into the the saddle at the shoulder and I wanted a more continuous and flowing cable from the original. (It appears from some VERY brief internet research that the stopping and starting bits are features of Durrow cables in general. They are beautiful cables, but I personally gravitate toward continuous knots and twists.) I also felt that the original Durrow cable reminded me of a treble clef and although my brother loves music, it seemed a cable more suited for a musician. So the first thing I did was replace the Durrow cable with the Loose Five-Rib Braid from Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Since the cable was narrower than that original, I was able to continue the cable as part of the saddle shoulder. The sleeve itself was easy to modify given my cable exchange, see she wrote general increasing instructions and basically told you to work the cable chart while doing such and such increases. So, I just used those details and continued the rib pattern around my cable, incorporating the rib pattern as I increased. I also made extra large sleeves lengthwise on a small sleeve stitch count to account for the monkey arms that he and I are both blessed with. Now, I have to admit, there are a few mistakes in the sleeves, but because I knit both sleeves at the same time they are now "style elements" and I challenge anyone to find them. Besides my philosophy about mistakes is that they are only there if you tell someone about them. And my lips are sealed.

That pretty much takes care of the more normal modifications, now onto the ones that caused this project to turn from a WIP to a UFO: the Neck. I don't really know what to say about the neck except that it was completed purely by trial and error. It was way too big as written, so I pinned in the sleeves and had him try it on. Then I 'filled in' what was missing. I know not really helpful.

More or less, I continued the raglan deceases for another three inches on the sleeves until the saddle reached about 4 inches wide then I worked it straight until it would run into the front and back neck. I also worked another 3 inches of raglan decreases on the front and the back. This was also following a rip and re-knit repair job on the back due to a (moth?) hole. This was very unscientific, it seemed like I needed another three inches, so that's what I did. However, because of this, I actually ended up with about 1/3 more length in the raglan section of the sleeves from the body pieces. So when I seamed everything up, I eased that extra bit into each other as I worked (2 bars to 1 bar) and presto, magic! You can't even see it! You've got to LOVE wool sometimes.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment to talk about this yarn. It is Kilcarra Donegal Tweed and I bought it from Irish Yarns & Crafts. It was important for me that this yarn was actually made in Ireland and this was the only yarn I could find at the time that fit that bill. It appeared to be what I wanted and so I decided to take the risk and see what it was like. Buying this yarn as basically a "store brand" saved some money, too (including shipping, I got about 1660 yards for $70 and I have 3 hanks left over). Now, if you are not fond of wool for it's "naturalness" this yarn is not for you. However, it is a wonderful wool yarn. It blooms beautifully once washed and I consider it a soft wool. It also has some fun features that always reminded me where it came from. First, you can clearly see the curls and kinks of each individual fiber. Second, every so often you would get some weeds or a little bit of vegetation. Not enough to be annoying, but enough to clear any doubt in your mind that this fiber had once been on a sheep. I love that in yarn, so this was a plus for me. I noticed that Irish Yarns & Crafts now sells a merino wool and I am looking forward to trying that out on another special project someday.

Finally, the best part of this whole project is that my brother likes his sweater. He seemed very happy with everything and that is the best part. It made any doubt, frustrations or difficulties I experienced worth it. I'm so glad I worked on (and completed!) this project, but I am glad it is over, too!

10 things for another Thursday

1. The monkey is dead. My brother's sweater is necked, washed and blocked. I think he will really like the fit now. But somehow after the 2nd bath, the arms grew...even after I widened them. It must be magic yarn.
2. Wee Jennys! I actually got these from Wee-Ones a little while ago, but hadn't had the opportunity to post about them yet.

I put my thumb in there for scale because honestly, they are even more wee than I thought they were going to be. She was super great to work with and even though she apologized for the delay in finishing them, I thought she was super fast! I mean, these were totally custom for me. She even had me "proof" the first concept piece. So, if you have a special friend - get them immortalize in femo clay!
3. I finally finished the back of my design class sweater project. I washed and blocked it last night.
4. It will be a miracle if I can replicate what I did for the (identical) front piece.
5. With my brother's sweater of the to-do list, I am officially only working on 2 active projects: my design sweater and my manos blanket.
6. Manos makes me really happy.
7. But I am starting to panic about a couple of my color choices. Part of the blanket looks like a swamp and the other part is super happy. I'm trying to make them work together, but was having trouble. I'll have to get my colorist, B recruited for the job.
8. Last Saturday I fell in love with Koigu all over again. I mean, did I ever fall out of love? No. But, I found the most beautiful colorway that is perfect for Mim's Seraphim. Not too solid, not too variegated. But I would need about 6 hanks. Ugh.
9. I made it back to spin class last night after a 4 month hiatus. I initially took a break to avoid all the New Year's resolution people that swarm the gym in January and take all the bikes in class before I can get over there after work. But then it just stuck and I didn't go back until last night.
10. So, in an effort to keep my motivation, the paperclip chain has been started again. If I can go for 12 weeks without skipping (for no GOOD reason), I will have earned that Koigu!

Project Spectrum-Approved Peanut Dresses

Without thinking, I unintentionally chose two of this phase's Project Spectrum colors as the colors for my to-be-designed Create Along Peanut dresses. It just worked out that way, but it serves as a good kick in the pants to get me moving now, on my thus far back-burnered CAL project. Here we have a somewhat crappy representation of the colors of super soft Classic Elite Premiere I chose.

So far, I am certain of the overall style and shape of the dresses, and I know I want the pinks to be the main colors, but I keep changing my mind on everything else.

The main body shape of the dresses will be simple, so I'd like to incorporate more intricate details using color. My first thought was to do stripes. But where's the challenge in that? Then I thought, maybe some colorwork. My latest idea involves colorwork and some embroidery, but that could change at any time.

Kyra: What are you going to knit for us, Aunty?

Whatever I decide to do, first thing's first. I need to start swatching (I'll do my best to contain my excitement) and see what hits me.

Now, I hate deadlines as much as the next person, but the Peanuts will be 1 in July, so that's my targeted due date. I can't think of better motivation. Birthday dresses!

Ally: Hmm...I think I like the sound of that.

On a somber note, to everyone touched by this week's tragedy at Virginia Tech, my thoughts are with you. Borrowing words from a song written by Sarah McLachlan, I wish you "peace in the struggle to find peace [and] comfort on the way to comfort."

April UFO Resurrection Challenge

For April’s UFO Resurrection Challenge I decided to concur a project that had morphed itself from a fun and inspired knit to a gigantic monkey, maybe even a gorilla (which aren’t really even monkeys, but apes, by the way), permanently residing on my back: my brother’s sweater. I decided this time last year that I wanted to make him an Irish sweater. Having spent a year in Ireland in college as well as his honeymoon, I thought he would think it was cool. It would also give me a chance to play with Celtic cables. I found some great charcoal Irish Donegal Tweed wool from an EBay seller, Irish Yarns & Crafts and started planning what I wanted to do. I picked out the Durrow sweater from MagKnits and decided on a substitution cable that I thought he would like.

The goal was to have it finished in time for his birthday last September. However, as I knit on the wool sweater through the summer, I soon realized that September in San Diego is not exactly sweater weather. I decided that I would change it into a hybrid birthday/Christmas present in order for it to be more seasonally appropriate. The fact that this also resulted in another four months of knitting time was purely a bonus (although it may have influenced the idea a bit to begin with ;-). The problem became that having so much time, meant that there was almost always something else that got picked up first to work on.

As last Christmas quickly approached, the sweater kept stalling. And although, I could have finished it for Christmas (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it), I decided that it would be better if I let him try it on first before I seamed it all up. I argued that this was a smart decision since the entire sweater had been knit without any actual measurements being taken and if modifications were needed, better to make them before all that finishing had been done. This turned out to have been a VERY good idea. It wasn’t until I saw the body of the sweater on him, that I realized how many more modifications were going to be needed. Unfortunately, two things happened at this point: 1) I no longer had a deadline, and 2) He didn’t seem to be very excited about the sweater. This last point left me sad (although I knew it was a risk before I even started the project) and quite unmotivated to finish the sweater.

After some discussion and encouragement from several people, I decided to complete the sweater anyway and that his confusion and lack of interest probably had more to do with the fact that I was having him try on a tube with flat sleeves still on the needles. Yeah, not exactly an easy to process gift. Regardless, the longer this project sat around, the worse I felt about not finishing. I had initially planned to finish it last month, but as I previously mentioned, I needed that month just to get myself mentally ready.

So, last week, I sat down, figured out what I needed to do to get the neck to work and finished up the knitting. This weekend I seamed up the yoke and the sleeves and had him try it on one more time before I added the neck. I knew the arms would need to be blocked a bit wider still, but I also think he could use a little more room in his upper chest. He said it fit fine but he seemed to have a slightly worried expression on his face. It is supposed to be a fitted sweater and while he tends to wear fitted clothing, I don’t want him to be uncomfortable. So, once the collar is done, I will give the whole thing a final bath and make those final adjustments. I hope he ends up liking it, but if not, it will probably look really nice on his wife as well. My goal is to have it finished this week so that some long overdue FO photos can be taken this weekend or next.

Spring Break in NOLA

With a group of twenty other USD law students, I flew out to New Orleans during my spring break to join other students from across the country as volunteers for the Student Hurricane Network. I was personally assigned to the Loyola Law School Legal Clinic where I assisted with legal research and document review and called back clients to obtain more details about their cases, referring some to other agencies due to the immense backlog at the clinic. We worked with two amazing attorneys who, with very little resources, are dedicated to see justice prevail for the forgotten poor and disenfranchised victims of Katrina.


These deserted homes are located in the Lower Ninth Ward, a community whose residents are still scattered across the country. It was a striking contrast to the bustling downtown and French Quarter districts near the hotel where we stayed. In the typical tourist's eyes, Katrina is a dot on a distant past; for those who consider New Orleans home but can't return to their dilapidated neighborhoods, the memory of the disaster is still painfully fresh.

Crown Point Hoodie

Crown Point in San Diego is one of B and my favorite places to hang out by the water. Our beaches are busy, but on most days (Fourth of July and the crew races as noteworthy exceptions), Mission Bay is quite and relatively unpopulated. This was why it was an obvious choice for some quality downtime yesterday. Little did I know that it would literally be a perfect place to take my Under the Hoodie FO photos! It's like my hoodie was made for that spot of San Diego. I didn't even realize what a good fit it was until I got home and loaded the photos onto the computer. My hoodie ended up being a perfect reflection of a little sky, a little grass and a little water all rolled into one! So, consequently, my "hoodie" is now my Crown Point Hoodie.

As stated in other posts, I made my Stitch 'n Bitch Under the Hoodie with Elsebeth Lavold Angora. The majority of which was acquired at a deep discount (75% off!). I then spent almost nearly as much tracking down and buying the random hanks needed to actually finish the knitting. But it was worth it. In the end, I used 1 hank of Purple (019) for the accent stripes, 5 1/2 hanks of Lime Green (014) and 7 1/2 hanks of Peacock Blue (006). I have enough coordinating leftovers for a child-sized something or other, so at least they will eventually get used. I planned the knitting so the different dye lots were hidden. The green in the arms was knit in one dye lot and the green stripe was with the other. As for the blue, almost the entire sweater was knit in one dye lot. However, when I was close to running out of the first dye lot half way through the hood, I started splicing the two dye lots together every few rows or so. This let me alternate skeins without having to carry up either side of the hood edge (which would have been very unsightly indeed). (Despite not being 100% wool yarn, Angora spliced brilliantly.)

The pattern itself was very well written and easy to follow. It would be a great knit for an adventurous beginner. There are some interesting constructions to make the pocket and the hood neck line, but nothing that you can't walk yourself through if you are just starting out.

The only alterations I made was to the length. I am l-o-n-g and this is a fairly cropped sweater. But, because it has zero waist shaping, it was easy to lengthen without having to recalculate anything. I decided the easiest places to add the length was in the stripes. To keep them relatively proportional, I doubled the width of the purple accent stripes and lengthened the center green stripe by about an inch. I also lengthened the arms of the sweater by adding the purple stripes which added about an inch to the sleeve length. The stripes were also originally added to help conserve the green yarn, but in the end (after realizing additional yarn was unavoidable), I decided I liked the stripes as a collegiate touch and left them in.

I was a bit concerned about the width of the sweater, specifically because it would create the rest of the arm of the drop shoulder. As I knit and tried it on, it seemed to only come to about 1/2 an inch beyond my actual shoulders, but then as soon as I seamed in the arms, they dropped. Just like they were supposed to! One must have faith I suppose.

I love the fit of the sweater, it is just the right length in the arms and body. Wide enough to be roomy, but still shapely enough not to look like a tent. I've already worn it about 4 times since I finished it last Wednesday night. It even accompanied me to Mammoth where I had originally planned to take the FO photos. I don't know about you, but I think this sweater wanted its photo shoot at Crown Point. It fits right in!

A little snow

Our office chose to reward our recent hard work with a day off today! It was great, B and I had a nice lunch, we hung out at the bay and then headed home for a nap! But what made this day off a little sweeter is that it allowed us to have a little belated winter getaway. B's school schedule is going to make taking a decent length vacation very difficult (he takes a class a month, every month, with no summers off). However, I also had Friday off and B was on spring break, so we jumped at the opportunity to head up to Mammoth Mountain.

There was still a good amount of snow to make falling not as painful. This was key considering this was my second time snowboarding and B's first.

We took beginner lessons first thing Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day on the slopes. Since we went with a co-worker of mine who is a seasoned rider, we got the chance to be a little more adventurous than we would have been on our own.

This is B heading down an intermediate slope...on his first day!! He looks like a pro, don't you think?
It also got us the chance to see the very top of the mountain. We road the gondola to the top and then my friend and I road across the top and back of the mountain all the way back to the main lodge. You can check out the trail map here.

To say it was an amazing experience would be a huge understatement. It was quite, there was hardly anyone there, and the scenery was breathtaking. We had such a great time, we went back out and rode Sunday morning as well! Considering I'm usually not all that athletically inclined, I LOVE that I am getting into snowboarding. I'm also really looking forward to keeping it a yearly tradition (especially the given the fun we had last year)...and now that B is into too, it will be that much easier!

However, to say that I am a little sore today would be a downright lie. I hurt. Every muscle in my body hurts. It hurts to brush my teeth. It hurts to fasten my bra. My fingers even hurt (although that didn't stop me from knitting a square and a half of my Manos blanket on the car ride home yesterday!). So, the question is, will yoga feel good tomorrow or will it kill me?

Puppy Love

"Mom doesn't have any knitting to post today, so she's asked me to handle the blogging and bring the cuteness. Of course, I can handle both. Dis, these pics are for you! Happy "Friday"! :)

It's such a happy time to be a doggie! I'm stoked that Dad is back from his snowboarding trip, but still on vacation, because I have someone to play with all day long- fun! My friends have been having fun, too! Jenny got to run around Balboa Park over the weekend. Panda went to Canyon Beach and nearly gave her people a coronary when she jumped off a giant rock (good one, Panda)! ;) Zosia got to spend some quality time with her mom in the park. Tink has been having fun exploring the new landscaping in her yard. And Oliver, well, he gets to have fun all the time playing with the C-kids.

As for me, I'm just happy to have both of my people in the house again. Not that I always notice, especially when I'm playing with my teddy bear..."

- Dakota

Long time no see!

So, it is finally back to normal around these parts work-wise. After more than 40 hours of overtime, I can happily say that we made our deadline and it was a good thing, too! The cut-off that we were 'afraid' was going to be reached the day that it became available, was reached...twice over. If anyone is interested, you can read a little about it here.

Anyway, in celebration of my deadline being reached and B's first class ending*, we celebrated with some time at our favorite park. We finally made it to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art. In short it was great! Well worth the price of admission and much, much more than what most of us are used to seeing of her work. And while Jenny got a much needed day in the park herself, she wasn't the only doxie in the park that day. In fact, the park was positively swimming with the little critters.

Turns out it was not just a coincidence, it was (and I'm not even kidding with this one) the "Vernal EquiDox" put on by the San Diego Dachshund Club. So we ended up participating without even really knowing...we just missed the official parade! Hee, hee. The thought of it still makes me giggle.

So anyway, knitting wise, lots of overtime meant the only knitting I was capable of was hoodie knitting when I got home (for the 20 minutes I had before going to bed). BUT, that also means the hoodie knitting is done! I am also half done with the seaming and will have a new FO to show you soon! I am really excited about this...I just hope I can still wear it once or twice before the weather gets too hot.

*BTW - this is actually a really big deal. B has gone back to school! I am so proud of him! And now that he is going because HE wants to, he is doing great. His first mid-term got him the highest grade in the class. It has actually got me a little nostalgic for my own college days...which will have ended 10 years ago this June. How did that happen by the way?

Over the weekend: a little wicked and a little cozy

Pardon me while I cut to the chase.

1. Wicked. Four words: You. Must. See. This. My sis LA and I went to see it this past Saturday night, courtesy of B, and it was PHENOMENAL! If it's playing in your city, go. If it's playing in a city anywhere near you, go. LA and I were both blown away. It's really hard to describe how and why it is so amazing, which is why you really need to see it for yourself. You won't be disappointed, I assure you.

2. Cozy. Inspired by the adorable bluetooth cozies Nasus made for hereslf and K, I decided to whip up one of my own. My giant green bag, while fabulous in a much loved kind of way, would be a deadly place for my new phone and tiny bluetooth thingy. The Bermuda Triangle comes to mind. Anyway, this is what I came up with:

Considering I didn't follow a pattern and instead completely winged it from the ground up using leftover stash yarn, I think it's pretty cute, don't you? I knew I wanted a single place to keep both items, as trying to find two separate cozies in my bag would be just be asking for trouble. So, I came up with a vague idea in my head, and just started knitting, figuring it out as I went. I opted for a simple pocket design, for easy access. I knit the main piece for the phone, leaving a small window in the front for caller ID purposes and then added the smaller pocket in front for the bluetooth headset- how cute is it, tucked in front there?

I'm actually pretty proud of this little thing. What's that saying about necessity being the mother of invention? Yeah. It's true. :)