good-natured ribbing

Knitting academics and librarians

I guess I’m serious about this finishing streak. A year ago, I started knitting the Minimalist Cardigan from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. You can see the early stages of it here and here. About 2 inches into the last piece (a sleeve), I had a minor mess up – but set it down instead of fixing it. And there it sat for until about a month ago when I ripped out the sleeve and started again. Days later, all the pieces were done and blocking.

I blocked the pieces before sewing them together – wow, what a difference! It was so easy to finish… all the parts just fit together. The fit is perfect and it has wonderful drape (thanks to the bamboo!).

Yarn: Briar Rose Celebration (50% Merino, 50% Bamboo)
Pattern: Minimalist Cardigan (in Ravelry)
Needles: Size 7 US (Denise Interchangeable)
Mods: None! Unless you count the variegated yarn.

This is my favorite sweater so far! By the way, did you notice I’m wearing the same tank top as the model in the magazine? Unfortunately, I didn’t have a belt that fit around my chest to finish of the look. (scroll down on this page to see the original)

I started these about 2 years ago… Seriously. I knitted one around the time the pattern was released then put it aside for other things. I had a hard time with the tubular cast on and didn’t like how it looked. This kept me from going back to it. Now I’m on a finishing streak and I knocked the second mitt out in 4 days.

The first one uses the Italian tubular cast on (without waste yarn) – tutorial here. I found it to be a bit unsightly, at least the way I did it. So, for #2, I tried the long tail tubular cast on – video tutorial here. This came out much nicer. Now that they are all blocked and have been worn several times both of the cast on edges look about the same – so there was no need for all the fuss after all. Either method works.

And I love them! They have been worn many, many times already.

I put a new free pattern up on the Knitzi website. Something a little different this time… easy fuzzy legwarmers for your little ballerina. Inexplicably, Ava picked the name “Pickles” and it stuck.

This is a very straightforward pattern but the combination of yarns makes them something special. I used 2 partial skeins (just over half of each) of Claudia’s hand painted sock yarn (in Pink Clouds) and one full skein of Kid Seta silk/mohair blend (in Cotton Candy). They are very warm and will come in handy this winter!

The pattern is available here and is also on Ravelry:

(how sad is that… come on, knit some up so I can have more than 1 project!)

Though I just haven’t been in a knitting mood lately, I feel compelled to do something productive while watching episodes of The O.C. on hulu and the first season of Chuck from Netflix. I find that pinwheel baby blankets are perfect for this purpose. Once you’ve transferred the blanket to circulars, you can rock on with little attention needed for the knitting. Here’s the pinwheel I finished while revisiting the over-privileged characters of Newport Beach:

A friend called this “the lily pad,” an idea I like very much. It’s for a little one who’s about six months old right now. My goal is to get this to him before he is seven months old.

I decided to make a second blanket for his older sister, for her doll babies. This one was finished while watching the first few episodes of Eli Stone (jury’s still out, will give it a few more watches):

I made this one out of long-held stashed yarn, and ran out of the purple. When I realized this was going to happen, I couldn’t bring myself to unknit and decided to finish with the gray. I added some duplicate stitch leaves in the purple to try to tie the sections together. I kind of like the duplicate stitch effect, but overall am not loving my solution. I don’t know the little one very well, so I can’t guess at her reaction to the “arty-ness” (or lack thereof).

I needed something baked good-related to knit as a thank you gift (or a bribe or payment… depending on how you look at it). This was for someone at work who doesn’t really come across as a knitting fan.

I decided to go with something utilitarian as well as cute. It went over pretty well, I think. Though I haven’t seen it since :) I guess pink and sparkly might not be his style.

I’m still trying to pick out a name for this sock. If you haven’t picked up on a theme yet (Nutkin, Twinkleberry, Hunca Mucna, Jenny Wren), I’ve been selecting all my sock names from Ava’s favorite book series by Beatrix Potter.

I’ve been working on a new pattern and this is what I came up with. I wanted to show off the subtle color variation of the ShiBui yarn, but didn’t want it too plain.

The lace panels are simple enough to make it a quick knit while the heel and toe design add a little extra challenge. The are knit toe up with a wrap/turn short row heel.

I’m in the process of writing up the pattern now.

I was in Baltimore for a conference in June. While there, I made sure to stop at the yarn shop closest to the hotel – A Good Yarn. It was a tiny shop that is aimed more at teaching than at yarn sales, apparently. Regardless, I felt the need to purchase (as I normally do in a yarn shop!). There was a lovely mohair/silk lacey scarf as a sample for the Kid Seta yarn.

I decided to get the Kid Seta and for some inexplicable reason, I chose the pale cotton candy pink! The yarn lady kindly wrote out the pattern for me and tucked it in my bag. For some reason, when I went to start the scarf, I decided I wanted to make something else – not the sample scarf from the store. I decided on Wisp from Knitty.

I decided to skip the buttons and button holes – I would never wear it as a poncho, I know that. So, now I have a lovely little fuzzy pink scarf. Never thought I’d say that!! I do really like how it turned out, though. And it was a easy little knit.

See how happy I am with it?!

Yesterday I went down to the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC) to help knit helmet liners for a unit of Marines that are being deployed to the Middle East in September. The goal is for 500 helmet liners. Although Marines are issued helmet liners, they are synthetic (and will melt) and can’t be worn outside the green zone. Hence, NNMC is asking knitters and crocheters to make 100% wool helmet liners. I believe there are several organizations that are soliciting wool helmet liners. If you are interested in knitting one for NMMC, here is the web address (since I can’t get the link to insert properly!)

http://www.usmcmuseum.org/SupportMarines.asp

Just in case you are interested in these Ann Arbor-area events….

The Spinner’s Flock Winter Fleece Fair
Saturday, February 16
10 am to 4 pm
Beach Middle School, 445 Mayer Drive, Chelsea, MI

Amy Singer (of Knitty fame) at Ann Arbor District Library
No Sheep/Knitty® Knit-in
Sunday, March 9
2-3:30pm knit-in following the program; library closes at 6pm
Multipurpose Room at the Downtown Library, 343 South Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI

OK. I had my doubts about the yarn, but I have to say I think I love this sock. The yarn feels much nicer knit than it does in the ball. And maybe I just don’t have very sensitive feet, but I don’t find it to be scratchy or rough to wear.

I can’t wait to finish the 2nd and start wearing them. I’ll be writing up this pattern for the Knitzi website.

This shows the full range in color of the yarn. The light purple seen on the toe was just about to start (after the grey) when I bound off.

knitml. huh. an ravelror’s able to see the group on ravelry?

So I seem to have been forced into a second career. On Friday Erin lured me to the yarn store because she needed some yarn to make some holiday gifts. Although I thought I was just a pleasant shopping companion, what Erin actually expected of me was:
1. Find yarn for Erin (she picked the colours!)
2. Wind Erin’s yarn
3. Design a pair of mittens she can knit with one of the skeins

Here’s the yarn she selected and Blake in the bag the yarn came in:

So it seems that as Erin’s personal yarn stylist, it is my duty to select the yarn, wind the yarn and design the project. Am I supposed to knit it up too???

But don’t worry…I have a “helper” at home!

Well I’m finally good enough at knitting something that I’m not shy about exchanging knitted items. And so I was delighted when Sherry suggested a mutually beneficial exchange.

Here’s the gist of it:
Sherry likes to knit socks. Her daughter likes to wear fingerless gloves. Christina likes to knit fingerless gloves. Christina likes to wear socks. Christina hates to knit socks.

So we struck up a deal and Sherry even provided the yarn for Emily’s gloves! (I can’t remember what it’s called!) It is a lovely green/blue/brown yarn that is very soft. So I hemmed and hawed and started over several times. I finally came up with a design that I thought fit the yarn.

I call it “Forest Canopy”…

The design is based on a stitch I saw in one of the Stitchionaries (more details to come). Still in progress…only one glove done!

It was Monday evening this week when two interesting things happened: I finished the Vinnland socks (pictures to come) AND I remembered about a baby shower this weekend (today, in fact). The time between these two events was short, but long enough for me to fantasize about the next project I would start. But alas, I cannot attend a baby shower with no knitted gifts.

So I headed for the yarn closet to see what I could pull together. I decided to make the Sweet Baby Cap by Gro since the last one I made turned out so well.

I pulled out the most gender-neutral yarn that was still baby-appropriate: Sweet Georgia in Elf.

I squeaked this set out in 3 evenings – 2 for the hat and first sock and one more for the 2nd sock and adding the ties to the hat. Not bad. Especially since I got the skein of Sweet Georgia for 40% off.

Now, I’ve been a fan of Sweet Georgia yarn for a while and have a bunch of it stashed away. But I’m starting to think that crazy pooling might be the norm. Here are a couple examples:

The Vinnland socks used a semi-solid Sweet Georgia so they don’t have any pooling issues. I’m intrigued now and want to start knitting up all my Sweet Georgia to see what happens!

Anyway, the baby set is part of a gift basket that includes many books, some Burt’s Bees baby stuff, and an over-sized stuffed monkey. I’ll let you know how it is received. And Vinnland tomorrow, I promise!

Oh yes, I almost forgot this:

I may have to make a larger one for her.

I just learned that there is a new fiber festival to be held in Ann Arbor at the end of October. The Fiber Expo will be a the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds on October 27 &28. More information here.

Anyone want to go?

You may have noticed me allude to a secret project that I’ve been working on with my husband. Now, we are finally ready to share it with the world!

I’d like to invite you to visit www.Knitzi.com. This is a shop run by my husband, Nick, and I. All the products on the site are lovingly hand-crafted by one of us. The Knitzi is our main product. Here it is:

We also offer project bags and patterns. That’s right, Twinkleberry (first introduced here) is now available for free on the site.

Please stop by and let me know what you think. There is also a store blog where we will post updates, new products, etc.

I’ve been using my Knitzi for nearly a year now and I can’t imaging not having one. I’m sure you will find it as useful as I have!

I’ve started in on my Minimalist Cardigan made from the Briar Rose merino/bamboo yarn I got at the fiber fest last month. I love the way it is turning out.

I am, however, full of doubt about the sizing. This is usual for me and sweaters. I found the sizing in the magazine to be a bit odd. I had to choose between a 35.5 or a 39 inch bust. I’d be right in the middle of that. Since I didn’t want a big baggy cardigan (I have enough of those from earlier knitting projects!) and the sweater is meant to be worn open, I chose the smaller size. Of course now, I think it might be too small.

I’m sure it will be fine, especially once it is blocked. And, I have that exact shirt the model in the magazine is wearing hers with (I got it at Target).

Christina and I went to the Michigan Fiber Fest yesterday (2.5 hr ride in the pouring rain with a bored 3 yr old). Although the weather was pretty bad, the rain held off while we were at the festival – pretty much. And although that much yarn is pretty boring for a kid, she behaved herself pretty well (and was mesmerized by the shearing demonstration).

The pictures I took didn’t really turn out but you can look at last year’s. It looked the same. As you could guess, I did bring home some yarn. I decided to stay away from the roving since I have so much stocked up.

This lovely, kettle dyed, semi-solid, superwash sock yarn is from Knitting Notions. They had so many beautiful colors it was hard to pick just one. They also had some organic cotton that was so very soft. I didn’t get any, but I might have to order some for my next baby gift.

Next is… more sock yarn! I couldn’t help myself – it is so soft and the colors are awesome. I’ll have to use a pretty plain sock pattern, I think, but they will be pretty fun socks! This is called Soft Touch Ultra by Shelridge Farm (from Canada!). They have lots and lots of beautiful colors. This would be great yarn for stranded knitting!

I kept feeling like I needed one more thing – something that wasn’t sock yarn. Then I clapped my eyes on this baby and I was done. This hank is 1200 yards of 60% merino/40% bamboo yarn. It doesn’t have gauge info on the tag, but if my estimate is right, this is the right gauge and enough yarn to make the Minimalist Cardigan from IK. I’ll work up a swatch soon to see if I’m right. This lovely yarn is Celebration from Briar Rose Fibers.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Ava had her first Elephant Ear. Mmmmmmmm…. fried dough.

I have broken down and begun knitting with sock yarn and ridiculously small needles. However, I still refuse to produce socks. I’m knitting more fingerless gloves!

I used Louet Gems in Fern Green and the pattern is based on the Springrass Sock pattern from Craftoholic.

I cast on 60 stitches on to size 2 needles. I did some 2×2 rib until I was impatient, then switched to size 1 needles to start the pattern. I inserted a basic thumb gusset between pattern repeats (one round consists of two 30-stitch patterns).

Easy peasy!

These are still in progress, but were so cute I had to post. Plus, Beth showed me how to embed my Flickr photos so I don’t have to worry about uploading too large photos to the blog! YAY!

I seem to be on a small break from knitting right now, however, I don’t think I’ve ever been on a break from shopping. And so I present these adorable handmade knitting needles that I’m considering getting a set (or six) of

From Pertineer on Etsy.

I got my socks! They’re Monkey socks from Catherine, and she also sent me a lovely Lantern Moon silk bag in emerald.

Green is my favorite color! Catherine hand-dyed the yarn, partly with KoolAid and partly with Wilton’s And the yarn is Henry’s Attic Kona Superwash — very soft and light. I didn’t know about this yarn, so it’s a new-to-me yarn. Thank you, Catherine!

My sockapalooza socks, that is. And they are great. They are from Allison L., and made with Socks that Rock yarn, color Midsummer Night. I need to find out what pattern she used — seems like a ribbed basket weave.

I’m impressed with her knitting. She did a perfect short-row heel, perfect on both sides, which mine never are.

It’s hard to take pictures of one’s own feet, so I set the timer for this one. In the 10 seconds it took to go off, Sam decided he wanted his dainty paws in the shot, too.

This made me laugh. Can you imagine the monster whose socks would be blocked on those suckers?!

I have been knitting, but I don’t have anything to show. I’m trying to write a couple sock patterns, so I just keep knitting and re-knitting. Hopefully, I’ll have something lovely to show for it soon.

Over the weekend, I started cleaning out my mom’s sewing/craft room and brought home a bunch of great stuff. I had to tidy up my own sewing/yarn/computer room so that I could put it all away. Everything looked so nice, I decided to take some pictures!

It is just a small room, but I have a lot crammed in there. I didn’t bother taking a picture of the corner with the computer. There is a lot of fun and interesting stuff in there!

And check out this awesome fabric! I didn’t unfold it to see how much is there yet, but there is probably 4 yards. I’m just dying to make something with it! Any ideas?!