knit at nite

to self

2007-07-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

mental note that i would love to knit this. she also has lovely socks and pretty mitts, among her other patterns to consider, if i ever find myself at a loss for sock pattern inspiration again, which should be in oh, about..... never!

who.... me?

2006-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

whenever a kind blogger links over here, i feel the obligation to post. so, here i am to estimate that te rosada will be completed by the weekend. i hope to post some fo pics the very next time i write here.

is it ketchup or catsup?

2006-11-12T09:50:00.000-08:00

catch up.
sooo, stuff with the kids is happening fast and cute. the need exists to document said events. today's items are a halloween retrospective, click for larger.

.

2006-11-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

Halloween 010,
originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

the tigger costume makes its third annual appearance. bea wears it well.

will the real pumpkin please continue to just sit there...

2006-11-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween 026,
originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

desmond describes himself, "i look scary."

.

2006-11-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween 012,
originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

walking with friends, aidan is robin hood in his school's halloween parade.

scary skeleton

2006-11-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

Halloween 022,
originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

the thing parents know about this skeleton, desmond is making a face even though he's holding a mask in front of the face he is making.

i need more hands...

2006-07-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

lots of nifty projects to ponder out there right now. i adore hats, this one is certainly lovely. there are also a couple of sleeveless projects on magknits. i may find one of them suitable to use up the yarn i currently have knit up in the diminutive picovoli.

*edited to add that after continuing the search for a sleeveless project with the reclaimed green yarn, i have two additional knit contenders and one in crochet. all three are from the free pattern area of berroco online.

trick me once, shame on you, trick me twice...

2006-06-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

cindy, is done. it made a nice debut at a yarn swap our snb had a few weekends ago. no pics though. then i brought it home and blocked... or, rather, felted it. you'd think i'd have learned by now, but no. that 'hand-wash' setting on my washer is just too alluring, somehow i can't resist it. but it's a machine - it doesn't have hands... i'm a lazy mortal with a short attention span and the setting seduces me every few months.

start picoverli

2006-06-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

Photobucket.com

here is picovoli before she is unravelled. i love the pattern, i just knit it too small. you don't want to see it molded, i mean modeled... believe me.

finding last year's summer top (the one underneath picovoli) so comfortable, i think i'll get started on a second top with a similar shape.

speaking of unraveling; notice the rapid deterioration of any undertaking (even something as simple as some quick snapping of blog pics) i attempt. welcome to the kids' summer vacation. day after day of downpours is not helping.

stitch 'n b****, kid's edition

2006-05-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

felt with needles

carted the kid's out to holcomb farm to see the sheep shorn on sunday. there we met fellow snbers denise and cori. cori had her daughter b with her and so our respective broods mingled at last.

remember parroting "we haven't had a spring this year", to your new england acquaintances for the past several in a row? not the case this year. this spring has been the perfect balance of airy blossoms, mild breezes and quenching drizzle... nice.

thanks for posting the pics cori. as you can see, i wasted no time in swiping one.

baby hat

2006-04-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

baby hat
yesterday i attended a baby shower for a coworker from the yesteryears. it was a blast to get together with old friends.

for her baby i crocheted the little hat from deb stoller's happy hooker book. i purchased the cute robeez booties at a shop in west hartford. when the discussion ensued with dah about which was cuter, he diplomatically agreed that each enhanced the cuteness of the other. there was also a little romper from old navy with little monkeys all over it. this assortment was my attempt at the unisex thing for a baby whose gender the parents are saving as a surprise. now that i've seen the mom, i think she's having a girl and worry that this gift leans a little toward the masculine after all.

as cute as this is, i was outdone in the hand made gifts department by a more prolific knitter. she offered a beautiful green carseat blanket with an all over diamond pattern along with a little apple hat, complete with brown leaf at the top. the twist was that the hat was done in soft and cushy chenille.

could have saved myself a trip.

2006-03-26T03:33:00.000-08:00

another trip to the bank. a current project, the simply lovely lace socks from ik spring 2006, have a picot edge. i sewed down the edge on the first one. but, i'm ready to start the second and recall that i've seen more elegant ways to execute this hem.

deposit to memory bank

2006-03-25T05:17:00.000-08:00

some inspiration to explore colorwork. the link was discovered via supereggplant.

knit at nite: blog on break

2006-02-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

a spate of posting say you? relative to my usual, that is. well that is because we were on break from school. tomorrow, it's splashdown.

there is progress to show on the knitting that was my vacation relaxation. pictured is cindy; the jaywalkers saw some action too. and a tiny amount of home organization took place.

mostly we enjoyed each other and tried not to go totally cuckoo from too much togetherness.

oh yeah, and because i had a spare moment, i made an impulse order from amazon that includes four, count 'em, 1, 2, 3, 4, knitting titles, all to do with 'vintage' designs. too bad i won't be on break any longer to enjoy perusing those... 6 weeks 'till spring break, 4 months 'till summer vacation... but who's counting. blog at you then.

needles ad nauseam

2006-02-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

i long for the days of breezy, slippery koigu. there's something going on with me and this other yarn. this is the second pair of socks i've tried out of fixation. coupled with my tendency to knit a little tightly, the yarn is way too sticky on bamboo dpns, my usual choice for knitting socks. after bending and splitting a needle or two, in fairness the cat may have chewed on one for the splitting to occur, i tried two susan bates circs. this was no solution as i have no patience for fiddling around the joins. finally i've settled on some inox dpns which seem to be the best choice.

like everyone else, i'm trying out grumperina's jaywalker socks from magknits.

anyone for pick up sticks?

never say die

2006-02-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

i have two favorite sweaters that beg for retirement. one is actually a vintage sweater that my mom wore for years and that i later inherited and wore for years also. it has about a stitch sized stain of green oil paint, mom's a painter, on it. turpentine would take care of that, but then it wouldn't be mom's sweater so much. the thing is threadbare in places but i cannot part with it. i hope to make a pattern, recycle the trim and keep it alive that way. i think the challenge will be to match the yarn.

this second is a very fine gauge cashmere blend, probably purchased from marshall's or similar. i'll never get the gauge of this sweater in a hand-knit. but, the shape is so flattering, it's another one i'd like to try to duplicate. perhaps the hourglass sweater from last-minute knitted gifts is close enough to this one.

both have raglan sleeves. the bodies differ, one rather fitted, the other with a slight a-line swing to it. i wonder how helpful either of these sweater design books would be?

project envy

2006-02-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

while i was shopping for some ribbon to tie on the baby booties, i picked up some malabrigo. i hope to make this hat. i didn't have the yarn requirements with me, and now the skein sits in the car, i hope they match...

just the boot in the pants i needed...

2006-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

to shake off that knitting slump.

still not much happening with the shawl wrap cardigan heap that currently serves as a cat-bed. but there has been knitting going on here and there.

the perfect portable project is this baby bootie. small, speedy, a 'due date' for proper motivation, and very cute. these are for twin girls who should arrive any day now. i barely know their daddy, dah's business partner; but, when you want to knit baby booties, you find someone to knit them for. a couple of my colleagues are pregnant, if i'm not burnt out on size 1 dpns, i'll keep knittin' 'till the koigu is bust.

these were my first koigu experience. i enjoy it so much that i bought some for socks for myself too. my shopping places were local, needleworks of newington, and creative fibers in windsor, ct.

two things

2006-01-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

still a month before the spring ik hits the stands... my head has already been turned by some lovely patterns spied in the preview. i can't wait to get a closer look at the drop-stitch hoodie, and the caftan pullover thingy is compelling...

also, hartford county snb has recently changed coordinates within yahoo groups, owing to the contention over use of the words 'stitch and bitch' in the name of the original group. thanks to cori for fixing that muddle. go check in to find out the new and improved 'official' moniker, and to sign up.

not a good sign

2006-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

i find myself on the lookout for patterns to use my reclaimed berocco softy, just in case i end up ripping out the whole shawl wrap cardigan project. that is a last resort of course. i am still going ahead with at least one sleeve, to see how it all comes together. also, i'll rip the bottom and fiddle with that to see what i can't come up with... before i rip out the whole thing.

replacement project contenders. ripped off from bonne marie: another shawl collar dealie, i think the cuddliness of the yarn is suited to a shawl or otherwise doubled collar. or, this is definitely a departure for me, cat bordhi's rimrock cape (pg. 5 and 22).

deposit to memory bank

2006-01-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

gotta remember this little trick as a possible solution to the problem with dah's hat... it's too big. the pattern states, "add one inch 'for custom fit'". i wonder if they didn't mean subtract one inch 'for custom fit'?

yeti sighting

2006-01-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

yeah well, the shawl wrap cardigan heap is getting mixed reviews from me. i love the top of it. i love the warmth and cuddliness of it. i hate the bottom of it. i tend to bind off too tightly, so i overcompensated, allowing the bottom to flare a bit.

no matter though, i plan on ripping several inches off the bottom as i feel it hits at a rather unflattering point. i'm hoping to salvage this as the yarn was more of an investment than i am used to. plus, i've simply been looking forward to wrapping myself inside it.

like a dope i let the broach i liked at j.jill sell out...

victory of a gift for 'de feet'

2006-01-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

uncle mike comes through with another popular gift. your eyes don't deceive you, those are latex gloves; sorry, latex duck feet. last year it was stick horses. they're around 'somewhere'. thankfully, the boys can inflict less damage when using this particular gift inappropriately. they may even get some cleaning done by accident :o

not to leave out the other extremities, these accompany the annual gift of mittens for all the kids. though i generally toss them into the 'outdoor accessories bucket' in a heap and outfit each child in whatever gets grabbed first, beatrice has taken a shine to a green pair of mittens. she and des had a little tussle when i inadvertently put said pair on des' hands. things will get easier when the novelty wears off the new duds. these come at a good time as we are in that period of the year when we're losing mittens at a good one a week clip. thanks uncle mike!

licked by lace

2005-12-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

it's just too hard. i knit a row. feeling good. all the stitches are there. purl across. why is there a stitch missing in the last section? lace kicks my ass. it must have taken me an hour to decide how to pick up the missing stitch to my satisfaction. more than likely it's not even consistent with the pattern. but it's a good enough approximation for me to continue plugging away. perhaps two more rows next week. or i could move up the life-line and knit the rows next month. how's that for progress?

the previous paragraph was written in august, this wrap was supposed to be worn with my fabby little dress to a wedding in september; ugh. i truly don't want to scrap it, i love the results too much. but, there is definitely some goal in the making re this project for the new year. i just need to remember when setting it, small steps.

nice kitty

2005-12-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

i'm not usually about the pets, but occasionally they are irresistable.

hi, my name is corine and i am a peek-a-holic

2005-12-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

around christmas time, dah thinks it's funny to leave small unwrapped packages lying around the house, stuff my stocking early with unwrapped items, have internet shopping delivery notices sent to my email, etc., he knows i will peek. the only difference between now and past christmases, is that with the kids around, i have less time to investigate. it's easier to surprise me these days. i take it back; i've always been surprised, it just happened sooner than christmas is all.

anyway, my maman sent some packages for christmas and among them was this yarn. as soon as it arrived, i peeled back an untaped corner. rather like the song snippet contests on the radio, i could identify it in half an inch or less. i only needed to wait until christmas to see if i was right. sure enough, it's berroco air. four skeins of it.

at first, i thought i would make these (gertie), or the hermione hat and mittens. but a phone call with mom reveals that she bought all the remaining skeins in the shop knowing that there would be enough there for a sweater for aidan. though i am reticent to start yet another sweater, there are three on the needles currently, i have to at least explore her intentions. perhaps she had something like this in mind.

on the third day of christmas...

2005-12-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

i gave to my true love, an orange and black, bold striped stocking hat, trimmed with a pompom. revealed is the partial text of the intarsia included inside the brim. the full text is for me and dah to know, and you... well... never to find out.

yes indeed, it is a huge hat. not surprising to those of us who know him, it's only a tad large for dah's head. he says it's the first hat he's ever had that wasn't too small, and seems well satisfied with it. i think with it's first real machine wash cycle it will be just about right. yes, you read that right. a cashmere blend that is warm water, machine washable. a large part of the reason i chose this yarn, along with it's undeniable softness that has been confirmed by all who have had a try on, or a pet, or a feel; and you can't not do those things in this yarn's vicinity, it's that soft.

details:
nancy lindberg's hats that fit pattern with the hemmed cuff and stocking top options.
knit on us 7s circular and dpns (denise and lion brand respectively)
in rowan cashsoft.

the pompom kicks ass. i made it one third orange and two thirds black to continue the color pattern to the tip of the hat. i make the most awesome pom poms as my maman showed me how when i was a little kid and she is demanding of us all. we excel at a lot of things like pom pom making; thanks mom. if you would like a little refresher on pom poms, bonne marie recently posted about the process, hers is nearly as good as mine ;)

and now to compensate for all my bragging, i'm donning my evil eye protection charm. any of you who are so envious of my pom pom production skills that you would curse me with bad luck, will be thwarted.

blog forecast

2005-12-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

rummaging around for blog fodder, i found a few things:

each item to be detailed in the coming days.

for now i leave you with a shot of the knitting spot.

though temporarily altered for the season, this holiday edition gives you the idea. consider yourself tagged.

greetings of questionable taste...

2005-12-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

these were intended for her 18th christmas,

but santa brought them early.

Merry Christmas,

from the Hoffmans

sugar snit

2005-12-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

my girlfriend brought over some really beautiful christmas cookies today. i won't be posting a pic as they are all but completely gone. here is my terrible confession, in order to ingest more of these delectable home-made treats personally, i told aidan that they had raisins in them... even the turtle brownies. i pay for this of course, all the sugar has me pretty irritable.

lest ye think aidan got a raw deal, here is what he and des have been up to these past couple of days. decorating and eating cupcakes.

snow fort

2005-12-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

you think you know someone.

2005-12-09T04:41:00.000-08:00

the hat for dah? coming along nicely. i knit and knit and got sick of it and haven't knit in two nights, but that's ok 'cause there are christmas decorations to toss about.

dah is a middle aged republican who is starting his own business in the financial industry. there's a lot more to him than that, of course. but, when i pictured a hat for him i had in mind a close fitting, simple silhouette, similar to a seaman's style. when i asked him about it he said, "blah blah, the hats they wear at winter carnival, blah blah." within a few hours he directed my attention toward this. that's right, the hat that tops the big mascot snowman. i am so clueless.

at least he disillusioned me of my color prejudice on his behalf "no charcoal grey." red and purple were mentioned. so i went over to sit n' knit and picked out a pretty dark eggplant and a kind of sage accent color in rowan's cashsoft, i believe it's dk. real. soft. yarn. oh yeah, and a pattern with combinable tops and cuffs that yields nine different styles by the time you've mixed and matched them all.

so, i come home and before i can utter the words "do you like the round top or the square top?" he points and says, "that one." it's the pointy stocking style. then i showed him the colors, he was ok with them, but i jokingly added something about orange and black. i mentioned them because he always went for the boat with the orange and black sails when we sailed together at mystic seaport, that was seasons and seasons ago. anyway, he brightened at this and said i should try to find those colors.

i was very conflicted in the shop. i kept picking the balls up and putting them back. i tried to tone down, putting the charcoal grey with the orange, but i now knew better. it was like i had to talk my own hands and feet into holding the yarn and walking it to the register for me to actually buy the combo in question. but i did it.

to end a long story. it is a black and orange . . . bold striped . . . stocking cap, to be finished of with a . . . pompom.
did i tell you? my man is sssexy.

i pine for my people partying in the pines of the pacific northwest

2005-11-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

i specifically did not call my mom while she had the whole family at her house for thanksgiving. the phone gets passed around to everyone, we exchange superficial small talk and i get all resentful that they are all together without me. it sucks sucks sucks to be so far from home. so i saved that 'poor me, i'm all left out' feeling for this afternoon.

my dream is for dah and i to have the groove that would allow me to take the kids to mom's for most of the summer. it won't happen next year as i have courses to take to earn the 'highly qualified' credential for my teaching position. but perhaps someday. for now i'll content myself with the memories so far. like this one, my niece knitting in her wetsuit. i'm helping her to salvage the hat she started months prior. the hat turned out great but the other pic got lost somewhere between the cell phone and the computer 'cause i'm not sure what i'm doing with the whole pix message thing.

seriously though; me, lonely on thanksgiving? not likely.

a quickie for your birthday?

2005-11-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

while getting ready for hartford's festival of lights on friday afternoon, i watched dah try on every hat in the winter accessories basket that roosts in the coatroom... including all the kids'. it has become glaringly obvious that he requires one of these: men's cap, seaman's cap, double knit ski cap, or perhaps even the brioche hat in weekend knits.

with his birthday coming right up, this provides the perfect excuse for starting yet another project, but hopefully one that has hopes of being completed this month. mmm... yarn shopping, pattern browsing, i'm thankful for the time off.

the days off have also allowed for considerable headway to be made on the wrap cardigan. it is the perfect cold weather project, so cozy to have in your lap. it's hinting at the lure of afghans...

when you can't knit rows, hum a few bars instead

2005-11-25T04:10:00.000-08:00

what i wanted to comment on was the radio. i tend to surf the bottom of the dial where the public and college stations reside. this week i came across a faith middleton spot about knitting. i was pretty excited by the theme, but her choice of guests left much to be desired. it was the honcho at lion brand yarns. how would the beer types feel if there was a buzz about the craft of beer making and budweiser was elected to speak for them? phooey.

as long as i've been hearing her, i've had this conflicted 'love to hate her'/'hate to love her' opinion of faith. the slightly 'under-water' quality of her voice and know-it-all tone of her conversations keep me on the verge of scanning the dial for the entire time it takes me to listen to her show to the end. it's ironic that i even have a favorite. that would be food schmooze, in case you hadn't gathered that by my choice of shopping destinations shared here in a previous post.

i'm happy when the scan button lands me on fm on toast. that is a fun variety of fare for the preoccupied commuter. it's rather like new england weather; if you don't like it, wait ten minutes, or in this case tune in tomorrow, it will have changed.

four days without a commute and i end up writing about it. what does that say about the grind; the momentum just keeps you treading along in that hamster wheel doesn't it? methinks i need to knit a few rows.

man knitting sighting - once removed

2005-11-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

there is a cute teacher at wesley school in middletown. today i spotted her sporting a martha poncho. i asked her, "is that a martha poncho you have on?". "yes" was the reply. some follow up conversation revealed that it was crocheted, not knit. she was not the crafter, a relative was. when encouraged to share with said relative (referred to by me as she/her) that the poncho was both recognized and admired by a fellow knitter, she corrected me, divulging that a male relative had made it. she went on to describe how he arrived with a giant hefty filled with ponchos at a family gathering. he knit enough ponchos for all the female relatives: sisters, nieces et. al. isn't that cute?

how's that for some gift crafting inspiration.

i gave it away...

2005-11-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

... so there are no pics.

i struggle with clutter constantly. there are five of us living in roughly 850 square feet. so, when i found this lady, i was pretty happy for the encouragement to purge. alas, i got a little carried away. i accidentally donated a 100% cashmere sweater! it was buffugly. big, saggy. i was through loving it and wanted it gone. it's gone.

i went back a few days later, hoping i could find it on the 'reds and pinks' rack at goodwill. waiting for me to come back for it. to rip it, and make something new. why didn't i think to recycle it before? dunno. i think i did think of it, but somehow it didn't translate into actually saving it from the ditch bag. next time, think twice, think thrice, think four times.

i hope the buyer was a thrifty knitter. reader from middletown, ct out there? did you score a good find at the goodwill recently? i should check the rekal. haven't done that in a while.

west hartford area shopping boom

2005-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

any store that mentions yarn and knitting kits specifically in a promotional article needs to be checked out.

my new pre-work stop for coffee, baked breakfast item, and the occasional sweep through the prepared salads bar for a healthful lunch. this store actually has a chocolate! fountain!

haven't checked out trader joe's in west hartford yet but have been waiting for one to open in my vicinity since i left the west coast,
!19 years ago!

what's in your basket?

warm up for the cool down

2005-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

It looks as though the warm temps we've had are finally going to come down a bit. so, it's time i make a real push to finish the wrap cardigan.

forearm pain is causing a bit of a slow down but we'll get there eventually. I'm trying blue blog's trick of having an alternate project going on at a different gauge. I've taken it one step further though and rather than actually knit on the alternate, i let it sit in a pile next to me while i doze off in front of evening television. guess what? my forearm is rested.

this is such a cozy item. i feel like I'm knitting myself the security blankie each of the kiddies have. only i get to wear mine on my back. clearly, it's irresistible to the tots; hands off Bea, yours is pink already!

and, look what i plan to treat myself with once it's all done. pretty closure, no?

what's that in your pocket?

2005-11-06T04:13:00.000-08:00

no, i'm not glad to see you, it's just my nostepinne.
do you like it; the one erected amid balls from the previous post? er helped me choose it at rhinebeck. we fondled them at length. the one that seduced er was beautiful, lightly colored, and burly. those left weren't as lovely, except for a larger dark walnut one. there was much deliberation about size. another peruser rightly pointed out that any larger ball than the small size could accommodate would be better wound on a winder.

these nostes are attractive in part for their portability, and the smaller ones are of course... more portable. so i asked the artisan if he had any more stock tucked away. as i looked over the expanded selection he pulled out, er kept up the small talk. at last, i thought i had made my choice, meanwhile er had coaxed this exotic find off his person. this one is turned of bermuda cedar, a species that was nearly wiped out by parasites. it makes the balls and my knitting bag smell all nice and earthy.

we all parted feeling rather elated by the feel good transaction, including the young woman who left with the dark walnut. she had waited patiently the whole while, enduring my tease behaviour picking it up, putting it down. she said she wouldn't take it until i was firmly decided on something else as she did not want to bring bad karma on herself for snatching my possibly intended. she may have left the most satisfied of all of us...

unseasonable

2005-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

had a nice sat am kip with eina and linda this morning at cosi. outside table, enjoying the mid 70's temps of the northeast in november!

i promised myself i would finish the knitting on cindy. i came within a few dozen stitches of that goal before noticing the problem. i had bogarted the denise needles, for want of a loooong cable, about 2/3 through my second cardi front. the replacement pair, though the same size were of different material, whatever addi's are made with, nickel plated or somesuch? anyway the guage was significantly altered and a frogging session is imminent.

the loooong cable was required for the winter 04/05 vk shawl wrap cardigan that is my current 'mindless' knitting project. it is a cast on of 234 stitches for the small size that i am making. i am just to the point of separating for the armholes. into the 5th ball of berroco softy, just 9+ to go. i have a feeling i'll be going back to the yarn store praying to the dye lot gods before this one is 'wrapped' up. snort.

time capsule: june 15 entry

2005-10-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

egads.
i wrote this in june when the knitting was done.
the problem is that i love seaming so much that
i like to savor it as long as possible :(

at last the saga of the lion brand hoodies has come to its conclusion. the release of episode III has been long anticipated. the heroes' destinies continue to be revealed to us by the interconnectedness of the stitches that shape the experience of, and bind the main players to each other. it is expected to be wildly popular for the univeral appeal it holds due to its classic theme. despite the lack of depth in character of the piece we give it four stars for its action and adventure. not intended as a stand alone project, we recommend episode I and episode II (scroll to top) in order to appreciate the fabric of the piece in its full context.

no need for introduction

2005-10-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

you've read it all before. here's mine:

two strands of knit picks shimmer held together

on size 7 (us)

so soft softy

2005-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

some swatches of berroco's softy for the vogue knits ribbed shawl cardigan. this yarn was my big purchase at this month's knitter's breakfast put on by our fabric place in cromwell. 30 percent off, i just couldn't pass up a largish purchase with that kind of discount.

see the collared wrap that was the inspiration for me to try this yarn for the vogue project. the wrap was heavenly in person, it made a far better impression than what you see on the web site. i could have sworn that pattern was free last week, now it's published in a book! they move fast those yarn sellers!

every time dah sees this lying around his comment is the same, "that is some ugly yarn but it sure is soft...", truer words, etc. my last swatch was done on bryspun circulars; they were one of my rhinebeck purchases. the points are great, the joins are real smooth, the cable isn't kinky or twisty. the only slightly negative thing i can say about them it that they are 'clatterier' than denises. overall, i like them and would buy more of them in the oft' used sizes to supplement the denise kit.

i crave cookies but am waiting for the tots to be in bed before i make any. does that make me a good mother or a bad one?

first foliage tour

2005-10-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

the forcast for these few days is so rainy, i figured we had better get the kids out in spite of today's drizzle. the venue turned out to be the renaissance faire in woodstock, connecticut. oh my. desmond thought he landed on another planet. the characters were... um... a hoot.

what could be better than sporting my clapotis about the grounds amongst a pope, vikings and turkey leg ingesting wizards? car knitting of course. in progress is cindy, with dibs on it for beatrice.

to blog again

2005-10-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

been thinkin' about the blog lately. what with the clocks turning back soon maybe i'll begin having more time again to resume this thing. i was looking things over and i found the posts that were languishing in the wings, never published... so i thought i would share them as sort a time capsule type dealie.

the pic is from today. it is finally chilly enough to wear my opal socks in earnest. i do love them. the stripes and even the afterthought heels, which work into kind of a bullseye effect, are matchy-matchy. see the picot top?

time capsule - the following was dated 8/11:
splash down
we've been back for over a week. it's taking time to ease back into the routine. i did get some knitting done at mom's, though not as much as i would have liked. the opal socks are done.
arlene is done though i plan to widen the straps to cover my bra better. next time i'll post about the projects that i started.

i started teva durham's leaf cravat in the the luscious angora silk blend chris had given me as a blog prize. i also started another pair of ankle socks in cascade fixation.

not interesting

2005-07-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

on friday morn, we're rising early for dah to drive the four of us to t.f. green airport in rhode island. why not bradley international, you ask? because leaving from ri meant we could get a direct flight to portland, or. dah was right to insist that if i'm taking the kiddies by myself, there had better be no plane changes.

mom's place has no computers; there is barely a tv, she subscribes to one satellite channel. rude awakening for the star wars dvd addicts. and i'll have a hard time away from internet land; i might get some knitting done though. if i get the chance, i'll post pics of the knitting i plan to take. it's raining, it may not be a bright enough day for photos.

off to pack as much as i can before snb tonight, my last meeting for four weeks. we planned an outdoor venue, ha ha. perhaps it will clear up in time.

oh yeah, the whole point of this post was to say no blogging till august. enjoy the summer.

arlene in progress

2005-06-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

arlene in progress
Originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

berroco's free arlene tank pattern being knit in pakucho organic cotton from elann.
now that i've finished the second te rosada sleeve, i can start on the front of this.

back story

2005-06-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

last summer, i noticed in blogland that a lot of people who were subscribed to ik didn't receive their issue until after it hit the stores. to me, one of the main reasons for a subscription is to be ahead of the curve. that whole scenario is the reason i never subscribed; i figured i could get it sooner at the stores. but then, about a month ago, i was shopping amazon and was a few dollars away from free shipping -they know me so well- and decided, since i bought every issue anyway, i might as well subscribe.

wouldn't you know that while i was browsing the lys, i saw the new issue. i had it in my hot little hands, heading to the counter before -crud!- i remembered i subscribed! i couldn't believe i had to put off perusing it because i was subscribed. argh! i put it back while allowing a little rant to escape in the presence of the owner of the store. she shared that the same thing happened to one of the employees there. they alluded that it could be a few weeks before i received it since it was my first issue. luckily, it was just a couple of days.

good timing
Originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

here it is, on an icky, sticky, rainy day. i picked myself some flowers, and now i get to leaf through at my leisure. naturally this 'me time' will be punctuated by spates of bickering between the housebound boys. i have suggested several times that they put on the rain boots and play outside. so far, no takers. they are waiting until after i sweep and vacuum, of course.

a penny for a peek?

2005-06-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

...into my lys shopping bag.

self indulgence
Originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

i made my first visit (it won't be my last) to creative fibers in windsor, ct this sunday. smart to be open on sunday... here are the little somethings i bought. a needle guage that won't bend like my junky susan bates ones do. and some mostly cotton yarn to knit ankle socks from.

which island?

2005-06-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

oh, how i wish i only had the sleeves to go...

te rosada sleeves
Originally uploaded by perdrixgrise.

yep, i knit the sleeves first. now i'm ready to start te rosada. problem is, it doesn't feel like i'm just now starting, i've already knit two sleeves! ok, so they are behind me. knitting them first? sounds cool, 'till you have the last two pieces of the project ahead of you and they are -guess what?- much larger than sleeves! deep down, i knew this already. kick me.

though i do feel the love with this project, it is on hold for now. i need to frog more of the store bought sweater that this yarn is being recycled from before i can continue with it. and, i have some summer knitting i'd like to get on with.

those bitches

2005-06-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

the stitchin' kind that is.
since her comment is of the 'no reply' variety, i'll post my response here:

ooh, thanks for the tip cori,
i'll have to check it out.
wouldn't you know that you filled me in on this before i returned the box?
what to do what to do.
part of the truth is that te rosada is lovely knitting, but i feel daunted by the size of the pieces. and this yarn would be for a second full sized sweater; two adult sweaters going on at once? ack!
i saw the cardigan the yarn is for in the mag (ik) again, and it does speak to me...
i know you'll take this the right way.... YoU and your BIG MOUTH!

Claire

wrote:

That wrap/shawl is lovely, I can't wait to see it in progess! I couldn't help but notice that some of the things in that box (from the previous entry) were some cottons....I wanted to let you know that Creative Fibers, the new LYS, carries that brand - I've looked at it there....hope that helps. See you Wednesday?

and i know that posting email exchanges is probably numero uno on the list of blog cheese but it affords me the opportunity to show the cardigan project in question:

stash control

2005-06-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

did you notice the pretty box of bright colors in the previous post? they are going back to webs. only part of the order was filled and those balls are of no use to me without the rest so... it is time to keep shopping. pity too, good prices. i don't like stashing up without specific projects in mind, don't even suggest i keep it.

what i will be keeping are these items that arrived from knitpicks. the midnight blue is going to be this stunning little number to wear with the dress that i always wear to weddings. and the variegated is destined for the clapotis. yep, finally getting around to that ol' clapotis. problem is, i didn't realize the gals who knit it using shimmer held it doubled; so i need me some more.

and finally, to replace some of the mia items from webs, i ordered some organic cotton from elann. funny they should have cable eight pictured there, it does seem like a good match for that yarn, but my cable eight is in the past. i'm using the yarn for arlene. i had a credit there so it felt like an even better deal than it actually was.

yes, and besides the socks and the hoodie, i've started a second sleeve for te rosada. i hope it won't be too big for me. the finished sleeve is long, just like in the magazine pics. it's lovely that way but any extra length derived from pattern design/construction will make the sleeves tooooo long. we shall see.

the kiddie i watch weekdays was just picked up by his mommy and two of my own are napping. time for a tall cold one; beer that is...

wrap up to start new

2005-06-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

pics poem,
entitled: best intentions

a sock is done.

a sweater awaits seaming.

yarn is being wound.

packages arrive.

the temptation is strong.

i will not start another.

until at least one is finished.

maybe just a swatch.

boys of summer

2005-06-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

the first born and the main squeeze; oops, that would be my main squeeze enjoyed a red sox game together yesterday. swell.

pondering possiblities

2005-05-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

there are two current vacancies in my clothing staple wardrobe. one is a good summer tank.
the other is a good summer cardigan.

cardigan contenders:
berroco's lucy lu
berroco's madeline
berroco's lucy
berroco's gail
the bright striped tie cardigan in the summer ik
rowan's martha

tank top contenders:
berroco's arlene
berroco's nina
chicami, chicknits
shapely tank, white lies designs

now for a little yarn shopping to help me narrow down my choices. bye now.

w.o.w.

2005-05-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

the camera battery is recharging. for now i can share with you that the hoffman family women's only weekend was a great success. the rules were that we could only talk about men we knew over 70 and under 10 years of age. we could only talk about men we didn't know from the waist down. in spite of the nor'easter that blew through our getaway overnight friday and all of saturday we managed to have a blast.

how can a weekend that starts with mudslides on the ferry and ends with a nap on the beach, the sun warming your back, be bad.
personal highlights include:
10) going only 30 dollars over my budget.
9) finishing a good book.
8) no cars equals no driving. i love me a good walk; my favorite was the camp cottages of oak bluffs.
7) the full night's rest i woke with on sat am, despite the relentlessly rattling windows all night from the storm.
6) knitting on my opal socks.
5) not wearing a nursing bra all weekend.
4) the fashion. several of us resorted to sporting our extra sweaters, capris, pajama bottoms; whatever we had, as makeshift scarves and headwear to combat the chilliness brought in the too well ventilated summer house by the storm.
3) meeting the up and coming musician newlyweds. at first we thought the bride had an imaginary groom. he was finally sighted and proven a corporeal human being. we all received first hand evidence of this via his hug everyone and love everything philosophy. truly a feel good couple to whom we wish all the best.
2) the sisterhood.
1) coming home to all my babies.

top 5 regrettable moments.
5) big time sleep deficit on saturday night
4) the fashion, see above
3) we told ghost stories sat evening. i arranged with my sisters to sleep with our doors open so i wouldn't have to be ascared of spirits in the night. when i awoke the next morning mine was the only door open! oh, the betrayal! .... or was it ghosts... shit.
2) wearing underwire in my bra.
1) i waited too long to use the extra deep antique bathtub for a soak; it became too cold to disrobe for a bath. did i mention that our weather consisted of a may nor'easter... and our lodgings were directly on the water?

we pulled names from a hat to see who would organize next year's event. this year's planner drew a name, peeked, proceeded to ditch it and make like she hadn't drawn yet... it was my stay of execution... she vetoed that draw because it was my name. she took mercy on the mother of three small ones who would be wrapping up her first year back at teaching at about the time of next year's trip. what a good girl she is. not much faith in me... but her intent was kind. so the second name was drawn. a willing and able organizer; but, a third stepped up, revealing her secret wish to do it up right for us next time... i can't wait to see what she has in store...

whilst awaiting better pics...

2005-05-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

lessee...
in the past week, i turned 37, i had an interview to return to work next year, bea turned 1, and i finished cable 8. cable 8 was actually the first thing that happened. it got eclipsed by all the other stuff though; so, i am just now getting around to telling you about it.

for best results glance quickly, focusing on cable 8 top only, then move along. if you happen to be a lingerer in spite of warning; can you dig aidan being a monkey to the left of the mirror? can you dig that my tongue hangs out when i try to balance myself between the back of the sofa and the radiator to take a picture in a mirror that hangs on the wall in poor light? forgive the craptacular photography.

of note regarding cable 8? i matress stitched the side seams because i worried about running out of yarn. i tried the crochet edging on the sleeves several times over until i got a bearable fit. they were too tight, still tight but certainly wearable. i love the shape of it. i think the the texture of the yarn/pattern combo makes me look top heavy when i have it on. i don't like that it rides up. we'll see what blocking does to alleviate these concerns.

i have worn it, over a slim long sleeved tee. the plain sleeves seemed to take some of the focus off the busy eights so i didn't feel like i looked so heavy. it looks great under a blazer that i have. i think it looks homemade but i still like it.

oh yeah. and i impressed everyone at snb, including myself, by dropping eight stitches back a whole half a repeat, that's about six rows, to fix a cable that had gone wrong. i wish i had pictures, it surely was a fun feat of knitting rescue.

more blah blah

2005-05-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

the last hoodie continues to sit, languishing, one hood edging and some seaming away from completion. but, i did cast on some toe-up socks in the stash opal. the impetus for the socks is that this weekend i go away for a women's weekend for three whole days on martha's vineyard sans kiddies. i'm trying to wash some of my recycled yarn to continue with te rosada. also present in the knitting bag will be miss dashwood in case i have the urge to cast on for something new.

i was informed that i would hear the results of my interview by friday. that, of course, is the day that i leave, as early in the day as carpooling allows. i hope my husband will get in touch with me if he hears any news. i have no desire to prolong the agony that is anticipation of any answer they could give me.

more goodies from woolybuns

2005-05-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

chris had a fun contest, well documented by karen, for us at the last snb. we were to come up with a name for a variegated colorway in the pinks and oranges. i happened to win with the name raspberry creamsicle. i felt a little guilty as it so often seems that i am the one on the receiving end of woolybuns' generosity streak. that passed though, once the participation prize was revealed. each one of us got to choose a skein from the same pile of merino. the difference was that i had first pick. good thing too, since what i picked was one of a kind. i thought about trading it for a luscious pink, but it looked like some of the ladies might come to fisticuffs over it, if it returned to the pot. so, in the interest of keeping harmony within newington snb, i valiantly held on to my first choice... what i won't do in the better interests of my knitting buddies ;)

the yarn is a lovely merino processed from sheep raised by chris' mother in the past? for details you need to visit her blog, i'm not sure i remember the backstory accurately.

with this lovely treat came a challenge. we are to knit something up with our booty in the next month. i think my plan is to pair the merino up with the yarn pictured next to it, some classic elite montera, an alpaca yarn. together they should make a pretty summertime button hole bag. don't you think?

so far so so so.

2005-05-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

i'm digging the knitting on cable 8. the yarn is a different story. i like the lightness and the ply of it. what i hate are the knots! two knots is one ball; i thought rowan yarn was supposed to mean something. if that isn't enough, it looks like i'll need one more ball to complete this. it's a discontinued color and the yarn shop sent it to me months ago, i think the chances of my finding matching yarn are pretty close to nil.

the little wound up bit to the right is what's left of two balls after completing the first piece. i'm hoping twice that amount will be enough to do the finishing. fingers crossed...

coffee, tea, or...

2005-05-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

in the last few months i've made the switch over from a daily caraffe of coffee to drinking cups of tea serially. the tea certainly does enough for me. but, there is something less romantic about the fuzzy morning headed excuse being 'i haven't had my cup of tea' in place of 'not before my cup of coffee'. i don't know why that is.
if you're wondering, why such a pointless post?, it's because i haven't had my cuppa anything yet.
ta.

shaking off the dust from the rut

2005-05-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

what better way than a knit along? it's cable 8 for me. i was inspired by the lovely fo of lesley to knit mine up in the rowan cork i have. like her's, it is from the kit sent along with an annual subcription to rowan magazine; i'll just have to rip the little bits of cindy i had completed so far to reclaim it all. i wonder if the merino will be too warm, but then i think it would make a pretty vest with a slim shirt underneath as well.

early mother's day

2005-05-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

if my picot trimmed ankle is cute enough... can you forgive the stubble?

i'm pleased. the third go finally yielded a suitable cuff. it hits below the ankle bone, the picot is of the right proportion to be noticeable. these socks were knit from the denise's toe up sock lesson found on the sock knitters website. i worked the afterthought heel found on the same website. i made up my own cuff. it took three tries. i finally ended on five rounds of plain ss after the heel, five rounds of 1X1 rib after that, finished with a picot worked with 2 cable cast on stitches preceding each 4 cast off stitches. i think it's pretty near 'just right'. the yarn i used way idena crazy. i knit it on u.s. 3's with the picot on u.s. 1's; i generally knit tightly and up my needle 1 size to reach suggested guage.

i have to add, this is my first pair of handknit socks and, though i generally don't even notice wearing socks, these feel positively dreamy. i walk around on happy feet that say, 'thanks for caring, i'm glad you've finally noticed and appreciate that i'm here for you constantly.' much like what a mommy could say to her innocently reliant kids. so don't take your feet or your mommies for granted; give them a treat. or do what i did and use one stone for both by being a mommy and treating your own feet to a nice pair of handknit socks on your necessitous children's behalf.

rut

2005-05-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

stands for r u through?

no! i'm still in the stockinette circle of hell. the socks -after number 2 cuff, i still haven't arrived at a cuff i like, so i'll be futzing around with those some more. the hoodie is so close. i just need to check size with a try on for the hood, edge same hood, and seam it up.

budget constraints have me thinking creatively about my little stash. after seeing some quite lovely figure 8 tanks, i've decided to scrap the cindy project and use the rowan cork for the tank instead. i'll be perusing the rowan babies book to decide on a suitable project for the paintbox merino instead of knitting tigger. i think it's a little too fat for cindy, but there may be a similar pattern in there at a larger gauge. that brings the project count for bea in at a more reasonable 3, including the hoodie and miss dashwood.

miss dashwood is going to come out of the rose colored merino socks i started. the ones that were an argyle texture. i guess i really am a process person as it is nothing for me to rip those socks after hours of expirementing now that i've exhausted my curiosity about that pattern. the wool is too nice for socks more bulky than i will appreciate. no, not true; the process comment is misplaced. i really feel that the knitting rut is due in large part to the current fo drought. why can't i finish anything these days; ack!

in the true spirit of a rut, i leave you with no pics and no links, i've linked to everything i've mentioned previously anyway... for the good it did me.

short attention span theatre presents...

2005-04-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

umm. are these the same sweater? apparently, i altered the measurements for this little number when i knit the back. but, so much time has passed since, that i forgot all about that when working on the front. the results... pieces beautifully suited to picasso's most lovely of his cubist period ladies.

anyway. we're still getting occasional bouts of progress on this, and it will get done some day.

i'm finding the stockinette socks very boring. next up will be some lace treatment or texture of some sort. i have this opal to knit up; it's another jacquard. any ideas on a fun stitch that won't be obscured by the yarn color pattern?

sock love

2005-04-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

there are a lot of things i love about this sock. first, the neato striping yarn. plus, i learned a new toe up technique. also, i find the afterthought heel super duper. and i just love the way the picot edge looks when the sock is relaxed. BUT, i hate the way the same edge looks when it's stretched around my ankle, so much so that i won't even show you that.

what i will show you is what a fine job i did constructing that cuff that i am about to rip and redo. i followed the excellent picot tips on claudia's page, adding ribbing. my little ribbing trick was to invert the ribbing pattern after the eyelet row so that once folded over, a rib would nestle into a valley rather than bumping up against itself. get it? don't think too hard, just move along, unless it's something you wanna try, then visualize my brilliant idea and give me credit. you can stop just short of congratulating me; as you see, i'm quite cabable of doing that for myself.

obviously, as i was making a toe up, i adjusted claudia's directions for binding off once the cuff was folded on itself. i do like this so much and will certainly try it again for a sock that doesn't end at my ankle, probably without the ribbing.

cuff from the inside, close up, admire before i rip and redo...

bea likes it.

lastly, i'm excited about my first kitchener, it went fine; i only had to camouflage one little flub when i wove in my end.
as i embark on knitting sock two, bea will continue with her current projects that are growing more hair and teeth.

spoiled rotten,

2005-04-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

that's me.
yesterday was stitch and bitch. i went with a spring in my step as i hoped chris would remember that she offered a prize to her 100th commenter and i was it. i had dropped out of the group for a few weeks, so it was possible that she forgot all about it. well, it would have been possible, had i not reminded her at the previous meeting... and on our board just before yesterday's meeting. and being that it was chris, and the potential for something fabulous existed, i would have kept hounding her but i didn't have to because she did remember, and look what she brought!

here it is with my homely handspun nestled against it.

it's just the softest thing you can imagine. a blend made with her own angora. what was it blended with? silk? chris? i can't remember what else, the soft skein just calls angora so loudly to me that whatever the other fiber is was drowned out before it reached my ears. when i showed it to dah he wondered if i could knit him underwear. a suggestion, however in jest, too uncouth to comment upon further.

spoiled enough? no, chris also brought one of her wheels and i hogged it all night! i tossed out some half hearted sound bites to the effect that i would get my ass out of the way if someone else fancied a turn but i didn't back it up with body language. i stayed parked, and the ladies were too nice, they let me keep going. i promise not to next week. please excuse my selfish behavior. my yarn prize made me feel like a queen, and i started acting like one.

lessee... among other things, fabric to line buttonhole bag purchased. socks progressing. final hoodie stalled. that is all.

nail biter

2005-04-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

here is what i have felting in the machine as i write this. didn't swatch, don't know if the classic elite two two will felt. the purple also has a strand of lamb's pride in it. the solid portions are two strands held together. the houndstooth is one strand of each color, making two total, one carried, one stitched. the color work is floppier, will it even out in the wash? will it be a cute buttonhole project or will all these elements combine as a recipe for disaster?

the weather is finally so beautiful that even a felting disappointment won't be able to dampen this day.

luke skywalker vs. puss n' boots

2005-04-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

back and front.

front and back.

link to hoodies on sidebar under nite knitting.
good pattern to knit for active tykes.

2005-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

a finished te rosada sleeve. next on the agenda, further dismantling of the original sweater.

and a finished hoodie. it's a little too warm for it to be shown off by a live model today. i'm hoping we'll still get use out of these this summer on cool shoreside evenings.

what else? more fun was had spinning courtesy of chris and her endless selection of wheels, and fiber, not to mention her patience for intructing and generosity in sharing all her good stuff.

i need to whip up something for aidan's school auction. i was thinking that little felted, monogrammed purse from stitch n' bitch nation with a houndstooth pattern instead of the initial. maybe too complicated to get done on a deadline though. perhaps a buttonhole bag instead.

wheels turning

2005-04-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

now i've decided i'm going to make a toiletries bag or cosmetics purse or whatever you want to call it out of the recycled plastic bags i'm trying to collect. sundries sac? what do you call those anyway? whatever it is, it's going to be a pouch for your ass. i plan on lining it with some of this. i'll decide on the exact print after i see what color palette the bags dictate. i guess i get to go zipper shopping too. do cool zippers exist? zipper pulls? do i make a zipper pull? the wheels -are they a turnin' or a spinnin'?

worlwide phenomenon

2005-04-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

a whole continent and ocean away from the toymakers in this post; jewelry makers are diligently producing glamorous goods for the women in your life. perhaps too late for april fools, how about a birthday or anniversary?

thanks for the link, v.

rekal type stuff

2005-03-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

i cut up a plastic bag to begin stashing for a knitted purse project. i think i'll do annie modesit's aline bag again, possibly omitting the lace, as i think it would get lost in the various colors of the recyled plastic bags anyway.

i started on cindy, using a front piece to reswatch. i always swatch and get guage, then pull out the needles to work on something else, no notes, no nothing, i forget what i used to get guage. so then, i have to swatch all over again when i'm really ready to start.

swatcheroo

2005-03-21T05:01:00.000-08:00

here is my recycled yarn swatch, form of a sweater sleeve. after some debate on blocked vs. unblocked, i think i'm happy with guage and have gone ahead with this first sleeve of te rosada from the winter 04 ik issue.

just a couple of setbacks including several cast ons because i couldn't figure out at first how to purl directly after my yarn over without losing that yarn over in that next stitch. and i purled a rs row that i didn't notice until a few rows later. i panicked a little here as i worried about ripping back and picking up a lace pattern. but the pattern is simple enough that it turned out fine. i am now to the sleeve increases. i'll tack the shot of it here on the end so i can see it near the cami/cowl swatch of the previous post.

for color
for texture

splish swatch

2005-03-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

i've been swatching with my recycled sweater yarn. while the stitch is super neat and the guage is right on, the result is not terribly lacy and since that is the whole point of the cowl and cami pattern, i need to find a better match. of course, all of this caused me to fall in love with the cowl and cami pattern and i must add the mohair/silk yarn to my shopping list. kidsilk haze or douceur et soie seem to be the yarns of choice for this project.

the search continues for a good recycled yarn pattern. perhaps this one from interweave knits, winter 2004.

the other foot(s)

2005-03-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

oh yeah, a few days ago i finished a project. i present to you wendy's toe up socks in [in]action. they were so damn big to knit. endless it seemed. as it turns out i could have shaved a few stitches off for a snugger fit. overall, gratifying results for a first set.

click for closeup and focus but lesser color

now that i've knit one pair, i feel the need to have socks on the needles at all times. here is edition 2. after studying the picture of the almost argyle sock on i'm knitting as fast as i can, i made up a little chart to try with what else? -the toe up pattern (it's the only one i have at the moment). i will endeavor to find a pattern for and try the thing where you add on the heel at the end. i think annie modesit has something like that for purchase (sidebar link).

sock 1 and provisional cast on for sock 2

so much quicker than the last; smaller socks, fatter guage, pattern to keep me going. i'm going to try the negative texture on the instep of the next sock to see if i like how it lays better. one of 'em's gonna get ripped depending on which i like more. these are coming out of the ecco zitron merino yarn, gifted to me by mom at christmas time.

in case you other knitters of ugg were wondering how they would fare; these have been washed several times over (cold, low heat tumble). i don't always adhere to washing instructions, as you may have surmised by the felting incident.

and since we're on feet. i thought i would finally get around to photographing the ugg booties i made for bea ages ago. i started these when snb was still taking up outside seating at the newington starbucks. bea has outgrown them now and i think i'll toss them in an envelope for the girl cousin back west that is even tinier than she is.

i am so sick....

2005-03-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

of all this snow!

it's coming down again. maybe i should change the window decor to coax spring along. click for a closeup. visit karen for more pics.

but it's been a good week anyway. snb was fantastic. wich is of course fantastic...but not. karen and myself were there and chris brought along a guest of honor, one of her spinning wheels. you see the first time i tried spinning it was tricky and humbling and i could tell myself that this was something i wouldn't be into. but now this week of the march 9 snb, i am finally succumbing to the charm of the craft.

karen sat down for a spell at the wheel after chris got it all set. being a kind sort, karen asked me if i'd a like a turn -repeatedly. i was resisting for a good part of the evening, frogging away on my lion brand hoodie, sticky green acrylic piling up beside me. but, karen took to the wheel so naturally, only her second time. she was enjoying herself so much, positively gleeful i'd say. turning that light as air fluff into a wonderful thick and thin, and it was getting close to 8:30.

i thought i was safe. i couldn't possibly enjoy the success karen was having. i'd fumble and frustrate and the wheel envy that grew in my heart by the second would subside. so, as karen tied her boots back on, cuddly mini merino skein in hand, i sat. drat that chris for becoming such a good teacher! she honed her instruction strategies with karen and ensnared me with her step by step approach. it was. so. fun.

you spin me right round baby.

a post in honor of dad's birthday

2005-03-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Bon anniversaire papet!

on aimerait bien etre avec toi, papa. tout pleins de gros bisous de ta fille et de tes petits enfants qui t'aiment.

i would have liked one picture of us together, but this is the best i could find. it had to be the boat, why? because, of course, that is where dad and i have had our best times. from olympia, we sailed around puget sound, visiting all the different islands; sometimes taking road trips instead of boat trips. highlights were fresh oyster dinners cooked in the galley, or sausage barbecue, jaunts in 'noisette' the fatty knees (the last picture was cropped specifically to keep the sight of the dinghy bobbing behind us in the shot).

here dad shows how cool he is by jamming out to a mixed tape of the cure (in case the walkman wasn't enough to date the pictures for you.)

memorable times included sitting as still as we could, in the deepening evening, among the pines of one of the islands (dad will remember the name), as deer approached and eventually encircled us, going about their business of nibbling among the shrubs. this happened quite in spite of our taking our shoes off to walk more stealthily. we meant to be quiet, but i doubt the indian braves accomplished that by uttering ouch and ooh on every pebble and sucking wind between their teeth over an encounter with a pinecone.

other lessons learned? don't light fireworks from a floating dock unless you desire to have your eyebrows remodeled by singeing (i think dad stayed on the boat for that little episode as he has some sense). and, no matter how much you want your father to be right, don't let him convince you that there exists such a thing as a sea potato; telling yourself that it must be a species in addition to the sea cucumber, whose existence you are sure about. remember english is a second language and it just might be possible that dear old dad (but not that old dad, don't worry) mixed up his veggies in translation.

happy birthday dad.

stitches, but not knit ones

2005-03-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

i spent the rest of saturday making a yarn pail inspired by the bucket i saw on split yarn. i used a pair of corduroys that had been passed on to me. i was a little dismayed at first that a size 10 fit me so well. but that was a couple of months ago and when i wore them recently, they were too large and dumpy and i was afraid 'what not to wear' was out to get me around every corner (i wish).

all of this made me more than happy to recycle these duds in the form of the interior lining to my yarn pail. i had picked out some nice home fabric at the knitter's breakfast but didn't end up purchasing any. still, i couldn't shake the mood to make my crafty carry-yarn. so i ended up scavenging a decorator pillow i had from ikea that spent too much time on the floor next to the bed. i loved the fabric when i saw it and had to take it home, but it never really found a place and it wasn't comfy anyway.
under the scissors it went. the only unfortunate thing is that i ended up with more seams than i care for, and i would have preferred it if the cuts allowed me to have the flowers grow up and down rather than sideways. also i added handles for ease of take along to stitch n' bitch. that makes it kind of a tote/bucket, which isn't as whimsy as the original but i'm pleased with the result anyway (next time i'll try some lower profile handles).

a cheerful bag to be sure. now i can leave my knitting out in the living room and not be grossed out by the ugly crafter's choice bag, or the lot of balls strewn about everywhere. it's big enough and pretty enough to toss everything in and slide toward the corner. ahh... that's better... maybe some actual knitting next post.

browse 'till you're sick of it

2005-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

saturday morning was spent at the knitter's breakfast in cromwell. it was fun enough. there were a lot of people. the checkout lines stayed lengthy for a very long time. i didn't leave an event that was supposed to wrap at 10 until noon. every time i headed out, i decided i'd rather browse some more than stand in line. kc was of the same mind so we bumped into each other frequently.

you would think that all of the time spent among the isles would make my shopping basket overflow with goods but i was very restrained. i chose very specific items for very specific projects. a little accent yarn for tigger and some aran for miss dashwood. also, some fabric to make a bucket inspired by split yarn. while the browsing did not cause my basket to burst, it did afford me the opportunity to change my mind on said choices several times over. by the time i left i had no idea what i had settled on. and even what i did settle on ended up being edited at the register.

karen joked with the man behind her that the person in front of her always held up the line. and wouldn't you know it, the register gal asked me in the form of a statement "you didn't have them measure this fabric, did you." i got it off the remnant table, i figured they priced the remnant, no i did not have it measured. so, i cut the fabric loose. i decided since i had cycled through so many picks already, i might as well come back another time to change my mind some more...

that didn't keep me from getting real busy when i got home...

drawer

2005-03-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

yep, been looking at that sidebar over there, it's not there just to be pretty. so i ditched, swatched and added.

graduating to the swatching phase are cindy and tigger. i swatched the lace camisole too but the yarn was kinky and it was coming out large. so, after i wash that first ball of yarn, i'll try again on smaller needles. i have this to say for now, the lace was fun, even at 10p.

and hoping to make the cut in the future are the following projects: annie modesitt's easy lace toe up sock, knitty's miss dashwood baby hat, ik's cable eights tank, rowan's hike, weekend knitter's fluffy lace camisole and pull-off cowl, a lace scarf or shawl, and the all over rib jacket from this winter's vk.

try another knitalong?

2005-03-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

scroll down to store bought sweater paragraph

i have this yarn in the format of most of a sweater and a ripped sleeve. i have this pattern in mind from weekend knits. are they a good match? i think i need to join to find out.

kip recap

2005-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

snb was a blast as usual. there was a pretty large number of us at starbucks and i gather there was a good group at sugarcube too; it makes me wonder if there was anyone left to go to abc? i hope so because that really is more convenient for me -usually.

anyway, we talked about special edition snbs like knitting with the kids one saturday, taking advantage of the outdoor concert series in the parks this summer (bushnel and elizabeth, even a trip to the shore to harkness), knitters breakfasts, etc. it really is a fun group and i guess we like each other enough that we want to have even more fun together!

knit in public

2005-03-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

click pic for companion shot.

we're fortunate enough in these parts to have several groups meeting up. tonight alone, you could clack your sticks at the sugarcube in cromwell, the atlanta bread co. in newington, or the starbucks in avon. so many choices, so few corporeal incarnations. i'll be seeing those who find themselves at starbucks tonight, 7p -ish ;)

mommy's purse

2005-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

this post has the feel of cleaning out my purse to me. i have a bunch of little odds and bits to tend to that will serve the purpose of tidying up mind and space to make room for... more.

click for peek-a-back and peek-a-bea...

first, here is the boogie vest. done. i didn't do an edging because the 'felting' served to smooth out the edges and tighten the cable in the back enough not to deal with that. i've worn it a couple of times now. i like it. it's cozy. i need to find some more feminine tshirts to wear with it to compensate for the bulky look of the finished piece. it's a few less stitches per inch that i think i care to wear regularly.

over the february break, i took the kids to newburyport to see the cousins. we visited the local yarn shop, three bags full, that i couldn't find last time. my niece had scoped it out for me in between visits. it's lovely. lots of rowan. lots of cherry tree hill. lots of lots of nice things. big, roomy, i'll be stopping in whenever we stroll downtown in the future.

i purchased some crazy sock yarn (in red/pink/blue) while i was there. i tried to resist but my sil enabled me. i told her i didn't know the gauge of yarn i needed for my next project, but she argued for stash building--in spite of not being a knitter herself. i figured i know what i'll do with sock yarn; it's a safe purchase. i only have one other lot for socks besides this new bit and the yarn i'm using for dah's socks (which btw just turned the 2nd heel on).

that's it for now. i hope to update the project lists in the sidebar this week.

heads up ct locals

2005-02-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

the fabric place in cromwell is having a knitter's breakfast next weekend. i went to the one in the fall and enjoyed myself thoroughly. i was able to pay at the door with no reservation in advance, though i don't know if they've changed that policy for this go 'round. you get a 5 dollar coupon when you show up, so essentially it's free.

great use for leftovers...

2005-02-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

you have some yarn left over from that project you've worked so hard on? why not fashion a noose to hang yourself with after you've *&%^$ ACCIDENTALLY %$#& FELTED @#%*^ THE $#@& PROJECT!

i don't even want to post about this. what can i say? i've washed many, many wool sweaters in my front loading washing machine with cold on the hand wash setting without ever having any problem. one of the bitchin' stitchers in our group swears she cannot felt in her machine because it is a front loader and has had to farm her felting projects out to a fellow bitcher to achieve desired results. apparently aplaca silk FELTS VERY EASILY.

i am so sick about this. in spite of it all, i am blocking it. it started to felt just enough so that the drapey springy fabric has just turned a little stiff. the ribbing is for naught, no stretch action remains. the cables still look pretty. but the softness of the yarn is severely compromised and the beautiful sheen is gone. what a waste. caroline, i'm so sorry i did this with your beautiful gift of yarn.

i'm hoping i can still wear it as a boxy style... i'm also hoping there is enough give along the edges that i can still pick in and crochet the edging. the unfelted edging might look weird; maybe it won't need edging anymore... will see...

excellent knitting adventure

2005-02-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

please excuse the furry nature of the photos as many were in fact taken at nite and the camera was having focus issues for lack of light.

rip back.

shaped with short rows.

connect shoulders.

remembering the icord edging from the tea set pattern, i attempt to knit cable border perpendicular to back piece connecting with a picked up stitch at the end of each rs row as i go. [i am that experienced knitter!]
first try, unacceptable eyelet thing happening.

remembering the toe and heel shaping in the toe up sock pattern, and froggy's attempt of feb 23[with undesirable side effects] with said pattern, i try again picking up the stitch and the wrap each time.

now we're talking!

i didn't take anymore pics but finished the neckline. ripped it and reknit, knitting some of the picked up stitches in the vertical rows together to account for the vertical to horizontal ratio in knitted stitches that was making the back neckline flare and wonky. still not perfect but figure the rest should block out nicely... keep fingers crossed...

boogie [all]nite[r]s

2005-02-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

got my swell book (knitting on the edge) in the mail. no help at all. while it does have beautiful fringe and cable borders in it, they are not part of any whole sweater pattern and so provide no insight for me on how to knit the cable (sideways?) onto the neck or whatever i imagined i might do.

so, i'll be feeling my way through this one. my plan is as follows;
will add pictures as execution progresses:
1. rip back piece enough rows to accommodate width of cable border.
2. reknit with a little neck hole shaping, again considering border width.
3. simple cable or cable with rib? my decreases created a raised rib on the side of the cable. lesson learned. would think to find an invisible decrease, perhaps hide one in the purl stitches to each side of the cable in the future. can one do that?
4. three needle bind off available stitches at shoulders.
5. continue cable stitches left on holder to a length that would cover the remaining neck circumference along the back.
6. attach cable piece to back piece.
7. three needle bind off remaining stitches.
8. continue finishing of vest: side seams, crochet edging around neck and arm holes.
9. block, and
10. wear!

look familiar?

2005-02-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

here we have dah's toe up sock. it may look a lot like it did before. but i'm holding out on you.

(because i like a tongue twister in the morning),
press picker on picture to perceive ped progress,
plus pissed progeny:

and since we're talking about [cute] feet; take a look at what i see at the beginning and end to each day: sunrise.., sunset.., sunrise.., sunset...

in for a penny

2005-02-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

....boogie, boogie, boogie [uttered slowly, shaking head].
i like the neck line. i changed it to a v rather than a slit. it's real purty. the problem with changing a pattern, is that it changes the pattern.

i cannot live with this:

i am my mother's daughter when it irks me so much that a pattern started on the front of a garment abruptly stops where the back begins. how many cute items did my mom not allow me to pick out for myself because "there is nothing on the back, ce n'est pas de bonne qualitee." there was no problem with the way amy king wrote this pattern; i had to go and change it. now i have to go and change it some more... maybe this lovely number(the green on the right w/cabling around the neck) could help me...

so rather than have a finally finished boogie, i'm committed to figuring out how to continue the cable motif across the back of the neck. do i knit a piece and tack it on? do i rip back and knit sideways? i'm sure experienced knitters know how to do this. i am not that experienced knitter. but i will be.

for now, boogie sits and waits until i recieve my copy of knitting on the edge in the mail... i'm hoping it will help.

i just looked up from the computer screen to the tv to see aunt mae, in spiderman, knitting up a blue garter stitch square. that amuses me.

be mine

2005-02-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

*if you're not a fan of the holiday, scroll to the links at the end of this post for justification of your position.

aidan is making valentines for his friends at school. they have their sweetheart party on monday. we recycled some of his preschool color experiments for many of the heart shapes.

last week was my very first parent teacher conference; on the parent side of the table that is, for aidan. it was fun and affirming. i'll savor this one as i don't imagine they will all be this wonderfull... especially desmond's...

to celebrate that, saturday was mommy and primo day with aidan. we had a date to go to the library and check out flat stanley, because his cousin sent him a flat stanley doll in the mail. and then, we hit cvs to get some lollipops to stick in his crafty homemade valentines. being no dumdummy, he chose dumdums because they had the most in a bag.

happy valentine's day to you.
*these are atrocious, check out the puppy one especially.

fo

2005-02-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

there were 13 of us at snb last night; what a blast! the other nice thing is that at least 2 new groups have formed in the last couple of weeks. i can't wait to check them out one of these days...

and now for the reason behind this post... ewok sweater is all done.
i was going to give it a fluff through the wash and dry cycles, but aidan hasn't taken it off since the final try on; he hasn't even put down the hood. he wriggled into it, looked up at me and said one word in the shape of a question... ewok? he looks just like one. i'm taking it that's a good thing in his mind.

the pattern was from the knit it section of the free patterns on lionbrand's website.
the yarn is lionbrand homespun in montana sky.
this is the closest i've ever followed any pattern; pretty much to the letter. i only added a tassel to the hood. oh yeah, and i had to make the hood probably 3 inches longer to accommodate the pumpkin that is aidan's noggin.

would i knit this again? yes, i have two more to finish for the other bambinos. after that, it will be a long time before i work with this yarn again. it's splitty and fuzzfull. seaming s***ed as the end of the working thread would fray and a 3 inch blob of fuzz would shed off in the stitch i just made. i look forward to a practical, washable garment to make up for that little peeve.
one thing i would do differently, though i didn't catch it in time for des' sweater, is that i would start knitting the front with a new ball. i ended up changing balls about 2/3 up the piece and now there is a more abrupt color change than the subtle gradation the yarn is intended to move through. i'll definitely remember that for bea's edition. overall, i'm very pleased.

progress is slow and steady on the remaining two sweaters, dah's sock(s), and the boogie vest. boogie was the knitting of choice at snb last night, until the ball ran out. i'm getting very close to the point where i will have to stop and do some math to achieve the neckline i plan to alter for.

dig it

2005-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

dig the flickr daily zeitgeist i have in my sidebar. i was turned on to this several months ago from a visit to action hero's site. i never did anything with my account until now though. i'm using the service as a fo album. if you click over there, you can scroll through all the pics represented.

the descriptions are a work in progress. the information i've included so far is from the top of my head and lets face it, my memory ain't what it never was. i do have some patterns and yarn ball bands ferreted away. so, over time, i hope to fill in some holes and add a little more accurate and detailed info to the descriptions.

what is too bad is that so many of the photos are of poor quality as they were taken with my cell phone before we had the digital camera. what is nice is that the zeitgeist is so tiny, it makes even those look good at blog page level glance. thanks for stopping and enjoy a perusal of my fos over at flickr!

goody, two shoes!

2005-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

project adapted from rosebud shoes pattern by debbie bliss in nursery knits.

yarn: endless summer collection lara. 100% cotton. purchased from elann

pattern refigured to accomodate smaller size than written for.

tulip embroidery in place of rosebud intarsia.

the embroidery is by no means polished which is why knitted embelishments is fast moving to the top of my knitting library wish list. any recommendations for a similar title/resource? i'd like to have something on hand to consult when i want to add that extra flourish.

thanks for all the baby shoe book loans snbers! i'm very happy with what i made. v, i hope you still stop by here from time to time so that you see the cute shoes i made to go with the laura ashley outfit you passed on to bea; look for them in person at jonathan's baptism. bises to all who influenced this uplifting little project.

and sock progress; this is its 'good side'. i need to drop a stitch down (again, i tried once but didn't twist) and discipline the hole at the top of the heel:

1978

2005-01-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

it was the best year, it was the worst year...
fibertribe's tuscan love posts have been haunting me. they remind me of a year we spent in france when i was growing up. i was a 4th grader which was cm1 or cm2 in the school i attended. here's the thing. the village of valaurie was so small, the ecole grammaire was one room for the ce1, ce2, cm1, and cm2, that made 16 of us, all together. i knew i was not a ce, but i didn't know which of the cm i was. and i was too shy to ask my teacher. i was the world's shiest child -i actually remember sitting under my mother's chair when company came when i was still small enough to do so.

if you click on the link above, the roof shadow on the right is being cast by the house we lived in. it had frontage on the main street and used to be a butcher's shop and house. mom converted the meat coldroom into a bathroom. first the floors had to be ground and polished free of what i imagined to be blood dried over years of dripping and pooling under the various hanging mammals and fowl. hefty hooks had to be chipped out of the walls and ceiling. even after major renovation, the house remained pretty crude. crude but cool. there were three wine cellars underneath complete with a press, and a chicken house behind it, that i converted into a playhouse for myself and my dolls.

one memory i have of those times goes like this. there was a celebrity french pop singer at the time by the name of claude francois. this was just before he died of an electrocution in the bathtub sort of accident. my friend sylvie and i went around writing 'cf' for claude francois all over the village walls in chalk. i had another friend, a boy, named frederic, fredo for short. so, wherever my brothers and their cronies saw 'cf', they inserted '+' between the letters so it would read 'c+f' for corine loves fredo. just another instance in a myriad, alternating between abuse and adoration, at the whim of my good bros.

what else? did you know my brothers invented sailboarding? as are many of these villages, this one is situated on a hill and features country lanes switching back and forth up its flanks. my brothers considered these to be prime skateboarding terrain. they had these early skateboards, primitive by today's standards. most french people in the area had not seen or heard of skateboards before. the thrill of wheels alone wasn't enough for my brothers though, they fashioned sails out of scrap wood and plastic sheeting to harness the mistral. i was as cautious as my brothers were crazy. my skateboard ride consisted of my parking my narrow ten year old buttom on the board and gripping the sides, gritting my teeth at the thought of the pavement grinding my knuckles around a sharp turn. i only ever ventured on one if trekking beyond the village, like to roussas, with 'les garcons', the pace requiring extra effort on my part to keep up.

the earth has truly beautiful places on it, what nostalgia is gripping you this winter?

pretty maid's [booties] all in a row

2005-01-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

one of these is not like the others. i gauge swatched this debbie bliss bootie in the form of a first bootie. now, i know db's philosophy behind knitting oversized garments for kids. they're meant to be worn with plenty of ease for freedom of movement, and they can grow into the size over a couple of years, yada yada. ok for sweaters. but for a baby bootie??? does that make any sense at all? what child will wear a bootie after she learns to walk? making this item oversized is not going to stretch the window for wearing it--unless you decide it looks good on your german shepherd.

i pretty much assumed the booties would fit the age given. wrong. after knitting this zeppelin for my daughter's dainty foot, i decided to peruse some pictures in some of db's other books to see how her booties looked on (note that the picture of the one i was knitting was of the booties hanging seductively from a crib rail). sure enough, the kids who have them on their feet probably used a diving board to get into them. so lovely though. her books make me want to have barrels of babies just to knit for them...

at any rate, i love the booties. after some adjustments, they are just what i was trying for. and, a couple of aspects to this project make it all the more enjoyable. first, i have an fo to show for my effort rather quickly. more importantly, is that i used left over yarn from my stash. originally, i went to the lys and purchased some navy cotton because the dress she needs these with is dark and plaid and velour. then, i decided to return that yarn and purchase more in it's place, but... for someone else! (yay! no extra yarn in my house!) because i remembered i had perfectly lovely blue yarn already. you may remember this stylin' item knit for aidan while i was pregnant with bea (also adapted form debbie bliss, btw). i had a couple skeins left, some of which went into the pitcher for annie modesitt's famous fiesta tea set. and now i have booties for my three legged baby. it's all good.

what remains for me is to purchase buttons for the booties and embroider some little flowers on the tops to match the ones that pepper the velour bodice of the dress. also, i need to knit the lid to the pitcher, and some tea cups, and some saucers, and the creamer and sugar bowl... that was the first and last knit along i ever joined, can anyone tell me why?

thursday

2005-01-20T13:56:00.000-08:00

here are the hoodie colors all swatched up in the form of the back of each sweater. aidan's blue is montana sky, desmond's florida keys green, bea's is delft. this picture doesn't show the color gradations of the yarn; for cheap stuff it is fun to knit up for the kids.

the largest sweater is pretty far along. the hood is completed, after binding it off and trying it on, i found that the pattern is not written for a child's head as big as the one mine has. so, ripped out the bind off, added a couple inches and have now completed the hood. tees me off a little as it adds a couple of ends to weave in. what remains now are the sleeves and the finishing. lots of ends too, no spit joining on this acrylic. boo.

aidan rather likes the sweater at this stage. the hooded tunic styling of it has him pretending he is a knight, and then when he is tired of that he is an ewok. there he goes with the dress up again. given this penchant, i am wondering, is this what his future holds?

what will you do with the moment you find to yourself today?