Knitting Musings

Photographs!!!

I promise - I finally got off my lazy butt and took some photographs. But first, before I forget, here's the results of my latest attempt to get gauge...

The yarn is from Tess' Designer yarns, and was purchased at MDS&W 2 years ago. The color in the "after" pictures is much truer. The yarn is a silk/merino blend, which means, in my experience, that it GROWS. So after I knit a bit on my "swatch" (aka a sleeve), I took it off the (size 7) needles, slipped it on waste yarn, and gave it a nice bath.

Before - about 8.5 inches wide.

After - about 9.5 inches wide.

Before - about 4.5 inches long.

After - about 5" long.

So I'm going to try again with size 5 needles and see if I'm happier with the results.

Right. So that's taken care of - so without further ado, here's finished object number 1 -

Beara Island Penninsula Vest

Pattern: my own; colorwork based on the Hillswick Lumber Pattern from the Art of Fair Isle.

Yarn: 100% Pure Shetland Wool, 2 ply jumper weight

Notes: Latest in the series of "Dad's Christmas Vests." Love making them, love designing them, love steeking them ... don't love picking up and knitting, but managed to get through it with a few beers and a lot of determination.

And...

Some of you may remember that back in January, I bought a couple of XL cashmere sweaters on sale. I proceeded to rip them apart...

Much better now, don't you think?

Elizabeth I

Pattern: from Tudor Roses

Yarn: Recycled 3-ply cashmere

Notes: I can't wait for winter. I loved knitting this, even though it was on size 2!! needles... The pattern was entertaining, clever, and well-done. I made only the most minor of changes - I didn't widen the sleeves at the upper arm. Otherwise, just about exactly as written. And a cashmere sweater for under $50, with plenty of recycled yarn leftover? Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Labels: Dad's Vest, Elizabeth I, Gathering Intentions

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Vacation Re-Entry

Classes start on Monday, which means that my glorious at-home vacation is coming to an end. SIGH. As terrible as so much of student-life is (finals, cough cough, FINALS), you can't beat the time off.

Speaking of time off... here's some yarn-y pics from Ireland -

There were probably 20 of these huge stacks of yarn all lined up in the warehouse. Drool.

Back in the "real world," I've been doggy-sitting while S is at work. It's been a VERY tough life for these two...

and a few hours later...

In my next life, I'd like to come back as Abby or Cricket.

And FINALLY - apparently I've managed to spend a little of my time off knitting - Dad's Vest (The Beara Penninsula Vest) is ready for some edging - the steeks were cut while watching the finale of Season 1 of Project Runway on DVD. It seemed appropriate...

Wooo HOOOOO! Steeks!!!

I gave it a quick block so that it's all ready for the edgings...

... but then I promptly ignored it and moved back to Elizabeth I. I had finished the sleeves before Ireland, and finished the back last week... I'm hoping to finish the front around the beginning of school. We'll see....

Labels: Dad's Vest, Elizabeth I, Ireland

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Just What I Need – Another Hobby!

But first... a trip to New York, starring an expense account and a sock.

5:30 am - Union Station, Washington, D.C.

6:00 am - The Sock Enjoys the Comfort of the Acela Express

10:00 am - The Sock Researches at NYU's Law Library

4:00 pm - The Sock Relaxes in Bryant Park

Overall, it was a blast - although I'm fairly certain it was a waste of money for the firm. However, since it wasn't my decision to go, I just made the most of the day. I spent most of the afternoon wandering around Manhattan - I got a mani/pedi, had a nice lunch/dinner, and enjoyed just watching the city on a cloudy Monday.

And when I got home from work on Tuesday, my new hobby was here...

I couldn’t help it… I just had to order myself some “big-girl” dyes. I’ve done kool-aid, and I knew it just wasn’t going to cut it. So, thanks to the folks at ProChemical, I’m now the proud owner of the “springtime,” “summertime,” “autumn,” and “winter holiday” dye kits. I was particularly attracted to the kits because they included citric acid, synthrapol, and instructions – all I need to contribute is yarn, table salt, a pot, a spoon, gloves, and some plastic wrap. Hopefully I won’t make too big of a mess of things …

And I have plenty of yarn to play with.

I’m going to start with some crappy naturespun stuff – I got it at a yarn swap, so I’m not too worried that I’m going to turn it into something totally unusable. I think I’ve had it for 2 years now, and still have no plans to use it for anything, so I think I might try some stripes or something. Once I’m convinced that my dyeing efforts won’t turn everything into a giant pile of crap-yarn, I’m moving on – next up will be the 500 grams of sock yarn (60% merino, 40% acrylic) I bought in New York on Monday. It turned out to be about the same price as the dye-your-own stuff from Knitpicks, and since they’re backordered until the end of June, this seemed to make sense. Then, if and only if I am FIRMLY convinced I don’t suck at dyeing in every possible way, I’ll tackle that grey sock/lace – weight cashmere that somehow ended up in my bag leaving the Big Apple. (There may also have been some beautiful deep jade green cashmere laceweight, but really, what’s a little cashmere between friends?)

If I like what I’m doing, I’ll also be placing a knitpicks order once they get the sockyarn back in stock, and I’ll go crazy with some more sock yarn and laceweight. I’m so excited.

When the dyes came yesterday, of course I had to look at all of the little containers and say “oooooooooo.” I went to bed last night firmly convinced that I would kick some serious ass in the hand-dyeing department. When I woke up this morning, though, it occurred to me that I have ZERO clue as to what I’m doing, and perhaps a few references might be in order.

So thanks to my free Amazon Prime trial membership, I should have these babies tomorrow or Friday.

So sometime in the next few weeks, I’m having a dyeing adventure. Is it a bad sign that I’m a little upset that Cricket, being jet black, isn’t amenable to Technicolor experiments?

Oh, and Shanti - I may have kinda started Elizabeth I a little bit.

And I think Good Old Queen Bess may be accompanying me to the beach this weekend - that's right - more tough work at the law firm... the summer associates retreat in Charleston. It's a tough life!

Labels: Dyeing, Elizabeth I, Socks

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So it IS Possible...

Abby the 3-Legged Wonder Dog has a tremendous amount of energy. 3 hours of puppy-walks a day? No problem! (What? We're going home now? We just got out here!) But this weekend, we discovered the secret to wearing her out - go camping!

We chose the always-lovely Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park. The weather was amazing, the new tent worked great, and I brought knitting. Abby took it easy on the first day because something was wrong with one of her back feet - we think she must have stepped on a nettle or something, because we couldn't see anything wrong. But apparently, the minimum number of legs she needs is 3, because she was so extra-pathetic hopping around on 2 legs. So she got carries back to the tent, and we just took it easy. Luckily, later on in the evening, she seemed to be fine, and we went on to take many walks in the woods, where we chased those gigantic brown squirrels - the ones with antlers and those little white tails.

I also got to test my "build a wind shelter out of common camping items" skills as the persistent wind kept blowing out the grill (on which we made super yummy potato slices and marinated chicken breasts. We're all about roughing it!)

And later, after dinner, I ~~knit~~ made shadow puppets.

That night, Abby discovered that S had to actually GO OUTSIDE to use the bathroom, so she wanted to make every bathroom trip into a puppy-walk.

The next morning, we went on a nice, long before-breakfast ~~walk~~ sprint. It was a VERY exciting walk - Abby caught (and killed) a vole.

Is this the face of a killer? Oh yeah - 5 birds, 3 mice, 2 voles, 1 squirrel, 1 possum.

So after ~~Killer~~ Abby got another few runs in the woods and did her best "mountain doggy" impression, we headed out of the park - with just one more pitstop for a last bathroom break, an hour of puppy walks, and a good, long roll in the grass.

Once we finally got on the road, this is what happened - she didn't even really wake up when we got home. S had to carry her upstairs, where she fell asleep for the rest of the day.

Notice the grass stain on her front leg.

But yes, there has been occassional knitting. Remember how ages ago I bought some cashmere turtlenecks on crazy-sale and proceeded to cannibalize them?

I finally found a use for the yarn.

I'm spot-on with gauge - 27 sts and 40 rows over 4 inches. ON FREAKING US2's. What could possibly make me even contemplate knitting an ENTIRE FREAKING SWEATER on FREAKING US2's?

Elizabeth I. I think I'm in love with this sweater. And to make it out of 100% cashmere yarn that I got for under $50? I think it was meant to be.

But first, several other things must get crossed off the list. First up - Mom's Lily of the Valley wrap. I'm probably about halfway there lengthwise, but I'm not really sure. I figure I'll keep going until it's done, and then add the border.

Also, I would like to finish the second Eleanora sock before I die a peaceful death of old age. Notice how crimped that yarn is? That's because this is the THIRD FREAKING TIME I've knit the heel. All due to mind-bogglingly stupid mistakes on my part. Sigh.

But it needs to get finished, because waiting in the wings...

Yes, I DID need more sock yarn. LOTS more sock yarn. Every 2 months sock yarn. But look! The mini-skein is too cute to resist!

And speaking of too cute - I just bought a thumb drive. That, my friends, is 1 GB for $30. I'm under 30, and I found myself saying things like "wow, I remember when memory cost hundreds of dollars..."

Labels: Abby, Camping, Elizabeth I, Socks

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Update, the Sequel

Since I'm going to be spending 48 hours this weekend competing for an editor position on my law review, I felt entirely justified in only being minorly productive this past weekend. After all, there really should be a limit to how much law school work one can be expected to do!

Exhibit A: Challah

It came out of the oven on Sunday afternoon, and DAMN was it good. In my (not-so) humble opinion, there are few things in this world as good as fresh baked bread, hot from the oven.

Exhibit B: A New Project?

Cindy gifted me with some beautiful cashmere sock yarn from Ally Pally in October. And while I love pampering my feet with handknit socks, socks seem like a waste of some amazingly lush yarn... especially since I actually do not own a hand-knit scarf. So I'm giving the Baltic Sea Stole a try. I'm making mine MUCH narrower since I want a scarf, not a stole, but otherwise I'm trying to go with "as-written." I'm not 100% convinced that this is the pattern for this yarn, but I need a few more inches before I can tell what it'll look like. But I LOVE the yarn, and the colors are totally perfect for me.

Exhibit C: New Finished Object Galleries

2006 is up, and I'm working on 2005 and 2004. I'm still tweaking all of the templates, but I'm (generally) liking how it's turning out.

Exhibit D: Ireland Cardi

All pieces are completed, and the whole thing took a nice, long soak in some eucalan. Now they're drying, and waiting for the far-off time when I have enough energy and an opportunity to break out the needle, yarn, and some mattress-stitching. Those very visible raglan seams are going to take some concentration!

So there was quite a lot of non-law-schooling going on last weekend, and it worked out so well, I've been carrying it into this week. I try to keep a sock going during classes so that when I'm not taking notes, I have a chance to, you know, pay attention, instead of checking my email or something equally destructive to my attention span. Between classes and choir yesterday, my current sock went from this:

to this:

And on a completely random note - anyone care to guess what's going on in this picture? hint - the blue and white you see in the bags on the right are also turtleneck sweaters.

and another hint? yes, that's cashmere.

And finally, in the realm of the bizarre, Cricket discovered two new snacks this weekend - edamame and pudding.