MAYARN

busy times

Wow. I can’t believe I haven’t posted since January 17. I fully intended to pop in with a knitterly update within a week or so of that post and now… it’s March 10.

Well, there’s so much to report. I’ll just give an overview of the knits, reveal my Big News (which many of you already know), and try to resume more “normal” blogging with the next post. Sound good?

First, the knits:

Pattern: Hemlock Ring, the Jared Flood version
Needles: US 10
Yarn: South West Trading Company Phoenix (can’t remember the colorway)

Knit for a friend’s baby girl, due to arrive in April. It turned out a little smaller than I would have liked, but I was running out of yarn so this was as big as I could get it. I think it will make a good stroller blanket—or just something pretty for the nursery.  I really enjoyed knitting this, although I’m not sure I would make an adult-sized version. The feather and fan section can get tedious and it’s just so heavy to knit a blanket in one piece like this. I don’t like having to push my stitches around the needles with considerable force every 10 knits or so. Mostly, I like to fly…

Pattern: Spiral Cowl by Keri McKiernan
Needles: US 6
Yarn: From School Products, so it didn’t have a name. It was a Cashmere/Merino wool/silk blend of some sort. Nice and squishy-soft, but not too soft. (I am one of those people who thinks a yarn can in fact be too soft.) It was somewhere between fingering and lace weight, so I held it double.

Knit for the Spiders Cowl Exchange, which took place this past Saturday. This cowl went to Katie.

This is the first cowl I ever knit and now I can see why they’ve become so popular. Cowls are stylish, knit up quickly, are handspun-friendly and are small enough to experiment with a fun or funky technique, without being stuck doing said technique for, say, a blankets-length. The Spiral Cowl involves a picot edging which, I admit, is not my favorite thing to knit, but the end result is so nice and clean. I think it really adds something special. I wasn’t sure about this project when I started, but I love the way it turned out. I kind of want to make one for myself now…

Now, for my big news. In case you didn’t know, or hadn’t seen elsewhere (like on flickr). I’m pregnant!

About 21 weeks right now, due July 17, and we just found out Friday that it’s a boy (!). Every day the idea of bringing a child into our lives becomes more real; of course we’re both thoroughly excited. Also, yay for baby knits! For starters, I’m considering crocheting up a baby ripple blanket with this:

What do you think??

dominate the yarn*

Pattern: Sawtooth Skirt by Kira K. Designs
Yarn: Rowan Linen Drape
Needles: US 4 & 5

Wow. I did it. For once, swatching worked for me and I was able to alter a pattern to suit my yarn. And it fits! It's comfortable, and it actually looks good on. I'm so stunned, I'm not exactly sure what to say about it. After many ill-fitting sweaters and other garments, I've sometimes wondered if I am better off just knitting shawls and scarves and toys and the like. But I think this skirt proves that if you take your time, measure, swatch, and want a wearable FO badly enough, you can make it work. I wasn't sure I had it in me--I wasn't sure if the yarn had it in it either--but here we are. Sweet, sweet victory.

To appreciate how far I have come with this yarn, let's peruse its history of failure, shall we?

I bought this Rowan Linen Drape on deep discount at A Good Yarn in Brookline, MA, right after I moved the yarn-shop's neighborhood in 2005. I was blinded by new-yarn-love and somehow decided it was a good idea to immediately cast on for this cabled tube-top.


Linen and cable? Linen and tube tops? None of these things get along very well. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Riiiiip.

I loved this yarn so much, I did not loose hope and almost immediately after the first failed knit I devised a plan for a deep-v-necked top-down raglan. It would be so flowy and flattering. Like the hour glass sweater from LMKG, but v-necked, and so much better. Right? Right.



I knit the whole body for this plan, tried it on, and... Flowy? Not even close. Flattering? Think again. This thing was suck tight and not even blocking could save it. I was so discouraged, I ripped and the yarn languished in a plastic grocery bag for a couple months.

I don't know why, but I was doggedly determined to make this yarn into something I could wear. Come hell or highwater, I would wear orange linen! So I eventually cast on and knit almost the entire body for this cropped wrap in an old issue of Vogue Knittng:



Bad all around. It was too cropped, and just the wrong yarn for this project. Not even worth discussing. Ripped, bagged, and forced to sit in a yarn basket and think about what it had done.

All of these attempts happened during winter 2005 and spring 2006, so this yarn spent almost 2 years pondering its faults. But right before we move to NYC, I decided to give it one more chance, thinking it might make a good skirt, and rescued it from the stash bins that are now in storage almost 200 miles from our apartment. It helped that I didn't haphazardly approach the project without considering any factors except my desire to wear orange linen. Not every knit can be a quick fix knit. Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot.


Anyway, back to the skirt. It was generally a breeze to knit, though the finishing was a bit fiddly (edging was sewn on and elastic waistband had to be assembled). I really like the waist band. A lot of other skirt patterns have drawstring waistbands, which is fine, I guess. But I think it looks a lot more polished to have the elastic band.


I'm going to start looking for a slip to wear with this, because in bright light, it's definitely a bit see-through. And then, once I can actually wear it in public, I'll take action shots at a family event or out and about in Brooklyn. Should be interesting to see if people react to it; you don't see a lot of knitted skirts like this around...

* Title is a nod to my bro-in-law, Mike, who is making a go of selling the bar exam study flash cards he and his friends invented while they were in law school: DOMINATE the bar. Don't just do stuff, DOMINATE stuff.

making it work

I am knitting a skirt. Isn't that exciting?

Very. Exciting.

I am using some old Rowan linen drape that I have had in my stash FOREVER, which I've previously tried to give life as a sweater, another sweater, and a top of some sort. Yeah, all previous efforts failed, were ripped, and now this yarn is getting re-knit for the 4th time. But, I tried this on today and it actually fits and looks pretty good (if I do say so myself)! I knew I could make it work—eventually.

hitting a nerve

For months now I have been itchy in the knitting department. I can't seem to finish anything big without a hard deadline. I start new projects, get SO CLOSE to finishing them, realize I don't have enough yarn, and then rip the whole thing. I have good ideas that I don't act on. Instead I act on the random impulse ideas that may or may not be good ones. I think part of this is because to knit the good ideas I need to acquire yarn. And there is no room for more yarn in my world at this time. When we moved to NYC, we halved our living space and completely eliminated our storage space. An old story for those relocating to the city, to be sure. But still—it somehow seems to be affecting my knitting life tremendously.

Today, after perusing the Summer '08 Interweave Knits preview, I have to say: despite my fickle knitting brain and space constraints, yarn acquisition may be unavoidable:

Wallis Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle

Oh my goodness, Melissa! I love it! So pretty and feminine. There isn't much else in this new issue that catches my eye, but this—yes. I haven't yet read any blogs reviewing this preview, but I have a feeling a lot of people will feel similarly about this design.

Steve and I are stopping by Maryland Sheep and Wool this coming Saturday on our way to a family event. (I know that sounds ridiculous—how do you "stop by" M$W?  Well, we're doing it so I guess we'll see how it works out.) In the slivers of time between trying to meet up with friends I only get to see once a year at events like this, perhaps I will be able to find—and give in to—a good yarn for this project? Perhaps....

bear 3 at 31

Pattern: Henry the Bear by Jess Hutch from Unusual Toys for you to Knit and Enjoy
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
Needles: US7
A Gift For: Friends who are having a baby boy in July.
I Learned: The more of these I make, the more I love them (if that's possible) and the better I get at sewing the faces. This is probably the best one I've ever done.

Steve's childhood friend Steve and his wife Mindy, who is pregnant with their first child, visited us this weekend. We did a gift exchange of sorts, where we gave them this bear and a Led Zepplin onesie for their baby-to-be, and they gave us a housewarming gift of soap and lotion and a birthday gift of delicious homemade brownies.

Yup, I turned 31 on Sunday. So far, a whole 1.5 days into being 31, I think this is going to be a weird age.

When I was in my 20s I was very aware (and defensive) of my specific age. For example:

When I was 24 I would tell people how old I was, consciously hoping they found me mature, focused, and impressive for a 24 year old.

When I was 27 I would tell people how old I was, consciously hoping they found me accomplished and impressive for a 27 year old.

When I was 29, I would tell people how old I was, consciously hoping they found me youthful looking, young-at-heart, and impressive for a 29 year old.

Now that I'm 31, I imagine being in a conversation in which I'll have to pause and try to remember  the answer to the question, "how old are you?" Somehow, that number doesn't seem as important anymore. I don't have to defend my age like I used to, saying "I'm 24, but I can do this thing or that thing! I can do it all! Just give me a chance!" Yes, it could be that I'm more comfortable with aging. Or, it could just be that I'm losing my memory bit by bit, and this year the bit that went was the bit that knows how old I am.

Well, 31 and up, I'll never outgrow knitting Jess Hutch toys. They are the perfect gift, I think, in that they only require a small amount of yarn, they knit up fast, whether you are using an easy-to-wash fiber doesn't matter much, and they are too cute for words.

Lace for a cause

Pattern: Hanami by Melanie Gibbons
Yarn: Sundara Yarn Silk Lace in Crimson
Needles: US3 Addi Turbos

I love this shawl. But I'm giving it away. It was always intended as thus, and thus it shall be.

A while back, the organization that helps care for Steve's disabled sister asked if I would knit something for them to give away in their annual silent auction. Of course I said yes—not only did I want to contribute to  making sure Steve's sister has great facilities and an opportunities, this sort of project allows me to make something that I may not necessarily want for myself, but seems like it would be a hoot to knit. That was the case with Hanami. I love this pattern and how unexpected it is, but I couldn't see myself wearing it. Not really. But all those "random" dots? Looked like a fun knitting challenge to me. 

To make this special project extra special, I acquired a hank of Sundara silk in Crimson. Man, is that a special yarn. Such a nice sheen, so soft and silky. I hope whoever ends up taking this home appreciates it as much as I do. I have a bit left and I'll have to find something good to do with it for me. What can one make with a couple hundred yards of silk? I guess I'll have to ask Ravelry.

I didn't make a lot of modifications. Although, like a lot of people out there, I did decide to forgo the beaded and ruffled ends and stick to simple garter stitch. And not so much a modification, but a, um, MISTAKE—or rather two mistakes—I think I might have left out a bunch of straight stockinette rows in the middle, and I definitely added a couple extra yarn over rows at the end. Meh—no big whoop. I'm sure whoever ends up with this shawl won't notice, so I won't let those little foibles bother me.

I was surprised by how much I liked the basket weave section of this pattern, since the part I was really excited about was the "cherry blossoms." But this section is super cool looking and would make a great scarf all on its own, don't you think?

I was also surprised to discover that those dots aren't really random at all! Before I bought the pattern, I was imagining a chart that was 95 stitches wide and required counting each individual stitch. Not so!  Sure there are a bunch of charts, but within each once there's an easy 16 stitch repeat that you really have to look closely to notice in the finished product. Now THAT, to me, is a clever design.

(It has to be said—yes, I'm wearing a shirt under there. A yellow tank. Sheesh!)

I'm always surprised by the warmth of silk and lace shawls. It's easy to forget when a fiber is so soft and light and a knit is so airy that a wisp like this can be really very warm...

Anyway. It's heading out in the mail tomorrow. But I got everything I wanted out of this project, plus a little leftover silk. I hope the organization this is going to benefits from it too.

can't sit still

I have a bonafied case of start-itis.

Hanami and Sundara Silk, now on the needles. But it had to be done. This thing has a deadline and it is fast approaching. Luckily, I will be on a plane for 6 hours tomorrow. And then another 6 hours on Sunday (but that's a red eye). Plenty of knitting time!

Yup - I'm heading to Stitches West with Jess and Casey and the rest of Team Ravelry to help run the Ravelry booth. Watch for us! We are going to have lots of new, fun stuff, so stop by and say hi!

Wishin' and hopin'

These are blocking as I type.

Keep your fingers crossed that 1) the slight puckering is fixed by blocking; and 2) they are the same size.

I definitely knit the second one more loosely. In fact, I ripped out half of it and reknit it more tightly - but only half of it. I might end up with one baggy cuff. We shall see.

Anyways... I love them, no matter what. I've spent plenty of time simply gazing at the amazing color variations, and then remembering "oh, right. keep knitting!" sigh....

Gifties

Today at work we did a Yankee swap at work. There are only 10 of us, so it was a pretty swift ordeal. For my gift, I gave these:

Mini mittens, knit out of Sunshine Yarns sock yarn, Colorful colorway (this was a free sample i got from Dani)

Mini stocking (Ravelry link), from Last Minute Knitted gifts (with added motif at top); random scrap yarn.

Mini Sweater, also from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knit with yarn from a J. Crew sweater I unravelled a long time ago.

They were well received. Got swapped for several times. Pretty sure people liked them. :-) I will definitely make a lot more of the mittens. They are just too precious for words.

driven to invention

About two years ago Maurene and I went on our first January trip to New York City. That Saturday was terribly blustry and rainy and frigid, so when we popped into The Market, Maurene had to buy the cutest little hat thingy:

(That's her on the right)

When we saw it, I was convinced I could knit up something similar myself. Although, circumstances being what they were, time and materials to do such a thing on the spot were obviously lacking, and she needed a head warmer! But ever since, I often thought about making one. Then, last week, I popped into Urban Outfitters and saw they had something very similar for sale--probably for some outrageous price. For me, such discoveries only stoke the fire.

So tonight, almost two years after the idea sparked, I scrounged up a few hours and some white wool in my stash, and voila:

Never mind all those projects I have on the needles--this one got me the FO gratification I've been needing. And I love it. It's perfect for the chillish weather we are having right now.

No time right now for the details, but if people are interested, I'll write them up. Or maybe there's a pattern out there for something in a similar style (but not Calorimetry or Panta; personally, I don't like the ribbing on those as much)? It's entirely possible.  Although considering I spent time thinking about this and figuring out how to do it, I think I'd rather not know.