Now that's teamwork!

Pattern: "Patchwork Carriage Blanket, " by Tara Jon Manning, available in The Knitter's Book of Yarn
Yarn: Spud and Chloe Sweater - aran weight 45% cotton/55% superwash wool
Colorways: Grass, Splash, and Chipmunk

Plus: Considering our intentions and circumstances, this blanket could not have been more perfect. My knitting buddies, Hannah and Shelley, and I selected this pattern as a baby shower present for our long-time (like, since 5th grade) friend Jessica. The pattern consists of 6 strips of 6 squares each, which are then seamed together and crocheted around the edge. Perfect, right? Hannah, Shelley and I each knit two strips; Shelley (seaming diva) mattress stitched the thing up; we roped our friend Temple (crochet amigurumi enthusiast) into adding the edging; finally, I (aggressive blocker) stretched and prodded the poor thing until you could not tell that it was made by four very different (but fabulous) women. Ta da!

We loved this cuddly, mom-friendly (read: machine-washable) yarn, and the colors are wonderfully modern and spunky This pattern was just the right balance of challenge and ease for a project to be shared among knitters of varying experience levels. The cables kept the advanced ones mildly amused, while the tons of stockinette and seed stitch made it doable for a novice to complete quickly.

Delta: It's really more our fault than the pattern, but we were really thrown when reading the helpful diagram alongside the helpful written instructions....because they did NOT seem to match up. We hemmed and hawed and stared and were even more frustrated when we could not find errata anywhere. Oh....wait.....knitting works from the bottom up. Right. Duh.

Finally, Watts afghan square #23, by far my least favorite thing to ever knit EVER. Hate. Loathe. Get out of my sight, stupid square!

I apologize (to my two readers, hehe) for my extended absence of late. School has become rather demanding as the year winds down, and the 10-11 hour work day has become default. Additionally, I have been re-purposing some of my usual weeknight knitting to getting into better shape. More on that later!

Dude Looks Like a Lady Sweater

Pattern: "February Lady Sweater," by Pamela Wynne, available as a free download on Ravelry
Yarn: Knit Picks Kettle-dyed Wool of the Andes, worsted weight 100% Peruvian wool
Colorway: Grasshopper
Buttons: Amazing, aren't they? Genuine Bone. Jo-ann's, of all places.


Plus: What's not to love about this design? Simple, flattering, easy to try on as you go. It's no wonder that Ms. Wynne's adaptation of the Zimmerman design is such an obsession in the knit world. I was thinking the other day about what I would do if I saw some chick out and about wearing this sweater (it's bound to happen soon). Do I hug her? Ask her if she throws or picks? Open with a comment on her hot mods?

Delta: Oh, Knit Picks, it's a love/hate thing, ain't it? It's hard to resist the prices, but you're also buying plenty of flaws to fret over. One, the "kettle-dyed" effect seems to be wildly inconsistent from one skein to another, some looking 100% solid, some being quite variegated and watery, others being a downright different green altogether. If I had been smart, I would have alternated skeins every two rows like pretty much every good knitter recommends. One day, I'll be that smart. Notice the "band of stupidity" right under my boobs, about 3 inches deep. As for the texture, apart from the totally expected roughness of this wool, Knit Picks makes some odd, hard, gnarly, enlarged "splices" which are totally infuriating! I had the same problem with the Cadena wool/alpaca blend used for the bridesmaid shawls of Becca's wedding.

Do I look skinnier in these pictures? I should, for I--lover of all food Mexican and all activities still and air-conditioned--have lost 11 pounds. Pretty soon, I'll be taking all knit-related pictures in a bikini. Then, my blog will REALLY take off!

And of course, afghan square #22!

And Thanks Again!

A final thank-you gift for another recommendation letter.

Pattern: "Candy Wrapper Sachets" by Leigh Radford, available in One Skein
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, 100% silk DK weight single ply (colorway #11)

Plus: These were a perfect last minute gift! I've had a random skein of silk and this particular pattern stashed away for just such an occasion for months, and it finally paid off. The recipient does not seem like the handknit wearing type; she almost always wears black, brown, or gray, and I cannot recall a single accessory she's worn. But everyone wants their undies drawer to smell nice, right? I was able to knit one of each pattern variation a night during the week and build the sachets over the weekend.

Delta: I had to get creative with the construction, because I could find neither silk tea bags nor loose dried lavender anywhere locally. In the end, I bought a couple of those cheap drawer sachets that come the in paper envelopes, the kind with the scented clay pellets inside, and poured them carefully into a draw string organza pouch. To make sure nothing spilled, I tucked that pouch inside a second one, drawstring side down, before cinching the whole thing up in the silk wrappers. I found all the provisions at my neighborhood Joann's: the ribbon in the sewing section, the organza pouches in the DIY wedding aisle, and the sachets near the candles and potpurri. It wasn't the classiest set-up, but I think they turned out okay.

I really need to snap some shots of my finished February Lady Sweater which has been finished for weeks. I'm just not in the most to be all posey-posey in front of a camera, but it's really time to suck it up.

I just returned from a fun trip to an alpaca farm in Wimberly, Texas. They had an "Open Farm Day" with demonstrations of shearing, spinning, felting, and weaving. I had really planned on buying a drop spindle while there, but they had sold out before we arrived. No matter, for I fell in love with another unnecessary gadget: a Cricket table-top loom. Must have. Birthday, perhaps? I also got to hug an angora bunny and tease some naked alpacas. Good times.

Behold, afghan square #21:

Thank You, Thank You

The lamest part of Jake's imminent entry into law school is my scrambling, stressful search for a job. Several people have helped me out by writing beautiful letters of recommendation, and I just had to thank them with some fiber.

Pattern: "Ruffle Lace Scarf" by Suzie Blackman, available free here
Yarn: Knit Picks Suri Dream - 74% brushed suri alpaca/22% Peruvian wool/4%nylon
Colorway: Hollyberry


Plus: For such a big-impact, lush scarf, this took surprisingly little time. I think this yarn, leftover from the shawl extravaganza of my sister's wedding, is a perfect pairing with this pattern. The lace, when lightly stretched, appears much more complicated than it is, almost like more of an "old shale" look. Despite the mohair look, this thing is heaven directly on the neck.

Delta: This so isn't me, the yarn or the project. They're both so flamboyant! My former department head Sonya looks great in fun, bold-statement accessories. RED is just her personality. However, I'm still a little worried that it won't play nicely with the rest of her wardrobe.

Pattern: "Just Enough Ruffles" by Laura Chau, available for pdf purchase on Ravelry
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted (aka knitter's crack)
Colorway: Sauternes


Plus: I cast this darling on one Saturday afternoon when I was bed-ridden and feeling utterly pathetic. Something about the luscious texture of the fiber, combined with the zen-like simplicity of the pattern...I could not put it down. It was like chicken soup for my knitterly soul; all my other projects looked rough or difficult or irritating in comparison. The whole thing flew off the needles in about 24 hours, and only the 600 stitch bind-off felt like a chore. I'm quite sure I'll be ordering more Malabrigo and settling in for some cozy merino therapy again very soon.

Delta: You always take a certain amount of risk ordering hand-dyed yarn online. I was hoping for a softer sunlight yellow (a color I happen the think the recipient looks amazing in), and this had a touch more orange than I had anticipated.

Jake visited Washington and Lee last weekend for an open house for admitted law students. I think he really fell in love with the place, which is a good thing, since it's currently the front runner. There are still ELEVEN schools to hear from, but he's expecting rejection or wait-list from most of those. Anyways, he took lots of pictures of the town for me, capturing its boho/intellectual charm. Independent bookstore and coffeeshops, local yarn shop, natural foods grocer, AVEDA salon, beautiful 19th century churches, red brick sidewalks everywhere, farmers markets, vineyards....yeah, I could handle it. ;-)

Stargazing With the Wool Over My Eyes

Pattern: "The Clutch You'll Never Give Up" by Leigh Radford, available in One Skein
Yarn: Fiesta Watermark (Tequila Sunrise) - leftovers from Easy Wave
Mods: After reading Ravelled comments, I decided to go a bit bigger all around and just use the pattern as a guideline. In the end, I CO 80 stitches and increased 4 stitches every 12th round a total of 4 times. I also added an extra row after finishing the handle. I obviously needle-felted a stargazer lily onto one side.

Plus: I cannot believe how perfect the dimensions came out. It fits my wallet, keys, phone, and lipgloss perfectly. Nothing spilling out, nothing getting lost. You can't plan for perfection like that. It is granted. I was especially lucky since I didn't babysit the process like last time, hovering over the washer and pulling it out every 10 minutes to check the size. I set it for a hot and aggressive wash and then walked away, totally zen about whatever would come to pass. Go figure. I am further delighted with my first foray into needle-felting. It was fast and intuitive, and most importantly, I didn't stab myself ONCE.


Delta: Ummm...I wish I could have figured out how to needle-felt tiny fuchsia dots like on a Stargazer. Whether I manipulated the yarn or the roving, it was too blunt and blurry to work.

I'm still playing with my scraps to make some toys like this one: "Fuzzy Mitten Lamb," by Barbara Prime, available as a free download on Ravelry here. I used Knit Picks City Tweed in Orca (leftover from Jake's Cobblestone) and Sirdar Juicy DK (leftover from my terrible Spring Beret). The latter was not an ideal choice since the gauge was different, but I've absolutely got to get that stringy crap out of my stash.

Last, but certainly not least, Watts family afghan square #20, my first entrelac technique. I heart this mucho. Need to work on making the edges straight, though.

Share Time

Modern Ma'am has flattered me with a request: reveal seven facts about myself and then pass the love on to seven other fabulous bloggers. First, the TRUTH.

1. Though my bachelor's degree is in Literary Studies, I originally majored in Musical Theatre at a relatively prestigious conservatory. I was kicked out sophomore year due to excessive suckage.
2. I am a whopping 6'0 tall.
3. My beautiful, intelligent, sensitive husband Jake is bipolar type 2.
4. I spend every evening leaning on a heating pad due to my own stupid affliction, endometriosis. The good news is that since my surgery last June, I no longer tote that heating pad with me to work.
5. I have only been knitting for about a year and a half, and I am completely self-taught. I think I mainly picked it up to soothe my anxieties related to not being able to get pregnant.
6. I cannot control myself around Mexican food.
7. I own every Will and Grace episode ever made. I watch a few other things because my husband insists that we add a little more variety to our routine.

Now, the DARE. I wanna hear more about....
famous the cat
Reckless Glue
Labor of Love
Ignorant Bliss
The Yarniad
Blue Garter
Pepperknit

And on to the knitting:

Pattern: "Round or Pinwheel Baby Blanket" by Genia Planck, available free here
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease - worsted weight, 75% cotton/25% acrylic
Colors: Almond, Azalea, Taupe, Maize, Pistacio (pretty yummy stuff)
Mods: added a three-stitch wide i-cord bind off

Plus: Mindless, fast, low-pressure way to burn through the rest of my cotton-ease stash, left over from Temple's blanket.

Delta: I ran out of time before I ran out of yarn, and I did not have the opportunity to block it properly...or....you know....at all. Hence, a tad on the small and wrinkly side, much like its intended recipient. One of my coworkers, when the blanket was pulled out of its gift bag, said, "Oh, you made them a doily. That's interesting." He got a nice kick in the shins under the desks.

Here's a rapidly regressing sixth grader getting it nice and germy before I wrap it up. This picture is important for two reasons: 1) you can tell how small it is and 2) you can see the insanity I work with every day.

Lust for Color

Whether it's the playfully modern, graphic artistry in patterns like paper dolls and little birds....
Or it's the whispers of ancient feminist wisdom in traditions like bohus and selbu and fair isle...
Or a feverish desire to have a fancy pair of fingering weight stranded mittens for every day of the winter....

I WANT FIERCE COLORWORK SKILLS, AND I WANT THEM RIGHT NOW!

Sigh. Alas, I'm just not there yet with control over my left hand. Everything ends up wonky and puckery. I'm decided that I'll devote some considerable time over the summer to practicing continental method and stranded knitting swatches. Until then, anything I attempt in the way of colorwork falls pathetically short of expectations.


Until now. Enter "mosaic knitting" method. I would never have ventured into this strange new land had it not been for this latest afghan square. But now that I'm here, I'm simply wild about it. It's so flippin' easy and fun!

I've since been gathering together mosaic colorwork patterns I can tackle next. My top picks:
Mosaic Yoke Jacket
Blooming Cotton Scarf
Mimico

Oh dear, I soooo excited, I could just pee a little.

I've also been indulging in a bit of low-stress toy-making/scrap-busting.

Pattern: "Knitted Bunny" by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer, available free here
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Lush



Pattern: "Grumpasaurus" by Kat Lewinski, available free here
Yarns: Classic Elite Yarns Lush; Shibui Knits Worsted; Berroco Comfort



They're each a wee bit flawed in its own small way, but the beautiful thing is, I don't care.