Designers Who Hypenate Their Names

Pattern: "An Unoriginal Hat," by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (my bff in an alternate universe), available for free on her blog here
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Apricot (80% acrylic/20% wool)


Plus: I've been meaning to use up the rest of this plasticky crap for years. Yay.


Delta: I guess my row-gauge (something I never bother to measure) was off, because I ended up with a really LONG hat. It looks okay on my big 'ole head, pulled way down over my ears and eyebrows, but when my friend Temple tried it on, she used the word "conehead" and I silently thought "condom." Unsurprisingly, It was not adopted by anyone this Christmas and went right back into the "potential gift drawer."

Pattern: "Incognito" by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark, available free on Knitty here
Yarn: Spud and Chloe Sweater (55% wool/45% cotton)
Colorways: Splash, Grass, and Chipmunk


Plus: I am really pleased by how this came together. I used all three tiny leftover bits from Kellan's baby blanket, and once again, I think these colors rock. Spud and Chloe knows adorable. I was worried that the stripes would fight the mustache as focal point, but the 'stache won, hands down (you duplicate stitch it with the yarn doubled for a really plump look). This pattern has so many nice touches, particularly the knitted-in turned hem. It has a tailored, rather than hand-made, charm.


Delta: The sewn-in turned hem is much tighter and less stretchy than the knitted-in one (duh), and I wish I had embroidered the mustache on the knitted end. I didn't like that the inflexible part pulls right across your mouth.


Isn't my sister beautiful? Doesn't her camera rock? Don't you wish the rest of my blog looked this fantastic? Well, get over it. You're stuck with me. ;-)

In other news, I've been working on the vocal equivalent of a marathon with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Good stuff. I get great satisfaction out of participation in ancient rituals. I love the depth of history and feminist traditions linked to knitting. I'm hungry for the mystical knowledge and instincts of motherhood. And I feel emotional and grateful to participate in the sacred rite of resurrecting Beethoven's 9th symphony.

I also got my first blog comment from a crazy person. Now, I feel like I've really made it.

Mitts by Request

Pattern: "Veyla" by Ysolda Teague, available in Whimsical Knits 2
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Wool Bam Boo (50% wool/50% bamboo)



Plus: True to form, Teague's pattern was elegant and thoughtful from beginning to end. I truly felt that I was creating a work of art. I took a risk and used a DK weight yarn in this pattern designed for a fingering weight yarn because the recipient wanted something thicker looking. It was a great deal of stress on the hands, but I hit gauge just fine.

Delta: The intended recipient, Jake's law school friend Christina, has teensy tiny midget hands, so these really needed to be modeled by HER. Unfortunately, that meant that I had to put a non-knitting male in charge of snapping the modeled picture. So this is the only shot available to me. Boo!

Pattern: "Susie's Reading Mitts" by Janelle Masters, available as a free download on Ravelry
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Stella (60% silk/20% cotton/ 20% rayon)



Plus: I was really proud of this yarn selection. The recipient, the wife of one of Jake's law school friends, has multiple allergies and particularly struggles with wool. Though I had a hunch that a nice merino wouldn't cause her any problems, I didn't want to disregard her only request. She had liked the organic cotton and bamboo in her local craft store, but I could not see the point in making COTTON mitts, especially in a state that gets a respectable amount of snow. Stella, with it's cotton-y feel and silk-insulated warmth, was the best of both worlds.



Delta: This pattern really disappointed me. Even though I achieved gauge, the smallest size seemed huge, even on my large hands, with the exception of the thumbs which were crazy tight. Since the wrist to hand transition has no shaping or ribbing, it really needs negative ease to fit. I ended up ripping out the entire first mitt and adapting the pattern to have six fewer cast-on stitches but followed the directions for the small sized thumb. That fit pretty well, but her slender wrists might have enjoyed an even snugger fit. Ah well.

Watts' Family Afghan of Everlasting Torment square #36 of 36!!!!!! I made it! I made it! Oh, God! The glory! The relief!!!!



Wait.


Now I have to sew the stupid thing together.

Late Gifts

Pattern: "Sid Beanie" by Georgie Hallam, available as a free download on Ravelry
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK (80% bamboo/20% wool)
Modifications: Many! A long-time friend of my mother's expressed her admiration for this hat on Etsy, but was not crazy about the $45 price tag! (Go figure.) I did my best to improvise the whimsical crown shaping, using the above pattern as my guide on gauge/sizing.


Plus: Look at how cute and happy this fella looks! Thanks to Maria, the proud mama, for the awesome pictures. There are plans for matching mitts in the works.


Delta: I totally picked the wrong yarn. The family lives in Texas, so I wanted something not too hot and certainly machine washable. The bamboo sounded like a good fit, but I think it made the hat too slouchy, rather than springy and sproingy, and there was simply no graceful way to jog the stripes--every technique I tried showed puckering due to the bamboo's inelasticity. Of course, I was also frustrated to have to reknit the crown a few times, but that should be expected when making your own pattern.

Pattern: "Drop Stitch Scarf" by Christine Vogel, available as a free download on Ravelry
Yarn: Cloud City Fibers Sock Yarn: 100% superwash merino wool
Colorway: Daffodil


Plus: This scarf was especially meaningful to me because the yarn I used was locally procured on last summer's amazing trip to Breckenridge, Colorado with my family. It was such a relaxing, restorative week, and every interaction with this fiber, hand-dyed from 40 miles from there, brought little wisps of respite to an otherwise busy day. The pattern is simple to memorize and easy to put down at a moment's notice without losing your place.


Delta: I should have used bamboo rather than metal needles, because I frequently felt that the combination of slippery surface and intentionally dropped stitches gave me a sense of being out of control. I also stubbornly knit every single inch, holding to my premise that there's no such thing as a scarf that's too long....only too make the world's first too-long-scarf. Ah well. A few more wraps about the neck won't kill anyone.

Yes, it's a tad late for reporting on one's Christmas gifts, but I was out of town for the holidays, and January was a really hard month in the Lewis house. Things are better and calmer now, so look for a few more postings in quick succession (especially if my sister emails me the pictures of her cowl and her husband's gloves).

Dude Stuff

Pattern: "Knotty but Nice" by Natalie Larson, available free here
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (color #300500) - 55% merino wool/33% microfiber/12% cashmere


Plus: Really well-written, highly addictive pattern. This yarn makes a really nice pairing since cables pop so beautifully in this round, plumpy yarn. To make everything that much sweeter, I found the yarn a few weekends ago in the 50% off bin at my LYS.

Delta: I had so much fun doing this, I got major hand cramps as I powered through round after round, saying, "I'll stop after this row...."

Pattern: "Stacked Wedges" by Lynne Barr, available in Knitting New Scarves
Yarn: Spinning Rainbows Handspun Yarn


Plus: This scarf flew off the needles in a flash. The short rows broke up the monotony of garter stitch; the garter stitch balanced the counting required for the short rows. All in all, a fun but easy scarf. I think I've mentioned before that Lynne Barr is kind of a rock star.

Delta: This yarn, a gift from my mother, was a rather difficult customer. I was anxious to find an appropriate home for this unique, local handspun, but it took more than a few false starts to find its match. To begin with, the rustic two-ply ranged from dk weight to bulky from foot to foot, inch to inch, making gauge a nightmare. Furthermore, the wool is minimally processed, thereby leaving it a lanolin-rich treasure trove of hay and stickers, both of which I tried my best to pick out as I went. Finally, the ply was quite crisp in some areas, while nearly felted and fuzzy in others, rendering any fancy stitchwork a total waste of time. Thus, I had to think non-fitting, industrial, and geometric, respectively. I think I managed it here and, as a result, honored the gifts and charm of the fiber.

Alrighty, so that's two more Christmas gifts, which I can add to that green hat, the blue beaded hat, the orange fingerless mitts, and the pink/orange cowl. I've also got a girl scarf and some boy mitts on the needles, along with a special order ponchette for my mother-in-law and a special-order toddler hat for a dear friend of my mother. So, if I finish everything I've started so far...that's ten gifts. Doesn't seem like many, and I'm beginning to panic. There are many more available yarn+project pairings in the stash, but what I'm short on is time. Adding to the sticky, I'm flying into Dallas on Sunday, so I'll have to choose my last-ditch-effort projects in advance, weighing speed of completion (super-bulky weight hats?!) against space in my bags (oh, uh, lace shawls). Blimey! If only I had MONEY for Christmas this year. Hopefully family and friends will understand.

Watts' Afghan of Eternity Square #35/36 (Sweet Jesus, just one more!)

Snuggly necks and chic babies

Pattern: "Darkside Cowl," by Sara Fama, available as a free pdf download on Ravelry
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb - single ply aran weight, 50% silk/50% wool/400% HEAVEN!!!
Colorway: Bittersweet


Plus: In the future, we'll all be born with our necks permanently swathed in Lion and Lamb. And everyone knows I'm a sucker for groovy textures and geometric designs.


Delta: The fun was over too soon. I see a few more of these cowls in my future. I also foresee being yarn-poor in that same future.

Pattern: "Knit 'Suede Baby Booties'," by Candi Jensen, available free but with minor hassle here
Yarn: Berrocco Suede and Plymouth Yarn Oh My! (both 100% nylon)


Plus: I couldn't help myself. These have been calling to me for years! And now I get invited to the shower of a winter baby? Bring on the baby Uggs!

Delta: I was overly ambitious/reckless in my timing of these and consequently made a mistake counting the rows which decrease the instep. I ripped back and corrected it, but the setback meant I had to show them just one bootie and provide an apologetic IOU for the pair at the shower. Totally lame.

I played hostess for Thanksgiving for the first time this year. My in-laws flew in from Dallas, and though they graciously took us out to restaurants or cooked many meals, I insisted on making every dish served on Thanksgiving. I followed Alton Brown's method for brining and cooking the bird, and it turned out scrumptious! Leftover white meat has been enjoyed in sandwiches slathered with homemade cranberry sauce for days. We're not huge fans of dark meat like wings, so I used all the leftover dark meat and bones in a lightened up adaptation of this soup. (I used 3Tbs each of flour and Brummel and Brown for the roux and substituted 3/4 c. fat free half and half for the 2 c. regular stuff--plenty rich enough!) It is ultra-comforting and delicious now that the temperatures are hanging around the 30s consistently. Yay for cooking victories!

Watts' family afghan of everlasting torment square #34/36:

Don't Get Yer Gloves in a Twist

Pattern: "Lace Twist Mitts" by Debbie O'Neill, available in Knitscene, Fall 2009
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy (no, I do not think I use it too much, thankyouverymuch)
Colorway: Chinatown Apple

Plus: This easy-peasy lace chart mimics much a much more complicated twisted cable approach. I love anything that makes me look more clever or talented than I really am. I am also pleased with how the semi-solid enhances, rather than distracts from, the stitch pattern.


Delta: I hate this "after-thought" thumb style, where you knit with waste yarn, slip back then keep going with main yarn. 1) I always struggle to put the correct live stitches back on the needles and 2) I always, always, always end up doing lots of awkward doctoring on either edge of the thumb with tail ends, resulting in an ugly *pflgth* framing the join.


In the continuing saga of the brown bane....

I should continually emphasize that this is a learning experience. Now, what, exactly, have I learned? Well, I learned that if you're going to do something, freakin' DO it. Don't pussy-foot around. I wanted to lightly felt the sweater, so I neglected/altered many of the circumstances necessary for optimum felting. I used warm, rather that hot water. I used light agitation, rather than heavy. I opted out of the suds so I could check every five minutes and rescue it at any point, without worrying about rinsing. As it turns out, felting incorrectly results in badly abused woolens, NOT light felting. The sweater emerged BIGGER and covered in ratty pills. Did I then abandon my strategy, like a sane individual? Heck no! I did the exact same thing, hoping for a different result. Finally, I read, thought, prayed, cursed, and took the plunge, letting loose all the felting power my humble washing machine possessed.

Results are mixed: I still spent an hour pulling off ugly pills and the sweater sleeves are still far too long, the armpit way too deep. On the other hand, the sweater is more dense and snuggly now, so clearly, I was moving in the right direction...right?


The RUFFLES. The button band and collar did a funky thing, shrinking and pulling in such odd ways that a full-fledged ruffle now frames the individual wearing this dreadful thing. Not manly. So what's a girl to do? I can't go back--no time machine. I can't leave it here--too big and ruffly. So, go forward and felt it one more time? Obviously, the ruffle problem will only increase, but maybe once the rest of the cardigan is appropriately sized, I can sew/cut/pin my way out of that mess. So that's just what I did....to be continued.


Watts Family Afghan of Eternity Square #33/36 (really tough)

I Did a Bad, Bad Thing

Pattern: "A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend," by Stephane Nicole, available free on her blog
Yarn: scrappy leftovers such as Berroco Comfort (acrylic/nylon), Queensland Collection Sugar Rush (sugar), and Sirdar Juicy DK (bamboo)


Plus: Quick and easy male-appropriate Christmas gift. I like that the simple design lends itself to horizontal stripes, which in turn lend themselves to stash-busting. I accidentally created a palette of colors perfect for sporting around a football game for my alma mater. Unfortunately, no one with whom I associate would ever attend such an event, even when we were students there. During the Homecoming Game one year, my group went instead to the theaters to catch the opening weekend for Fight Club. Good choice.


Delta: It seems a bit squatty to me, even after adding 1/2 inch extra before the crown decreases. Also, I think my plan for the stripes creates an optical illusion of the head flattening off abruptly across the top. Stupid idea, my fault entirely.

I'm married to the man of my dreams, so the "curse of the boyfriend sweater" should have no effect on me, right? Well, fate has found a way to reach around that inconvenient truth and give me a decent bitch-slapping anyway.

Oh, who am I kidding??? It's my own durn fault.


Meet "Smokin'" by Jared Flood. Let's talk first about what I did RIGHT, hmm? I carefully knit, frogged, and reknit until I achieved gauge. I measure Jake's favorite hoodie to determine which size to knit. I selected a yarn very close to the original requested--chunky, tweedy, wooly. I checked the website for errata before beginning and carefully noted those changes in the pattern. I worked on it dutifully and steadily for three months so it would be ready in time for fall in Virginia.

Now, the WRONG: I noticed that the sleeves looked humongous...but did nothing. I noticed that the fabric was floppy and slightly see through, despite Jared's comment in the pattern that the cardigan is knit at a tighter-than-usual gauge...but did nothing. I tried it on before attaching the button band/collar and saw that it could pass as a brown whale Halloween costume...but did nothing. In short, I ignored the signs that I was headed for trouble because I wanted to believe that if you select the right yarn, gauge, and pattern size, you're in the clear.

Then the really wrong thing: when Jake tried it on and saw that it was uncomfortably large in every way, I did not frog the sweater like a good little knitter. I decided...to try....and felt it.


To be continued.

Watts Afghan of Eternity Square #32/36