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.

All's Well That Ends Well

Breathe, lady, breathe! It's over. You can stop hyperventilating. Go ice up your poor wrists.

First, the Ravelympics Dance o' Victory!


Pattern: "Aria" by Lynne Barr, available in Knitting New Scarves
Yarn 1: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk - single ply DK weight, 100% silk
Colorway 1: Aqua (21)
Yarn 2: Araucania Itata Multy - sturdy 4-ply, 70% wool/15% silk/15% bamboo
Colorway 2: 1014


Plus: Pure silk directly on the neck--how did I live without it? I've always been crazy about this pattern; it's one of the main reasons I bought the book. I respect most of the unique (often bizarre) designs on some level, but this one just said, "Baby, I'm yours." I held the two yarns together to create my version of the perfect handpainted yarn--depth, not dashes. Barr developed this undulating, slippery thing with laminaria seaweed in mind. Hence, I wanted a really flowing, drapey result, so I intentionally planned the gauge to be a bit more open than instinct would have led me to. I think I overshot that goal a bit at the beginning with a US10.5; about 1/4 of the way in, I went down to US10 and the whole thing just CLICKED into total happiness gear.


Delta: Jake pointed out to me that the Ravelympics seems like a stupid excuse to enjoy your hobby less. I'm starting to think he's right. I cast this thing off at exactly midnight, even though I was longing for another foot. I wasn't about to pass up my chance at the gold.....er....red...... rectangle:


Why couldn't they have made it look like a MEDAL?! Sigh.

As for the mitts and the blanket, a post is coming soon about each. Just know that everything ended up just fine, with a special thanks to Jill at the Woolie Ewe for saving my sorry behind. I'll tell the full story later, but just know: SHE IS A SAINT!

Square #18 (half-way! WOOT!) (wait, only half-way?! Grunt.)

Knitting Emergency!

Oh, sweet Jesus! I have never before seen such a perfect storm of knitting problems in one week.

First, deadlines:

1. Melanie--tiny, sassy, rocker chick--requested some charcoal gray fingerless mitts for wearing while she plays her bass guitar at outdoor venues. She needs them by Saturday night.

2. Baby Adler--not yet born daughter of English department colleague--needs comfy and colorful rainbow blanket. The baby shower is this Friday afternoon.

3. Ravelympic Gods--mean, spiteful deadline pushers--demand that I finish my Aria scarf by the end of the winter Olympics. This Sunday night.

4. Grades are due for 2nd trimester next Tuesday.

Second, stupidity:

1. I cast off my "Nereid Mitts" two nights ago, tried both on, and then screamed bloody murder. There are 10 more rows of ribbing on one cuff. THE CAST-ON EDGE OF THE CUFF! Twisted knit ribbing and lace. Fingering weight yarn. Help. Me. God. Several people argued with me that I should just give them over, flaws and all. But Melanie is a triple Virgo. I might as well just spit on her hands and call it a mitt.

2. Blankets (even the baby sort) are big and time consuming. I am stressed. Not a good combo. I should have gone with booties.

3. I scheduled a major paper and a spelling quiz due in the last week of the trimester, both of which must be graded by next Tuesday.

Third, solutions:

1. I CUT out the lower ten rows and am currently attempting (unsuccessfully) to shimmy 60 consecutive stitches onto some needles so I can bind it off. I'm going into my LYS today, my head hung with shame, to beg for assistance.

2. The blanket is worked from the inside out and bound off whenever you feel like it. I'm thinking this will be a small blanket. I don't know this colleague that well, anyway.

3. There's always Sunday for Ravelympic stress. Yeah, I can look forward to that....

A difficult scarf for some difficult hair

Pattern: "My So Called Scarf" by Allison Isaacs, available free here
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend - single-ply DK weight, 30% silk/70% merino wool
Colorway: Prairie (3104)
Mods: CO 36 on US10 to compensate for gauge differences


Plus: My, oh my, what a fine lookin' stitch! It's a pretty bizarre set of motions, and I can't imagine trying to figure this thing out without the helpful video, but after a few slow starts, my hands just knew what to do. I loved working with this yarn, far more than the rather rough Wool Classica. I have to give thanks to my knitting bud Shelley for gifting me with two skeins of this lovely fiber for Christmas.

Delta: A warning to fellow timid knitters: this is not a rip-back friendly scarf. Although it doesn't look like lace, I recommend treating it as such and using a lifeline (note, this is not advice I followed myself). Somehow, half-way through the scarf I noticed that my total number of stitches had decreased from 36 to 30!!! I can't imagine how I would accidentally decrease in this pattern without an outright dropping of stitches, but there it was. A Hanukkah miracle! After considering the possible merits of a lopsided scarf, I decided to make metaphorical lemonade--increase back out at the same rate to a total of 36 for an impressive hourglass-type-shape-thingy. This was easier decided than done since the stitch pattern is so funky. However, I am proud to report that the sneaky increases look....abysmal. Don't try this at home, kids. Count your stitches; use a lifeline.


This is a dreadfully late holiday gift for my dear friend Jessica (a crocheter, so she may understand). At our Christmas party, as my handknits were snatched up quickly by various folks, she waited patiently and calmly like the classy dame she is. Unfortunately, the only item left over was the Easy Wave Scarf, and the dear girl drooped her lovely auburn head and sighed, "Um, I can't...wear...pink." I'm thinking these colors with complement her trademark tresses beautifully, so beautifully that no one would dare say, "Hey, is it just me, or does that scarf have a waist?"

I'm currently gripped in the throes of the Ravelympics, by far the nerdiest place my knitting has taken me so far. The idea is to challenge one's knitting prowess and dedication, as inspired by those maniacs currently wiping out on the snowy mountains of Canada, by selecting a project which will be a challenge to finish within the 17 days of the Winter Olympics. Cast-on with about 10,000 other knitters during the opening ceremonies; cast-off before the torch is extinguished. Pat yourself on the back if you succeed. Hate yourself for two years if you don't.


I chose a scarf with short-rows, not because it's terribly difficult, but because it's just the sort of thing I would take forever to finish because it's not exactly riveting, nor is it mindless and comforting. We're more than halfway through the allotted time, and I just passed my 33% point. Better step it up.

Watts Afghan Square #17

Grief in the Snow

Over the weekend I spent in Wisconsin, reflecting on the life and death of my paternal grandfather, I had this comforting project in my lap the whole time:


Pattern: "Baktus Scarf," by former Norweigan blogger Strikkelise, available on her Flickr page here
Yarn 1: Rowan Calmer - stretchy 2-ply (Feels like DK weight, but Rowan encourages knitting it at worsted weight gauge) 75% cotton/25% microfiber
Colorway 1: Onyx
Yarn 2: Noro Kureyon - single-ply heavy worsted weight, 100% wool
Colorway 2: 170

Plus: Alternating solid and multi-colored stripes served three purposes: one, it made it easier to see when I was supposed to increase or decrease within the four row repeat, essential considering the distracting and fluid circumstances; two, I wanted to find a clever use for two leftover half-skeins of my Kureyon, so I increased until I used one up and decreased to use up the other; three, it looks purty. A fiber/pattern match made in heaven.


Delta: In an ideal world, I would have knit this on 8's or even 9's, instead of 7's, to get a more width and drape. However, I like wearing it kerchief-style with the point askew in front and the ends tied and tucked behind my neck. I've received several complements so far.

I had a hard time watching my dad and grandmother cope with the sudden, unfortunate event. They both seemed rather lost, unsure of whether they were playing their roles appropriately, trying to grasp the truth while avoiding the weight of it around friends and family. I was grateful for the opportunity to see and hug my relatives on that side, none of whom I see very often. I should also admit that I had a blast bunking in with my sister and her husband; despite the terrible circumstances, we kept one another in high spirits and constant giggles. We all found the abundant snow so exhilirating and special; knowing that we never see such snow in Dallas, we danced and played our hearts out.


Ah, the irony. Within the week, Dallas was blessed accordingly.


Mmm....cozy!


Watts family afghan square #16