Springing back into knitting!

You might think that with all that snow and difficulty getting out of the house I'd have been knitting up a storm during Boston's snowiest EVAH winter.  But no.  Instead I was noshing, nattering and reading novels.But now the sun is out, the days are longer and I'm feeling quite a bit more productive.  Below is the Old Shale baby blanket I finally finished for brand new Chloe.  After a good wash, pin and steam-block it will be delivered with best wishes.

Part of the reason I wanted that "boring old thing" off the needles was so I could start Zoe Mellor/s Sheep Jacket for Granddaughter #2, due late this summer.  Granddaughters deserve vituoso craft performances, and I hope this turns out to be one.  Below are the seven (7!) colors of yarn I'll be using in my first ever Fair Isle project.  I think if you are doing to do something challenging,

as well do it for a very small person because 1) they don't complain, and 2) there less of it to do!

 This is the pattern book that I got for a song at Half Price Books in Dallas . This is the first of Ms. Mellor's designs I've done and if it works well, there will be more to follow.












I also bought synthetic yarn to make ANOTHER baby blanket with a rainbow/prismatic theme.  I would prefer to have bought wool, but for the investment I wanted to make and the time I had to shop, these colors kind of grabbed me while I was at A.C. Moore's in Nashua. I understand that Liberty Wool (which is also "tough, washable and soft" might have a similarly wide assortment of Crayon Colors.

Can't wait to get started.  THIS project, while large, is relatively mindless.  I hope it goes fast!

Fourth time is the charm.

 

Gift knitting has begun.  Awkwardly. I bought this yarn because it came in such amazing colors and was on sale at Webs.  But it only has 100 yards in a skein.  Fortuitously, I got a pattern for a 100 yard chunky knit cowl on that Boston Yarn Crawl I went on.   However, the pattern is one of those that seems SO simple (it's only a 1 row pattern) that it makes you crazy AND is hard to "fix" with out ripping back.  I realized after knitting one skein about 3/4 of the way that the size/shape was not going to flatter anybody's neck, or even keep it warm.  So I adjusted the stitches cast on and re-did it.  But then I found mistakes and re-did it again, and again.  The other skein only had to be knit once.  

It goes fast, so, actually, I might do so more. 

There was a time when ripping back, or having unsatisfactory results would have paralyzed me.

I am proud that I stuck to this!

The following questions are only rhetorical, but if you relate to them, do your best to change up your "usual" answers:

• What is the matter with me?
• Why can't I get this right?
• I wonder if this is worth doing? ... since it is making me so mad.

Knitting Frenzy part 1a. (Part b and Part 2 will have to do with Baby #3 and Gift Knitting).

I belong to a group with lots of younger women. Lots of THEM seem to be having babies.  Foolishly, or generously, I'm not sure which, I decided to knit them baby blankets.  (The foolishness part has to do with how LONG it takes to do all the stitches in a blanket.  Sweaters look more complicated and can definitely run amok.  Blankets are straightforward and just have lots of stitches.) 

To keep it interesting AND non-gender-specific I used light yellow and salmon on this one.  I started with a diagonal garter stitch in a Fibonacci pattern of row colors, then switched to basket weave once I got to the largest part of the diagonal.  This is Lion Brand Pound of Love Yarn (acrylic)... so it should pretty much be indestructible; definitely washable and dryable.  If well loved, a blanket lasts a lot longer than a sweater.

 The blanket I made first was a "straight" (i.e., more traditional) white one in an "Old Shale" lace pattern.  Even "easy" lace takes a fair amount of attention... but I didn't find any glaring errors in this AND" Mom" likes it. It is actually white, not pink.  The pink is reflected from the magenta sweater I was wearing when I took the picture.

 There's a third baby due right after the Holidays.  I've actually asked THAT Mom what color she prefers.  Stay tuned.

Knitting (Brioche) and Nawlins (Beignets) in New Hampshire

 It was only a relatively short drive from home to Manchester, New Hampshire, The Queen City for Knitting Lab 2014.

My daughter and I signed up for an Introductory Brioche class as well as a Brioche Colorwork class. 

Let me tell you, I found this a HUGE challenge even with the patient, capable explanations of our instructor Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark.  I felt like I was 5 years old again and learning to "pat my head and rub my stomach."  

I didn't "get it" until a full 48 hours AFTER the class.  I think it had to do with NO interruptions!

Brioche stitches make a fluffy fabric that is "double"... and if done in two colors, looks different from one side to the other.

There are plenty of mistakes in my sample below, but at least one side is predominantly green and the other is predominantly blue and it looks as though all the stitches were knit (which they really aren't).

The next day we took a similarly mind blowing class from Alasdair Post-Quin.  I was slow, but "got it."  This is a picture of one his amazing patterns from Google Images. I think I need several more classes to get this advanced... Or at least a Craftsy class or YouTube tutorial (or two).






















On the last day of our knitting glut, after the Double Knitting Class with Alasdair Post-Quin and before Clara Parkes' presentation on the state of the wool industry in the U.S., Daughter and I found N'awlins right here in New Hampshire.  The weather was PERFECT. We sat at an outside sidewalk table where a capable sax man serenaded us (a little loud for quiet conversing... but we managed).
Tried "the" New Orleans brewed lager, Purple Haze and luxuriated in mufalleta, hushpuppies and a fettucini dish called Jazz Fest Pasta .

I should probably recognize this caricature... but I don't.  There were several of them on the walls inside the venue.

After lots of sun, pasta, laughs and a second beer we decided to find a quieter spot to sit, sip and knit or read.  (We had checked out of our hotel, but had an after dinner coffee & cookies "date" with Clara Parkes)
















So we walked a bit more and found The Shashkeen... and IRISH bar/pub.  We sat outside.  Daughter switched to Smithwicks, I switched to Diet Coke and tried again to swatch the brioche.  (After 2 beers, you'd think I might have known better!!

I might have to go back with my husband or son in June when the Irish have a talk on THE SCIENCE OF BEER.

All in all, a lovely holiday with family and fiber.

Thrum pum pum pum

 I DID finish knitting these "thrummed" mittens in time for our gift exchange New Year's Day.

Definition of THRUM

1a (1) :  a fringe of warp threads left on the loom after the cloth has been removed (2) :  one of these warp threads

b :  a tuft or short piece of rope yarn used in thrumming canvas —usually used in plural

c :  bit, particle

2:  a hair, fiber, or threadlike leaf on a plant; also :  a tuft or fringe of such structures

— thrum adjective

Origin of THRUM

Middle English, from Old English -thrum (in tungethrum ligament of the tongue); akin to Old High German drum fragment

First Known Use: 14th century

This shows what they look like inside.  TOASTY.  COZY.  WARM.  SOFT.

 My daughter in law who coaches outdoors in New England winters says they really help (and also while walking the dog).

The little heart shapes are just "accidents" of how the un-spun tufts get incorporated into the vvvvvv's of the knitting.

Time for Knitting!

It's that time of year, in more ways than one.  It is chilly most of the time and DARK very early in the afternoon, and almost non-stop football/hockey.  Oh, and pre-Christmas.  So that means it is TIME FOR KNITTING!!

 

Above is  20% of Stephen West's Spectra pattern.  It is UNFORGIVING!  Which means I will not ever be planning to enter this in a state or county fair, AND this is not the project to pick up if I am sleepy.  Short rows!! AND Intarsia!! AND size 3 needles.  I am pretty sure, however, that when I get it finished, washed and blocked, it will be beautiful enough for casual wear!

This is the beginning of a mystery project.   I am so glad that I mustered the courage to try a two-color cast on... AND to follow that by a slip-stitch rib.  Those Baltic knitters.... SO smart!!

 This is the most mysterious part of all.  With all those spikey sticks, I'm thinking it looks a little like sushi!  (But it's not!)

Fabulous Friday!

If anybody ever wants to plan a perfect day for me, this is pretty close:  Yarn shop, subtlely lit restaurant with terrific food AND complimentary desert, and a bookstore.  The only thing missing was an art gallery or two, but you can always do everything on the same day.

 

Mid-afternoon we zoomed up I95 to US1 in York, Maine.  I'd been to the Yarn Sellar before.  This time I went in search of "conductive" thread to knit into mittens so the wearer can use his/her iPhone while wearing his/her mittens.  Of course, it turns out I found a "few other things" while I was there.

I was especially happy to make the acquaintance of Marian, the cashier, from Scotland.  We talked about the vagaries of regional accents (in Great Britain as well as New England and Texas), the potential rudeness of customers, and unlikely tasks one runs into while employed.  Her unlikeliest task sees to be chasing the Store Rabbit when he gets out of his cage.  He likes to eat ball bands off yarn as well as chew on baskets and magazine racks.  Fortunately (at least according to MY priorities), he doesn't seem to like yarn.

 

I found two magazines and a book that were new to me.  Cast On claims to be "instructional" and definitely emphasizes skills rather than patterns that are just weird so you might think they were a trend.

60 More Quick Knits promises to help me with holiday and gift knitting.  Sometimes complicated is my preference, but other times QUICK is a good thing.

I've always enjoyed the winter issue of Interweave Knits, but had thought I'd stop collecting SO many issues.  But how could I skip this one?  Even though I'm blonde, not brunette; retired rather than youthful; and wide rather than willowy, I hope that if I knit the thermal sweater on the cover, I might end up looking rather like Katherine Zeta Jones.   Hey, I can hope.

By then DH was hungry.  When he put BBQ into the GPS, it led us to a building that was clearly repurposed and/or empty.  Then he put in "Restaurants" and it recommended Robert's Maine Grill.

Voila!

 We had no idea what to expect.  

It was cozy, simple, upscale and Maine all rolled into one.  It took itself seriously in some aspects, i.e.,  exquisite service,  presentation and flavors, but not others--the Maine lexicon on the upper wall of the two story atrium.

 Hardwood floors, plain wood tables and chairs, pastel walls and enlarged photographs of Maine, seafaring and/or local landmarks were welcoming and sometimes mysterious.   Our server, Danielle, explained that Moxie was a Maine carbonated drink, since taken over, reformulated to its detriment, and distributed by Coca-Cola.

I did not ask her about the convergence (apparently) of rats, fresh clams, camp wood and cherry stones. Nor did I know the location of the Islesford Dock. It is apparently a restaurant on Little Cranberry Island that is only open in good weather (i.e., June through October) and that hosts art workshops.  I even have a friend who has work in their gallery!  (Way to go, Madeleine!!)

It is apparently 256 miles from home.  (about 200 miles farther than Robert's Maine Grill.  AND Google can calculate how to get there because IT IS ON AN ISLAND.

 I thought the idea of "Hoppy Hour" with mostly locally brewed beers was cute. Note that their list includes Bud Light, with the adviso that "though not brewed in Maine, it is rather popular here."

The Cocktail list sounded cheery:
Maine Lemonade (with blueberry vodka), and the Maine Old Fashioned.  My father had infamously good AND bad times with Old Fashioneds.  But here was Moxie again, but this time with Maker's Mark.  Yum, indeed. (Even though I usually prefer Scotch, myself.

 

"Place legs in mouth as far as you can: clamp down and pull the legs from your mouth.  Yum."  Hmmmm.

  I had the grilled scallops.  They came on a bed of diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, either spinach or kale (not sure!) with tiny spicy bits of chorizo!  Inspired.

 

 Because it was our first visit, they comped us dessert!!!  I had raspberry pie a la mode and DH had triple chocolate cake with whipped cream.  Definite Yum for those.

On the way home we took a quick right turn to the Barnes and Noble in Portsmouth.  They didn't have the puzzle I was looking for, but my eye did catch this adage on a sort of paper weight.  I might have to cross stitch this (or something) for my son the teacher.

I saw the new Sabra Field Calendar. 

 

 And I browsed the new knitting books.  The Op-Art Socks book is the only one that I might actually want to own, although I bed Ms. Van Der Linden sells her patterns individually SOMEWHERE!   I haven't gotten comfy with knitting socks:  SO many stitches and too many needles... but I love her color combinations!


 The Scottish Knits and Reversible Knits books reminded me that I like the look of both these techniques... but ALREADY HAVE a dozen books on each (more or less)... so I can just go back to those! (I have SOME restraint, but not much.)  Same for the Nordic Knitting.

 Nicky Epstein, as usual had a BEAUTIFUL book with tons of creative ideas... but ones that once I SAW them, I figured I could figure them out.  This might be one to get at the library and take notes from.  I was especially impressed with the many cabled button bands which called for the button hole to be in the middle of the cable.  The patterns ended up looking like flowers.  I also think my grand daughter might enjoy some of the cuffs and collars with beads or baubles attached.

 n.b.  And now that I've checked on some info at Amazon.com, I believe this is a reissue of a 2006 title... which makes it likely that it is on my shelf or in a book box in the basement. 

Two Brief Yarns

I. Lost then found.
I am a creative person.  So it probably follows that I am not especially neat and that (usually) organization isn't my top priority.  But for the about 48 hours beginning Tuesday evening I was obsessing about missing two pieces of knitting:  the back,  and right front of a sweater I'm making for my granddaughter.  I looked high and low.  And Under.  I looked in the car, under the seats.  I wondered if they  had fallen out of the enormous carpet bag I call my purse.  If that were the case, where would I even call?  Starbuck's's? Bookstores"  I even texted my son to see if they stayed at his house after the hockey game.
Nowhere.

I consoled myself by promising to start another one from scratch... after all, I've learned the pattern by now!  So I looked for the pattern book.  Guess what I couldn't find?  Guess what else I started obsessing about?
Sweater Pieces, Sweater Pattern and My Mind/My marbles.

It took me two days to find the Pattern Book.  I ordered replacement yarn.
Then I went to my granddaughter's "recital" where her mother casually mentioned that I'd left some yarn at her house.  YAY.  YAY YAY YAY

AND, as luck would have it, the yarn seller was back ordered, so I got to cancel the duplicate order.

__________________________

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II. Garish or gorgeous?

I was gifted with five wound hanks of "Kudo" yarn by my daughter.  She had done a swatch and determined it was just toooooo bright for her.  I adore the color combinations and think I am wild enough to enjoy wearing them... especially since I found Sandra McIver's patterns collectively known as Knit,Swirl.  Since the initial cast on is nearly 600 (!) stitches, swatching to see how the color changes work seems pretty impossible. (The swatch above is a mere 35 stitches wide.)  This yarn is now on closeout at my somewhat local, very huge yarn supplier, so I've ordered sufficient hanks to make a whole sweater.  I suppose if it really IS too crazy to wear, it will make nice place mats.

Eeenie, meenie, teenie, toesey! FINALLY.

With the knowledge that Blizzard Nemo was going to arrive today, I stayed up last night and finished the remaining baby blanket in the 4-baby batch I've done since New Year's.  Ends are woven in and I'm just debating whether to pre-wash them or not. I rarely knit in synthetic yarn, but for babies, having them relatively indestructible and VERY washable is a plus.

Lion Brand Pound of Love (100% Acrylic), doubled, in Feather and Fan pattern with a garter stitch edging.  Light, fluffy and guaranteed to leave a waffle print if baby lies on top of it.

 Queen Ann's Blanket (crochet) in Plymouth Encore (75% Acrylic, 25% wool).

Lion Brand Pound of Love (100% Acrylic) doubled, in just-plain-garter stitch with Bernat Baby Jacquard (90% Acrylic/10% Nylon) in Berries and Cream carried with PoL, two rounds of single crochet edging. Also guaranteed to leave a waffle print if baby lies on top of it