More things to cure all ills

Thanks for all of your comments on the Swallowtail! I’m so pleased with how it turned out, and I think it’s made me a lace convert — I keep finding all these new patterns I want to make. So get ready for more lace to come.

So here and there over the last few days, I’ve been working on small new projects. I’m in the throes of my last major grant application and have had to lay down the law when it comes to knitting (something, I suppose, I should do more often) — no knitting until I’ve written at least three pages (or whatever my daily goal happens to be. Today, for example, it is to finish the nasty draft of this proposal). So in the evenings, while trying to think of how to say something, or deciding where I want to go next in this chapter, or generally giving my brain a break, I’ve been craving small things to knit — things that can be knit in pieces (and, of course, from the stash, since I’m dead-set on not buying yarn until March). This little guy is a product of this craving. [This picture does him no justice...]

Pattern: Elephant loveable toy, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: less than 1 skein of Malabrigo (Frost Gray), Misti Alpaca Worsted (in pink) for the nose, scraps of Knitpicks Gloss for the eyes, and Sundara Merino Sport for the snazzy Kerchief.
Needles: Clover bamboo dpns, 4.25 mm US 6

Modifications: Well, other than yarn selection, I knit the whole thing on dpns — The pattern calls for this very complicated process of knitting from the legs up the body on two circulars. Bah! I knit the legs flat, and then rearranged them on dpns with half the leg stitches on each of four dpns. Worked fine. If I had it to do again, I’d knit the arms on slightly smaller needles. My gauge knitting in the round is considerably tighter than it is knitting/purling stocking flat (knitting socks is beginning to take it’s toll… my purl tension is considerably looser than my knit. doh!) and it’s noticeable. I sewed the ears on a little wonky, but i think that’s part of the little elephant’s charm. I stuffed him with yarn scraps, so not a thing was wasted in the process. What a fun and rewarding (and adorable!) knit. Any name ideas?

I just finished brewing coffee. This will be the first cup of coffee I’ve had in almost a week. I decided to cut back this year, after I found myself going through almost a pot a day in November. Coffee is my treat to myself today.

[and for those of you who think I seem to be churning out a lot of projects these days (Minty), I don’t really knit that fast. I’ve had a lot of things languishing around, half finished, that I’ve suddenly motivated to complete. Also, keep in mind I live in a town of 78, about three hours from a reasonable sized city (and movie theaters. and restaurants. and FRIENDS) and I have no day job. Things can get pretty dull chez Twinknit in the winter, and knitting has proven to be an excellent way to pass my evenings).

Cure All

I was having a really down day. That is, until I unpinned this:

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl, from Interweave Fall 2006
Yarn: Drops Alpaca 2 skeins (plus some Misti Alpaca laceweight in black…I ran out of yarn)
Needles: Addi Natura circulars, 4.5 mm, US 7

Thoughts: There are no words for the joy this shawl makes me feel. This is my first completed and blocked lace, and I’m hooked. I ran out of yarn at the end which was frustrating, but in the end, I just decided to use black for the last border, just like the tail of the Swallow bird:

(I didn’t really put that much thought into it at the time, but I like the argument).

I’m wearing it now… maybe it will help me write this grant application quicker. If not, then at least it made me feel better! Lace and fresh bread will cure al ills…

Plays well with others, but…

Cannot follow directions. Case in point — my first FO of 2007 (Let’s home this isn’t a sign of things to come!)

Pattern: Well, it was supposed to be the Spindle Socks, but I can’t follow directions, so I guess it’s really my own.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 2 skeins, in color #340002 (a beautiful pale green)
Needles: Clover bamboo dpns, 2.75 mm (US 2)

Thoughts/Modifications: Well, like I said, I can’t follow directions. I misread the pattern and didn’t notice that there was a 2 purl column between each set of three cables (when the cable change direction). I didn’t notice this until I’d done all the ribbing and started the first set of cables. But I was on a time constraint (I was desperately trying to finish socks for my girlfriends from college before we all met up in Boston. I didn’t succeed. But I’m much farther along than last year, when I finished the last pair in July!). So I fudged the pattern a little and got it to work out so there were still six cables (three in each direction) across the front. It wasn’t until I reached the toe of the first sock that I noticed this:

See it? When I picked up stitches along the heel flap and began knitting in the round again, I inadvertently switched the direction of the cables. All of them. Again, no time to rip back. So I just repeated all of my mistakes on the second sock. Oh well. They are still delicious socks — great color (can you tell I’m craving spring?), I love this cable, and the cashermino is so squishy and decadent on the feet. Anna’s pattern is wonderful too — very easy to cable with out a cable needle (thanks to the slipped stitches in those cables) and knits up quickly. They’re blocking now, and then they’re off in the mail to Mel. I might have to make myself a pair (following the directions, of course).

In other news, I joined the 2007 UFO Resurrection. I’m gonna get my WIPs under control (this is one of my New Years Yarn Resolutions — along with only knitting from stash for the months of January and February… possibly even March!). My list of UFOs so far (and I know there’ll be more)?

1. Swallowtail shawl
2. New England Socks
3. TSALP (still)
4. Mom’s Faroese shawl (frog pond)
5. Union Square Market (frog pond)
6. Spitey’s Sweater (frog pond, when I feel capable)
7. Kitty Pi
8. Anthropologie Sweater (frog pond, I think…)
9. Orangina

I’ve gotten a head start on #1 (and, indirectly, #5)… I put it down months ago when I realized I was going to run out of yarn. I couldn’t find more on my last trip to Philly and the poor thing has been sitting around 15 rows from completion. So this weekend, I finally picked it back up and re-evaluated the yarn situation. I thought that perhaps the yarn still attached to my unfrogged beginning of the Union Market Sweater might do the trick. So I painstakingly ripped it out (and believe me, this was no fun — alpaca is sticky!),

rewound it, and am now plugging away (after doing my very first spit-felted join… I’m never weaving in ends again!). I hope to have the thing blocking by midweek. Hurrah!

HOliday

Back again…

First, and most importantly, thank you all for your kind words re: my knitting and (more importantly) the mid-winter blues. I know there’s lots of ‘debate’ out there about the line between knitting and the personal, and I appreciate all your support. It’s nice being home and tomorrow, I head to Boston for my annual new-years-meet-up with my five best gal-pals from college. I think that will do wonders to refresh my spirit. The last few weeks have caused me to think, quite a bit, and for now I’ll say that the new year promises some substantial changes. More on that as things settle themselves.

In the meantime, my holiday knitting is still slowly finding its way to recipients.

I knit this scarf for my brother (who, to my amazement, patiently posed for pictures on Christmas night).

Pattern: My own (sand stitch with a slip-stitch border — it looks so tidy!)
Yarn: Knit picks Merino Style in “Nutmeg” (or, as Theresa says, whatever they’re calling beige these days)
Needles: Lantern Moon, US 8 straights

And speaking of holiday knits, when we were babies, my mom knit these (monster) stockings for us. Santa still struggles to fill them every year (lots of underwear, oranges, and toothpaste over the years!).

More knitting to come as gifts are given… I hope you all had wonderful holidays and, if you don’t hear from me before then, a wonderful New Year!

Searching for Mojo…

It’s not that I haven’t been knitting, or even having some FOs. It’s just that I’m not excited about the quality of my knitting. My mojo? It’s gone. For example, my Koigu Monkey socks. Gauge off, recently frogged. Or these:

Fingerless gloves for a friend. I ran out of yarn. Again. I just don’t have the strength to frog two things in one day.

You’d think an FO would make me feel better.

Pattern: My own (losely based on Minty’s Anastasia socks)
Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in “dusk”
Needles: Inox US 1.5 (2.5 mm) dpns

Thoughts: Well… I love the idea of these socks. I’m not loving the Gloss so much right now. It shows every. single. mistake. Really. It makes me feel like I can’t knit to save my life. (see the uneveness below? Yeah. That’s on the TOP of one foot. After blocking. Ugh).

But the pattern? I knit the first of these on the flight to Hawaii. Despite a minor setback, I finished the second several days ago. I love that the mirror each other. I love the continuation of the eyelet spiral onto the heel flap (this was Jenfee’s suggestion… she’s smart). I think they’re sexy (well, sexy as far as handknit socks go).

Here’s to hoping my mojo comes back soon. I’ve got a week to get a lot of Christmas knitting done. Not to mention that thing they call a dissertation…