tangled up

Spring Ahead

I know that winter isn't over but I'm itching to switch to spring stuff on the needles.  I've been deep in coaching a ninth grade history fair project,  and my knitting has suffered, but that's pretty much finished now.  I've got two winter projects on the needles that I've absolutely got to finish:  MT's Einstein coat (which bogged down over the issue of what kind of buttonhole to use) and my Red Scarf Project mini-Clapotis, which is a bit more than 1/3 finished.  I used the Bonnie Marie frogging method on the Wool in the Woods mohair sweater that I started sometime before surgery -- the yarn just didn't seem happy with the pattern, so that took one WIP out of the picture.    I also am in the midst of Sheerly There, but rather than try to finish the whole thing, I think I'm going to complete the piece currently in progress and stow it away until next fall.   

There's a "fresh start" feeling about launching into spring that feels right.  It's a rationale for organizing my cotton stash, as opposed to tackling the whole thing, which has proved too daunting.  I've got a raft of baby presents that I owe, but there's no reason not to use cotton for them.  Even the sock yarn that I bought to  try a pair of socks (the blogosphere influence) are mostly cotton. 

What started it was the new Wool in the Woods cotton at Woolwinders.  What  clinched it was the arrival of the Patternworks catalog yesterday.  It wasn't that anything particular popped out at me -- I order from Patternworks occasionally, but not recently.  It was just the profusion of beautiful color that seemed almost therapeutic!

I'm traveling almost all of next week, just to NY, but I need a small project to take along.  I'd like to finish the red scarf before I leave; I always get a lot of knitting down during the Academy Awards.  I'm thinking that maybe I could start the socks.   Another alternative is to start one of the twins' baby sweaters, though I've been having a tough time deciding which patterns to use.  I figure, use the same yarn but make two different patterns.  I'm pretty sure that for one of them I'm going to use Elizabeth Zimmermann's baby surprise sweater.  Also contemplating Haiku from Knitty.  Making a decision and getting started -- good goal to have for the weekend.

Finally got a copy of Stitch 'N Bitch Nation and realized that my thumbnails of Woolwinders, Yarns International and Knit + Stitch = Bliss all made it into her listing of yarn shops.   That was fun to see.  I think the new Georgetown Stitch DC has opened.  Question is, can I hold out from going until after I've organized my spring/summer stash?  It's anyone's guess...

Whoa, how could I have forgotten my little Kureyon toddler sweater -- that's another definite "must finish" and soon!  The ruffle I put on the bottom ate up a sh*tload of yarn and I've been meaning to call and have the extra skein I think I'm going to need sent to me.  Another distraction that I can use to avoid a few more minutes of work now that I've finished this post.

Seeing Red

In honor of Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year, I started on my contribution to the Red Scarf Project.  After several false starts, I ended up doing what has become my most recent standby, a narrow Clapotis. I plan to give it a squared flat blocking so it won't have the wave effect,  but the drop stitches are irresistible.

I'm glad that I got talked into adding Anne to the Lang mohair, I don't think it (the mohair) would hold up very well on its own.  I haven't knit very much with mohair, just this past year have been using Kidsilk Haze and Wool in the Woods, and this is my least favorite so far, though it looks beautiful on the skein.  And it's certainly red.  This small piece will be fun, but it reinforces for me that red is definitely not my color.  I don't even like looking at it that much.  Funny, huh?

Happy Valentine's Day!

yarn tell-and-show

I didn't accomplish all my knitting goals last weekend, but I did make it to Woolwinders and I did only buy yarn for specific projects. That is definitely an improvement from my yarn binge last fall (my guest room is full of it and that's separate from the big stash I have in the attic). One of these weekends, a stash organization project is an absolute necessity to get ready for spring.

First, some Noro Kureyon (color #102) to make a top-down raglan sweater for a toddler. The bright colors are perfect for a little girl and I've been knitting madly on it all week. I've noticed for the first time (not having worked with Kureyon on anything but a scarf or Booga bag before) how much the character of the yarn changes depending on the number of stitches in the row. It's not just that the bands of color are wider when the row is shorter, the colors themselves appear much more subtle. Here's a shot that contrasts the sweater body with the sleeve:

My friend MT's brother Brendan just had identical twin girls and I bought yarn to make them little sweaters. Haven't picked a pattern yet, but plan to do two variations on the same theme. I bought some of the Wool in the Woods cotton that I had gone there to check out in the first place. The name of the yarn is Helix, it's 97% cotton and 3% nylon, and the color is Oslo. To me, the color says "Easter Eggs" and will give me incentive to finish these little presents in time for Easter. The rest of their spring collection was beautiful, but this yarn was by far the softest. One of the cotton yarns that I didn't get, I can't remember what it was called, was very similar in character to the wool Twin Twist that I just used for a Clapotis. Again, their entire color palette is really interesting.

Third (and finally), in honor of the Chinese New Year, I bought yarn to make a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. I have several friends who have adopted children from China and seeing the joy that it has brought to their lives prompted me to want to do my little part. And we're talking RED, which is not a color that I have much in my life -- no red clothes, no red decor, so it's a real novelty. I bought two yarns to hold together: Lang Venezia, which is a mohair/acrylic blend that has an interesting semi-sheen and Schaefer Anne, which has some very minor color variations that hopefully will create some interest. Not sure of the pattern for this one either, have to think about what I can do with 400 yards, maybe some kind of drop-stitch pattern.

I'm not going to set knitting goals for this weekend -- too much of the time is already accounted for. That said, I'd like to finish the sleeves of the toddler cardigan (no photos until it's finished and sent to its new owner) and get back to the Einstein coat, which I have neglected of late.

To Block or Not to Block

That is the Question. Don't know why it was a surprise, but blocking Clapotis took all the spring out of her. The scarf looks really nice, but I like the sculptured shape of the unblocked version and think I'll try something different with the next one. Have to do something to get the curl out of the ends; maybe the answer is just to steam the ends and leave the rest as is. These final photos aren't the best I've ever taken, but I'm anxious to head out to ogle yarn.

I was happy with how the Wool in the Woods yarn blocked out. Forgot to mention yesterday that it bled a bit but that the water was clear by about the third rinse. Makes me marvel all the more that none of the Koigu I've used has ever bled at all. The Great Adirondacks Sierra from which I made the Flower Basket Shawl last fall took more than half a dozen rinses and the water still wasn't quite clear.

I've started a second Clapotis, using Sherlock, one of the ArtFibers yarns I bought in San Francisco in December. It's a woven merino/silk combination in a deep aubergine that has brown and black throughout. Don't have anyone in mind for it right now. I started to make it really narrow but found myself increasing more than I originally intended; it seems like it wants to be wide enough to be bunched up...

Starting, Starting, Starting...

This week I must have started four different projects, only to put them aside within the first inch. Looking for a take along project, can't find just the right thing. Sort of a knitting moodiness, I guess. This morning, I think I've found a solution. I blocked Clapotis, which turned out to be more like 12" than the 8" I originally thought (not a problem with the pattern for anyone else who is making it, more a problem with my eyesight), and as I was doing it, I thought, hmm, this would look pretty as a thinner scarf. So tonight, I will dig into my stash (I think I have something in mind) to come up with some yarn and start yet again. Feels a little bit like when I finished my first Charlotte's Web and just had to make another.

I took some photos of the scarf blocking but they're not very interesting so I'll wait until it's dry to post a final photo. I tried to keep it on a diagonal, but can't exactly tell how that will work because I ended up pulling it down over the edges of the bed (I placed it diagonally across the double bed in my guestroom). I may have to invest in an inexpensive runner for scarf blocking.

Weekend knitting goals: work on the Einstein Coat, pick up the remaining yarn I need for it at Yarns International, maybe a quick trip up to Woolwinders and try not to spend too much money....

Clapotis

A little background: I liked Clapotis when it first came out on Knitty but shied away after I took a very quick look at the pattern – it looked like I’d have to refer to the pattern for every row and I just don’t have that kind of patience. I was inspired to give it a try after seeing beautiful versions on so many blogs. And I was so wrong – the pattern is extremely easy to follow and so much fun every time you get to a row where you can drop stitches!!

 I used some Wool in the Woods Twin Twist that I had in my stash from a visit to the Cloverhill Yarn Shop in Baltimore this fall. Didn’t know about Wool in the Woods before that trip, but I’m a convert. It’s a small Pennsylvania company owned and run by two women with amazing color sense who clearly love fiber. They recommend Twin Twist as a sock yarn because it has a bit of nylon in it, I suppose, but it’s more like a DK weight than sock weight. It’s lovely to knit with. I used size 6 needles. The colorway is Majestic Ridge.  Here's a picture of how it looks on the skein:

 I started it sometime in early January as a good take along project, even though at that time my only outing was to the doctor’s office.  Rather than make a wrap, I modified the pattern to a wide scarf width, probably about 8” wide after blocking. I also added a few extra repeats in order to increase the length, not sure where it will end up when it’s blocked, hopefully around 60”.  I put it down to focus on the Einstein Coat but picked it up again for a little variety and finished it in a couple of marathon sessions over the weekend. When it’s blocked, it’s going to be a gift for my friend Marilyn, who gave me a good deal of help and support during my recovery from weight loss surgery,  including rides to said doctor’s visits.

When I took these photos, I noticed the sorta striping pattern for the first t ime.  It never ceases to amaze me the things that the camera picks up that my naked eye doesn't notice (see also the pooling of purple that looks a bit like an ink blot....)

As I mentioned, the drop stitch pattern was really satisfying, so much so that I'll very likely make this again.  Here's a closeup:

Just saw on their blog that Woolwinders has the same love of Wool in the Woods that I do, and this weekend might just have to include a visit to see their spring/summer collection. I’m trying really hard not to buy yarn but instead to work with what I have, but have given myself the loophole that if I buy for a specific project, I can make an exception. Sounds like an exception large enough to drive a truck through, but I’ve been pretty good so far.

 In the meantime, I’ve picked up Sheerly There again and am almost midway through the top front piece. Working with Koigu KPPPM held together with Rowan Kidsilk Haze is heavenly. It’s not a good take along project, though and since the Einstein Coat isn’t either, I need to get something else simple on the needles. Lots of babies have been born in recent months to friends – maybe it’s time for some baby/toddler projects.