A Year for Hats?

My head must be cold. Or, I must be tired of knitting large projects or projects with matching elements, because I've been knitting hats all year. Everything else has been thrown to the wayside -- I'm on a roll!

For my Grandma, I've been knitting Gretel, in the most fitted style. It's a beautiful shade of red -- Cascade Cash Vero in Ruby. Very hard to photograph. Here goes!



I'm doing the cables without a cable needle, which works well enough. And, I am completely in love with Ysolda and her hats. I love them far too much. They're beautifully designed and entirely worth the money you pay for the patterns.

I say that, because I'm knitting another one! I'm almost done. It's a bit small, so it'll probably be a gift, but here's Verity (Cascade 220 in Marine)! I'm definitely going to make another one, probably in a drapier yarn. The only thing keeping me from finishing Verity is that I don't have a button!



Also, here's Koolhaas, designed by the incomparable Jared Flood, a.k.a. Brooklyn Tweed. I love the Malabrigo Worsted that I got to work with, in a fabulous shade of blue, Buscando Azul. However, it's snug to the point where I worry it will fall off! So, as my grandpa has been asking for a hat to wear to sleep, so maybe I'll give this one to him. Come to think of it, I finished this before the new year, but whatever. It's a hat, it's lovely, and it has yet to be seen!

Project monogamy? What's that?

Okay, so I'm feeling the lace itch, and I've decided that the best way to solve this is to knit up Icarus with that most beautiful Stone Blue Malabrigo Lace. However, I haven't even blocked my Swallowtail! Oh dear ... I just feel like there's no time. I think I need to weave in all of my ends and just get it all prepared. Maybe I'll lay it out tonight. I'm not sure yet.

Mmm ... every time I see the Malabrigo I get excited. It's all balled up and raring to go. I wonder if I should at least start up Monkey #2, as Monkey #1 is very nearly completed, save for weaving in ends. Socktoberfest is ON! Pictures to come.

Not too many knitting stories lately, other than that my knitting essentially takes over my life, and I forget to pay attention to my other work. However, knitting and baking are the only two things that allow me to relax nowadays, and I'm running nonstop on weekdays. Well ... going going going. I need to reorganize my yarn. My queue of projects is ever-growing, so I'm just constantly stash-busting. It's so much fun, though, and I'd rather have too much yarn than too little. :) Now then ... no time for words ... more time for knitting.

swinging in the trees

I totally didn't mention that these are my Socktoberfest socks!

Anyway.

I've found the solution to my photo problems! I take my knitting to school anyway, so why not photograph it on campus? It's so brilliant, its a wonder I never thought of it before. I've been going kind of crazy on the monkeys, so I keep knitting them, and the photos I am posting are ... how you say, always behind.

This is what they looked like yesterday afternoon before I went ballroom dancing.


Just working my way through this big ball of yarn. Monkey #2 is coming out of here, too. :)


Close up on the picot edge.


Look ma, another sock!

And I am really itching to start up Icarus, because that Malabrigo Lace is calling my name!

big, fat, traveling updating

It's almost embarassing how little I post. Seriously, I should be able to muster up more than this, but no, I post in spurts. It's been two months! Tragic, really. Since I have so much catching up to do, this post is going to be rather long and a bit photo-heavy. Bear with me, please -- it'll be worth it!

Anyway, as an update, I've been bailed out of that volunteer knitting. I guess the Christmas stockings weren't urgent. I should make woolen Christmas stockings, though, that would be fun ... but kinda scary.

Speaking of socks, I've been knitting Tropical Monkeys with this:

Oasis Yarns Aussi Sock in colorway WS21 Spanish Fiesta.

In the skein, it looks like this:


I wish the reds showed up more clearly, but I've been having that problem with all of my yarns, alas.

In the ball, the Aussi Sock looks like this:

Can't you see that it totally matches my patio lights? (I would post pictures of my sock-in-progress, but I am always home when the light is bad, and I can't bring myself to take more low-light inaccurate-color photos than absolutely necessary.)

So, where did I buy this beautiful yarn? Two weeks ago, I headed out to New York City to visit Chelle, buy yarn, and visit NYU. I managed all three, and came back with the goods to prove it. First, we headed over to Seaport Yarn. The selection there is amazing, but there is one drawback. They only take cash and check -- no cards. Alas, I was short on cash and had not thought to bring my checkbook, so off to the janky ATM in the Duane Reade it was. I came out with not only the Aussi Sock but also 12 skeins of Lily Chin Park Avenue in maroon for the Minimalist Cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007.

Is that yarn not gorgeous?


The next stop was Purl, where I picked up some exclusive purple and cream self-striping Lorna's Laces sock yarn. It says to me: ribbed socks, perhaps toe up. (At their fabric associate, I also bought some fabric for the quilting side of the family.)


After that, the final stop on our marathon yarn run was Downtown Yarns, where I picked up some delicious Malabrigo Lace in 99 Stone Blue. It's going to be Icarus from Interweave Knits Summer 2006.


Oh, and I totally forgot, on my first, incredibly jetlagged day, we managed to hit up Habu and School Products before seeing Spring Awakening. (That was one amazing day.)

There was so much to choose from at Habu that I simply couldn't decide, but at School Products, after much hemming and hawing, I decided on some Lace Merino, which I felt compelled to knit into the Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006.

This is what it looked like a few days ago:

Alas, it resembles a moth, ever so slightly. Anyway, I've finished the kntting, and now it's on to the blocking, which I think I shall do this weekend. This is my first shawl, so I'm way excited.

Ahem ... boo-yah!

I am at work, but I just had to mention that I went back, cast on the Eyelet Cardigan the right way, and lo and behold, I have finished the back of the sweater. It might get a little hairy picking up stitches for a number of reasons, but I am way too excited to care. :) More on this later, as I get off in 10 minutes. Hallelujah!

all she wants to do

So, what have I been up to lately? I've been knitting my tail off, and there is work to show for it, but it's dark, for which I apologize. I figure I'll share it with you anyway.


This is the back of the eyelet cardigan. I love that the stitching that forms the eyelets looks like vines climbing up the back of the sweater. I'm already making some adjustments for my size, so we'll see if they pay off.


This is a detail shot of the cast on. Chelle told me today that maybe I should have used the tubular cast on, but I'm happy with it. I don't yet feel comfortable enough with the tubular cast on to give it a shot. I know it's my first sweater, but I'm excited.

In short, all I've been doing is knitting. I've shirked homework, I've stayed up late, and all I want to do is knit ... even while sitting and taking notes in lecture! This is getting bad. I have other things to do, but to my knowledge, I have not failed an exam for the sake of knitting, and for this I am grateful. I also (re)started Hedera, the lace pattern in the eyelet cardigan reminded me a lot of the eyelets in the socks. I couldn't resist. that, and the yarn is such a beautiful spring/summer green.

Knitting makes my life better. Even if people do stare at me on the bus.

starting something new and shiny

I'm starting the Blue Sky Eyelet Cardigan tonight, and I've already got the gauge swatch down to my liking.

Materials:

• 5 skeins Blue Sky Dyed Cotton in #614 Drift
• US7 Circular Needle (Denise)

Techniques:

• Cara's 2x2 Cast-On
  

That's all I've got so far, but it's looking good, and I'll probably document my progress and changes that I might make, if any. Here goes!

compensating?

Daylight, my knits, my camera, and myself have finally aligned, and today, I can bring you photos! Lots and lots of photos! This is the summary of what I've been working on for a while. I've been shopping online a lot, and as a result have mounds of variegated, teal sock yarn (two balls of which have turned into Jaywalkers), two books, and 5 skeins of Blue Sky Dyed Cotton. I can't seem to write a coherent entry right now, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

First, Jaywalker #1, which has been finished since the beginning of April.


Second, Jaywalker #2, which has been on the needles for a week or two. The hardest thing about knitting this one is trying to make it match Jaywalker #1.


To conclude what's on the needles right now, it seems I've almost completed my first pair of socks! Soon, I'll just need to block them, because they're wrinkly little suckers.


Next on the needles, Blue Sky Dyed Cotton:


What will it be? This adorable eyelet cardigan, which came in a sale kit from kpixie. Alas, it's not on sale anymore, but I couldn't resist!


And to round everything out, here's a photo from the archives. This was taken when I first began Clapotis. I think I was sitting in the upstairs lobby of Palazzo Maffei Marescotti when I took this.

well that explains it

You know what the problem is? Making the socks match. And hoping to catch good daylight to take pictures ... if I could find my camera? I'm such a bad blogger.

why?

Why is the second sock the more difficult of the two? Is it because I'm not toting the pattern around with me like another appendage? Is it because I can't keep decrease rows and pattern rows straight? What is it? Jaywalker #1 never gave me this much trouble!

I'm done ranting for now. Please return to your regularly scheduled programming.

deja vu?

Jaywalker #1 is done, thanks to my mother's darning needle. Now, I have turned to Jaywalker #2, and by that I mean that I believe I've been trying to turn the heel of Jaywalker #2 for about 12 hours. I've lost a stitch. I've broken the pattern. I've counted multiple times. I'm sure I have everything. All I really want to do is turn the heel. then I can start on the rest of the sock. Then my poor little lonely Jaywalker #1 can have its sole mate. It's noticeably darker sole mate. That's all right. It'll just mean that the socks are handknit. For sure.

I really must take pictures.

Update: The heel has been turned. It's a 3 AM miracle. It just needs to stay that way.

low on pictures, high on charm

So, it's been far too long since I posted. I really should try to make a habit out of blogging about my knitting, since it does seem to consume my life. Even during final exams. I had to hide my knitting in my wardrobe so it wouldn't drive me to distraction. Now that, my friends, is something sad ... at least in the interests of graduating from college.

And what, may you ask, was I knitting that was so gosh-darn distracting? I will tell you what: my very first sock! I bit the bullet and ordered 10 balls of variegated, teal sock yarn off eBay, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I consulted Chelle to ask her opinion on the matter, and this led me to Jaywalker, which is a simple pattern for a beginner (namely, me!). Even if they are on US 1's! I think I nearly passed out at the thought of working on needles that small, but I have survived to blog this, so I think I'll be all right. Anyway, as of now, I have almost finished my first Jaywalker. I would actually be done by now, but I seem to have forgotten my darning needles in San Diego, and I am too cheap to buy another one while I am up in San Francisco. Thus, my Jaywalker I sits on two US 1's, just itching to be kitchener'd.

So, Chelle was also right in thinking I'd get addicted to socks. I went out to my LYS today (the staff were super-helpful), and I bought 3 skeins of Louet Gems Pearl in Fern, wound them up into balls, purchased along with some DPNs and went along my merry way. There was a bit of a detour while I was winding, though, as my aunt found herself wanting a v-neck sweater. So, while I wound, she picked out a pattern. It looks promising, and the next time I'm in town (likely this summer), we'll head out to the LYS again and pick out yarn for her sweater. Or maybe we'll just scour the internet because I can't drive. I really haven't thought it out that far yet. :D

Oh ... that Louet will hopefully be turned into a pair of Hedera. This really is the time I wish school was over. And I'll fix my pictures, and blog more, and perhaps all will be well with the world. Except gas prices. I don't drive, and I still look at them and shudder.