Possible Shawl

Today Linda brought her mass pile of shawl patterns to the SnB. I looked through each one and found a beauty. I'm not certain yet, but I'm thinking this may be THE shawl. In January, the women in our SnB are having a shawl KAL. So, I've been looking for the perfect shawl pattern to join in with.

I really like this idea, since it gives me something to look forward to knitting- just for me. So this is my first real possibility: Goddess Knits' Flowing River Shawl. This picture of it doesn't do it justice, but it's the only one I can find online. I don't know why this company displays it in colors where you can't see the definition, but you get the idea.

Simple Knitted Bodice

I have been plugging away on my Simple Knitted Bodice, by Stitch Diva Studios. I've been rooting for this sweater since before it was released, but it seems to be taking quite awhile to get into. Well, I'm finally at the first trying on point. I moved the bodice onto Knitpicks' Options cables and on it went. By the way, I can't tell you how cool those cables are. I'm very impressed. I really didn't want to transfer the stitches onto yarn.

The yarn is Madil Eden 100% bamboo, and it is so lovely. It's been a bit of a pain with swatching because it shrank each time in the wash, but that's it's nature, so who can blame it (besides me, after swatching 1 1/2 months, but who's bitter?) This yarn is soft and drapes beautifully. I like the way it feels against my fingers as I work with my bamboo needles. It does split a bit, but I've gotten used to that.

So I admit that I'm not positive where to go from here. I'm not sure how it's supposed to fit me at this point. Lorena? Silvia? Thoughts? It obviously fits around my arms and body, but it seems to me as though the darts should reach further under my arms at this point. It also seems that if I tried to move my arms out, I wouldn't have much room. I'd like the "V" to be lower as well, but don't want to make the body too wide. And, I'm tall, so it may need to be a bit longer. So my dilemna is that I agree with Lorena and Silvia that many of the pics I see of this sweater are too big and I don't want that. But, maybe I should keep up with the increases for another round or so. Are the darts supposed to meet under my arms at this point?

Eventually I think I will use a size 0 needle for the lace. Silvia affirmed my feeling that knitting it tighter would be better than looser, since most of the FOs come out a bit looser than I'd like.

In other knitting news, I finally taught myself the long-tail cast-on. As a child I learned a certain cast-on method which was dubbed by the SnB women as "the old lady cast-on". I couldn't have that. So, I've been learning other types. I since learned my method is actually called the "half hitch cast-on". SEEEEeee!? It really DOES have a name.

Unfortunately, the long-tail cast-on aggravated my thumb a bit and I wasn't able to knit for a couple days. (To be honest, the thumb problem probably had more to do with throwing children around in circles at work.) I realized during those couple days how dramatic it felt not to knit. It was very hard. But, I got some help from my acupuncturist yesterday, and now I'm happily knitting again.

Back to my knitting now...

Welcome Mom!

When I started this blog, I decided that I wasn't going to share it with any family members- that way I would be able to post about the gifts I was making for them and still be able to surprise them.

However, my plan forgot one thing: I can't stand not to share things with my mom.

After a few weeks of describing to her how much I'm enjoying the blog, talking about it in detail, etc. , I have decided this is ridiculous. I need to share this with my mother. So, I'm gonna.

What this means is that a certain post from last week has been deleted. If anyone wants any of the details from that post (like Silvia (thanks for your sweet comments, btw!)), let me know.

BTW, my mother is very creative. She doesn't knit, but she makes a mean pumpkin santa.

I love you mom.

Inspired

Various events and subtleties over the last week have resulted in a feeling of great inspiration in my knitting. The following are in absolutely no chronological order: (actually, they could be reverse order)

1) Reading Yarn Harlot's newest entry touched me and awoke a feeling of intangible mystery and awe in me. Her wedding shawl is beyond words. The beauty of it leads me to wonder what I could create if I really tried.

2) At Sunday's SnB, Steff loaned me Shannon Okey's "Spin to Knit". Since then, I've taken new steps in my spinning. I had filled up my drop spindle with my first handspun, and it was getting to the point where I was running out of room on the spindle.

The yarn from my first few hours of spinning is, of course, fairly large. But towards the end it's fairly consistent and thin. I'm well pleased. So, I didn't know what to do now that it was spun. Steff took pity on me (or maybe got tired of my comments on her blog asking her how to do things...he he) and since reading through some of the book, I've taken the crucial steps.

First I wound it around my niddy noddy...er...um...chair. I counted it up and found that I have about 40 yards. Perfect for my first afghan...I mean, coaster.

Then I blocked it. I would have spritzed it, if we had a spritzer. Instead I threw handfuls of water onto it and let it dry. I did this because I realized, from the book, that my yarn is overtwisted. Who knew? I thought the more twist the better. But, no.

Since blocking it on the chair, the twist stays the way it should and works into a lovely cute skein.

When I say cute, I mean cute. To get a sense of the scale, here's my foot. It's a not quite a knome-sized skein, but close. :)

The wool is batting of some sort from Asheville, NC. I bought it there at the Earth Guild (a very cool place). I think it's "locally grown" there. The wool isn't the softest or combed much, but I found it enjoyable.

3) Lorena brought 3 skeins of Lisa Souza's hand-dyed yarn to SnB on Sunday for me to fondle. Oh my GOODNESS! I could just sit and stare at it. I had to firmly remind myself that I needed to return the yarn to Lorena and do something besides stare at yarn for the next couple hours. I was interested to find that I was most drawn to the yarn with colors that aren't necessarily "my colors". My idea of beautiful colors has been changing of late. Of course, Steff was also next to me knitting her Lime n' Violet yarn from Lisa Souza as well. It knits up beautifully. (I think they were conspiring against me.) So, although I have plenty of sock yarn now, I NEED some of this stuff. If not to knit, simply to have my own staring material.

4) In January our SnB is going to have a shawl KAL. I've been busy looking through pictures of shawls. Now that has to be one of the best experiences. Lace is hot stuff. I can't wait to start.

And so all these things have been inspiring me around my knitting. My choice of patterns, choice of yarns, choice of colors, choice of needles, etc. All these things represent something. I'm realizing that if I'm going to knit something, shouldn't it be something beautiful? I mean, there are simple things I'll always want to knit- something meditative and relaxing. But, I really want to put my intention towards beauty in my knitting. And heck, I'm gonna buy some expensive yarn if I want to. If it adds to the loveliness around me, it's well worth it.

In a way, this is kind of the theme behind this whole blog. I try to take pictures of things in ways that feel beautiful to me, because that is how I view knitting.

I seek to create beauty. I seek to invite beauty into my life.

Enjoying my day

I have just had a truly wonderful day. And I'm so glad, because I really was hoping for one :) David and I got up together and really enjoyed our morning reconnecting and being together. I tell you, that kind of morning is really underrated. Then, although it was 61 degrees, cloudy, and windy, we decided to go to the beach. We were both thinking we might be crazy. I mean, it was COLD. But, we idealistically hoped for the best.

It was magic. By the time we arrived at Anastasia State Park, it was 74 degrees, mostly sunny, and beautiful. We paid our $5, walked across onto the beach and found we were the only people there. It was stunning to find ourselves suddenly transported into a perfect day on the beach with not a person in sight. Of course, as the day continued to be nice, people began to arrive. But still, very few people- I guess being a weekday helps. We ate lunch, I knit, we went for a swim, lay in the sun together, swam again, thanked the beach, and contentedly went home.

Water is a wondrous thing. It can create movement in a body where everything felt stuck- without much effort on the body owner's part. I like it.

In the last month or so, I've been enjoying my life more. This has largely been the result of a fairly major epiphany the night before my birthday that it's OK for me to be happy. I know, it sounds simple. But, I tend to believe that if I'm happy then I'm being selfish, and others probably are suffering as a result. I also have felt in the past that I don't deserve to be happy and I don't deserve to get what I want. Well, that is being blown out of the water lately as I've been experiencing what life would be if I really ALLOWED myself to be happy. Not to MAKE myself happy when I'm not really. But, to allow myself to enjoy life and feel happy when I'm enjoying life. You know what? People around me actually benefit from my happiness. They aren't held back by my getting the things I want. Yes, it sounds simple, but it's taking awhile for this to really sink in.

As I've experienced my happiness more lately, other subtleties are coming up. The more I enjoy my life, the less willing I am to engage in aspects of life that I DON'T enjoy. And, I become less satisfied with allowing those things in my life. So, where do I go with that? What do I do with the things that are not feeling so good to me and actually bringing me down (particularly if those things are a big part of my identity)? Right now I'm in the midst of looking at what my true needs are. What do I want in my life, and what don't I want?

This is the first time I'm really allowing myself to think about what I want and don't want. Not that you always get what you want. But, I think it's important to atleast acknowledge what you want before rejecting it.

A Croc in Gator Country

A few weeks ago I completed the Knitpicks Mock Croc Socks. On completion of these socks, I vowed never again to attempt a lace pattern for size 11 1/2 feet. (We'll see how long that vow lasts). This was the first time I seriously needed a different project between socks (that's when the flower washcloth came in). However, I really like them.

The pattern itself was easy (when I remembered to count the rows). Basically, it's 5 rows of knitting with one row of other stuff. I quickly memorized it and would knit them again- just not with such big feet. These are for my mom, and I thought it would be cute for her to have some "croc" skin, since she always is interested in the gators when she visits from CT.

Funny, in the Knitpicks catalog, this pattern looks kind of utilitarian- like, well, "croc" skin. However, knit in this color it's really quite pretty.

There was just one place in the pattern that I didn't really approve of and would do differently next time. The heel. I'm not learned enough in this area to know what this sort of turning of the heel is called, but I don't like how it works up. Honestly, it was easier to turn this heel than my usual method, but the result is a thin, straight heel that feels/looks weird, in my opinion. You do a heel flap, and then to turn the heel, you:

Row 1: sl1, K21, ssk, turn

Row 2: sl1, p9, p2tog, turn

Row 3: sl1, k9, ssk, turn

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until you've worked all the heel stitches.

It's that last sentence that makes this such a thin, static heel. Just my opinion. Anyone know what it's called?

Also wanted to comment on the yarn. YES! This is lovely yarn. Regia Silk in "soft blue". I had bought some opal silk at the same time online. They both came, and the regia just blows the opal out of the water in terms of softness. I wanted something that really felt soft- this is it.

Mom's Moc Croc Socks

Yarn: Regia Silk in soft blue

Pattern: Moc Croc Socks (by Susan Lawrence exclusively for Knit Picks)

Comments: I knit the large size, since I wasn't sure about the smaller size fitting around a swollen ankle. The pattern was easy to read and I like the yarn. Alittle splitty, but so soft! I used US1 DPNs.

A young knitter

Today I went to David's school to pick him up. As is often the case, I had about 30 minutes to kill before his class let out. So, I settled into a comfy chair in the lobby to do my knitting. Also in the lobby sat the 9-year-old daughter of one of David's classmates. MAN was she shy :) But, I remembered her mom telling me that she loves knitting and has been learning. I used my knitting as a lure to get her talking a bit. It was beautiful to see the way talking about knitting opened her up- not much, but some. Apparantly she is currently knitting a rainbow colored headband.

I was impressed by her one question: "What kind of needles are those?"

Me: "They're double pointed needles. I use them so I can knit in the round without sewing up the seams."

Her: *obviously not satisfied*

Me: "They're bamboo"

Her: "Cool!"

She is the first 9-year-old I've met to be interested in what my needles were made of. Well, the first person of any age outside of SnB :)

Starting a blog (catching up on projects)

What does one say in order to start a blog? How about the question of WHY? I started this blog in order to post about my knitting projects and other fiber related escapades. I have considered such a blog since June, when I joined my local Stitch n' Bitch here in Gainesville, FL. A few of the women there have blogs and got me hooked on reading knitblogs. However, it has taken me some time to desire my own knitblog. The reasons I now have such a desire?

1) I'm realizing that Christmas is coming soon. And, when it does, all these beautiful knitted items currently decorating my home will be gone- vamoose! I want a way to remember them for personal reasons. (After all, although they are totally intended for their recipients, they are a part of me.)

2) As knitting has become more than a hobby, and truly a part of my daily living experience, I've been wanting more ways to express myself around it. Sometimes I feel isolated during the week, or put into a particular category when nonknitters see me knitting. Sometimes I lose a sense of why I knit. Don't get me wrong- I always love it, but if enough people think of me as a "sweet young lady who knits socks for her husband- and oh! she must be such a good homemaker!" my eyes start to glaze a bit, and I lose my connection to the realness of my knitting- the texture, the beauty, the passionate excitement. And so, a blog may be a means for me express who I am and explore more of my identity as a knitter.

3) I want to be a part of the online knitting community. When I buy yarn, I'm always browsing people's blogs to see how something knit up for THEM. I'm so grateful for that opportunity and would like to do the same for others.

4) I get to show off. Yippee!

And so, I've taken pictures of the various projects I've completed since, say, April. That is when I really got serious about knitting and those are the projects I feel closest to. Before that point, I had 2 projects I knit over and over again. Firstly, a roll-brim stockinette stitch hat in the round. Very nice, but very "the same". Secondly, dolls from a Waldorf Schooling pattern. There was a man and a woman (and children, but I never bothered to knit them). Here's what I'm talking about (imagine eyes, and maybe some hair, which I would have added if my interest for the SAME project hadn't waned).

Alright...after finishing one of my famous hats in April, I began expanding my knitting by trying my first pair of socks. I stopped by my LYS in order to find the right yarn and pattern. I have since found out from my SnB that this was the wrong move, given the lack of good advise available at our LYS. The owner of the store recommended an acrylic yarn for this pair, and I wasn't knowledgable enough to know better. However, I still love my first pair- even if they are acrylic worsted weight in Florida. They are cozy. (Disregard the spare foot on the left of the picture. My husband David wanted in on the action before his sock's chronological order.)

Abigail's First Socks:

Yarn: Plymouth Encore - Worsted Weight 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool - color 7121

Pattern: Knitting Pure & Simple- Beginner Socks. I used US7 DPNs (way too big)

Comments: I haven't washed these yet. However, I've worn them around the house now and then since their completion and they are already frizzing and almost felting themselves on the bottom. So, while they are very cozy, and I enjoy them a great deal, I won't use this yarn again. The pattern was easy to use.

Somehow after my first pair of socks I had enough gumption to try lace socks (I'd never done lace before). These are for my mother-in-law, with size 5-51/2 feet (nice for socks). I'm well pleased with them, except for the fact that I hadn't yet met the acquaintance of my SnB'ers and still followed the LYS recommendation for acrylic. (What is it with them and acrylic?)

Raindrop Lace Socks - for Mama

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly - 4 ply 55% Nylon, 45% Acrylic - color 0240

Pattern: Fiber Trends - Raindrop Lace Socks. US2 DPNs

Comments: I like 'em quite a bit. I always feel that lace socks look different when they are ON, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they look like on her, since I'll never fit them on my feet. The yarn is very soft and, well, "snuggly".

We shall now take a short break from socks to visit a shawl for my best friend, Amy. Amy came to visit, saw this shawl hanging in the LYS, and fell in love. She chose the yarn (fabulous colors) and the pattern. I happily knit it with love. I apologize for the poor picture. I didn't realize at the time I was modeling for a picture.

Amy's Shawl:

Yarn: Fiesta Rayon Boucle, and Fiesta Gelato - both in the color Sandstone

Pattern: Fiesta Yarn's Tasseled Shawl

Comments: I loved the colors in this shawl. However, I found the yarn a pain to knit with. The characteristic that makes it so elegant and sexy in person makes it difficult to handle as a knitter- the yarn is slippery. On big (US17) plastic needles, the effect was accentuated. So, I like the end effect- particularly the beautiful tassels, but don't know if I'll use that yarn again.

You will pleased to know that, in our online timeline, I have now met the SnB'ers, who set me straight about acrylic. My next pair were wool- with Aloe and Jojoba!

Auntie A's Socks

Yarn: Austermann Step Color 10

Pattern: Sockulator Socks

Comments: I really like the Step yarn. It feels really soft for wool, and has a nice firm give to it when knitting up. I don't know if I like the specks in the colors. Honestly these aren't my colors, but I like them better than this color looks in the Austermann color card. The Sockulator pattern worked well for me as a basic guide, besides from a few obvious things that didn't sound quite right.

I liked the Austermann Step so much that I used it for my next pair as well- for my husband David. These were my first toe-up socks.

David's Socks:

Yarn: Austermann Step - color 04

Pattern: I dunno. I collected ideas for toe-up socks. Figure8 cast-on. Short row heel.

Comments: I continue to like the Austermann. It feels good on my fingers to work with. I think I'll stick with cuff-down socks. Somehow the tradition of it appeals to me, and I didn't like the short row heel enough to work harder on it.

So, I decided to try something new at this point.

Brioche Hat:

Yarn: Knitpicks' Wool of the Andes. One skein each of Arctic Pool Heather and Amethyst Heather.

Pattern: Brioche Hat from Melanie Falick's book: "Weekend Knitting"

Comments: I've heard other bloggers refer to this as "the hat from hell". I'll admit to referring to it thus at the very beginning, and at the very end. However, the middle was just wonderful. I just enjoyed it knitting it so much. It was fun and made me feel very clever. I loved the feel of the wool against the Crystal Palace bamboo needles, I loved the colors, I loved the new technique. I think it's so cool that it's reversible.

It took awhile to figure out the cast-on, but with the help of a woman at the SnB, I got that out of the way. I like it.

I also wanted to comment on the flower washcloth from Weekend Knitting. Another project in which I felt very clever. Clever because of the cool pattern, and also because I used my first stash yarn! I used Knitpicks Crayon in Azure as a substitute for the Cotton Chenille. Since then I have felt the Cotton Chenille, and I will happily say I much prefer the Knitpicks Crayon. The Crayon is so soft and fluffy. I like it. It was a bit annoying to knit with- got caught on the needles now and then. But, I got over it, and I like the effect, particularly with this washcloth.

Well, that's all for now. Future posts shouldn't be nearly so long. I had a lot to cover! *whew*