What my husband did on his summer vacation

Wyoming 157,
originally uploaded by bookscatsyarn.

Yes, he jumped off the top of a mountain. I think he's hooked!

There's hope for me after all

Brian May earns his doctorate after 30 years.

Anyway.

Our time in Jackson is coming to an end, and I've made two more trips to Knit on Pearl. Now that I don't go to That Pittsburgh LYS That Shall Not Be Named*, I'm thrilled to support a nice, friendly LYS here. I picked up the special Interweave Felt issue, and felt (ha ha) an urge to felt again, after a felting hiatus of 2+ years. So I added Sophie and The French Market Bag to my Ravelry queue and picked up two lovely colors, Spice and Aubergine, of Lamb's Pride. I also bought Scarf Style; as I am highly suggestible, I added Falling Leaves to my queue as well because everyone else is doing it. Apparently I think I am going to knit from a chart. I have never knit from a chart before in my entire life. I don't know what gets into me sometimes.

* I received an email from CarlaK, via the knittiness and PGHKnitters groups on Yahoo. Apparently she has left the shop and is offering private lessons until the new store opens in Friendship this fall. The rates are very reasonable and she offers a huge variety of classes for all skill levels.

I finally get to make Anouk

Anouk! Anouk! I get to make Anouk!

I have been wanting to make this for pretty much forever, and now I get my chance to make this for the beautiful Sophia, who Melissa and Jon are so patiently waiting to bring home from Guatemala.

And whoever does the marketing at Jimmy Beans Wool is once again a genius. You can buy the yarn and the buttons for Anouk as a kit, which makes it a lot easier than bouncing back and forth between browsers, trying to remember how much you need for the size you want to make.

I'm so excited to begin the project. But, um, maybe I better finish some of the other things first.

The problem with yarn shopping on the internets

Could anyone look at the color card for Rowan Handknit Cotton on the Jimmy Beans site and tell me what color is closest to Steeler gold? (Hint: it is not "nectar," as I originally thought.)

Whoops

nevermind

Proof that Mason Dixon is crack

That dang book has made me knit a fancy handtowel. Who knits a handtowel??? Me, apparently, and anyone else who has swallowed the Mason Dixon Kool-Aid. The towel has a seed stitch border with a 14 row repeat inside. For the first set of repeats, I hated this project, and had to do a lot of tinking (but thankfully no ripping back). By the time I started the third set, I got into a groove and thought, okay, I can do this. I don't think I'll make stacks and stacks of them, but it is a nice break from all my other projects, all of which involve mindless circular knitting.

And since there is a picture of the handtowel, you may assume I found my camera cord. Here's a picture of the scenery here in Wyoming.

Hello from Wyoming!

For the month of August, I'm writing from Jackson Hole, where my husband plays in the Grand Teton Music Festival each summer. I'd put off doing any blogging until I uploaded pictures to share, but this morning, I realized I must have forgotten the cord for the digital camera at home. Ooops. I'll have to show my readers (all two of you) pictures of the mountains and moose-sightings when we get home.

This also means I have no knitting pictures. But here's an update, done Amy-style, of my projects.

1. Socks: I was rolling merrily along, comfortable in the knowledge that I have an extra skein in case I run out. I was also feeling smug that after my rough start with knitting on DPNs, I didn't have any ladders in my knitting. Lesson #1: Never feel smug because it will bite you in the ass. I stretched out the sock to see if it would fit around my calf and what did I see? Ladders. In my defense, I didn't have them before; I'm thinking my gauge changed when I started knitting out here.
2. Placket Pullover: I'm ready to do the sleeves and I see the same confusion about attaching the sleeves as I encountered on Tempting. I'm just going to do it my way and see what happens. Also, the idea that this is a four to six hour project is a LIE. Maybe for the newborn size, but definitely not for the toddler size. And finally, this Cotton-Ease, is, uh, growing. I thought the acrylic was supposed to prevent this issue?
3. Speaking of Tempting: nothing to say. It's in the bag, looking at me reproachfully for neglecting it in a recent fit of Startitis.
4. Men's scarf: I'm doing the Men's Cashmere Scarf for my husband for our anniversary. Did I mention our anniversary was two days ago? I'm loving the Panache yarn from KnitPicks, but I cannot get the gauge right: size 11, as called for in the pattern, is too loose. Size 10 is too tight? And guess where my size 10.5 needles are? Yes, they're at home. Oh well.

Happily, there is a LYS here, and a very nice little one it is, tucked under a chichi shoe store in a side-street of "downtown" Jackson. I added to the stash:

• one skein of PURPLE varigated Manos
• three skeins of Brown Sheep Handpaint Originals, which I've never found at home, and
• one skein of Trekking sock yarn

Other things of interest: I picked up the anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting, and it has two wonderful, informative roundtable discussions, one from the "Old Guard" of knitting (Meg Swanson, Alice Starmore, Kaffe Fasset, etc), and one from the "New Guard" (Debbie Stoller, the Yarn Harlot, Vickie Howell, etc). I'm dying for someone else to read it and discuss it.

And finally, HOORAY! I heard through the Ravelry grapevine that Martha Underwood is re-opening her yarn shop in Friendship. Hooray! Her shop is sorely needed, and I'm so excited for it to open.

'Cause everyone else is doing it!

I don't know if it's just me, but if there's a current popular knitting pattern sweeping the internets, I want to knit it. Witness the Booga Bag Explosion of 2004. The Clapotis Craze of 2005. I had a baby in 2006, so I'm excused from that year, but right now, it's all about the Calorimetry. Once more, I blame Ravelry.

What is a Calorimetry? It's basically a fancy knitted Babushka, a head kerchief designed to keep your head warm when you're wearing your hair up and don't want it to be smushed by a hat. What makes this interesting to knit?

• It's a great way to learn short rows (that is, if you want to learn short rows that leave holes).
• It can be knit with any kind of yarn, as long as you get gauge. This one is knit up in Patons new SWS (soy wool stripes); it's fun to knit with, but one skein had three knots in it, which is unacceptable.
• And it is a FAST knit. I made this in basically two evenings of tv (why, oh why, Nigel Lithgoe, did you send my Hok away?).

So what if I have three UFOs in my knitting bag? I finished something!

The downside of Ravelry

I have been so busy Raveling (Ravelating?) that I have not been knitting much at all in the past week since I got in. I'm a "single parent" this weekend, and last night I knit two rounds of the Placket Sweater before I put it down and dozed off in front of my tivo of "What Not to Wear." This is probably for the best, though, as the more I look at it, the more I think I should frog it and start over in the two year old size. The Cotton-Ease is knitting up like a dream, which is a pleasant surprise.

The good news, for those of you still waiting to get in to Ravelry, is that they've installed a feature that lets you type in your email address and then it shows you where you are in the queue to get in. Every day something new is added, or a function is improved. It's a lot of fun, and I'm really impressed.

Troubling lys experience

I just got back from the lys with Lisa. I'm not going to go into the details because I didn't hear the specifics myself, but I will say that this is the last straw in a series of disappointing shopping experiences at that store. I've spent hundreds of dollars there, but no more. Plenty of online stores that have exactly what I want for less money. As a former LYS employee from long ago and far away, I know how stressful it can be to deal with customers, and hey, we all have bad days, but I hope I never made anyone feel like I felt today, and if I did, I am most sincerely sorry.

I actually feel like a sucker for buying what I did there today, but I'm comforting myself with the thought that I touched their Malabrigo, and now that I know what it feels like, I'll buy a lot of it elsewhere.

Terrible Case of Startitis

Yes, I have one. I blame that Knitting Crack known as Ravelry. I got my KnitPicks order this morning, including the dark blue Panache to start the Men's ("Cashmere") Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I also cast on last night for the Child's Placket Sweater, also from LMKG, inspired by Erin's baby sweater from the Knit and Stitch. I'm using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, and this yarn snob is impressed so far. The swatch is amazingly soft and the stitch definition is great.

I'm still plugging away on my socks. I realized that one skein of Koigu isn't enough for one sock! What a dirty trick! My options are to make the leg shorter or suck it up and buy another skein. Thankfully I realized I was going to run short while I was still on the leg, so I won't have to frog anything. Sheesh.

Socks!

I broke our digital camera while taking pictures of my FO's for Ravelry (okay, I dropped it and jammed the power button, but that's fine because we needed a new one anyway) so you will be spared pictures, but my socks actually seem to be working out now that I've got an inch of ribbing completed. I'm still concerned that the gauge is too loose, but I think (I hope) it will resolve itself when I get to the plain stockinette part.


Here's my Ravelry Shout-Out of the Day: two of my photos have been selected for their featured pictures. So if you're looking to make anything out of the Itty-Bitty Hats book, that's my Candy Cane and Rainbow Marley hat you'll see.


And now for some grumpiness: I am mad at KnitPicks and mad at myself. I put two books in my stash there when the 40% off sale was announced. I left them in my stash because I wanted to wait until July 11, the next promised date for CotLin delivery, so I could combine the order and get free shipping. This morning I logged into KnitPicks, and found that the books had been sold out and, yes, you guessed it, still no CotLin. Argh!

Raaaavelryyyyyy......

Braaaaaaains. I feel like a zombie. Must. Play. With. Ravelry. It's wonderful. It's addictive. And best of all, I have told my husband that it will help me organize my yarn. He's been on me to clean out my yarn cupboards and other hidey-holes for months. I seem to have him thinking that this Ravelry thing is good and he's let me play on it for the past day and a half while he takes care of Henry. Ha! Can I also say that my favorite part of Ravelry so far is the UGH! section? It makes me feel better that other people have disastrous projects sometimes.



Speaking of disastrous projects, yesterday at the Knit and Stitch, Erin asked me if I brought my sock. Well, I had, but I was too embarrassed to bring it out. So instead, I will show it to the entire internets. I have no idea what I am doing wrong except that the needles feel too clunky and the tension is terrible - very loose and shapeless. Is this something that will shake out as I continue, or have I screwed it all up?


In happier news, I'm making a scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my husband for our anniversary. Not exactly cotton, but it'll do.

Ravelry!

Raverly!

Dudes, I got into Ravelry this morning! Too bad I can't quite figure out how to use it yet.

I'm AnnaW over there for those of you who are in already.

First sock attempt

Here's why I've never tried socks before: I hate DPNs. I've used them grudgingly on sleeves and the tops of hats, and figured it was worth it not to have to seam anything. But this is beyond me.

Last night I swatched my Koigu and got the right gauge for the Yarn Harlot's sock recipe. Then I attempted to knit with these skinny, pointy needles and impossibly thin yarn. I can't do it. I made such a mess that I can't even post a picture of it.

Argh! Perhaps I should start with something other than Koigu? Try the Class Sock in Sensational Knitted Socks? Learn to do this on two circulars?

Fun quiz, lame-o graphics

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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In which I attempt to get organized...

...and fail miserably.

Every so often, I think I ought to clean up my yarn cupboard. I virtuously got out my ziplock bags in assorted sizes and put yarn I'd bought specifically for projects into bags, labelled the bags with the name of the project, what book or website the pattern was from, and if I had them handy, put the correct needles in the bag. This worked well for about five minutes. Then I got overwhelmed with all the random crap I have: dishcloth cotton, remnants of past projects, and a surprising amount of stash yarn from the closing sales of the Pittsburgh Knit and Bead. It's a disaster in there. I stuffed everything back in the cupboard and ran away.

I have a project that I need to brainstorm. My husband and I follow the traditional list for anniversary gifts. This year is our second, so the gift is "cotton." He suggested that I knit him something. But what? I don't have time to finish the Manly Sweater from Stitch 'n Bitch. He has two scarves. What can I make for a man that I can finish in a month?

Finally, you know what is really entertaining for a thirteen month old? Watching yarn being wound from a swift. It's enough to make me want to haul out my entire stash and wind it up.

Tempting Sleeve

I am pleased to say that I have Achieved Sleeves. The Ann Norling method worked, and I note that Jenna Adorno changed her directions for attaching sleeves to sweaters knit in the round to basically the Norling method in her pattern featured on Knitty Gritty and Stitch and Bitch Nation. My only problem is that the join is a mess; the stitches are all stretched out, and I hope that can be repaired when I graft the armpits. Well, okay, my other problem is that it looks teeny tiny! I got gauge when I swatched. I guess this is where I trust the yarn and hope the ribbing stretches appropriately.

Speaking of gauge, is it me, or do they never, ever talk about gauge on Knitty Gritty? On the old shows, they would give the specific yarn and a needle size. On the new shows, they don't mention any specific brand but talk about yarn weight in a very offhand, vague way. Granted many of the projects don't require gauge, but I think this does a huge disservice to new knitters who need to know 1. what gauge is, and 2. how to substitute brands of yarn, both in terms of weight and yardage needed.

And now for some Mason-Dixon knitting, which of course I started up again as soon as I got my new needles. I am a junkie for sure. Both of these are gifts and you all will note that none of the ends are woven in, nor are there any buttons. Have I mentioned I hate finishing work?

Finished Objects

Thought I'd share pictures of some of the things I made while I was on Blogging Hiatus.


I didn't make this one, but it's so nice, I wanted to share it. Lisa made this cardigan from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Treasured Babies for my baby shower.


Bottom-up pullover from an Ann Norling pattern. This one turned out to be kind of a disaster. The collar is a mess, which I disguised with a strategically placed sheep button. I feel lucky that it went over his head at all -- we won't speak of the green and blue striped pullover that won't. Let's just say it's fortunate that I'm a Process Knitter rather than a Project Knitter.


Candy Cane Hat from Itty-Bitty Baby Hats. I used Svale from Dale of Norway, which I would not use again because the stretch and drape isn't right. But I like the pattern very much and plan to make another in Steeler colors for the fall.


Cardigan from the above Ann Norling pattern with matching Umbilical Cord hat from Stitch 'n Bitch. The yarn is Pittsburgh Print, which is what we carried in the old Knit and Bead rather than Encore. I really like this yarn a lot, but haven't seen it since the store closed. I wish I'd bought some for The Stash when the store closed and I got my super-duper discount.


Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch 'n Bitch. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherds Worsted. I know it seems insane to use $17 a skein yarn for a blanket, but this wears and washes beautifully, and at the time I still had my employee discount.


Vest from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. I wish I had a better picture of this because the stitch detail is beautiful: I used Rowan Calmer, which again, seems insane, but it washes surprisingly well, despite the Dire Warnings on the label. I bought the Harding book because it has two patterns for nursing sweaters in it. I don't like these particular nursing sweaters, but I feel like any designer who thinks to make one should be supported.

We will not speak of the three unfinished baby sweaters I have in my closet. I'm so embarrassed to say that I hate seaming so much, I stuffed them away and now they don't fit Henry anyway. See the bit about it's a good thing I'm a Process Knitter above.

By the way, there's an interesting discussion going on now on Yahoo's Knitlist about Destashing and going on Yarn Diets. Looking over my own stash, I'm surprised that for a Process Knitter, most of the stash has been purchased for specific projects. The only random stash things I have are things I snapped up when the store went out of business. Hmm.

More Jimmy Beans Love

My new needles arrived yesterday! So to recap, I sent off broken needles last Wednesday, got a confirmation email on Friday, and the needles came on Monday. In less than a week they replaced $20 needles that they didn't even sell me in the first place for $4, and then basically refunded that $4 with a free shipping coupon. Amazing.

Everyone go buy a lot of yarn from them now!