Instant Gratification

Took a break from The Sweater That Never Ends for some instant gratification in the form of the sweet little baby flap hat below. Based on the "Kim's Hats" pattern in Joelle Holverson's Last Minute Knitted Gifts...love, love, love that book.

Flap Hat 

Look Ma, I'm famous

Check this out; I'm quoted in USA Today. You think Martha might see it and send me a poncho??

Process, Not Product

Nice Poncho, Martha! Surely the most exciting fiber news of the week was the release of Martha and her fabulous poncho, made for her by a sister inmate (or, as the NY Daily News so delicately put it, a "crocheting con." According to Martha, this women crochets 12 hours a day. Hmmm.....Not much progress made on my own knitting this week. Still slogging away on Sam's sweater. Did a few rows on a lace scarf. Started and abandoned a prototype baby bootie--I was thinking of having a go at the angora booties in Last Minute Knits to delve into some precious bits of stash; I'm glad I did the prototype before getting tangled up with the fuzzy stuff. The booties are as cute as can be, but the pattern is much to complicated for such a little object (and working with double pointed needles is still like wrestling with a porcupine). Oh, well, process not product.

Hooray for Hollywood

You know you're obsessed when the Academy Awards is merely an excuse for several hours of sustained knitting. Above is Baby Albert and Heart Hat, begun as separate objects but destined to be an Outfit. And, my goodness, what's that in the background? Could it be...the back of Sam's Seamed Slip Stitch Sweater?? Completed?? Like I said, Hooray for Hollywood...I finished off the back while Joan was working the red carpet and had a decent start on the left front by the time Million Dollar Baby walked off with Best Picture.

Knit Your Own...Room??

You know those little gremlins that sneak in while you're sleeping and unravel everything you've knitted that day? Well, that's the only excuse I have for still slogging away at the back of Sam's Seamed Slipstitch Sweater. It should be done by our golden wedding anniversary. And, to make me feel even worse about my lack of productivity, here's an article about a group of old folks who decided to knit and crochet an entire room, complete with furnishings. And I don't mean doilies--I'm talking burgers and champagne and clocks and radios. Way to make a slow knitter feel bad, old folks!

Mission Falls Memorial Baby Hat

While I continue to slog away at Sam's sweater, I knit up a striped baby hat using some of my last stash remnants of Mission Falls Cotton, which I understand they are going to discontinue. Wahhhh (speaking of babies)!!

Baby Heart Hat

Baby Heart Hat Happy Valentine's Day. I made a Baby Heart Hat from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop to go with the Baby Albert coat below (now I must find some heart buttons...). I was initially bothered by the blips of contrasting color peeking through the attached i-cord edging, but I've convinced myself that it's a design statement. Anyway, I don't think the baby will mind. I think I've blogged this before, but Elizabeth Zimmermann was a friggin' genius. Such a cool pattern...where in her knitterly brain did such things come from?

Second F.O. of 2005

A Baby Albert Jacket (again from Sally Melville's Knitting Experience: The Knit Stitch), finished save for some loose ends and buttons. Actually, I think it looks rather fetching and Chanel-ish without the buttons, but since the holes are already there I might as well add some...I'm thinking hearts. It's made from Plymouth Encore Colorspun and some stash DK cotton for the single crochet trim, which I hope detracts from my less than successful shoulder seams. I followed Sally's clear directions as best as I could, but my seams still look kind of like abandoned railroad tracks. Doesn't bode well for the endless seams facing me with Sam's sweater (see below), but I perservere. Speaking of Sam's sweater, the back provides the background for this shot, and the back is taking me friggin' forever. Process, not product. Hey, if it takes me three months to make a sweater I'll still have four by the end of the year with other projects in between, right? Right??

Sam's Seamed Sweater

For most of my knitting career, I've made mostly little things, instant gratification stuff where size doesn't matter: scarves, hats, baby sweaters, bags and such. And for most of my knitting career, I have avoided seams like the plague; the sweaters I've done have been strictly circular. But one of my knitting resolutions for this year is to stretch myself, so I've taken on a full-sized sweater for my DH, from Sally Melville's marvelous first Knitting Experience book. Using Adriafil Roller, acquired at the recent Smiley's Yarn Riot (and dang, what a riot it was--two hours on line!). I am irrationally terrifed by the idea of seaming, being a confirmed in-the-round knitter, but like I said, it's time to try something new. Heck, I even swatched, another first! I'm alternating it with another baby sweater, so I can feel like I'm accomplishing something. Wish me luck, folks, and watch this space for progress...

First F.O. of 2005

dryer lint scarf Long time no post, but I have been knitting. Above is the first finished object of 2005. OK, so it's only a scarf, but it's done. Just 50 inches of straight garter stitch; I let the yarn do the work. It's Cicco by Gedifra--lots of folks have used it for the Paris Loop pattern at Magknits. I was going to dub my scarf Washington Heights Loop, but as I knit on I realized it reminded me of dryer lint. In a good way.

DD in matching frou-frou hat and scarf set.

Frou-Frou Rainbow Sherbert Hat

Finished Object: DD's hat from Marnie Maclean's pattern here. It ate one skein of Noro Kureyon (Color 130), plus a bit of a second skein for the trim and flower. I made some modifications: cast on 94 stitches on size 8 circular needle to accomodate gauge and pattern, knit in the round instead of flat, and since I am crochet-challenged I knit the flower instead, using the Basic Five Petal Blossom from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments (page 23). Thanks to Marnie for the pattern, and thanks again to my KR Secret Pal for the Noro. Speaking of thanks, I love Thanksgiving. Not just for the food, but for the extended knitting time--I already have a good start on a matching scarf for the frou-frou hat (pattern here. Thanks, Susan).

Hats in Progress

After finishing up a little something for my Knitters Review Secret Pal, I've got a couple of hats on the needles. The one on the right is a blissfully basic roll brim using some Morehouse Merino I got at NYS Sheep and Wool (click and enlarge to note the ridiculously adorable point protectors), the other uses the Noro I got a couple of packages ago from my own KR Secret Pal. I started out with Amy's pattern (see post below). Nice pattern, but after a false start I decided to let the yarn do the work instead and picked this less complex one from Marnie Maclean. OK, I confess, after I started the cable lace part of Amy's pattern I had one, maybe two (maybe three) glasses of wine. Friends don't let friends knit drunk.

Secret Pal Swag!

My Secret Pal is the best secret pal. I got two gorgeous balls of Gedifra Cicco yarn (I'm planning something cowl-ish), a Tahki pattern book and a bunch of knitknacks both practical and poofy--stitch holders, sock-shaped point protectors, split ring markers, a pom-pom maker (tee hee), plus a pair of Crystal palace bamboo circs. Plus, my secret pal is psychic and somehow knew that the zipper on my knitknack case broke and I needed a new one! If I wasn't already married (and if it was legal in New York) I'd ask my secret pal to marry me. Hey, maybe my secret pal's a he and we can get married!

French Market Gris-Gris Bag

unfelted and somewhat forlorn

full and frisky

John Kerry walks into a bar. Bartender says, "Hey, buddy, why the long face?" OK, back to all knitting all the time.

So, I finally got it together to take my $8.00 worth of quarters downstairs to the Big Machines in the Basement (as opposed to my economically correct but knitterly useless Malber front-loader) and felted the French Market Bag; it's not quite as ooh-la-la as I'd like but still pretty cool.

Warning: More Political Content (and Crosstitch)

So, maybe I should have been more specific in my pre-election post. I cribbed this from the blog at Craftster because it says it all. And if I could have knit it, dear reader, I would have.

Warning: Political Content

And so should you. Please.

Amy Rocks

So now that I've finished the Very Warm Hat for DH, DD has been bugging me for a more complex design: "I want a skull cap but I want it to be lacy and it has to be, like, warm. Oh, and pink." Amy's pattern (second from the top) plus the Noro my KR Secret Pal sent me (see below)equals success! Life is good (and Amy rocks).

Two, Two, Two Hats in One!

full hat

gray hat

black hat
So, I'm pretty pleased with my version of EZ's Very Warm Hat. A most adaptable pattern...make one basic stocking cap in the yarn of your choice, throwing in stripes, motifs, mosaics, whatever--then pick up around the base of the first hat (you could use any provisional cast-on, but EZ suggests picking up in the purl bumps behind a long-tail cast-on--ez as pie) and do it again. First hat fits inside second hat and you have two, two, two hats in one! Thanks as always, Elizabeth Zimmermann (pattern in Knitting Around)