Clap on...

Late to the party as usual, I am embarking on the ubiquitous Clapotis (4,413 projects and counting on Ravelry). I'm using Grignasco Top Print, a sweet, soft DK weight alpaca which will hopefully make the long haul worth it. For those who, like me, appreciate a little hand-holding on even the most obvious of projects, soulknitting has come up with a most excellent spreadsheet to keep track of your progress. Also on the needles, an Elizabeth Zimmermann February Baby Sweater because...well, because it's February.

FO--Fidget

This easy little scarf thing goes by many names (one readymade version rendered in cashmere sells for $275). I used the One Sheep Hill's free pattern called Fidget, one skein of Bernat Felting Wool (color: geranium) acquired at Smiley's Yarn Sale, a size 10 needle, and four buttons from my mom's old stash. All told, I figure I got it done for under $5, even including my valued labor.

F.O.--Branching Out

Phew. Branching Out is a fun and relatively simple pattern, but it was my first “serious” project in a while, so it really winded me. I used Kaalund Expressions, a really sweet kid mohair that on a size 8 needle worked up into something frothy and quite lovely, if I do say so myself, and surprisingly warm for a fabric so light. However, did I mention how much I hate blocking?

Even with the new set of wires I gifted myself with, it was a pain in the butt. Or, I should say, a pain in the back. But worth it.

A tip I’d forgotten about knitting from a chart: use colored markers to denote yo’s, ssks, etc.–makes it easy to follow at a glance instead of squinting at the symbol. Hey...who are you callin' granny? Just because my eyesight isn't what it used to be...

F.O.: Peekaboo Mittens

All winter I’ve been struggling with the desire to unfreeze my hands and the need to have easy access to all the stuff I need just to get around. Since I’m still recovering from my weird hand injury, gloves aren’t working. Most of the time I’ve made do with fingerless mitts (we’ve been lucky in NYC with relatively mild weather), but these flip-tops are really great on cold mornings for getting to the change for the newspaper and the Metrocard and the bank card and the keys and knitting a couple of rows on the subway without having to totally remove my hand covering and inevitably drop it on the grungy floor. The Peekaboo is a smart, well-written pattern, which I played with a bit to use up some stash yarn: I did the first ten rows in garter stitch with black furry Katia Duende, the rest following the regular pattern in a discontinued slubby gray yarn (Adriafil Roller) (if I make it again with a fur cuff extension, I’ll keep the ribbing at full length instead of cutting it back to 5 rows like I did on these; I’d like them a tad longer). Size 7 needles, two circular method since double points give me a headache. EDITED TO ADD: since Magknits is defunct, this pattern is currently being hosted at Ravelry.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King; Giveaway Winner

Happy Birthday to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Thanks for everything--not just for going to the mountaintop and having a dream and all that, but for having a birthday (which I have a dream would have been celebrated even if you had not been martyred for the cause) giving me a day off from work to reflect and...well...knit.

On the giveaway front, Cena wins; thanks so much to all who dropped by to enter. I had a nice spot of synchronicity surrounding this giveaway; I'd been meaning to post it for awhile but never seemed to get around to it...once I finally did I won a copy of Glamour Knits in a contest I barely remembered entering! Thanks, Knitting Goddess (and Potter Craft).

Mittens in Progress; A Giveaway

On the needles, the first half of a pair of Peekaboo Mittens (ingenious free pattern here). I'm feeling very virtuous, utilizing some antique stash yarn (Adriafil Roller, which I think has been discontinued) and some leftover "fun" fur (use it quick before it breeds again, I say).

On the giveaway front, in going through my books I discovered I somehow ended up with two copies of The Knitting Goddess, by Deborah Bergman. Which is kind of weird since I don't remember how I got either copy (do some books breed like novelty yarn?). Anyway, leave me a comment with a way to reach you; I'll draw a name on Sunday Jan. 20th and a gently used Knitting Goddess is yours.

Tequila Sunrise Maine Morning Mitts

First finished object(s) of 2008: Tequila Sunrise Maine Morning Mitts, from Clara Parkes’ wonderful Knitter’s Book of Yarn. The yarn is Paton’s SWS in Natural Green, although the colorway reminds me more of…well, a Tequila Sunrise. It’s an interesting yarn (thoughtfully gifted to me by a knitting pal—thanks, GFTC), a soy and wool combination—a bit splitty, would probably drive me nuts in a big project, but it’s very soft and perfect for these little mitts, accomplished in their entirety while I dipped in and out of the New Year’s Day Law & Order Marathon and last night's Presidential Debates. I used 11-inch circulars (size 7) throughout most of the pattern so things zipped along with a minimum of juggling. Notes to myself: 24 rows to the base of thumb, 7 rows in pattern after thumb gusset increases, and yes there really is one lone purl stitch in the middle of the thumb.

Coronet an FO

In the nick of time; Coronet emerges as the final Finished Object of 2007. Leftover Lamb's Pride in two shades of purple; size 8 needles. I'm quite pleased with it...although it looks a bit muffinlike off the needles, it's warm and flattering enough on the head. A very nicely written pattern (thank you, Alexandra Virgiel), simple but very interesting construction. Although one of my knitting truths is that I'm fonder of cabling as a look than as a technique, there's just enough here to give me a feeling of accomplishment without losing my patience. Notes for next time:

• I finally figured out the unzip technique for the crochet chain provisional cast on (instructions here, although my lightbulb went on thanks to Vicki Square's Knitter's Companion, p.82). This method used to be hit or miss, sometimes leaving me with strangled yarn, but the trick seems to be to make some extra chains at the end to give yourself a running start and unzip from that end (not the beginning) which you have denoted with a loop of the provisional yarn kept in place by the tail of the working yarn (when picking up the bumps in the chain, leave a long enough tail to do the Kitchener). Unzip, inserting the needle into each stitch and releasing as you go.
• Kitchener here is done with right sides facing out, wrong sides facing each other. It leaves a ridge on the inside of the band but is barely discernable from the outside. My Kitchener mantra after set up: front knit take it off; front purl leave it on. back purl take it off; back knit leave it on. Do not watch television while performing this action.
• Remember that the pick up from the band is done with the wrong side facing out. I used two colors for this hat. Picked up with the original band color, placed marker and joined, purled one round, knit one more round, then joined new color and continued on to the top of the hat. Changed to two circulars at 24 stitches.

Happy Holidays; Knitting On

I do hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday. Despite my Charlie Brown Christmas tree pictured at left (or maybe because of it), mine was very sweet. Light on the presents for various reasons, but what there was was choice as always...two framed family photos, my own little DVD player (Netflix queue at 45 and rising), The Best of The Chris Rock Show Vols. 1 & 2 to play on said little DVD player once I get it hooked up (Daddy Still Has a Flat Top), and a Knitting Pattern-a-Day Calendar, which I must admit I value more for its abundance than for finding something to add to my silly long knitting queue. Speaking of which, I read somewhere that it's bad knitting luck to cast on a new project during the week between Christmas and New Year's, so I'm working on finishing up Branching Out and Coronet, both past the halfway point:

Cool Link of the Week (Knitting with Noodles); Kind Hearts and Coronets

Well, Momma always told me not to play with my food, but she never told me not to knit with it...courtesy of the latest version of Yarnival over at Fleegle's Blog, behold Ramen Knitting 101. Speaking of Cool Links, how is it that I, who waste inordinate amounts of time getting lost in the internets, had never encountered Yarnival until Fleegle's post over at Ravelry? It is kind of my dream come true...a compendium of incredibly cool knitting links, hosted monthly by a different knitter. As soon as I finish this post I am off to lose myself in back issues, the perfect antidote to the pile of backlogged paperwork I came into the office on a Saturday to accomplish. In works-in-progress news, Branching Out continues apace, and I have started on a bit of practical knitting, making myself a hat (Coronet...I'm on a Knitty roll...in two stashed shades of Lamb's Pride purple). Nice, easygoing pattern, but a gentle reminder that I like the look of cables far better than I enjoy the execution (will have to teach myself the cabling without a needle technique since I tend to tuck it behind my ear between rows and totally forget it's there until I change positions and it jabs itself into my temple). Anyway, I always feel unduly virtuous knitting something I actually need (some sort of mittens are up next; it's friggin' cold here in NYC).

Branching Out in Progress

To prove I haven't only been knitting lovable hairballs, here's a photo of Branching Out after about 9 repeats. The pattern is relatively simple, but I've still color-coded the chart to make it easier to follow (i.e. highlight the ssk in pink, the K2tog in yellow, the double decreases in green, etc.). I'm using a lace yarn on size 8 needles, so it definitely has a chicken wire look to it at the moment; I'm hoping a firm blocking will help it flow in a good orderly direction.

Black Cat Hairball Scarf

I'm on a roll (of sorts)...another FO, begun at some point before my knitting hiatus and finished on various subway and bus rides around NYC. The endearingly fugly yarn is Katia Duende, gifted by DH after a business trip. Never look a knitting gift in the skein, I say, even if it's fun fur resembling...well...something the cat coughed up. See, the thing about fun fur is I generally start liking it in spite of itself. It's kind of like the mangy puppy that follows you home and is wiggly and sheddy and a pain in the ass to work with but, ultimately, wins you over with its sort of cuddly self. So this one turned itself into a ridiculously easy keyhole scarf variation (no fancy keyhole needed since the yarn hides any sins except its own): cast on 15 stitches in any furry yarn you're ashamed to be seen in public with (this one used size 10 needles). Knit each row for 3 inches or so. On the next row, K6, bind off 3 stitches, K6. On the row after that, K6, cast on 3 stitches (using over the thumb method), K6. Knit on until scarf measures 30 inches or so. Bind off; try to resist as it snuggles up to your neck.

Finally a F.O.: Chocolate Swirl Dishcloth

It's been a long slog, but I do seem to be back on the knitting track with this modest but meaningful (to me at least) dishcloth. My tension was off because of my bandaged finger and I totally spaced on the Kitchener (which I can't blame on anything but my tendency to totally space), but it's done, and it reminds me of chocolate, and I can knit again. I've put myself on the Branching Out bandwagon; the laceweight yarn is a challenge, but one that I fully intend to rise to. Onward.

Cool Link of the Week--Jive Turkey Hat

In the immortal tradition of the Chicken Viking Hat, Sara of goingcrafty.com has come up with the perfect Thanksgiving topper (pattern here). There's still time to click this one out for a holiday baby, or if you want to wait until next year you can make enough for everyone at the table. Think of all the family feuds you can circumvent if everyone's wearing one of these.

Back on the Blog

Well, sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, sometimes you're without a digital camera and know that there's nothing more boring than a knitting blog without photographs, and sometimes you're walking your dogs and you turn the wrong corner and run into a pitbull who clamps on one of your dogs and your hand gets in the way and you end up in the hospital for three days and unable to knit for a couple of months. Or, in my case, all of the above.

Anyway, I'm back on the sticks, starting out slow with a dishcloth, taking my time. My tension is a little wonky, but I'm getting there. Whew, because there's nothing like personal upheaval to make you want to knit (and drink, which I couldn't do for two weeks because of the antibiotics, but that's a whole 'nother story).

In the meantime, there's Ravelry, which has pretty much kept me sane (knitwise) during the past couple of months. If you don't know about it, go over there and take a tour, and sign yourself up for the wait list (not an exclusive thing; they're still in beta and don't want the site to blow up before its time, and the list seems to be moving quickly as they approach public launch). There are many ways to sing Ravelry's praises, but for me it's the ability to reference other people's work and queue up a dream list of projects. You wanna make a Clapotis? Well, at Ravelry, 3,026 people either have or have had the same idea, and you can check out their projects complete with yarn specs and modifications. Or let's say you have a couple of balls of Noro lying around...you can go to the Yarn tab and get suggested patterns. But wait...there's more! If you are so inclined, you can catalog your stash and needles (me, it just makes me feel even more disorganized than I actually am) or enter a world of social networking beyond your wildest dreams (if you don't want to cast your lot with the Clapotis Knitters Group, there's always knit-diddly-ittin-neighborinos (forum for Simpsons knitters) or completely arbitrary and pointless (forum for people who basically like to snark about nothing). It will never replace more intimate forums like Knitters Review, but as a knitting community it's truly impressive.

Good to be back; knit on.

Secret Pal Package #3!

Last week's mail brought another amazing package from my amazing Secret Pal. As a belated Mother's Day present, she (and I know she's a she because she identified herself as a fellow mother), there was this wonderful framed embroidery...as usual, my lousy photography skills can't quite capture how totally cool it is. Even stoic DH got a little misty, and it will hold a place of honor on our living room wall.

There was yarn, of course--a skein of Fortissima Colori and one of Regia Silk along with a suggested pattern for a hat...although what my psychic Secret Pal couldn't have possibly known is that DH has been asking me to knit him a tie and this yarn would be perfect. She even sent a size three bamboo circular needle. Oh, and did I mention porridge? Chocolate porridge?

Along with the neatest card ever...a three dimensional fleecy pink sheep.
Thanks so much, Pal.

Happy Mother's Day!

Call your mom, or think about her if she's out of calling range. Let somebody else worry about dinner while you knit and watch bad movies on Lifetime. Above all, remember: No Wire Hangers. Ever.

Ene's Scarf--A Beginning

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred stitches...well, maybe not quite that many, but in a flight of fancy (or fit of insanity) I have cast on a giganormous number of stitches for Ene's Scarf, a project whose siren call I could no longer ignore. I'm living dangerously here by using a laceweight stash yarn in an apparently discontinued colorway (Kaalund Expressions in Toucan), but I'll cross the running out of yarn bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, onward.

Noro Keyhole Scarf (with pattern)

There's nothing like knitting a scarf to hug you when you're feeling uninspired and somewhat unloved. The problem with scarves, of course, is that you can easily get bored with them (or run out of yarn) before they reach the proper length to envelop you. My solution is a keyhole scarf, which takes less than two skeins of heavy worsted and has a clever little slot to ensure that it stays put. A 2x2 rib increases the hug factor. You could use any yarn, of course, but there's nothing like a couple of skeins of Noro Kureyon when you want the yarn to do the work for you (thanks again, Secret Pal). I also appreciate the slightly scratchy texture of the Noro here--along with the hug comes a gentle slap, reminding me to snap out of my funk. Pattern follows:

Noro Keyhole Scarf

Finished size: approx. 5" wide and 36" long

Materials: 2 skeins Noro Kureyon (50 grams, 100 meters), colorway 154 (or approximately 75 grams of any heavy worsted). US #10 (6mm) needles.

Gauge: it doesn’t matter here…just keep in mind that the ribbing pulls in quite a bit, so cast on more stitches (in an even number) if you’re a tight knitter or want a wider scarf.

Instructions: Cast on 28 sts. Work in 2 x 2 rib stitch (K2, P2 every row) for approx. 4" from beginning.

Make Keyhole

Next row: Knit 14 sts and place remaining sts on a stitch holder; maintaining pattern, work the 14 sts on the needle to a depth of approx. 2" (for me, this was 10 rows—your mileage may vary). Break yarn, leaving a weavable tail.

Next row: Place these 14 sts on a stitch holder and rejoin yarn to second group of 14 sts. Maintaining pattern, work these 14 sts to same depth as you did for the first group.

Knit On
Next row: K2, P2 across all stitches.Continue in pattern until scarf measures approximately 36" from beginning, bind off in pattern.

Another Package from My Secret Pal!

The consistently great thing about having a Secret Pal is, of course, finding something in your mailbox that isn't a bill or a threat or yet another invitation to join AARP when you still consider yourself relatively cool and hip. The bonus is when you have a Secret Pal who is as creative and thoughtful as mine. My crapfest camera can't do justice to what came in yesterday's mail: a gorgeous beaded necklace crafted by my Pal, featuring a pendant of Sojourner Truth-- foremother, activist and inspiration--a knitter whose image captures a permanent spot on this blog of mine. You can read more about her in the wonderful article linked here. Thank you, Secret Pal; bloggity blah cannot express how much your gift means to me.