Another Reason for Second Sock Syndrome

The scene: Maryland Sheep and Wool. The Tess booth gleams in the sunlight and I can't resist. It's hot, and we're all sweaty and dirty. The booth is crowded, and Tess herself (the owner's daughter) is shockingly surly for someone in a retail position. I can't stay away. I get separated from my group. Where's Anna? someone asks. Oh, she's back in the Tess booth. Again. Steven remarks that these colors are really girly. And then I see this:

I love it. I have to have it.

Three months later, when I'm packing for my trip, I see this again and wind it up, and then toss it in my bag. On a windy day, when it's too windy for the wind-phobic Preschooler to hike (seriously, ask him how he feels about wind), I start a pair of Sunday Swing Socks.

And they are perfect. The colors align to spiral gently down the leg. This sock has no ugly pooling, no blotches of color. I don't have to think about strategies to make this beautiful skein of yarn continue to be beautiful in knitted form. Even in the gusset, where cuff-down socks tend to look their worst, this looks great.

How can I possibly risk making another?

Sheep and Wool

So I have, like, degrees in Women's Studies. Yet I think they will be revoked because I wore this to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year, as part of Steven's groupies.

It was ridiculously hot this year, to the point where I was standing in line for The Fold at not even 9:00 am, and I realized that it was just going to be too hot and I was not going to make it through the day. Unfortunately, that's come to be just part of life with a semi-chronic (according to the headache doctor) pain condition, and some of us were back at the hotel by 2:00 for a nap.

Fortunately, it did cool off enough for me to wear my completed Tappan Zee Cardigan to the after-party.

(Oof, I should have sucked my stomach in more!)

I got a terrific haul this year, and I'm so excited to cast on because Spring Cleaning is OVER! I finished four pairs of socks, a child's vest, and the Tappan Zee. It's so time to cast on like a crazed weasel again.

This is what happens when you don't cast on like a crazed weasel

Projects actually get finished. Note my use of the passive voice, like I have no control over the matter. But seriously, I have been hauling out some long-forgotten projects and getting them done and out of the way.

Thuja-eque Socks, in KnitPicks Risata.

• Start Date: May 2008
• Reason project was cast aside in disdain: Let's face it, the pattern is boring. I started them on KnitPicks Harmony circulars, which I just don't like anymore because they're too slow. They're Man Socks, so the foot is mind-numbingly long. 
• Solution: Switch to Addi Circulars to speed up the project, despite risk of changing gauge. 

Hedera Socks, in Socks that Rock Mediumweight, Rauen colorway

• Start Date: September 2008
• Reason project was cast aside: Lace pattern in black yarn. Uncharted lace pattern in black yarn (for some reason, I can't do lace without a chart. I just can't make my mind work that way). Thicker mediumweight Socks that Rock on size 1 needles; these socks could walk away on their own. 
• Solution: Just get on with it, already.

In other news, I am almost finished with the yoke on my Tappanzee Cardigan, which I hope to wear to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year. I have also applied the "just get on with it" approach to my Baby Moderne blanket, done in Dream in Color Smooshy. I finished two of the larger blocks and started the intarsia -- a completely new technique for me, so I am still Expanding My Comfort Zone. I will finish it. I will.

When I started this "Spring Cleaning" project, I had eleven WIPs on my Ravelry projects page. I now have eight!

A Monogamous (and Ruffle-y) Malabrigo March

An odd thing has happened. In the past few weeks, I've become, mostly, a monogamous knitter. It started with the Knitting Olympics, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how I've been able to stay on track with projects. Yet truth be told, the two projects I've completed so far for Malabrigo March have been done because I hesitated to put them down, fearful that I might not be able to bring myself to pick them back up again. These projects feature an awful lot of stockinette, and an awful lot of, well, stitches.

Laura Chau's Just Enough Ruffles, in Malabrigo Worsted in Velvet Grapes:

Citron from Knitty, in Malabrigo Sock in Boticelli Red:

My year of selfish knitting

Inspired by Michelle and the marvel that is my February Lady Sweater*, I'm resolving to knit a whole bunch of sweaters for myself in 2009. I am loving the current crop of swingy cardigans and pullovers with waist shaping.

On the needles now: The Shalom Cardigan in Malabrigo Chunky and Ingenue [Ravelry link] in Steadfast Merino.

I'm waiting for my order of Dream in Color Classy in Cloud Jungle to arrive at the store so I can start Amelia like the rest of the whole world.

Also bumped up in the queue are the Garter Stitch Cardigan [Ravelry link] from the latest Knit.1 magazine (yes, Carla, I am going to knit a Vogue pattern!), Loppem [Ravelry link] from Norah Gaughan 3, and the Somewhat Cowl. The Cowl is going to use one of my Preciouseses, my Tess Silk and Ivory, but the other two are waiting for the right yarn to call to me, hopefully from my stash.

And on my wish list: The Gathered Pullover [Ravelry link], possibly in another Precious, my Alpaca with a Twist Baby Twist; and Vivian, perhaps in my Beaverslide aran. And just about every other pullover and cardigan in my Ravelry queue. Not that I'm unrealistically ambitious or anything.

*It fits! It's flattering! I liked the yarn! I know some asked about modifications, and I'm working on an article for the store newsletter (for February, of course) on the different versions that the shop employees made. And on a related note, I've taken over the store blog, so look for me there as well as Go Get Your Jacket.

Picking myself back up

I'm not part of the Ravelry Olympics, but I cast on for these Spring Forward socks on Friday night as I watched the opening ceremonies of the 2008 games. The yarn is the July selection of the Rockin' Sock Club -- these are really not my colors, but I'm enjoying the yarn and making peace with the blue spiral pooling, which seems is what the yarn wants to do. It's a fast, fast knit and the lace is easy to memorize and read as you go.

As for my online silence, well, all I can say is that it was so much worse after all. We've been battling moths of all kinds for weeks, and I've lost a lot of finished objects and some stash. The upside is that it's really, really made me reconsider my yarn buying habits (yes, again) and I realized that I need to enjoy what I have. Yet I wouldn't wish this on my worst knitting nemesis, if I had a knitting nemesis, that is. Wish us luck in getting rid of this problem for good. I'm already on a first name basis with half the employees of Terminex already!

Okay, really, this is out of hand.

New Knitty came out this morning! Usually I see a lot of things I like that I'll queue for later. Now there must be something in the air because I love these socks and want to cast on for them RIGHT NOW. I think part of the appeal is an easily memorized lace pattern (I have three pairs of Boring Socks on the needles right now...come to think of it, the fact that I have three pairs on the needles at the same time is probably a clue I have no business looking at sock patterns just now); part of the appeal is that it's written specifically for Socks that Rock, so it takes the yarn's tendency to pool into account. All my lovely STR from Md Sheep and Wool is calling me...... Must, not. cast. on. Must. not. cast. on.

Work continues on my February Lady Sweater. I've lost count of how many times I've cast on for this, and I'll have to rip and cast on once more, since Version 2.0 came out yesterday. It's definitely worth it, though. I remarked on Ravelry that this is the perfect Liz Lemon sweater: smart, cute, hip without trying to be hip. I can't wait to wear it. And hey, we have a Ravelry Group KAL for the sweater, so come join us! And stop by the store if you're making this because a bunch of us are working on it there as well.

Srsly? My knitting has gotten away from me

Okay, srsly? How many WIPs are on that sidebar over there? I have to finish a lot of those for gifts in the next few weeks, plus I need to start another gift for a baby who should be here any day now. And I haven't even started any of my Rockin' Sock Club projects. And yet this morning I had a hankering to cast on ANOTHER project: The Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. I need more market bags. More importantly, I need to do something, anything with the humungous storage container of Sugar and Cream and Peaches and Creme from my days of the Mason-Dixon Bib and Warshrag Crackwhore Period, and wouldn't this be a great way to use some of it up?

I think, no, I know this is the worst case of Startitis I have ever had. Help.

I finished the Christmas Knitting!

Christmas 2007, that is.

Actually, I didn't even make my Mother's Day goal. But it's done. The Clap is finished!

As for my other "goal," you may have noted that I wore nothing hand-knitted to Maryland Sheep and Wool. My Flair is languishing in my knitting basket. I'll finish it, really, I will.

Cat's out of the bag

I can finally end my radio silence on all the Secret Knitting I've been working on. The last project was delivered yesterday.

Presto Chango, knit in Punta del Este Yarns South American Cotton for Peanut Sprague. Presto Chango is a really fun knit and the lace panel is surprisingly easy. The yarn is stunning with the depth provided by the space dying process, but I apologize to Bethie in advance for the hand-wash only care instructions!










Miss Dashwood, knit for Miss Sophia, who is finally home! Love, love, love this pattern and love it even more knit in Malabrigo. However, it took me three hours to cast on -- yes, that's right, three hours! -- because I'd never done a picot cast-on before. The K4TOGTBL (srsly, who thinks this up?) round nearly did me in so I skipped the bobbles in favor of a seed stitch band.




Seyi's hat, for Miss Seyi's first birthday. The pattern is the Children's Cotton Hats from Last Minute Knitting Gifts. It's become my go-to gift, and yet.....dudes, this pattern is all jacked up. I can't get gauge with the yarn it calls for and the eyelet holes are messed up. Why isn't this in the LMKG errata? Still, cute, cute, cute.










And I think that's it for the Secret Knitting for awhile. I have a baby gift coming up in June, but I feel pretty confident that the recipients don't read knitting blogs. I'm going to challenge myself with a Baby Surprise Jacket or the Pea Pod baby set. And other than the *$%_@+ Christmas 2007 knitting (yes, 2007) I have to finish, I have time to knit for me, which is a pleasant surprise.

For those of you who don't know, I just started work at Natural Stitches. I'm there Mondays in the daytime for now, so stop by and see me!

[Malabrigo] March Madness

For the record, I completed six (very small) projects and cast on for two more for Malabrigo March.

The Toddler says "I love Malabrigo!" Okay, really, he says "Yar!" and then throws it on the floor. He also uses yarn to practice counting ("eh, niiiiine, elelen," and NO, I did not buy eleven skeins of Malabrigo) and color identification ("BOO!").

Here, The Toddler is snuggling up to my latest Malabrigo score, the beautiful Brilliante colorway that I bought today at Natural Stitches "egg sale." Lisa "No, I Cannot Even Get to My Needles" Be and I were so excited about this, it wasn't even funny. We were supposed to leave my house at 10:45, but at 10:20, I looked out of my front door to see Lisa sitting there. Okay, I thought, we'll go a little early. Maybe there'll be a line and we can act like Mr. Smithers knocking Lisa Simpson down to be the first to get to Malibu Stacey. And if they let anyone in early, it would be Lisa.

But no, they didn't let us in early, and of course, I didn't expect them to. We went in and had the store to ourselves for just a few minutes, and then slowly but surely, the knitters flowed in. It was very pleasant with just the right amount of help. I scored a 25% discount in my egg and got the yarn for a MinnowKnits sweater for The Toddler, some sock yarn (duh), and some Malabrigo for Talia for myself.

What was it I said about not buying so much yarn this year?

Jumping up and down like a little girl

WARNING: ROCKIN' SOCK CLUB SPOILER AHEAD


Perhaps this is a sign that I need to get a life, but the feeling I got when I read that the March '08 Rockin' Sock Club shipment had gone out sent a little thrill through me. Because I received my January shipment a few days later than everyone else, I didn't get my hopes up too high that I'd get it this week. So when my husband brought in a package yesterday from the mailbox, I started jumping up and down and clapping like a drunken Paula Abdul on American Idol finale night.

If the package alone got me that excited, you can imagine how I felt when I actually opened it. This colorway is a gorgeous study of greens, and if each shipment is going to be a study of color (January was red/orange), I am beyond thrilled with my membership.

So happy.

In other knitting news, I decided last week that I wanted to set some completion goals for myself. At the risk of making my fun leisure activity too much like homework, I decided to try to finish a sweater vest for The Toddler by Easter. I finished last night and wove in the ends this morning; all I need to do is find suitable buttons.

I have two secret knitting projects I need to finish by the beginning of April, so those are up next. I want to have Flair completed so I can wear it to Maryland Sheep and Wool at the beginning of May. And I MUST finish that *$_#_&% Christmas knitting, so the Clapotis will be finished by Mother's Day. I swear.

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!

I love these mittens

Yesterday I unexpectedly got a few hours of free time, and I headed down to Starbucks to knit in peace. I couldn't find my dollar store gloves, so I threw on a pair of Dashings that I'd made last month in a fit of Malabrigo-itis. They were so warm....except, you know, for the part where my fingers hung out in the cold.

So continuing in the theme of "if at first you don't succeed," I decided to try again making mittens with a variegated skein of Malabrigo. Instead of the doomed Subway Mittens pattern, I cast on for Elizabeth Zimmermann's Mitered Mittens, the May pattern in her Knitters' Almanac.

Look, no pooling! I love them so much so far. The afterthought thumb, where EZ instructs you to just snip and unravel, scared me, so I'm using the modifications for a thumb gusset found in Kathryn Ivy's blog.

So pretty.



Now if I could only get them away from the cat.

Gauge and I are not friends

I have not been able to get gauge with the past THREE projects I've done, which has resulted in me ripping out said projects and starting over at least twice per project.

First, the Toasty Topper Debacle posted about below.

Second, my attempt at the Child's Cotton Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts:
See how it's all pointy? Knitting with the recommended size 7 gave me 4.5 stitches to the inch, while the size 8 gave me 4 stitches but a ridiculous looking fabric. So I split the difference and knit the toddler size at 4.5 stitches to the inch. Other than the point, it actually looks pretty cute, and despite the mysterious extra eyelet, I won't be ashamed to give the hat to its recipient. But it's still frustrating.

I bet some of you are wondering "why isn't she doing gauge swatches and saving herself a lot of frustration?" I'm not doing them because I am trying to channel my Inner Elizabeth Zimmermann, who said that one should just start knitting, particularly if it's a small project, and then check gauge. And for the most part, she's right because it doesn't make sense to swatch for a baby hat, particularly when it's done in the round. But MAN, EZ must have had the patience of a saint if she was willing to do it this way and just keep ripping, ripping, ripping if it didn't work out.

And that brings me to the third project, the sweater vest for The Toddler that I had originally intended to make for a Christmas present. I've ripped it out three times already. Here's a question: other than doing the Dreaded Math, would it be better to knit a larger size in a tighter gauge or loosen up the gauge and knit the size intended, even if one is not nuts about the fabric created? Or what about Option C, chuck the whole thing and knit something else?

If at first you don't succeed....

...keep ripping it out. Seriously, after several attempts and just in time for this glorious thaw we're having, I finished The Toddler's Toasty Topper from Knitty. It's a clever little pattern, a hat knit top down with a built-in scarf.

I'd had it in my Ravelry queue since the pattern came out, thinking it would be a good stash-busting charity knitting project. But this past cold snap made this kind of hat a necessity, so I set to work.

First I tried using two strands of Cascade 220 Superwash together. That got me gauge, but after I'd knit all the increases, I realized the hat was stiffer than cardboard. So I ripped (that's becoming a habit with me lately). And I broke my resolve to stash-bust and ran down to Natural Stitches to pick up two skeins of Wisdom Yarn Poems.

Still, I had problems: instead of getting 4 stitches to the inch, I was getting 4.5, and the yarn was suspiciously itchy. But I could not, would not buy more yarn. I had to, to quote my beloved Tim Gunn, "make it work."

So here are the modifications to the original pattern:

• Yarn: Wisdom Yarn Poems
• Gauge: 4.5 stitches to the inch using size 9 US needles, ribbing done on size 8 US
• Added an additional round of increases to 72 stitches
• Worked short rows as written (but as a short row newbie, that's another story....let's just say it didn't occur to me to work the wraps as I went, but I don't think they show too much.)
• Followed short rows with an additional four rows in pattern before casting on for scarf portion
• Added pitiful attempt at a pompom

Then the hat took a bath in a little bit of Eucalan in an attempt to soften it up. But the big question remains....after all this, will the Toddler wear it?

Flying (and knitting) solo

Okay, so only Blogless Michelle is really going to get this joke. Today marks my first full day of solo parenting for a few weeks, and I'm going to try to mark the time by accomplishing a few things.

I'm actually going to refer to "books" part of this blog and work on a paper for a conference at the end of February. But more importantly, the "yarn" goals:

• I have a "secret knitting" project that I started last night that I want to finish.
• I want to start and finish The Toddler's sweater vest that I meant to make for Christmas.
• I must finish my husband's Gentleman's Socks, which were also supposed to be a Christmas Present. I had the lengthen the foot considerably and that was demoralizing, so I stuffed them down in the bottom of my knitting basket.
• I must, must, must finish my mother's Clapotis. I tried to appease her with a pair of Fetchings and a Tudora, but I must finish the Clap. (By the way, you can get Fetching and Tudora out of one skein of Malabrigo and it's a great quick fix.)

Wish me luck!

I ripped

So the pooling on the Subway Mittens broke up beautifully when I switched to larger needles and did the increases for the thumb gusset. Yay! Imagine my dismay when it started pooling all over again after I put the thumb stitches on waste yarn. Boo!

Considering I'd cast on for these mittens three times, I figured the Universe was trying to tell me something, namely that this beautiful colorway isn't meant to be mittens. I put it back on the ballwinder and frogged it, and I'll do the mittens some other time in the plain old Cascade 220 I had originally planned.

But, but, I wanted to knit something, anything with Malabrigo! Never mind that I have oh, around four UFOs I could have been working on instead. I needed my fix. So while I had the ballwinder and swift out, I decided to wind up a hank of a semisolid colorway from my stash. Big mistake. I had a winding disaster that reminded me why I should not feel nostalgic for the old Knit and Bead days where I'd spend entire Saturdays winding customers' yarn. It was 9:30 at night: I had wet laundry waiting to go in the dryer, the dishes were undone, and here I was untangling Malabrigo.

But finally I cast on for Dashing. I got my Malabrigo fix, but it was hard-won. Ahhhh, that feels better.


In other exciting knitting news, I have a Secret Knitting Project to do! However, I know something that I'm not supposed to know, so not only do I have to keep the Secret Knitting a secret from the recipient, I have to rig the Secret Knitting so people other than the recipient don't know that I know that secret something. Confused yet? I am.

Last FO of 2007/First FO of 2008

Out of nowhere, yesterday afternoon during The Toddler's nap, I started whipping through the pattern repeats on Foliage. Other than my barely started Embossed Leaves sock, I've never done lace before and I've never knit from a chart before. When I started it, I was so afraid I was going to screw this up that I would only work on it when I was alone, no baby, no husband, to distract me, and if you have a baby and/or a husband, you know that time is rare.

Then suddenly I realized I could do this. If I could do all those complicated cross stitch charts in my other Crafty Grad School Period, I could certainly handle a few yarn-overs and double decreases. The Foliage pattern is pretty straightforward, and it hides the few mistakes I made well.

When The Toddler went to bed, I realized I had only one set of pattern repeats plus the ribbing to do, so I set to it, determined (particularly after The Debacle that was Christmas Knitting 2007) to have just one more thing off the needles for the New Year. We watched The Departed and I made it through the pattern repeats. We watched an old tivo'd episode of Kitchen Nightmares and I almost finished the ribbing. Just as the ball dropped I realized I still had 20 stitches still left to bind off and the ends to weave in! Shoot, I almost made it.*

But here it is! Foliage knit with Malabrigo Merino Worsted in the Forest colorway. I used size 7 and size 5 US needles as called for in the pattern. This pattern is not suited to the blunt Clover needles I have and in fact went much faster when I switched to my size 5 Knitpicks Harmony needles. It's a hard pattern on the hands, since you are using a smaller needle than recommended for Malabrigo. Between that and the second pair of Malabrigo Fetchings I started for my mother the other night, my hands are pretty sore.

A glance at Ravelry tells me I completed eighteen projects in 2007, not counting the umpty million Mason-Dixon bibs, burp cloths, and warshrags that I refuse to enter individually. I have five WIPs right now thanks to the Christmas Knitting that is still hanging over my head. So much for my rule that I have to finish something before I cast on for another.

* And yes, since starting Ravelry, I realize I must be an extraordinarily slow knitter. I refuse to blame the fact that I throw. It must be something else.

Happy New Year!

Malabrigo is the New Crack

Crafts 055,
originally uploaded by bookscatsyarn.

I took a break from Christmas Knitting to cast on for Foliage, from last fall's Knitty. I love Malabrigo. I love the softness. I love the colors. I even love the price. I can't walk out of Natural Stitches without a hank of it in my bag.

So how's that Christmas Knitting coming along?

1. Gigantic Garter Rib Socks: ALL DONE!
   
2. Clapotis: I don't think it's going to happen before Christmas. I got way too ambitious with this one, and when I realized how bad it was getting, I confessed to my mom what was happening and she ordered me to put it aside and finish everyone else's gifts.
   
3. Fetching and Calorimetry: ALL DONE!
4. Thuja: Despite The Toddler, I should be able to finish these tonight or tomorrow. I just have one foot and toe to complete.
   
5. Gentlemen's Fancy Socks: Yep, I have the yarn.
6. Child's Sweater Vest: Have I mentioned I have the yarn?

So obviously, these final two are not going to be even cast on before Christmas. I whipped up a pair of Men's Handwarmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts to stand in for the socks. For Henry's vest, I started a pair of mittens adapted from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies. I'm actually kind of excited about these; I've changed the pattern so much it might almost be an original design that I'll share here after Christmas.

I've been thinking a lot about stash and projects for the New Year, and avoiding this situation next year (!), so look for entries on that soon.