New Knitter! New Projects!

Yep: Haven't had the heart to frog the Cromarty, so started new projects instead!

My fabulous BF requested I teach him how to knit! Yay! He picked it right up with grace and finished his first finished object in less than one day: A Ben & Jerry's ice cream pint cozy in camo red heart acrylic. It fits like a dream! He did a knitted cast on, knit stitch (continental), purl, knit in the back for a twisted rib, knit-2-together, plastic circs vs. bamboo straights, and basics of guage and design elements! He joked that he would be onto a cabled sweater by the end of the day! (Hmmm...Maybe I will make him figure out the panel reductions and yarn usage for the Cromarty Version 2.0...) Indeed, after the cozy was complete, he immediately began project #2: A Marsan Watch Cap in the same yarn. I feel flattered and loved that he went this far, so fast and so well, in order to understand knitting and what it means to me. And how cozy is it to spend a Sunday afternoon on the couch with a stack of DVD's, a pizza, and a couple of knitting projects?

Which brings me to: My project: Simple knitted socks for afore-mentioned fabulous BF in varigated bamboo sock yarn, knit to his specifications (short, no wool) and fitted to his feet. I am just doing my usual figure 8 cast on for a toe-up and short row heel. I'm really proud of the fit. I am used to knitting for my own feet, and I am really enjoying making perfectly fitted socks. I think a childhood full of altering the pointe shoes to my specifications has made me picky about socks and shoes, and made me appreciate the beautifully fit sock. He loves it! (I have only finished one. He wore the one sock around the house all evening.)

And in the Queue: My fellow Firefly-loving friend has requested I make him a Jayne hat. I found this fabulous kit, and hope to crack this one out pretty fast! A cunning fit indeed!

What is This?

Take a good look because it is gonna get frogged!
Yes, I began the "Cromarty", by Alice Starmore, from "The Celtic Collection". The pattern calls for 15 50g Rowan DDK (115m: looked up online. This yarn is discontinued...of course!) and I am using 20 balls of 50g (113m) Rowan Wool Cotton. The pattern calls for US 5 needle, and I got Gauge with US 3s. Now: I bought the extra yarn as yarn insurance, since a quick survey online yeilds most people having trouble with the gauge, and only finishing after purchasing more yarn. So, okay, I get 5 extra balls: That should be enough, right? RIGHT? And then I not only make a gauge swatch, but I make 4 of them! FOUR! In order to confirm that I am indeed needing to use a smaller needle. I never have to use a smaller needle. I am a tight knitter. I usually use a needle two sizes too big.
But I forge ahead, and with amazing discipline, ignore the Rockin' Sock Club Monsoon Inside Out socks, vowing to complete the first chart repeat (40 rows). What you see here is 22 rows, about half the 40 row chart that must be repeated four times. It also represents one whole ball of yarn. Meaning, from waist to neckline (not even the top of the shoulders!) will take 8 balls of yarn. Repeated on the Front, that equals 16 balls of yarn, leaving two each for the volumous sleeves.
If I continue with this, I shall run out of yarn.


Option One: Buy more yarn. Pros: Can finish as started in gauge. Cons: Cost. This is Rowan, and I am already over $200 in the hole on this. Add another 12 balls of yarn and this is one expensive project. Also: Availability. I bought 4 of the balls in 2004 (I think) just because I liked them. Late last year, with this project in mind, my genius friend at Websters was able to find me 16 (and only 16) of the same dye lot! Of course I snapped it up, and I therefore already know I can't get more.
Option Two: Frog and re-knit on larger needles. Pros: Shouldn't run out of yarn. Cons: Frogging. And altering the very beautiful pattern to cut out the required stitches so the thing isn't huge. And altering the neckline. Lots of math.
Well, I am obsessed. And the thing isn't going to knit itself!

Knee Socks Done! (6 legs in 1 photo!)

Finished! The knee socks are done!
Began: February 2, 2007
Finished: March 28, 2007
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Color# 42, "Cod"(discontinued maybe?). 2 Skeins, 215 yards each. Knit until yarn was gone.
Needles: 2 circulars method. Knitpicks #1s for most, then switched to Boyle #3s for the last few inches of calf.
Pattern: Conglomerate. Figure 8 toe-up. Widdershins heel. Easy to remember lace pattern.
While this photo doesn't show the pattern as nicely as the other one (scroll down), I just love how the cat couldn't resist getting a shot of his long, spotted gams in the photo. What a camera-hog!

Kyoto is Loved!

My friend called me last night to report that UPS had brought her the Kyoto sweater, and it fits (could stretch a bit longer at the waist, though) perfectly in the waist and bust and the sleeves fall right at the break in the wrist! It is soft and pretty and perfect for the bit of cold they are having right now. She joked with me about how I would be done in time for a thick sweater in the Summer heat, but I think it is light enough to wear into Spring.
It feels great to have made something nice for her, something she likes and will wear. Makes all the struggles and frogs worth it!
Project: Kyoto Sweater from Knitty (my second time)
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Black (I find six ballbands?)
Needles: Denise circulars in size 10 to acheive guage. Knit a size small.
Began: June 28, 2006
Finished: March 18, 2007
Lesson: I like to avoid finishing, and altered the pattern, for the second time, to do most of the work in the round or otherwise in a connected piece. Swatched, made perfect-to-guage sleeves, and had a complete meltdown when knitting the Obi. Ripped out the Obi twice, then had similar problems in reducing the body. Learned that saving myself a little time can often create bigger problems later. Also that guage in stockinette has no bearing in other stitch patterns! (I fear I shall continue to re-learn these lessons over and over.)

Are Those...?

Yes! Finished the Kyoto today: Sewed the last sleeve on and now it is washed and blocking! And not only that: Those are the useless fingerless gloves blocking in the background, awaiting their embroidery. So technically I have finished the knitting on two objects! Yay! In fact, the only thing I have on the needles at this moment is the second beach sock (see below), and I finished the heel yesterday!
Hmmmm: Start the Alice Starmore? Or the Monsoon Rockin Sock Club socks? Or both?

Beach Socks

Last weekend I knit at the beach: An odd hobby, for sure. Something about warm wool socks and warm sandy beaches somehow are not supposed to go together, right? And yet the variegated blues and lacey holes of the sock yarn mimicked perfectly the gradient blues of ocean water over sand and reef, and the tide pool shallows swirling with life. These will be knee-socks, as I am knitting them toe-up until the yarn is gone. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Cod" #42. I used a figure-8 toe cast on, a lace pattern from this sock (Go with the Flow sock by Evelyn A. Clark. Interweave Knits Summer 2005: Scroll Down), and a heel from this sock(no picking up stitches! Sweet!). I started these on the airplane to Oahu a few weeks ago, got most of the foot done while sharing a bottle of Chardonnay and a chat with my cousin, and have gradually been inching up the leg.
(I know, I should be finishing the WIP's first. And what are the chances that I will quickly finish the 2nd sock when the first installment of the Socks that Rock club awaits in the knitting basket?)

Spring Knitting

Oh! What to knit next?
The new Knitty is up!
I got the new Interweave Knits in the mail! (Are magazines slower to Hawaii? Is this old news for everybody?)
And very soon we shall have the new Vogue Knitting for Spring/Summer!
I got my first Rockin' Sock Club shipment in the mail and should start those socks next, right?

Another Finished Dishcloth

I completed another dishcloth (matches the one I did before) only added a loop so it could hang from the cabinet...I know! Such exciting knitting to report! Heh.
Some comments heard while knitting a dishcloth:
Them: "That is pretty, what is it?"
Me: "A Dishcloth. Or a handtowel. It matches my kitchen."
Them: ...
Them: "But it is too pretty to wipe dishes or hands on!"
Them: "And you could buy those so cheap at Walmart!"
Them: "Like $3 for a three-pack!"
Them: "It seems like so much labor for something you are just gonna mess up!"
Them: "If it were in my kitchen, I would get it all stained in two seconds!"
Them: "Shouldn't you use your skills to make baby booties or something? How old are you now?"
Them: "What happens when it gets all stained? Will it wash out? Is that cotton?"
Me: "Um...well...I mean..."
Me: "I made my mom some dishcloths. They tighten up in the dryer and get all soft and thick, and she really likes them..."
Them: "But...But...What do you do when they get all messed up?"
Me: ...
Me: "Well, I guess that is their job, isn't it?"

Does anyone have a more clever response? I need some ammo, here!

Local Artist Installs in Wisconsin

Anna Peach used to have a studio here on the Big Island, and this piece is beautiful. She has gathered bits of antique and handmade lace and crochet, and formed them into a dress, which is also a tent and a sacred space. I find it especially beautiful because, sitting under the skirt, one feels secret and safe and enclosed with the labor of generations of women's hands. Her words are more beautiful than mine, and below is a clip.

Anna Peach installing Spirit House at the John Michael Kohler Art Center, photo courtesy JMKAC

On January 12, 2007 I traveled from Zurich to Chicago to keep a promise to the Hamakua community. The purpose of the trip was to bring the artwork ‘Spirit House’ to The John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where it would be displayed in the exhibition tilted, Laced With History, curated by Lena Vinga. The artwork was created from over 600 pieces of handmade lace that were sewn together to form a gown that also included a chapel like interior space. I worked on the piece for over two years in my Honoka’a studio and when it outgrew the space, it was my promise to take it around the world.
(Snip)
I explained that the point was not to make a dress, but rather something that brought us together, to find some common thread that made a sanctuary for all from the shared act of labor. I found that there are times when you are so close to your own truth that you can only see it through others, and it is through others that I see this piece: I see the tailor who sewed in my studio 75 years before me, the elders who clutched my hand and spoke of mana, the little girl who sang songs in Hawaiian while peaking out from the inside of the dress, and the childhood friends now grown that would gather beneath the hem to tell stories of a shared life. This piece is theirs more than my own. I am content to be the one who was learning how to sew, and along the way I was learning how to listen. With that I was presented with the most elaborately garnished meal that I had ever seen and thumbs up sign from the cook. Three snow angels later I retired to bed relieved that a very special promise had been kept.

Finished: Coin Purses

I made these to surprise a friend who really needed them, but he guessed what I was up to long before I finished.
Knit from Hemp for Knitting AllHemp 6 in Sapphire, and on a pair of #3 circulars. I knit the pouches in one piece, in the round, which then offered the problem of how to get the State of Hawaii Seal patches sewn on. I tried by hand, but that wasn't working well. I tried the glue gun, but it seemed unstable. Finally I broke out the sewing machine, and managed to sew all the way around the patches by wadding them up...
Each pouch has a blue zipper and is lined with a blue tie-dyed cotton lining. The inner pouch can be turned out all the way to fully dump any hidden contents out of the rounded corners of the lining.
The pouches resemble a certain State-issued medical card, and were made in appreciation of the many voting citizens, suffering through various medical issues, who are also preserving our Constitutional right to allow the States control over their own medical laws. Yes, the same rights that brought us Roe vs. Wade.
He loves them, told me I could sell them, and they directly meet all specifications for size and use. Yay!