November 09, 2005
The Mother of All Posts
Hello.
If anyone out there still reads my blog, I am back and have a really good excuse for the lack of tending to the Winter Garden.
So, let's see, where did we leave off? I was busy knitting socks for my Sockapalooza-2 pal. One was done, it looked beautiful, and then a few days later, I felt quite sick. So sick all I could do was lie in a dark room and hope that time was indeed marching forward, and try to keep food and liquids down.
This went on for 13 weeks and was only bearable due to the marvels of modern drugs.
The cause? Meet A & B. They are cute little buggers (this is an early image; we are now 18.5 weeks along in the pregnancy) but they have rendered their mom incapacitated, pretty much 24 hours a day, with just the rare hour or so of feeling capable of getting off the sofa.
I just picked up the needles again and have decided that garter stitch is where it's going to be at for a while. And my poor sock pal is waiting patiently--she will get her socks, but I gotta get my knitting sea legs back.
Posted by erika at 01:23 PM | Comments (11)
August 10, 2005
Sockapal-2-za sock revealed.
Here's one Island Blue Butterfly Sock, unblocked, but very happy to be out and about with the hibiscus. I hope my sock pal likes this blue--it's really gorgeous, and bright, in person, but I think it would look wonderful with her coloring and the other things she knits.
The butterfly lace is an Evelyn Clark pattern, knitted with Lorna's Laces--I have never really done the lacy sock thing before, but it was really fun to knit and I think they will good for early Fall weather. Just this week, I started looking for warmer socks to wear...we're have a cool and grey morning thing going on, so Fall is just around the corner.
Posted by erika at 05:08 PM | Comments (12)
July 25, 2005
The Sock Yarn Arrives!
Before my readership completely gives up on me, here's the scoop: I have been knitting constantly, and it's all dark blue and needs to be blocked, and therefore, rather unphotogenic. I had been waiting for my Sockapalooza-2 sock yarn to arrive, but in the meantime, Lisette is moving along at a rapid pace. I completed the back, both fronts, and a sleeve. See? Dark blue, and very strange looking in the unblocked state. I do hope that the garter stitch edges will hold their stretched out shape after blocking.
But, the happy package finally did arrive, and when I say HAPPY, this color is it: Island Blue, Lorna's Laces. I'm going to be knitting something a little lacy, and they are for my secret sock pal. I'm very excited, and this color is what I hoped it would be--vibrant, and a reminder of summer, even though these socks will be shipped in the September.
Of course, the sock yarn stockpile needed some augmentation, and I'm really glad I did branch out from the Koigu and Mountain Colors world...this Trekking XXL (color 100, very in vogue!) and Missoni Sock yarn are lining up to be the fall knitting.
But, I tell you, all the blue knitting, while lovely, makes me yearn for something....green. Gooseberry green. More on that later.
Oh no! --photos to come of the items above. The digital camera may have expired on the trip back from Iceland...I'm having trouble getting it to work. Well, I'll have to leave you with some shots of a knitter's dream: the Solveig Hisdahl boutique "Oleana" in Copenhagen. I did indulge in an sweater, silk cuffs, and two shawls. I don't regret one minute of the two hours I spent trying on stuff there. :-)
And her blankets and pillows are pretty great too--I would have bundled some of these home with us if we had more room in the suitcases, but maybe I'll give a call to the shop at some point.
And, while we are spending time in Denmark, this is Sommerfuglen, the best place to buy Hanne Falkenberg kits and other interesting designer books.
And this is a little Haflinger we saw on the street (I have a Haflinger mare named Hanna so every time I see another Haflinger, I go a little crazy--this Danish gelding was well behaved but really wanted to chew on our fingers. Typical boy horse.)
Posted by erika at 02:04 PM | Comments (6)
June 26, 2005
My summer of Dark Blue, and socks too.
Not bad "dark blue" but good Dark Blue. I've really fallen in love with my new Lisette from Rowan 36. She went all the way to Iceland and Denmark, and I really appreciated having my knitting with me, especially in Denmark. I have the back done, but no pictures yet. Why? It's darkest blue and looks rather pathetic in its unblocked state.
However, between Lisette and the Debbie Bliss cardigan (also dark blue) and the black wool cotton waiting to be turned into the cover sweater from the Sarah Dallas book (am I the only one who likes this book? Maybe.), I needed something COLORFUL and quick to knit. Sockapal-2-za to the rescue. I'm quite excited about knitting for my sock pal, and I've gotten some secret help on what my pal likes. And so I'm going to be knitting with really beautiful, and bright, blue sock yarn. Pictures when the yarn arrives. Very excited about the pattern, too.
Another photo of beautiful Iceland--this is a small black church in Budir (I don't have the Icelandic character for the "d" on my keyboard--it's pronounced "th"). This was probably my favorite spot in Iceland, near the sea and in the middle of lava fields, and remarkably peaceful.
Posted by erika at 09:44 PM | Comments (3)
May 26, 2005
Progress, and Printmaking.
I caved and re-did the neck of Magnolia: the collar does lie better this way, and the surgery to re-do it wasn't too difficult. She's done, and she's warm. A sweater for next Fall.
I made progress on my Blue Fairisle Jacket--both fronts are done, so now it's just sleeves and collars, and endless seaming. I will be putting this aside for a bit -- vacation knitting coming up -- but I am looking forward to completing this jacket. Navy is hard to photograph, but you get the idea.
More navy: this is the swatch for the vacation knitting....
And thank you for the comments about our anniversary. We have been to enough weddings together that we knew exactly what we wanted to do for ours, and it was really special to us. My mother's friend put together a wonderful memory book for us, so I hadn't gotten around to putting extra photos and souvenirs together, but Jonathan gave me a wonderful wedding album yesterday (to add to the two that I already had), so there's now another project on the table.
These albums are covered in papers from Tail of the Yak in Berkeley. After Bell'Occhio in San Francisco, this is one of my favorite places for beautiful things. Our letterpress wedding invitations are from the same designer (co-owner of Tail of the Yak), so we have had fun getting other prints from her store. We love lilies of the valley and tulips, and in general, anything green, and birds & bugs are right up there too. I'm looking forward to putting these albums together.
Posted by erika at 02:36 PM | Comments (6)
April 23, 2005
Done. Oops.
Ok, so there comes a moment, after you've seamed the neck two different ways, that you finish Magnolia. Then you put it on, twirl around, and be very pleased about the sweater. Then you look in the mirror to imagine the (theoretically coming from England) buttons and how they will make the sweater perfect. And you realize that the collar, as beautiful and problematic as it has been, has once again foiled your wishes to be done with the sweater. The overlap of the collar is wrong. Does it looks horrible, or am I redoing the mattress stitch again (and I've already darned all the ends in--darn)? Note, these buttons are just for illustrative purposes.
This is fudged to be the "right" way.
Opinions please. This sweater is turning into the New Audrey for me...this silly collar has been redone so many times that I've lost count. (P.S. Audrey still sits on my work table, minus a edging.)
Jamaica could care less. This is her "I'm a chubby girl" profile. Have a happy weekend, everyone.
Posted by erika at 12:30 PM | Comments (8)
April 15, 2005
Collared.
I discovered the secret to finishing the Magnolia collar last night--after four attempts at the "increases in the ribbing" section, I just decided to put my Audrey experiences aside (I hated the holes made by picking up stitches when executed in Calmer yarn) and do what the pattern said. It doesn't look terrible in the fuzzy ribbing. If anyone gets momentarily stumped by the instructions, give me a shout.
On to seaming, and waiting for buttons. Pics to come as soon as I work out my on-going issues with photo uploading.
And I'm already thinking about what to do post-Magnolia...I'm currently thinking that I should tackle The Leaf Sweater sleeves, or finish off the fronts to a Debbie Bliss merino fair-isle cardigan. Audrey still needs a neckband (attempt #5) and I have about 20 more flowers to embroider on Merry. But! I can foresee the knitting and finishing slump coming to an end: it's baseball season, and a certain husband watches a whole lotta baseball.
In other news, we are thinking about going to Iceland and Denmark this summer, for a short trip. Anyone have suggestions about things to do, places to see? I already know about, and have been a faithful customer of this gem: Sommerfuglen.
Posted by erika at 10:59 AM | Comments (4)
April 14, 2005
Has anyone....
...knitted the collar of Magnolia yet? Anyone know someone who has? I have a question about the ribbing increases....
(Note: when you order buttons from the UK, and need to round out the yarn order with something else to get it up to the minimum amount for the order, it's kind of depressing when the package arrives with everything but the buttons that you initially wanted.)
Posted by erika at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
April, and the Spring Slowdown
It's April, and the weather is either beautiful or pouring buckets of rain. The clematis and roses have started blooming. I haven't been doing too much knitting--I think I'm still in a bit of slowdown mode after finishing the Sockapalooza socks. And enjoying my new socks very much, while I camp on the couch and watch movies like "Swimming Pool" and "Talk to Her." (Bad timing on watching that movie, re: Terry Schiavo.) In any case, watching foreign movies and knitting is challenging, so the knitting is taking a rest for a bit. I have also received a shipment of piano music and am learning some new pieces (after 20 years of not playing the piano).*
I'm also waiting for a few things to arrive in the mail, and I'm sure that will help invigorate the knitting process. I really wanted the same buttons for Magnolia--I thought they were the pearl grey ones that Rowan makes, but they didn't look good when I tried them. The ones in the Vintage Style magazine are actually clear plastic, and no one seems to have ordered them yet in the US, so I've ordered them from England. There was a minimal shipping amount...so I ordered the yarn for Lisette, a cardigan I initially skipped over in the latest Winter Rowan magazine, but the edging and collar on this one roped me in. And I think some textured knitting in the 4 ply soft yarn will be a nice travel project...when we take a vacation, I try to bring something to work that is easy to carry, and one color. I ordered a deep marine blue, so I hope that the pattern shows up, but I wanted a more neutral color and the washed out blues and purples weren't appealing to me. And I also bought the pearl grey buttons for this one.
I do have other projects in the wings, and more unfinished ones that are hanging around waiting for the final details. I better get a program going--it would be nice to spend the spring and summer finishing up everything. I don't tend to make summer sweaters--I don't love knitting in cotton, but I do have some cotton angora that I got on sale and may make something with that. Good friends are also having a baby boy this summer--I think he may need some knitted denim leggings, but I'm still undecided on that.
So that's what the early April report is...I'm also going to do some much needed work on blog stuff, so more pictures after I've sorted out the image uploading problems that I've been having.
*Piano music I'm working on:
Grieg, "Notturno" from Lyric Pieces
Mendelssohn, "Trois Fantaisies ou Caprices"
Bach, "Allemande" from the French Suites, no. 5
Mozart, Sonata K333
Faure, "Kitty Waltz" for four-hands, just for fun.
Posted by erika at 03:45 PM | Comments (5)
March 23, 2005
Stop, then start on Magnolia.
Even though Magnolia is a really easy pattern, I displayed bad counting skills and screwed up the shaping of the back neck. So it sat for a few days. I ripped it out today and re-did it...much better. The days I was letting it ferment by itself, my argument was as follows: Can I live with the back knowing that the shoulder shaping is off by a few stitches? Can I fudge it when I seam? How much rationalization can I muster instead of ripping? Very little, it seems, so I ripped it back. Now I just have to knit the front and collar.
I still love the fabric this yarn creates, by the way. Highly recommend carrying a strand of KSH along with the Kid Classic. I have a Margaret O'Leary sweater (also blue) that I love, and on close inspection, I think they did the similar thing, although they carried a lighter and darker shade of blue along with the midtone.
This is photo for Hope (at a new blog, Wisteria Laines) who is making "Merry" also. She had a question on whether I followed the pattern for the hem or knit extra rows. i just followed the pattern, not knowing what the fabric was going to turn out with all the ridges. Plus, I'm lazy.
This is the hem folded up and sewn to the folded area. It looks just fine from the outside, I think--if you want to do more of a hem, you may want to embroider the flowers before seaming so you only have one thickness of fabric to get through.
Finally, here's Anna in Vermont modeling her new bonnet. She still has room to grow into it, but looks very darling, don't you think? My mother took the photo, and Wendee, Anna's mom, kindly sent it to me.
Posted by erika at 06:30 PM | Comments (2)
March 18, 2005
Red hearts, and pink showers.
I couldn't wait to show the socks--I'll model them when my husband is home to take a photo, but here they are. Aren't they sweet! They are the Valentine socks that Sanne knitted for me...she did a wonderful job and they fit perfectly. She wrote me such a nice note to go along with the socks (and enclosed chocolates, yum!), so I know that they were knitted from the pattern that the Sock Club 2005 (a group of 260 women from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) knitted in February, hence the Valentine lace hearts on the cuff. These socks are also red and white in honor of the Danish flag, "Dannebrog."
Best of all, Sanne lives in Copenhagen, and we hope to visit that beautiful city very soon. Sanne, we may have to meet and knit together in a cafe! I just love my beautiful socks, so thank you very much!
And in the winter garden, it's raining delightful petals. Here are a few photos--the cherry trees don't love the rain, but it's so pretty when they drop their petals.
And a shot of our next-door neighbors cherry trees:
I am almost done with the back of Magnolia.
Posted by erika at 04:13 PM | Comments (3)
March 17, 2005
Magnolia, apace.
First it was the magnolia trees, then the cherry trees, and now the plums have blossomed. There are beautiful white flowers on our pear tree too, and around our town, the apple trees are just starting to bud. Some grape vines have bud break also.
I know the weather is seemingly too warm for a sweater in Northern California, but I'm optimistic that we'll still get some cooler days in the next few months. In any case, I've decided to make Magnolia the next project, and I've completed the sleeves. I'm starting on the body now, and it's a straightforward knit with just a little shaping. I need to track down some buttons for the neck band.
I had to take a break from the double-points...but once I get back from the Magnolia side-trip, I'm going to tackle the sleeves for the Poetry Leaf sweater. I bet Julia is catching up to me...so I'll wait for her and we can do the sleeves together :-)
Hmm...no Sockapalooza socks have arrived yet here--and I'm watching my pal's blog to see when she gets hers. The suspense! Update: Chrissie got her socks and she says she likes them. Whew! It was a little hard to imagine that pair of socks making their way to Singapore, but I am so happy they arrived.
Here's a bit of green for St. Patrick's day:
Posted by erika at 10:51 AM | Comments (2)
March 10, 2005
A four-hour project.
I had to make something quick and easy, as an antidote to the socks, so a new little Vermonter named Anna is getting this baby bonnet:
It was very quick and easy to knit...more Rowan Kid Classic (this is a great way to use up leftover bits) and the pattern is from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I tacked the back edges down to make it slightly smaller; the size range is six months to 24 months, so I think this modification will help it fit now. They can pull out the yarn snippets to make it bigger later.
Also, thank you for all the kind comments about the Sockapalooza socks!
Posted by erika at 10:32 AM | Comments (2)
March 07, 2005
The Sockapalooza socks are done!
It was a week of constant knitting, and the development of a small size 0 needle callous on my left index finger, but I did finish the second sock at the stroke of midnight last night. I'm really happy to have them finished, and I just need to do the final blocking and pack them up to be mailed. And I mentioned that there was something of a surprise about these socks....
Yes, they are knee socks! Hope my sock pal likes them, because they are definitely a fashion statement in all their Koigu-ness, to make up a phrase. I thought this pattern would work well because of the detailed band of traveling stitches at the top. And I really love the the little traveling cable clock. It will be another couple of years before I decide to knit something with tiny twisted stitches again, however.
And just look at these well-loved and slightly warped Crystal Palace double points!
Here are the details:
They are knitted from the Traveling Socks Pattern in Nancy Bush's "Knitting on the Road." I used most of three skeins of Koigu KPPM in color 524. They are 16 inches from heel to top of the sock.
All in all, this was an extremely fun knit-along/exchange, and I can't wait to see what my pal has cooked up for my feet :-) I've really enjoyed watching everyone's progress and the ideas they had for the socks. Thanks, and great job, Alison!!! This knitalong prompted me to start a blog, and I've "met" so many nice people along the way. It's been a wonderful journey to make with the Traveling Socks. I hope my pal gets to make many good journeys in her socks, too.
Posted by erika at 12:35 PM | Comments (18)
March 03, 2005
Round and round.
I've made some progress on the Sockapalooza sock; I'm two inches from starting the heel. Wait: when I say that I've made some progress, perhaps I should say that I've knitted like an insane woman on a crazed mission. Average the two statements together and you have a fair approximation. I basically manage to ignore the sock and the looming deadline during the day, but the pressure builds and the sock takes over at night. If I keep it up, I could be finished by this weekend!
Posted by erika at 11:07 AM | Comments (1)
February 28, 2005
Sockapalooza update, the second sock comes to life.
The hard part is done. Now, it's just cruising (for a good long while) with the stockinette and two tiny twisted cables. I was thrilled to see that the socks are going to be a mirror-image of each other. I think these are going to be pretty cute together, and once again I am excited about finishing them up and sending them to my pal.
Posted by erika at 10:59 AM | Comments (6)
February 25, 2005
Sockapalooza update.
I have started the second sock. I have a big task ahead of me to get it finished by deadline. Day 1--cast on, ripple edge done, 10 rows into the complex pattern. Photos to come.
Posted by erika at 08:10 PM | Comments (1)
February 08, 2005
One done! One to go. More leaves.
The Sockapalooza Sock is finished. Now it just needs a mate to travel with. I like how it turned out, but I'm going to wait until the second one is done until I reveal the pair in all their glory. It's a easy pattern once you get past reading the 36 rows of chart.
I'm taking a break from socks on size 0 needles and decided to knit more on the Poetry in Stitches Leaf cardigan. I will be done with the body once I finish another leaf motif (green/dark green) and then it's off to the sleeves. I'm hoping that they go pretty fast--increasing in pattern will be entertaining--but they must go faster than the body rounds. The size 2 needles feel HUGE compared to the sock needles.
Posted by erika at 08:24 PM | Comments (12)
February 01, 2005
More on the socks--will I ever turn the heel?
The Sockapalooza socks are progressing slowly--I brought them on a trip to Chicago, but the flights were too crowded and uncomfortable to really knit happily with double points and twisted stitches. And I was afraid of snapping the size 0 needles. But, the socks did go traveling across the country, so they are aptly named. Here's a photo--I haven't decided when I'm going to turn the heel, but I think they'll make a nice taller pair of socks, so I keep plugging away at the stockinette section. I can't wait to see what will happen with the Koigu on the heel--I like that the colors are not pooling on the stockinette section, so maybe I'll get lucky and have some interesting pooling on the heel.
I did knit some more of the striped cap, but didn't get a chance to finish. I found a backup hat, which is a good thing, so we were able to walk around Saturday morning with our hot drinks and look at the sculptures in the Chicago Loop. We were the only people doing this, though! It was really fun, and such a nice way to see them and enjoy a quiet winter morning in Chicago. I'll finish the cap up soon.
And, I did acquire some yarn. I remembered that Theresa of the KeyBoard Biologist mentioned a new knitting store in Chicago, so I looked it up. I asked my husband to map the street address, stuck the driving instructions in my purse, and promptly forgot about it. When we were driving though Wicker Park, we were looking for a lunch spot and my husband said, "There's a store called Nina." I said "pull over!" and in I went. It's a really nice shop! I liked their Japanese/Modern aesthetic, and they carried a nice assortment of yarns, including a small assortment of Habu, which is always a treat.
I fell for some Lantern Moon needles, and some handpainted ribbon...some kind of scarf or shawl will be on the needles soon, but it's also nice to have this around the house to fondle. The colorway is Cherry Bon Bon and it's by Judi & Co. It's also the most expensive yarn I have ever bought, so I hope I can make something worthwhile out of it. The woman who rang me up (perhaps the owner?) pointed us to a really nice spot to get lunch, called Milk and Honey. It was a really fun surprise to find the shop, and it was a nice day in general. So go there if you get the chance!
Posted by erika at 06:44 PM | Comments (6)
January 27, 2005
Emergency hat.
Thank you for all your kind comments...it's so nice to have visitors! I really am enjoying this whole experience, and The Menagerie (the 3/4s that you have "met") are happy to pose for the camera. In fact, we sometimes document them with photos because we are astounded at the new positions they have thought up for their sleeping comfort.
And yes, there's more to the menagerie. Maybe next week I'll introduce her. She's quite a bit...larger.
Despite having grown up in the snowy Northeast, just the thought of traveling to the windy and cold midwest for a few days is enough to make me run for the hats and mittens. And there I had a problem...we moved and I haven't seen the hats and mittens for a while. It was almost easier to run out and get some alpaca and make a hat--at least I'll have some easy knitting for the plane. So I went and got this:
And I decided to make a striped cap out of two of the colors. After much consideration, my husband chose the charcoal and ivory, then promptly laid claim to it once it was started. I'm basing the hat on the Blue Sky Alpaca Whimsical Hats pattern, and once I get a little further, I may want to adapt the pattern for the pointed top. But it's really nice yarn and a simple tasselled cap seems just right for a winter weekend in the Midwest. We may just have to share it.
I'll post again in a few days. Here's a parting snapshot of Luc and Rosy doing the cat yoga pose, "The Double Sphinx." They could have cared less about the photographer, but Jamaica had to get up and come see what her human was doing.
Posted by erika at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
February Will Be Finishing Month
I will admit that I have tendencies to be like Stephanie of Yarn Harlot and start and stop projects at the slightest whim, but I have several that have been languishing and would be really great to finish soon. One is the Leaf Sweater from Poetry in Stitches--I have been knitting this one on and off since I first saw the kit at Stitches West. I recently picked it up again and I'm determined to finish it in the next few months.
I am planning on steeking this, and trimming it with velvet ribbon, and I need to track down a source for the original pewter buttons. Somewhere along the line in the past three years, I did get some Liberty of London cotton to line it with. But first, I have to finish the knitting. :-)
Posted by erika at 07:56 PM | Comments (6)
Sockapalooza sock for my sock pal
Alison, of The Blue Blog (http://alison.knitsmiths.us/) is hosting a sockapalooza sock pal exchange program. It's very entertaining to knit for a stranger, and I hope the sock recipient likes Koigu merino knitted on teeny needles, because that's what s/he's getting. I can't divulge who my sock pal is, and I'm not going to even make a hint, but this is a pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road and they're called "Traveling Socks." True to their name, they are going to be knitted while I am traveling.
This is the back of the sock....
And this is the front of the sock. See how the twisted cables are in opposite directions? Really irritating to knit at the recommended gauge, but I love how they look.
Anyway, I hope my pal likes them! If not, I may have to give them a home here, because I really like them too.
Posted by erika at 07:10 PM | Comments (6)