Category Archives: knitting

FO: rusted root.

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Excuse the mirror. I am super happy with the way this turned out. I wore it to work on Friday, out to lunch with a friend, and then to see Wilco last night. (Perhaps the best show I’ve ever seen. Period.)

Here’s one more shot of the neckline:

I also have a few goodies to share. These arrived in record time from The Loopy Ewe. My favorite bag was stolen a few weeks ago when my car window was smashed, so I decided to look for another cavernous bag to haul around with me. I settled on the Namaste Malibu, and I love it.

This bag is deceptively large — I can easily imagine a sweater’s worth of yarn tucked into one side — and the center zip pocket is the perfect size for a sock or a dishcloth in progress. Since I was already placing an order, I picked up some gorgeous Shibui sock yarn in honey. (It matches the bag.)

WordPress was a bit cranky last night, so it has taken me roughly 10 hours to actually hit publish. Planning to do some frolicking with the dog this morning before heading up to Santa Fe for more high school rugby and touristy fun stuff. Maybe I’ll remember to take some pictures…

business time.

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I have no idea why I’ve had a little boy’s tie hanging in my closet. No idea. Until now. I’ll say it again: my dog is ridiculous. Alright, onto a bit more knitting.

Rusted Root isn’t quite dry, but I tried it on anyway last night, worried that it was relaxing too much, and instead, I think it will be perfect. No modeled pictures yet, but perhaps tonight — I’m going to see Wilco, and depending on the weather, I may debut the sweater. (By the way, I recommend Wilco wholeheartedly, in all forms. You won’t be sorry.)

I did put a little package in the mail to my mom yesterday, and because she has no idea I have a blog, I can share it with you now:

I took yesterday afternoon off to catch up on life a bit, and I wove in the ends while sitting outside in the parking lot of the laundromat. (Details: Peaches and Creme cotton, size 7 needles and a basic grandmother’s favorite dishcloth pattern worked corner to corner.) I also ran to REI to take advantage of their big sale (Boh has managed to search out and destroy several pairs of my socks over the last 14 months), and since I was already nearby, I went a bit further to the yarn store. Tough weeks mean treats, in my book, and I settled on seven skeins of cascade 220 heathers in a pretty deep blue/purple/grey — intended to be a long sleeve version of Wicked.

Took everything I had last night to pick up my second wedding present pinwheel instead of swatching or just casting on for Wicked or 28thirty. Must make progress on WIPs…or at least the pinwheel, as I am attending (and helping with pie-baking for) a pre-wedding party next weekend. Happy Friday!

okay, now it’s rusted.

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Victory! (It only took 7.5 months to complete.) It has been said a gazillion times already, but this is a fantastic pattern. I can’t remember why or how I lost momentum with this one. I literally had about 3 inches of the body left to knit before the ribbing on the waist, sleeves and neckline.

I made one sort of intentional modification: instead of picking up the same number of stitches for the neckline ribbing, I picked up about 15 fewer, ostensibly to stop the rolling and to help the lace lay flat. The overall fit is accurate, in that I made the medium (36-39) and I have a 38 inch circumference. This baby is blocking now, and because of the cotton in the yarn, I’m confident that it will relax ever so slightly. Modeled FO pictures once it is dry.

I haven’t posted a sunrise picture in awhile — the sun and I are about neck and neck these days in terms of rising time. The days are growing longer on both ends now, and I love it. Here’s what I saw this morning when I took the dog out:

Also, hooray! I won some tangled yarn from The Plucky Knitter! This is the first time I’ve won anything and the blogosphere, and I did a little dance at the mailbox when this arrived on Monday. Thank you, Sarah. Before and after pictures of our detangling adventures are on the horizon…

rugby and not quite rusted root.

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Quick post this morning — aiming to have a real FO post for you soon! I have finished the ribbed waistband and one cap sleeve of Rusted Root. Another sleeve, a few rows of neckline ribbing, and a good blocking are all that I have left to do. I am super excited to finish this. I started this sweater in September with a minimal understanding of ease and shaping, and despite this, I think it will be the perfect size. Here’s a quick look:

Also, I need to share more Boh ridiculousness with you. I brought in the rugby ball bag this weekend, and yesterday he became very interested in the contents. I got out a ball and he alternately chased it and ran away from it for a good 45 minutes. More affirmation that he really is MY dog. I took a pretty funny camera video, but I don’t see the format supported here in WordPress, so I’ll just share an image and leave the goofiness to your imagination.

knitting = therapy.

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It has been a rough few days — and at this point, the car window feels like the least of it. Yesterday I said goodbye to an incredibly strong woman who taught me how to do things I never thought I’d learn. (Sheep butchering? check.)

This morning, I gave myself an uninterrupted hour of this:

Work and life are going to take me away from my computer this week — maybe I’ll have a finished Rusted Root to share next time.

And for good measure, a sleeping dog. (This is from Monday night, after much adventuring at the dog park and in a friend’s backyard.)

beet the system.

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Thank you for all of your kind comments regarding the carnage my Sunday Market Shawl suffered last week. I did a little bit of pouting, but ultimately decided to look through my stash and begin again. I’m using Dream in Color Smooshy in Visual Purple. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Also, I have a new tote bag, doubling as a purse these days. (www.blacksheepheap.com)

Perhaps this should be my new motto. I feel sort of ridiculous making such a big deal about the shawl carnage, given the fact that my car window was smashed this weekend and my big red bag stolen. (In the parking lot of a Catholic school on a Saturday afternoon, no less.) Luckily, I had my wallet and phone with me. I have some calls to make to the bank this morning regarding my checkbook, but mostly, whoever destroyed my car window is enjoying (or not) several knitted items: my hurricane hat, my nutkin mitts and a half-finished dishcloth. It could have been much worse, but I am sad that my knitted items are gone.  I also lost my calendar and to-do list (I wonder if the culprit is interested in crossing a few things off?) and my sunglasses case. Certainly not the treasure I imagine was expected.

Anyway, I’m off to get the glass replaced, file a police report, sort through insurance info — and drink some coffee.  More knitting to share soon, I hope.

carnage.

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This guy:

Saw this, a bee-yoo-ti-ful Sunday Market Shawl, blocking:

and, in the middle of the night, decided to do something like this:

A few more pictures of the carnage:

I stayed up REALLY late trying to finish this for a dear friend’s birthday — unraveling the dropped stitches took forever. This is beyond repair — or at least my capacity for repair. There are at least four shredded sections of the shawl, and I can’t bear to unravel what’s left right now. Back to the drawing board? I still need a birthday present — was hoping to give this to her over the weekend.

Hard to stay mad at this dog. Sigh. At least today is Friday.

getting there…

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My Sunday Market Shawl is coming along — it hangs beautifully, and the gauge is nowhere near as open as I’d expected to get with sock yarn and US 10s. Looking forward to dropping the YOs and stretching this out. Hoping to finish it by the weekend so that last week’s birthday girl can begin enjoying her present!

In other news, I’ve begun the madness of trying to organize and pack my life. (Though I probably won’t move to New Home until August, I move out to the mountains for the summer for work. Lease is up at the end of next month, and May is a crazy work month spent going back and forth between offices.) Packing is rather difficult in a teeny casita, and I’ve realized that I just need to get some of my furniture out of here in order to have space to lay things out and store them well. This morning I posted several things on craigslist — here’s hoping I can create a bit more room to work!

saturday’s a rugby day.

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So is Sunday. No pictures to share, but I spent the weekend volunteering at the D1/D2 Mens/Womens Collegiate Rugby Championship Round of 16. I’m a bit tired, a little sunburnt and a lot happy about the weekend. Saw some fantastic rugby, did lots of volunteering, and spent time with friends who share a love for this game.

Onward to the knitting:

You may recognize the yarn. On Friday, I decided to frog the Lace Ribbon Scarf in favor of something that would go a bit more quickly and perhaps be a bit more useful as an everyday kind of scarf. You may recall that this yarn is for a birthday girl who loves pink. I’m making the Sunday Market Shawl by knitfish/Vanessa Carter, and I must say, this super simple pattern is ingenious: cast on, knit a set up row with yarn overs, knit in stockinette until it is long enough, and then drop the yarn overs to get an open, dropped stitch pattern. I’m already thinking that I want one for myself. (Details: Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel in I Want Candy, needles are US 10.)

All of the rugby this weekend meant that *someone* was a bit neglected, so I’ll give him his share of the limelight here:

Fast asleep, Friday night. Fast forward to this evening. Though Boh and I got in a great run this afternoon, he is still a bit pouty that no dogs were allowed at the tournament:

As I write this, he is curled up on my pillow. Life is rough. I hope we’ll both sleep well tonight.

a thank you.

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I’m sending off a thank you to the folks I stayed with this week, and thought a little knitted something might be nice to tuck inside. This is a super basic dishcloth pattern — Grandmother’s Favorite, I believe, and it went so quickly that I may need to make a dozen more. Now. (Seriously. These are addicting!) Yarn, for those who want to know, is Peaches and Creme cotton worsted, in an ombre colorway.

Happy Friday, folks!