Be aggressive. B-E aggressive.

Posted on October 29, 2007 by barefootrooster

You know the rest. Right? (B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E, be aggressive!) Where am I going with this? Why, pom-poms, of course!

In anticipation of the giant yarn purchase that will be arriving this week, I’ve been feeling guilty about my WIPs, because I know the pile is about to double in size. I do not have a pom-pom maker (who knew such a thing existed!) and I’ve been putting off making my own out of scrap cardboard because I am lazy. I really have no other reason. Internet to the rescue: I found this tutorial for making pom-pom’s without a tool- Thank you, SkaMama! This was super easy and actually, quite a bit of fun. My pom poms are not entirely spherical, but there is an organic aspect to them that I really like. Ta-da! FOs abound. (Okay, there are two of them.) First up, the garter brim hat. I think I’m keeping this one.

This next photo was taken from above. I can’t believe my arms are long enough to make this work.

Here’s a side view, on top of the bowls and piles that currently cover my bright yellow 1960s table.

This hat is made out of one skein of Noro Kureyon, and I have to say, my fingers didn’t really enjoy this yarn as much as I was expecting them to. The colors are stunning, but the fabric is stiff. It is possible that I knit this too tightly (I think I used 9s) and that the yarn would’ve behaved a bit differently if I had used larger needles. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on Kureyon yet. I made this over the summer, and it belongs to a friend who fell in love with it, and even offered to make her own pom-pom. I’m hoping she’s forgotten so that it will be a lovely surprise when it arrives in her mailbox.

Hooray for pom poms (and FOs) – Happy Monday!

FOs below!

Posted on October 28, 2007 by barefootrooster

I’m back in my own house now, and Boh is fast asleep. Nonstop playing is exhausting! I can’t help myself. Before I get to the results of my own playtime with yarn, I have to show you some doggy pictures:

Adorable. I love those dogs too, but I am glad to be back in my one-dog house. I managed to wrap up a few projects today, and I am really happy with the way they turned out. First up, the Baby Bib O’ Love from Mason Dixon Knitting. This was a super fast knit, and very enjoyable. This would’ve been done earlier, but Boh decided that he loved it too, and managed to chew through one whole stitch. I secured it with a fairly subtle knot (yikes, cardinal sin!) but it was still a bit obvious, so I decided to try my hand at some simplistic embroidery. Cosette, over at cosymakes, does some beautiful embroidery on the hats she makes, and her work inspired me to attempt to do something eye-catching to draw the viewer away from Boh’s teeth marks.

I know that pooling is generally frustrating, but in this case, I like how crazy this bib came out. I mean, I wear mostly neutral colors, but the 1-year old this is for seems to love bright colors (and, surprisingly, me!). Today is her birthday — Happy Birthday Ava!

I am excited to get this in the mail tomorrow.

I also finished the turquoise pair of Fetching, for a friend who is about as far away as you can get from where I am. (I used to be that far away too.) It is pretty hot there, but I think these will be a nice way to keep her hands warm while she rides her hot little Honda motorbike around town. (E –excuse the spoiler. I’m sharing now in case your package ends up in Nigeria. Oh, and boh mi ban ha, mi tan ha.)

While house-sitting, I managed to watch a lot of really bad television instead of crossing things off my list. I am learning that this is one of the dangers of knitting — because I am moving my hands and creating something, I can justify some seriously marginal activities, just because I can knit while doing them. Here’s my progress on the LMKG legwarmers. They are intended to be super long, which will allow for some serious scrunching. I love the combination of the Cascade 220 Heathers and the Madil Kid Seta. I’m about about 22 of 26 inches on the first one. Can’t wait to wear these!

Alright. Time to make a cup of tea and stop procrastinating.

mini-vacation

Posted on October 27, 2007 by barefootrooster

This weekend I am house and dog-sitting for a friend who is housesitting elsewhere here in town. In my head, this was going to be a relaxing mini-getaway. I’d bring projects to finish, some reading, the dogs would get to play together in the backyard, and all would be perfect. It hasn’t gone exactly as I imagined…

First of all, these three are CRAZY. They love each other so much that they have not stopped dashing, barking, chasing, rolling, lunging, etc. since Boh and I arrived. It is difficult to make progress on anything with the noise and the energy these puppies generate. Hard to be mad at them, though — they are adorable. After some Friday afternoon work-related errands, I found myself in the neighborhood of my LYS. There was a sign on the door about a sale on mohair. Danger, rooster! Do not enter! My internet yarn purchase earlier this week was sizeable, but it did not include mohair. I ended up purchasing 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Heathers and 2 balls of Madil Kid Seta to make the legwarmers in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. While the dogs make it hard to focus on the finishing I brought with me, I can handle this. Here are a few photos of my progress.

I bought my first pretty stitch markers last week from Aja at Zero Markers.

I love them! They arrived quickly, and with a few bonus stitch markers for smaller needles sizes — maybe these will motivate me to finish that tiger sock and begin the next one. One of the things I was hoping to accomplish this weekend (in addition to some reading in preparation for a meeting on Monday, argh) is a list of the projects I am planning to knit for other people. I’ve been reading lots of blog posts about holiday knitting, and while it makes total sense to try to focus on a few things, rather than try to knit something for everyone, this is my first holiday season as a knitter. My eyes are definitely bigger than my rows/hour, so we’ll see how I do. Stay tuned for my ambitious list. I’ll leave you with a few pictures of the sunrise — the dogs decided it was time to play at about 5:45 this morning, so I was up in plenty of time to watch the sky lighten as the sun came up above the mountains.

like i really needed an enabler…

Posted on October 24, 2007 by barefootrooster

So…I am at work, but I somehow managed to place a serious internet yarn order. Ravelry makes it super easy to figure out which things in my queue that I can make from my stash, and which projects require additional yarn. In my defense, I don’t really own a sweater’s amount of anything, as I didn’t quite understand the yardage required to make different kinds of knitted accessories and garments when I was getting started. Well (rooster puts her foot down) that ends today. Or, err, when my large box of yarn arrives…

I promise to confess to each purchase when it arrives, with full photo-documentation and my intentions for each skein.

Happy Wednesday!

garlic (and the weather allows me to debut a scarf)

Posted on October 24, 2007 by barefootrooster

I have a work share at my local farm. Last year at this time, I was rising before dawn once a week to schlep up to the fields in my work clothes to do things like weed winter lettuces, lay down and pick up drip irrigation tape, and plant garlic, all as the sun slowly rose above the mountains. Life was good. My work schedule makes a morning farm work share practically impossible this year, so I have the next best thing: a warehouse share. I spend a few hours each week restocking vegetables, sweeping up onion peels, making silly faces at the children who accompany their moms to veggie pick up — and, oh yes, volunteering to adopt veggies that don’t quite make the cut. Yesterday, I walked away with handfuls of loose cloves of elephant garlic.

Last night, I headed to a friend’s house for dinner, and brought a handful to share. We had a delicious Caesar salad — Papa Rooster’s own garlic-heavy recipe, actually, modified to include some scrumptious breaded calamari on top. Apologies — I ate it so quickly that it was gone by the time I remembered my camera.

In honor of the cold weather, please allow Boh to model a ribbed scarf I completed in April. I wore it yesterday, and it was ever so toasty. Details: Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb (2 skeins, I think). It wraps around my neck multiple times, which I absolutely love.

socktoberfest

Posted on October 22, 2007 by barefootrooster

I think I’m cheating a bit, because I started this sock in July, but I am still working on it. (By working, I mean that I am carrying it around in my bag this week.) It IS October, and it IS a sock-in-progress. The yarn is Fleece Artist in the Tiger colorway, and I do like it a whole lot. The stripes are very pretty, and I am excited to wear these someday. Emphasis on someday.

This is my second pair of socks. My first pair turned out pretty well, though I definitely had some laddering on the sole, and a few gaping stitches where I picked up at the heel. I tend to drop stitches when I work on these before my coffee has kicked in, or when I am trying to watch TV. Another thought: though I have never been into the hands free cell phone thingamajig, I see the value of being able to knit and talk on the phone at the same time…

i’m in!

Posted on October 22, 2007 by barefootrooster

I am now on Ravelry — you can find me there as barefootrooster. I’m glad I started taking pictures of my stash over the weekend! Also, I just got back from practice, and our girls made us shirts that say COACH on the back. I never imagined that coaching would be this rewarding.

Here’s a gratuitous dog shot. Boh is reenacting Duck Hunt (you know, the game that came with the original Nintendo. When I saw this mallard in the grocery store, I couldn’t resist.)

in anticipation…

Posted on October 21, 2007 by barefootrooster

I am number 899 in the Ravelry queue! In anticipation of the access I will have to information on patterns and yarn, I took a little bit of time yesterday to photo-document my growing stash. In the beginning (about 8 months ago) I bought yarn and colors I liked, without really understanding weights and yardage. Translation : I have lots of single skeins for hats, mitts, gloves, etc. I am just now beginning to purchase enough of a single yarn/color to be able to “do something”, even though I may not be sure what that is. Here are a few of my more recent purchases — what do you think they should become?

This is churro wool. I bought this from Earth Arts at a local fiber festival I accidentally discovered while out running errands this spring. These are the natural colors of the sheep, which are the breed traditionally herded by the Navajo. From what I understand, this wool is most often used in rugs and weaving, because it is very strong. It is scratchy, but I love the colors. Perhaps a doormat?

This is Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino in Seamist. I have three skeins. This is most certainly for me — so soft! I bought this at Loop during a recent trip to Philadelphia. I’m thinking it should become a scarf or mittens or a neck warmer…something that will let me enjoy how nice this feels against my skin.

I am very excited about this: Elsa Sheep and Wool Cormo wool worsted in a gorgeous heather grey. I have 1000 yards of this, and I am thinking it should become a cozy cardigan with overlapping fronts. Maybe the Pimlico Shawl from Knit2-Together, or a Debbie Bliss pattern with a big ribbed collar?

Happy sunshine! It is clear and cold here today: a perfect fall morning. Boh and I have some frolicking to do, and then I’m off to watch yesterdays’ Rugby World Cup Final and consolation match. Shhh! I don’t know the outcomes yet.

early morning crowing

Posted on October 19, 2007 by barefootrooster

Mornin’ folks. There are multiple roosters crowing outside my window right now. Seriously. The sun is not quite high enough in the sky yet to allow me to take pretty pictures of the Baby Bib O’ Love I started (you know, the kind where the light streams through the window), so bear with me. The bib is done, minus a button. Pictures soon.

In other news, in honor of the Fall Fingerless Mitts KAL, I present to you Dashing, from knitty, intended for my brother, who spends a lot of time both training other people’s dogs and playing with his own adorable pitbull. I made these in Jo Sharp Silk Road DK Tweed (found on sale at my LYS) using size 7 needles.

I worry that they may be a bit tight, as I don’t have a good sense of how big around his forearm is, but they should be okay. Confession: midway through the second mitt, I said to myself, “I remember what I’m supposed to do on this cable row. No need to look at the pattern, Rooster.” A row before bind-off, it became clear that my second mitt did not have offset cables. Instead, they were all in the same column. Rip, rip, rip. These aren’t quite done yet — one more thumb to pick up, but they are a holiday gift, so I have a false sense of being in good shape for gift-giving. This is the first holiday season that I have been a knitter (well, since that unfinished scratchy scarf turned potholder my grandmother helped me on), and I’m not quite sure what folks are expecting. What are you giving as knitted gifts? Are you making ten of something, or choosing individualized patterns for the people in your life?

Rusted Root…

Posted on October 18, 2007 by barefootrooster

5 summers ago, I rode my bike across the country. There is a lot I can say about how formative that experience was for me, but that’s not why I’m mentioning it today. We had a soundtrack, and “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root, was central to our experience crossing the plains of Kansas. If you start humming the opening guitar solo and then picture miles of corn and wheat, peppered with the occasional towering white grain elevator, you’ll get it. Promise. Anyway, about three weeks ago, I decided that I needed my very own Rusted Root. I was traveling cross country for a wedding (by plane, not by bike) and needed a good airplane project. I haven’t picked this up since I returned, because the lace panel requires more concentration than I’ve been able to commit after some long days at work. Perhaps blogging about it will encourage me to knit at least a few rows later tonight?

I’m using the recommended yarn — Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece — and needles (size 5). I was so excited to start this that I drove all over town for the right needles. My LYS was out, but I managed to find some pink metal circulars at an out-of-the-way JoAnn Fabric store. I ripped out the first 6 rows several times as I worked to perfect the purlwise YO, but it moved quite quickly after I figured that out. This is my first lace project, and I love these beautiful leaves! (This is not my first sweater project, but I will save my Coachella story for another post.)

In the mindless knitting category, last night I cast on for the Baby Bib O’ Love from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Some dear friends of mine have a daughter who will be celebrating her first birthday next week, and I think this will brighten her breakfast experience. This is knitting up very quickly, so I should be able to get this in the mail on time. (Yarn is as recommended – Peaches and Creme worsted. I’m using some mismatched size 6 vintage needles from a lot I scored on Ebay. They match the yarn!)

More technology questions — where do I get those cool widgets (whatchamacallits?) that let me share my progress on my WIPs in the sidebar?

barefoot rooster

cockadoodle-doo: one rooster's ramblings

Category Archives: knitting