Tag Archives: knitting

treasure.

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Someone quite dear gave me this set of needles on Saturday, as we sat by a fire under the red rocks. I have no idea how old they are or what exactly they are made of, but I will certainly use them and love them well. They are a gift from Gracie, a small, soft-spoken woman with incredible strength. Some of the best parts of my summers out here have been spent sitting on the back porch, listening to her stories. It makes me happy to think that they will remind me of her after I leave here next month. I’m tempted to cast on a new project in order to begin using them immediately…

almost (FO) gathered cardi

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These pictures are incredibly awkward, but I think you get the idea. I took these in my cabin late at night, so I’m wearing a hooded sweater underneath the cardi in these pictures. I’m envisioning wearing it with lots of layers as a swingy over-sweater kind of a thing. I’d call this an FO, as blocking out here at Base Camp is highly unlikely, except that I need an appropriately large and funky button to make this wearable. Hoping to find some time to play at Goodwill or the flea market the next time I run errands in town. 

In keeping with my routine of photographing the sky around me, I think this summer you’ll see more evening than morning skies here at the blog. I love the transition from day into night, and I often find myself strolling back down the road after feeding Boh his dinner, sighing at all of the beauty around me. A few shots from earlier this week:

I cast on for a new project as soon as I finished the cardi knitting. Pictures soon!

to the bat cave?

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Um, yes. That is correct. This bat has taken up residence in the rafters of my little cabin. So far we’ve managed to get along just fine. These pictures, surprisingly, were taken at about 10 am, when I returned to my cabin to grab something and heard a strange scratching noise. This fella was attempting to inch his way along the central roof beam, and I believe the light was making it a bit difficult. Anyway, here are a few pictures (excuse the darkness/blurriness) of the gathered cardigan in that same cabin:

Though I recognize that this sweater is neither my style nor cut to be the absolute most flattering on me, I do love it. The back is far more swingy than this picture suggests, which may make it hard to wear, but I’m hoping I can rock it over lots of layers. I’m working on sleeve #2 now, and am hoping to find the perfect big wooden button for the front. This is my second time using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, and I am even more pleased with the drape and stitch definition this time around. Also, stress (common this time of year) makes me buy yarn. Look for some confessional photos soon…

Sunset earlier in the week. More soon!

can we make it last like a musical ride?

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Title courtesy of Neil. These days, my late evenings have been filled with flickering campfires, a handful of friends warbling and strumming the depressing ballads of Mr. Young, and (many) beverages of the wheat variety. Go ahead, feel sorry for me. (My days have been both full and early. I’m going to need to get a bit more sleep in the coming weeks…) Anyway, I’m in town for the evening to run some errands before heading back out, and have worked up the motivation for a post. After all, I have sweater progress to share!

This is really coming along. I am halfway through the portion below the gathered section — which is significant, because in order to create that pintuck effect, you actually double the body stitches at the “gather”, making the knitting seem extremely slow-going. This sweater has gorgeous drape, and I am excited to complete it. My only concern is that it won’t be “me”, but I’ll have to finish it to find out.

Here are a few pictures from the week:

Boh has found a dear friend — I think he’s going to have a good summer frolicking with Oso.

Some Indian Paintbrush I stopped to photograph on my morning walk to the office. More soon. Have a great week!

sunday market shawl — and snow!

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I know it is a little blurry, but there is just something I like about this picture, so it’s what you get. I am very happy with how version 2 of the sunday market shawl (Dream in Color Smooshy, size 10 needles) turned out, though I must say, it grew tremendously in length, but not so much in width. I may make a massive version of this for myself someday — maybe double in width?  It is way longer than I am. (Note: the lack of growth in width could be related to the way I blocked it — sans pins, on a beach towel on a backyard table with the ends draped over chairs because it didn’t quite fit on the table…) I can’t wait to give this to the friend who has been waiting ever so patiently for her birthday scarf — I’ll do that the next time I’m in town.

This is what I woke up to yesterday, here at Base Camp. Crazy — but lots of fun. Fires were built, layers were donned, and the dog frolicked. It melted by mid-morning. The fact that I am posting today means that I finally got everything networked (hooray), so it looks like I will be able to blog this summer, though it will likely be far more sporadic than my almost daily posts of the last few months. I am certainly knitting — more of the yoke of the gathered cardi to share soon!

goodbye, little house.

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On our last morning in my casita, Boh and I woke to a red sunrise:

And then we packed and packed, took a trip to the dump to get rid of some unsalvageable oversized things, made one final run to the storage unit, and handed in the keys. Goodbye, little house!

I’ve moved in with dear friends here in Albuquerque for the weekend, and though I am still recovering from all of the early morning moving I’ve been doing, there has been a bit of time for knitting.

This is Sunday Market Shawl #2, and it just needs to be soaked and blocked — a bit of a challenge when you are no longer in your own house — but I am very happy with how this has turned out. Dream in Color Smooshy is magical, and I look forward to making socks with it. I’m excited to see how big this becomes after blocking. Right now, it is probably just under 66 inches, and about 16 inches wide.

In other news, finishing the knitting portion of the Sunday Market Shawl meant that I could cast on for a new project! Though I really should’ve started a third pinwheel blanket, I couldn’t help it. I have been thinking about that Gathered Cardi from Knit.1 since I purchased the magazine, and the yarn was right on top in my Base Camp yarn bin. Last night I did a cheater’s swatch (not quite 4 inches…) and cast on. (It should be fine — I’ve used this yarn before, and my needle-size guessing seemed to produce gauge. Famous last words?) I’ve got about an inch of the seed-stitch collar:

I have one more day here — heading to Base Camp tomorrow. Though I am technically homeless right now, I am enjoying a pretty luxurious life. Check out my morning set up here:

I haven’t quite figured out a plan for posting this summer, as my internet access will be slightly limited, and I’m not sure if I am going to hook my laptop up to the office network out there. At the very least, you’ll get updates when I come into town. Please know that even if my own posting is rather sporadic, I will still be reading!

Happy June!

FO: super simple short socks

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I love them. LOVE. I finished these in two weeks, while working on other things, and I am super proud of them. The heels look far more awesome than my last pair of socks, and I even kitchenered a bit better (though on the second one, something weird happened and I was left with a loop I couldn’t tighten. I finally just used a scrap piece of thread to help me pull it to the inside, where it will hopefully stay). Anyway, I love them. Despite the serious pooling:

Also, they look so cute with my purple crocs:

I wore this combination around the house while packing this morning, even though it is really too hot for socks and shoes. I also had a tea date with my landlord — I live in her backyard, so she came over this morning to learn how to knit. She is a natural — was able to do a long-tail cast on after watching me cast on 3 stitches. We had a lovely visit — such a nice way to end my 2 years here. (I move out on Saturday.)

This post is harder than usual to write, not because of the content, but because I just took Boh for a run, and it is far hotter outside than I anticipated. I am working on rehydrating now — should’ve had more agua last night and this morning before our run. Also, my body is a bit sore, as I went on my first run in quite awhile on Saturday. Yay for number 2. Here’s what the dog is doing:

Ooh — and this is unrelated, but I made some color choices this weekend:

I may be leaving the Southwest, but I’m bringing its love of color with me. Hope you’re having a great 3-day weekend. I’m off to a badminton yard party for the afternoon…

toe pick.

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Anybody? (The Cutting Edge? Elementary school sleepovers?) Anyway, that’s what I think whenever I complete a heel flap. Can’t really explain it. See? Heel flap:

Toe pick! Also, it was very hot this week. So hot that I began second guessing my summer knitting plans. (Heading to Base Camp next week for the summer, and everything else I own is slowly making its way out of this teeny house and into a shiny storage unit.) I fell in love with this sweater from Knit.1 magazine: the gathered cardi. This is way cooler than I am, and may make me feel like I am playing dress up, but I really like it. I’m realizing as I pack that I may need to adapt my wardrobe a bit for graduate school, as I doubt it will require carharts and backcountry gear anywhere near as often. (Justification of need for sweater and thus, yarn, accomplished. You see, I don’t have any cotton in my stash!)

There it is: 8 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, in a mustardy-yellow/pea green shade. Won’t this be lovely with a big old wood button? Also, in the interest of full disclosure, here’s my stash.

It has been organized and in plastic tubs for a few weeks now, but today is the day it is going into the storage unit. I’ve made my summer knitting decisions, and I’m sticking to them. (Though my storage unit is easily accessible between the hours of 8 and 6 should I require anything additional on the days I come into town…) It is already in the car, and the clock has struck eight. Time to take more stuff to storage!

you spin me right round baby…

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I couldn’t help it. (With the song, but also with the actual spinning.)

Sort of hideous, I know, but bear with me. You see, this used to be this:

And before that, this:

I ordered a drop spindle and some fiber from Hello Yarn, and it arrived yesterday. Last night, after a super fun knitting night, I decided to give it a try. I still have much to learn — it feels like there are more tasks than I have hands — but I am excited about this.

After taking the dog out and enjoying the sunrise:

I tried again.

I think I need to separate the fibers even more in order to get a thinner yarn. Anyone have suggestions for websites or other resources with pictures of top whorl drop spindles in use? I’m interested in learning more about speed of spinning the spindle, how much twist is a good idea, etc.

Already late for work, but wanted to share that with you!

many moons.

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A year ago, I began Thermal. It was to be my first sweater, and I was very excited. I ordered the recommended yarn (KnitPicks Gloss) and printed out the pattern. As I was still a new knitter, I was sort of afraid of color. I’ve since broken myself of that (see bright green Bolero Jacket for proof), but I remember struggling with the color decision. I eventually concluded that I would be most likely to wear my first sweater if it was black. I’m sure you’re all cringing because you already know what I failed to realize: knitting a sweater in fingering weight black yarn is akin to poking yourself in the eye repeatedly.

Enter my progress:

A tangled skein and several errors in knitting direction resulting in ripping and starting again (I didn’t quite get that it is easy to tell which way you are going). I have a solid inch of the twisted ribbed bottom hem of the sweater. And you know what? The knitting is even, and quite pretty! I am going to keep this one handy, and perhaps in small doses, I can make progress on the black fingering weight sweater. (You know, even though I am more willing to play with color now, I will get a lot of use out of a black Thermal — if I can finish it, that is.)

My 1824 Blouson met a different fate last night. I have beautiful yarn for this project, and I love the shape of the sweater, but I fear all those dressmaker finishing details AND the 4 inches of the back I discovered in a knitting bag tucked away were not as pretty as I am capable of. My now-discerning eye was drawn to a scattering of small errors in the knitting, and I found no evidence of a gauge swatch. Ribbit! I still love the idea of this sweater, and am hoping to make something similar. Ideas?

Also, to avoid the dreaded second sock syndrome, I cast on Super Simple Short Sock #2 last night.

I posted my bed on craigslist on Sunday and sold it yesterday during my lunch break. Making progress over here! Time to go rent a storage unit so that I can begin clearing these boxes out of my tiny house…