Tag Archives: knitting

pinwheels and a new project

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First of all, whoa! WordPress got fancy! (Overnight! This may take some getting used to.) Second, look at my pinwheel! Binding off 430 st took forever, as in, I had to call a friend to apologize for my lateness and explain that I was still casting off…

I really like this — which is good, because I am planning on making several. I followed the pattern exactly for this first pinwheel, and it only required about 2.5 skeins of Cascade 220. I think the size is just right for a cozy lap or reading blanket — perfect for the intended recipients. If you look closely at this picture of the center of the pinwheel, you’ll notice that it isn’t perfect: seems that when I switched from DPNs to the circular needle, I screwed up a YO or two. I realized this a few inches later, and a moment before I began ripping back, I decided against it. You see, this blanket is a wedding gift for a historian-to-be and his fiance.  They are new friends, and hopefully folks I will spend more time getting to know in New Home. This new friend and I spent a lot of time talking about scholarly processes, in a range of contexts. What better gift than a blanket with a few quirks? After all, marriage is process-oriented! These small “mistakes” will provide me with an entry point to write a little love note along these lines. Boh thinks so too.

He looks particularly worried, likely because he isn’t sure if we should block this to maintain the swirl of the pinwheel or if we should straighten it out. Life is rough when you have these kinds of things on your mind. Boh is also thinking about the Lace Ribbon Scarf from the most recent Knitty.

A friend had this on her dining room table yesterday, and a closer look revealed that this pattern is intended for sock yarn! I have been trying to figure out what to do with my February booty from the Yarn Pirate — gorgeous colors, but not really for me. Seems that the stars are aligned — or at least Knitty is aligned with my calendar of friends’ birthdays…

Alright — the sun is fully up, and it is time to get on with the day: long overdue breakfast date, rugby practice, dog play date, yarn shop outing…and then margaritas?

Ahh, Saturday.

spring sunrise.

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I had prettier pictures of the sunrise and the mountains this morning, but I wanted to share this one — see the leaves on the trees? So nice to see green around town here in the Southwest.

Also, even though I’m not sure that you can tell that I’ve made progress, here is a picture of what I have been referring to as the jellyfish:

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I’ve started the seed stitch border. It is hard for me to tell how big it is going to be — I want this to serve as a cozy lap blanket for curling up with a good (or required) book. I am planning to make a handful of these this spring as gifts, and I find myself knitting quickly in order to see if this is going to be the size I am envisioning…

Happy Friday!

yep, i’m fine.

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“Are you okay? You didn’t post this morning.”

These were close to the first words I heard from a friend from both blogland and the real world this evening as we gobbled up salmon fish and chips, drank beer, listened to music and discussed issues of critical importance, like font choice. (I have Helvetica here, courtesy of Netflix.)

I didn’t post this morning mostly because my pinwheel, though ever growing, looks the same. I finished my second ball of yarn, and while winding a third just before our dinner plans, Boh decided to help me with the knot that appeared at the end of the skein:

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Yes, that’s right. Help.

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When faced with two options: (a) rescue yarn or (b) take cute pictures, I tend to choose (a). Tonight, I chose differently, deciding that this was funny enough to merit sacrificing the last 15 yards of the ball. I mean, it does seem a little unfair that Boh doesn’t have any of his own yarn to play with…

weekend frolicking.

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I will miss these mountains — and these friends, too. Yesterday we explored the volcanoes: a regular weekend haunt of mine (and Boh’s), and hopefully, a new favorite for the dear friends pictured above.

I spent the afternoon relaxing: baking banana bread, knitting, cleaning, etc. Check out my progress on the pinwheel blanket — it is growing very quickly!

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Monday mornings require just a bit more coffee than other weekdays — must pour another cup and get ready for work!

breakfast and button bands.

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Good morning! Thought I’d snap a picture of my colorful breakfast. This treat from my CSA box brightened the to do list reviewing/revising that needed to occur this morning.  I also managed to make some progress on my Brompton button band — one down! An evening of chicken soup, knitting, and movie-watching, combined with some a.m. quiet time today has produced this:

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The button band is slightly shorter than the body of the cardigan. I want to keep making progress on this, so you heard it here: I will not delay seaming this button band even though seaming is still a bit scary to me. I will not delay seaming this button band even though seaming is still a bit scary to me. I will not delay seaming…

This is our first full week of glorious weather, and it is getting more and more difficult to be inside all day at the office. Weekend, please.

brompton progress.

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Forgive the awkward light streaming through the window — couldn’t wait until later to share a Brompton milestone: I’ve completed the majority of the body stitches! Time to begin work on the button bands. I say it every time I post about this sweater, but I love Rowan Felted Tweed. (Love.) Also, with the arrival of spring here in the Southwest comes the wind, and I am in serious need of a morning/evening layer like this one. I have some work and play travel coming up in mid-April, and I am hoping to have this done in time to take with me!

legwarmers in real life.

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First, an Easter photo. My landlords’ children knocked on my door yesterday morning to present me with this:

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So sweet to think that the Easter Bunny remembered me this year. I absolutely adore my landlord-family (I live in the house in their backyard), and I will miss them terribly when it comes time to leave here for the colder climes of New Home/grad school.

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So it seems there are a lot of folks out there in internet-land who have questions about wearing legwarmers. I’ve noticed that several folks have used legwarmer and wearing legwarmer-related search terms to find my blog. I happen to have a few pictures of the legwarmers in action this week, as the weather is just changeable enough to warrant them. Mind you, I am no fashion plate, and tend to subscribe to the “If You Like It, You Should Wear It” school of clothing oneself. (Also known as the “Get Dressed in Five Minutes and Try Not to Wear Exactly What You Wore Yesterday” approach to dressing.) If it is legwarmer wearing confidence you need, a few ideas:

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(Way above, and above): long underwear, twirly skirt and legwarmers. If you’re feeling particularly bold, you could wear a shorter skirt so that it looks like the second picture.

Option 2:

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Legwarmers are also appropriate for Saturday morning, and perfect for pairing with cropped loungewear when the dog needs to go out.

Option 3 (not pictured): Most of the time, I wear legwarmers because I love flip-flops but my ankles get cold. I like to keep them tucked under my heels, and people rarely notice them when I wear them with jeans. I wear them for me! If you want to incorporate a tad more 80s flair (as I typed that, iTunes in shuffle mode selected “Runaway” by Bon Jovi. Go figure) cuff your jeans so that said legwarmers are more visible.

Alright — glad we’ve addressed that. I’d hate to think that there are people out there who’ve gone through all the trouble to either acquire or knit legwarmers, but are unsure about how to enjoy them!

Onward to my Nutkin conversion:

You may recall that I ran into a bit of a problem just before turning the heel on sock #1 of this pair: The cuff, which is knit and folded over to create something super cool, does not have the stretch of the rest of the sock, and I could not get it over the heel of my foot. I’m glad I thought to try this BEFORE turning the heel. I love the pattern — easy to remember and fun to knit — and the thought of ripping out 7 pattern repeats was a bit too much for me to bear.

So: I began an 8th pattern repeat, but in the middle of the first repeat in the first row, I bound off the middle 8 st to create a thumb hole, and then continued on in pattern, replacing those 8 st in the next row. After the full 10 row pattern repeat, I did one more repeat, for a total of 9. I then knit 5 rows of k2, p2 for stretchiness at the top of the mitt, and voila:

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I think I finally understand why folks who don’t like knitting socks buy and use sock yarn. These are going to be perfect for spring: snug, subtly colorful, and thinner than the other worsted weight pairs I’ve been wearing all winter. I’ve cast on for my second mitt, and I’ve learned my lesson about gauge/sock cuffs…maybe.

home again, home again.

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Yup, life is hard. 5 whole days of playing non-stop with your friends can make you dog tired. (Stop me now.) Boh and I re-settled ourselves into my little house, went for a lovely run, and planned an evening of hunkering.

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Netflix, the dog, and a hat project. I actually cast on for the Beaufort Hat last month, knit most of the inch of ribbing, and then realized that I needed those needles for something more urgent. (Not that I can remember what.) I put what I had of Beaufort on waste yarn and tucked it away. I went to pick it back up again, I decided to just rip out the little I had done and start over to ensure evenness in the ribbing…or something.

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I’ve made it through 3 or 4 pattern repeats, and I really like it. The pattern is easy to memorize and it moves quickly. I’m using  Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in a slightly lighter/brighter shade than pictured. This is for a friend who requested a hat. Though she’s seen the blog, I don’t think she reads it regularly, so I’m going to risk it. (She’s heading to Argentina this week for a well-deserved vacation.) I should have this ready to send to her by the time she returns (and maybe enough yarn for one for me, too!)

off to see the wizard…

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Actually, I’m off to see my New Home — planning to meet my advisor, sign a lease for the fall and wander through/imagine myself in a different place.

What am I bringing with me? I’m working to keep everything in one LandsEnd tote bag (size large, which I believe they define as 2 full bags of groceries). That means no sweater projects. Instead, because it will be cold where I am heading, I am bringing a Stella Hat, recently cast on, yarn and needles to begin the Chevalier Mittens, and my Twisted Tweed Socks. (Too sleepy for links — early flight!) I can fit all of these, along with a little notions bag, into a tote that fits inside my everyday bag.

Oh — and I’m planning to wear my Debbie Bliss Bolero Jacket. (By planning to wear, I mean I’m wearing it now, have been for much of the last week, and plan to continue wearing it all week/weekend.)

I’ll be back on Monday!