Tag Archives: Rusted Root

goodies.

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At least prepping for reading groups involves both reading AND baking. These are Deb’s our favorite chocolate chip cookies, and they are super tasty, despite the fact that I may have slightly overcooked some of them because I was too busy reading…

Also, check out what arrived today! I won the blogiversary giveaway over at Doodles in String — as commenter #1. Chris blogs about all sorts of inspiring knitting and spinning, so you should head over there if you’ve never been. These goodies are awesome: gorgeous yarn, beautiful fiber, and a book filled with patterns for kids. (And while I do not have children, all of the babies I’ve been knitting for lately are growing!) Thank you, Chris!

And since I don’t have any new knitting to share, here’s another knit-in-action. Remember this?

I realize it is hidden under several layers, but today I’m wearing my Rusted Root. I haven’t worn this in ages, and I have no idea why.

Alright, off to a new reading group. Happy almost weekend!

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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.

scrap yarn: brilliant concept.

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I am excited about my Brompton cardigan — a bit nervous, as this is the first time I have tried to fit something to myself — but excited all the same. The fit in the chest seems perfect, but the armholes seemed a bit loose on me. The prospect of ripping back a few rows to take out the raglan increases in the arms seemed less than enjoyable, so I decided to divide and try it on again to get a better sense for how it will lay.

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This picture made me feel a bit better. It may be a tad loose, but I want the fit to be similar to Alice’s, with some positive ease so that it is comfy and can be worn over layers. The last 10 rows took forever, but those are also the longest rows, so I think the next bit will be  bit quicker (in my head, at least!). Have I mentioned (today) that I love Rowan Felted Tweed? It is gorgeous. I love the bits of orangey brown — they offset the blue-green color perfectly.

As the theme of the day is scrap yarn, I didn’t stop there.

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[Note to self: Shiny-ish yarn, unfinished, cropped sweater, arms length away — these do not make for flattering photographs.]

I present Rusted Root! I began this in September, and have been working on it whenever I am on an airplane. I may have to break that rule, as I just need to knit another 6 or so inches and then knit the ribbing on the bottom, neckline and sleeves. I switched from some hot pink plastic Susan Bates needles to my KnitPicks Harmony Options, and got this project all settled in a very pretty knitting bag. It would be great to wear this in a few weeks when spring arrives…

As I write this, there is a mixture of snow and freezing rain falling. Snow day?

Rusted Root…

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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?

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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.)

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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!)

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