Not So Fancy Nancy

Knitty Cozy is that indeed

Wow, the last two weeks have gone ... somewhere? Anyway, I have been knitting. And thinking about knitting. Just not blogging. Thanks for all your wonderful comments on Charlotte's Web. She's been worn several times and continues to please me.

In addition to knitting, I'm trying to take up cooking (surprise surprise - this is more popular with the rest of the family). Made a lasagna from scratch yesterday. OK, not the pasta, but I made the Bolognese and bechamel sauces. Added sauteed Swiss chard to the ricotta layer and sauteed brown mushrooms to the bechamel layer. Yummy. Very yummy. If you want to understand Italian cooking, get Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook. I'm a new cook but what I've made from this book tastes like I've been doing it all my life - that's a good cookbook!

Finally finished Knitty's Cozy wrap. Pushed on through balls five, six and seven in about four days after getting that bug to JUST FINISH IT. Almost stopped at ball six, but decided that I wanted a little more drape. I've only got about two yards of ball seven left. Final measurements after an hour of wear are 67" x 22", though I blocked it wider/shorter (about 62ish x 25ish) knowing this yarn/pattern had a strong tendency to stretch long. The pattern uses eight balls of a different yarn and measured 67.5 x 19.75, so this was a pretty close substitution.

I've found I can pin it like a poncho or just wrap it. I'm wearing it at the PC right now and it lives up to it's name nicely. The pattern is two simple lace rows shifted over an eight row repeat A-B-A-B, so once you get comfortable it flies along, which is good since it seems to goes on and on at the end!

The yarn is Rowan Summer Tweed. I LOVE this color. You can see from all these photos how it changes in different light. It's my favorite shade of red with the added bonus of orange flecks. But, I'd be hard pressed to recommend this yarn for this pattern - nothing about it is conducive to knitting lace. It's a thick, rough 70% silk/30% cotton worsted weight blend that can be very hard on the hands for lace stitches like K2togtbl. Still, it does create a wonderful texture. Ah, the price of art.

Click this photo on the left to get a good look at the orange flecks.

I've read a lot of opinions about Summer Tweed, so I'll just give you my experience so far. First, it does indeed soften significantly in the wash. It's still got a rustic hand, but softer with a nice drape. After CO, I machine washed it in a front-loading washer on the delicate/cold cycle with Eucalan. I would have used the "handwash" cycle, which has an even gentler agitation and spin, but I was in the middle of kid-management and simply forgot until I heard the spinning. Still, it survived without issue, though this fiber doesn't look like it will tolerate too much agitation.

From there I gently wet-blocked it on the futon - no pins, just repeated tugging to measurements. Someone on the Cozy KAL told me their Summer Tweed bled badly, so I put a color catch sheet in the wash (it was the only thing in the load, I was just curious). The sheet came out red, but there was no bleeding on the cream futon after Cozy laid on it wet over night (yeah, I live on the edge), so I'd call it colorfast, though I'll probably always wash it alone to be careful and reduce agitation. I put in in the dryer on the lowest setting for about three minutes after it was completely dry just to de-fuzz it and soften it a touch more. Finally, this yarn has not broken on me yet, but it can be pulled apart fairly easily, so I'm going to have to be very careful around our door handles (they've torn my shirts and sweaters in the past as I've dashed around our house - maybe I should dash less?).

Caution to other Cozy knitters... I made the same mistake three times over the last four feet:  I dropped the inside K2tog stitch on a [slip, K2tog, psso]. They fell behind the new stitch and were virtually invisible until I examined the knitting from the back. Luckily (in this case) the yarn is so sticky it doesn't run. Caught one while it was still on the needles and just dropped down about three inches to fix it. The other two showed up during blocking, so I fixed them from the back by pulling the yarn up through the back, cutting (yes, cringe), then knotting. Totally hidden by the pattern.

Have a new sweater in process too, but will blog that another day.

Gonna wrap myself in ...

If you've been to enough Kindergarten recitals, you've probably heard this song. This and the chorus in Beethoven's 9th are guaranteed to bring tears to my eyes. Our music teacher always works this into the K-3 performances and the sight of all those little hands doing the gestures with great passion but totally out of sync gets me every year.

I'm gonna wrap myself in paper;
I'm gonna dab myself with glue.
Stick some stamps on top of my head;
I'm gonna mail myself to you!

When you see me in your mailbox,
cut the string and let me out.
Wipe the glue off my fingers,
and stick some bubblegum in my mouth!

So, why was I singing this song this morning? Well, while engaging a very relaxing KID FREE (school's back in session - yippee) game of Nancy the Knit Stylist (my dream career you know) I couldn't stop that song in my head and it morphed to I'm gonna wrap myself in Colinette, Rowan and Koigu...

Koigu Charlotte's Web is almost complete! Just started merging the last ball on the right. After 10 more merged rows there will be 16 rows of just the blue and then I'll be done. Of course, as many of you know, it gets much slower at the end. Not planning on doing fringe, so I still need to pick my bindoff pattern, which may add a little knit time. I'm weighing each ball after that color is done and will post my totals when finished so those of you with leftover sock yarn can see if it might work into a Charlotte somehow. I think by forgoing fringe one might get two, or at least close to two, Charlotte's out of 5 skeins.

This poor Colinette wrap has been on the needles since last spring, so I think it deserves to be finished up. I've made it my car knitting now, which should help. No pattern, I just CO a bunch of stitches on 10's and am alternating Colinette Giotto (1 hank) and Colinette Enigma (1 hank) with Classic Elite Avignon Cotton Silk (3 balls) running between each row of the Colinettes (whose name I've been misspelling with two L's all this time! Sorry, will change). It's all garter stitch and I'm just knitting until the yarn runs out. Couldn't be easier, but now I'm thinking of doing short rows to shape the shoulders so it hangs better. Can't have things too easy huh?

Cozy in Rowan Summer Tweed has not been forgotten either.

Doesn't it look nice against our spiffy new chair? Married over 8 years and we finally bought living room chairs! We agreed immediately on them and the sale was made in about 10 minutes with the kids in tow - miracles do happen!

I'm almost finished with the fifth ball with three remaining, but may stop if I feel it's gotten to a length I like. Jen on the Cozy KAL posted a photo of her Summer Tweed version using only six balls and it made a perfect shoulder wrap when fixed with a pin.

Oh heck, let's put all this talk of design aside and tell the truth - after ball six I'll stop when I'm so sick of it I can't imagine another repeat. Pathetic but true.

Jen reports that it does indeed wash to a softer hand, which I've heard elsewhere about Summer Tweed. Also planning to block it hard to bring out the pattern.

Finally, a wrap to be:

A very kind knitblogger sent this Zephyr laceweight silk/wool to me. The amazing thing is that I'd just ordered Fiber Trends' Pacific Northwest Shawl pattern. Karma? Serendipity? Athena is happy with me? All I know is that it looked so beautiful on August the orange boy lounging in the morning sun, until...

Cozy halfway mark reached!

Today was Cozy's day. Finished ball four, so I'm half way. That psychological hump having been crossed, I will now be counting down my balls (Just four to go...)  rather than counting up.

It measures 23.5 x 33 unblocked, so I'm wide, but on target for the the final length of the pattern dimensions (19 x 67). Feels very good to be using this Rowan Silk Tweed that was sitting in stash.

Bad thing about having friends and family read your blog - they know what you're doing ... and what you've resolved not to do! On Wednesday my mom was giving me grief about the new Rowan, but I pointed out that it was ebay sale money, so it's fair game. Then yesterday a friend visited from Ohio for a family event, but carved out a day to hang out with me. Took her to the Encinitas main street and we went to one of my LYSs and a bead shop. I saw this sock yarn in the Regia Jubilee color - just my shades - and couldn't resist. She ragged on me "What about your diet, eh? Hummm?" Told her it was in honor of her, but she wasn't buying it. Smart Brenda. She understands though; she's an artist too. She found some beads that she needed while I was getting a couple of sterling jump rings to convert my favorite stitch markers to jewelery quality.

I've been meaning to pass on a great tip I got from somewhere else (sorry, but I have no idea where) regarding edge stitches:  Always take a second to tug the yarn tight after making the first stitch in a row to create a good, smooth edge stitch. Started doing it recently and it really does make a difference.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cozy's coming along

Finally picked up my knitting again on Monday night. I was going to swatch for Rogue and swatch some other new yarn I got (that I will post about later), but found that half my needles were in projects. Took this as a sign that I needed to actually finish something before swatching anything else. So, I committed to finishing Cozy.

The strip of sunlight on my living room floor was exactly the width of Cozy when I started this photo shoot, but it actually narrowed in the 30 seconds it took to lay out the knitting - you can tell it's one of the shortest days!

This is at the beginning of ball 4/8. Going much faster now that I've figured out how to think about lace. Flower Basket broke me in!

Here's a close up - it's a very simple pattern that looks interesting:

And one more (out of full sun), just because I'm easily amused:

Now, for something completely different...

My DH made this Italian cake from Nigella's "How to be a Domestic Goddess". It really is a good cookbook filled with her easy-going attitude and great baking recipes. He's got to learn to prop the camera (for a clearer shot) and watch the background (fridge clutter), but he's got the touch in the kitchen. I'll keep him.

My Stash Revealed

Started my Rowan Pipsqueaks sleeves last night. This had been back-burnered, but when your child says "It will be ready for Thanksgiving at Grandma's won't it???" you get cracking. Hope I don't run out of yarn - it's going to be close.

Worked on Cozy today. I'm liking it a lot now. On ball three of eight, so I think it will be a good size.

If you've read more than one or two posts of this blog you might be wondering just where do I put it all? Well, my dad ran a military warehouse for many years, then a flea market booth for years after that, and his garage and basement still look like a demonic elf's workshop, so I guess there's a bit of the collector and obsessive organizer in my blood. Add to that my mother who loves books and knitting and you can see that I'm destined to be a knitter with large stash and loads of books. My saving grace is that I've moved over 20 times since the age of 18 (not making that number up), so I've gotten good at purging. And, ironically, my husband is a bit of a minimalist. Cosmic humor in action.

Our house is spacious by global standards, but average and w/o storage by N. American standards. No basement, no attic, no spare rooms, both cars parked in the small two-car garage. The office serves as the craft and guest room. And I do scrapbooking, quilting, stamping and knitting. Thank goodness I have a walk-in closet and not too many clothes or shoes.  Now, as I type this I realize I've put myself into a position... do I go take honest photos of my stashes or do I save post this until after I've tidied?

First, for the hidden stash: These chests are in our living room. They're designed for storage and are perfect for yarn! I only store cottons and synthetics in here. I love that I'm actively using these gorgeous pieces which were intended to be used daily. Our living room was basically empty for the first 3+ years here, so it's nice to have some color in there now.

Active projects end up in one of several bags that float around the house and into the minivan (yeah, I've given over to the whole mom thing). They seem to end up piled here in the family room more often than not:

Hum..., now for my closet, the private zone, the disaster zone. Mind you, it's about as bad as it ever gets since I've not been able to bend for a month. It actually makes me nuts every time I go in there, but I just have to close my eyes and wait. Every closet in the house looks like this right now, which I take as evidence that I am the only one who does a darned thing about it. Everything keeps getting thrown into teetering stacks, and when a stack falls (which they're prone to do - gravity is wicked, as any of us 40 and over can attest), I have to let it lay or I'll find myself on the floor next to it in agony.

Well, brutal honesty might just give someone out there a laugh and make you feel a little less out of control. Go ahead, call your significant other over and say "Look here honey - she's SO MUCH WORSE than I am!" Go ahead, click to enlarge if you dare. I'll be your comparison point, consider it my gift to all knitters today:

When it's clean and neat the metal shelf is great - very solid (Costco). I recently got this pocket storage thingy at one of the bed/bath places to hang on the end. It's perfect for sock and scarf projects.

Looking around I noticed a few more "hidden" stashes - like this one in plain sight, but so subtle, so quiet up there. What exactly is in that basket on top the bookshelves? Hum. A giant throw with no name using all the blue and purple yarns that I bought early in my knitting life. I'll get this down someday and share.

Now the fun (and slightly scary) part of the this little exercise is that I've found a bunch of projects that I'm adding to my WIP gallery right now. Not everything - that would be a bit overwhelming even for me, but a bunch of half-done things. Maybe they'll get done now? Also dug out and photographed a few more finished pieces, which you'll find in that gallery. My first sweater and first scarf are out there now. I've got a photo album of all projects, but the first two years were done on film, so if I gave the item away there are no digital pics to upload. Memories...

Oh, and just to prove I do other things, here are the apple-walnut-cranberry-oatmeal muffins that we made while I was playing yarn photographer. My girls love my muffins, which makes me feel down right maternal (which isn't always the case). Yummy.

Another Booga Bag

This seems to be working. Very unsure about the colors at first, but it's growing on me. I think (hope, pray) it will felt well (color wise, no question about the fibers). Going to stop now at the start of the second Big Kureyon skein and do the I-cord. Might just get by with only 2 hanks of the Noro, but I'll feel safer with the cord done. Hope to finish this tomorrow so I can stick it in the wash loads that must be done this weekend. Worked on Cozy while watching West Wing and Good Eats on Weds night. I like this more and more - it's developing a softer drape as the inches add up, which was my biggest worry. Need to do some physical therapy exercises right now.

K2Tog tlb, K1, K2Tog, YO, K1 YO etc

Finished the Rowan neckline. Size 3 needles made for tight stitches, but it did pull the over-large opening together. Once I got past my issues with the neck I flew along. It needs to be blocked to get the stitches all pulled right, but it's looking like a sweater now. Taking a break before starting the sleeves.

Spent yesterday working with lace stitches. Worked on the fan scarf (no photo, next time...) in the morning, then these two in the evening. Was a bit concerned about my yardage of Summer Tweed for Cozy, but it looks like I'll squeak by. It's actually too rough and inelastic for the pattern, so the stitchwork isn't easy, but I'm liking it. Will have to spread the work so my arms don't start to bother me.

Switched to the Birch in Rowan Kid Silk Haze later in the evening. Talk about contrast. Same type of stitches (pull together, fall apart, though the Cozy has that diagonal thing happening), so the rhythm was similar, but the texture was so different it took 20 minutes to get used to "seeing" the mohair. I love this yarn (thread almost) - it's so soft for mohair.

This is what it should look like finished. I'm doing the garter version (K on WS) shown in this photo. The st st version looks more classic, but I'm planning other lace shawls, so I wanted the different look.

The rain has finally blown through and we're having beautiful weather. The gardens are all confused and grass is sprouting and flowers blooming. We've had more rain in the last two weeks than all of last season. Still, the signs of winter are here, including no light on our back patio (that's why my knitting is up the hill on the rocks for these photos). Gotta get crackin on my tucked away sweater projects!

Today we've been out all afternoon, first down to IKEA for shopping and lunch (the kids love the meatballs and veggies), then on to the huge Japanese grocery in that area. DH has plans for dinner and enfant terrible is asleep (bless her little conniving two-year-old heart, but she's been a terror lately) Since the house is wonderfully quiet and I'm alone, I'm going to knit. Yeah.

Creative burst

I love that knitting place I get in right after finishing a project. Half finished projects call to me. New ideas and new yarn seem possible (OK, both are always possible, but suddenly they seem justifiable). I start leafing through books and magazines and swatching my stash.

First, the old: I've been working on this Rowan sweater for a while. All that stitchwork takes time, but it does look pretty good. Lots of grow-room, but that's ok by me. Made it to gauge and pattern, but my munchkin is slim. This one better last a while.
Here's a photo taken yesterday by the sweater's future owner (age 7). Sorry it's blurry, but it was raining (after a 5-year drought we're loving this) so the room was dark. My lap is full of August. Big pretty boy and a box of rocks (sad, but true). He's also AlphaKitty in this house and feels free to take over any space as his own. Claude, our small gray boy, is prettier, smarter and more than 5 lbs lighter than August, and also usually has the good grace to curl up next to you. Love em both dearly of course.

So… why the photo? For documentation of two of the excuses I have for having to do the front neckline four, yes FOUR times! August took over my lap while I did the initial counting and small child kept taking my photo - certainly enough to kill concentration. I did one side 10 rows up and the other side two times (another issue) only to find the neckline 15 stitches off center. Corrected that and did it all again only to decide that I really didn’t like my fashioned cast offs (that's totally my fault). I typically do cast offs one or two stitches in and like that look, but it was too much with all this patterning. Took a breath and ripped all the way down to the divide and started over. Two hours to get that neckline, but it was right, finally. Finished the back up to the neckline that night. Today I did a 3-needle bind-off on the shoulders and picked up around that cursed neckline. Will finish this afternoon and start on the sleeves. With all this rain she can wear it now, so I want to keep it moving. Here’s the latest:

Swatched the meandering leaf scarf out of Scarf Style last night. That’s a pattern you can’t look away from, but I did enjoy the challenge. Ripped my swatch because I didn’t have the right yarn (weight, texture or yardage) – I was just playing. I think I will look for that yarn though.

Cast on Knitty's Cozy with Rowan’s Summer Tweed. It’s a little rougher and heavier than the specified yarn, but I think it’s working. I want to finish this first ball then reevaluate. See wearing this with jeans and a fitted t or turtleneck. I’ve got three other colors of this in my stash (let’s not go there – I just like it), so it will be nice to have something other than a sweater in this yarn.

The last evening standing before I went to ER I finally cast on the front and back sides of the Cinema sweater. This had gone quiet for a while, but I hope to finish in a few weeks. Seems good for casual holiday outings – bright but good with jeans and boots, etc. Glad I dug up this very long #11 set – much easier to see what’s going on.

Hum, what else? Found a great poncho on Jackie’s site (look on Oct 13 – it’s her own design). Right out of this month’s Vogue Knitting, but in a smaller gauge. I’ve wanted one that’s not fringed and doesn’t make me feel like I’m trying to dress 22. Not wanting to insult anyone at all – I’ve seen women of all ages look great in some ponchos – just talking about my own comfort level and style. I’m 39 and short – I don’t want to be a fashion fatality.

More thoughts, but that neckline’s calling me to finish today.