Not So Fancy Nancy

The Bunny Sweater returns

My SIL jolted me into awareness that Easter is early this year and only weeks away. NOW is the time to finish this sweater for Emily. This is the photo from Zoe Mellor's Animal Knits, my version is below. I wanted to call this post Chasing Tail since that does describe the bunnies in this pattern, but then thought of the Google hits and decided I don't need that kind of audience! Knitters only are just fine with me. But, I must tell you a story to remind us all to write as if your mother, your mother's workmates at the library, or your favorite high school teacher are reading because they might just be. Of course I know my mom - the wonderful knitter who got me started - reads this. I also knew she shares it with with fellow knitters at work. What I never expected was an email from my high school history and psychology teacher. Not really sure why I used his full name in my 100 list - guess it was just the natural impulse to give a person you're honoring their due (the opposite of a "who shall remain unnamed" slam). Someone saw it and forwarded it to him (google hits again I suspect). We traded a couple of emails where I was able to clarify my appreciation. I cannot tell you the incredible satisfaction I've had in being able to say thank you 22 years later. Sometimes the net is just plain wonderful.

Yesterday, after six straight days of rain (we're now at the 3rd wettest year on record for San Diego County) I decided it was time to jump in the frog pond. We actually do have frogs in our backyard, which entertains cats and kids to no end. Ripped Rocktorp. Packed up Lara. And dealt with Rogue. Ah Rogue. So glad I put it aside. Knew something was wrong, but on the circs the extent of the issue was not clear. Off the needles it was downright funny. Had to take this Slim Fast photo to show just how far off I was. Excuse the 14-year-old pleated peg-leg pants - these babies were cheapies from the Limited in 1991 and they will not die! They've been my house sweats for 12 years and I've found nothing can hurt this space-age fabric. Took gauge (again), made notes and frogged it all. Very sad to frog cables and that beautiful knitted hem, but there was no saving this. Especially since I'm at my hippiest from not being able to exercise for 1 1/2 years! Good part is that I get to reduce it by 40 stitches so it will go that much faster next time. Still want Rogue and still want it in this yarn. Next year.

Regarding my back... only 10 days until my percutaneous discectomy! Yippee! Just trying not to hurt myself until then. I've had debilitating sciatica since Oct 03 and during the worst episode last year I was hospitalized because I was unable to move. That sucked. I'll mention it again right before, but I won't be posting for a week or two after March 7th because sitting will be restricted during the initial healing time.

Klaralund has not been forgotten. Got pretty lucky with the sleeve cast ons since these yarns matched right out of the balls. I am changing the sleeves a little with some bell shaping rather than the unshaped kimono sleeves of the pattern. Since I shaped the body I hope it works. Feeling brave and hope to not be feeling stupid. We'll see. Want to finish this soon while they're still predicting more rain. Btw, we're not in any way negatively affected by rain. Our back slope is heavily planted and the retaining wall deeply and solidly footed. That cost us big bucks, but now feels like money well spent.

Also ripped the Gloria swatch. Thought of making another larger swatch since I'm still uncertain about these yarns together, but since I'd gotten gauge that seemed silly. Started a sleeve instead since it uses the alternating garter pattern. I don't think I've ever been this uncertain about yarns. I love both yarns:  the colors, the textures, and the weights. But I keep questioning if they belong in the same sweater. Thought of switching out the Bliss to another color, but nothing else moved me like this periwinkle. It's just such a beautiful shade for spring. Held up next to my face the colors together look good on me, so that's a big positive. It will certainly be unique!

Finally, back to the bunnies:

Started this in spring of '03 before we adopted Emily. Last year it was way too big for her so I left it in stash. It's just her size now and all I have left are the two front panels and trim. Using Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece. Not bad, but it splits very easily and isn't really the best for intarsia, cables or fair isle as you can see. Too late now though! I was hoping two years of additional knitting experience would help, but after picking it up again this morning I can attest that the spliting and lack of stickiness is inherently frustrating. Regardless, Ems is pretty excited about it and woke up telling her Daddy all about her bunny sweater, which confused the heck out of the poor man since he's never seen it. There's a whole lot of estrogen under this roof so he'd better get used to clothes talk. Actually, he can handle that, but he's not looking forward to the boy talk!

Catchin a few Zs - projects in hibernation

I've decided to get in front of my knitting queue. I seem to start projects half way through the season, and as Risa says, I'm always getting distracted by shiny pebbles. Well, I know that I will always pick up pretty stones at the beach, but I feel the need to organize the ones I've already brought home.

So, in the spirit of taking control, I'm deliberately putting some projects in the "Z" category. I am going to get each one out, figure exactly where it is and leave myself instructions for the future. I'm going to admit that I probably won't remember that I made that critical change to the pattern that I've not written down (yes, I knit, like so many things, by the seat of my pants). Then, with everything duly annotated, I'm going to put them in storage marked "get out in September". Then maybe I will have them ready for wearing next winter. Because it's not going to happen this year. What's going to happen this year (if I don't take action) is that I will be knitting wool in May, get bored and still not finish anything, then be behind on the spring and summer projects I've got in mind. Time to break this cycle. Time to take charge.

DH has worked three days out of the last four while the kids have been home on a four day holiday so I've not been able to sit for long. Did this blog overhaul in bits and pieces, so I apologize if you came through when it was in turmoil - at one point the banner filled the entire screen. Wanted to learn my new Photoshop and I didn't need no stinkin help files or tutorials - not me. Knew certain features were there somewhere, just had to find them.

This is the design I will keep for a while, though the banner image will probably be created again since it lost resolution with the obsessive number of adjustments I made. Please let me know if you have a problem with the way my blog uploads on your PC.

Look for photos and project updates tomorrow when the kids go back to school. I've got Clapotis II started. I've got new yarn and projects. I'm looking forward to Spring baby!

Life in mid-project

My little foray into Birch aside, I've been such a good knitter this week. Anyway, Birch was an existing project, so that's acceptable. No new projects started. No new yarn purchased. No sir-ee, I've been just knitting along in that mid-project zone. The place where you know the pattern, you know the yarn, you're not sick of it yet, but you've passed that first phase of young love and the end is not in sight. Still, I'm determined to stay the course and knit on to the finish.This is Clapotis beginning repeat 7/12 of the straight section.

This is now my public knitting project. Between the dropped rows, the gorgeous yarn and the stitch markers I always get some sort of comment. Met another fiber person at Emily's first dance class today when I pulled it out in the waiting area - she came across the room to see it.

Rogue is still lovely too, but I'm a little worried. I should know by now to knit the medium since I always seem to grow my gauge between swatching and knitting. Transferred half of it to another set of circs today to try and get an accurate measurement and my fears were legit - it's running more than 6" over. 54" instead of 48" is too big, even for me who likes em loose. Considering not widening back to the original CO width (it has hourglass shaping up to the armholes), but taking it down to the medium size stitch count, then shaping everything from that point up as a medium. Other thought is to knit the sleeves in the round then join at the armpit and convert it to a raglan from there. Haven't thought it through yet or done any math, but I must do something about this width or my shoulders will be swimming in it. Watch this space for tears and drama.

Project Update - Rogue

This is going to be a week of knitting. Just knitting. More knitting. Keep knitting. Going to finish something before I start anything else. Will blog noticeable progress, otherwise, you'll find me knitting. Oh, and doing other stuff I'm supposed to do like mothering, volunteering, visiting with friends and housekeeping, really. Notice housekeeping is last though.

In that vein, here's my first project update:

Rogue is fun and easy. Check back with me on that when I'm doing the neckline and hood, but for now it's easy. Knitted while watching Harry Potter (Azkaban) with Rachel again yesterday and am now ready to open the cable back up again. She kept wanting me to "Look!". Honey, I've read the book to you twice and have seen this movie three times - I can knit and listen - really. Still trying to decide if I want to do the kangaroo pocket. A little worried about yarn qty. May add it later.

Sweater progress

Just knitting along around here, trying to ignore my cold. Got the chest cough from one kid and the eye infection from the other. Guess it was to be expected after nursing both of them the week before. At least they're both back a school, so I could take a little break today.

The Rogue is coming along with the cables starting to show up. The yarn is a dream to knit - I can highly recommend it so far. I'm happy with how the knitted hem looks.

Also got my Mindful Sweater started. The Sidar yarn knits up so quickly that I should be wearing this one soon. Good as we've got more rain coming. This is my current "carry around" knitting that requires no thinking. I need at least one project like that. I was worried at first that it would be slow knitting (actually making the stitches rather than how fast the yardage adds up), but it's pretty smooth.

What's this about? Last night I was cruising blogs by following the links at my newest knit-along, Flower Basket Shawl Redux. Ran across a link to this site about a quilt project called Portrait of a Textile Worker. (Sorry not to give credit for the link, but I can't remember who got me there.) Go look at this site. The quilt is simply amazing. Be sure to go to the Project Updates page and look at the close-ups. I got off line and spent a few hours carefully removing all the black and gray tags out of my husband's shirts and sweaters and my daughter's skateboard t-shirts. Brian was a bit aghast to come home after 9 PM to find me sick and obsessed with cutting up his clothes, but got with the program after I explained (he's pragmatic - too late anyway). Mailed them off today with the hopes she can still use them. I'll let you know if she needs more. I'm honored to think I can contribute something to such a meaningful and fantastic piece of art.

Perversity thy name is Three-Needle-Bind-Off

So, 3-needle-bind-off is supposed to be a good thing, which it is. And a time-saver, which it usually is. I know it is. But it has vexed me just about every knitting moment for the past three days. But I was going to use it no matter what.

When last I showed you Colinette Point 5 it was ripped back and ready for a new neckline and shoulders. Well, it has them again, but I’m not sure anything’s different. For every thing I fixed, I think I added a new mistake. Did something good in that I added about 3" in length (I had gone short worrying about yarn quantity). Ended up with an extra ball after the sleeves, so when I ripped I took the opportunity to split that ball between the front and back. The sleeve are folded up in this photo - see now that the yarn camouflages the folds and makes it look short-sleeved.

Did all this while hanging out with the family, which of course means I counted rows and stitches far too many times. Then I decided that I would do the sloped shoulders with short rows and a three-needle bind off. This is essentially a good approach to reduce bulk with this yarn. But it's insane to do it sitting on a sofa watching Mary Poppins, complete with family singing and Emily dancing. I had big fat needles slipping and flying everywhere. This photo was taken when I came back from the bathroom and saw my insanity for what it was. Could have waited, but of course I HAD TO FINISH. What is it that comes over me sometimes? Don’t answer. Did finish and it’s all good enough. Now for joining the sleeves. Maybe tomorrow.

Since I was a little tired of Point 5 and itching to start Rogue … I did. Been waiting for some quiet time so I could look over the pattern and make my adjustments and found my window on Sunday afternoon. I’m short with short arms, but a 38 bust, so there are always critical adjustments, especially if I don’t want to turn up the sleeves. This pattern had to be manipulated carefully to keep the cables and the proportions, especially since I wanted it boxy.

That done I cast on 216 stitches in the round and started knitting happy as could be. Except when five rows into the hem I saw that I was supposed to be either doing a single rib or twisted knit stitch. Ooops. So, this is when my true personality comes out. I went researching hems and reading her on-line FAQs, etc and decided to reduce the hem from 12 rows to 6 (from 2” to 1” turned under) and not worry about the stitch style. Then got it in my head that I would attach the hem while knitting a round. Too bad I didn't use a provisional cast on, but I figured I'd get by. This meant picking up the cast on loops – all 216 of them. This photo shows the cast on being picked up on #3 circs (the hem was knitted on #6 and the body is on #8). I did a purl row for the turn row.

Now for the fun. I’ve come to admire deeply all the knitters through history who’ve knitted the hem in place with three needles. Of course my first stitches had to be across the cable pattern that runs up each side. Now, yesterday I did think about the biggest danger and made a mental note to be careful (what silliness on my part – mental note!). Imagine me, bent over carefully matching the front to back stitches one for one while figuring out how to pick up the tight and twisted CO stitches and the front stitch in both K and P stitches. So deep in that zone of concentration that I forgot something… CABLES! Duh! 15 stitches had become 23 over those 6 rows. Got all the way through the cable pattern and into the body before the skewing became apparent with about 10 body stitches. Looked ok from the front, but the back was so torqued. Rip. (btw, that little "I love you" note was brought to me by my daughter after being punished with room time - she's learning some tiny bit of charm from her younger sister.)

Once I spread the pick ups symmetrically across the cable band it all lined up great. But oh boy did it take some time to do 216 three needle picks. And it was all very fidgety and always felt on the edge of disaster. Something was always sticking or slipping. This photo shows about 75% done which is when I felt almost under control (and only because the end was in sight). Still, nice to think I have this technique to add to my repertoire. Sorry for all these flash photos, but it's been raining all day. Perfect for knitting. (Also sorry is this photo and the next are placed strangly on your screen. I'm still trying to get used to using a floating width.)

Oh, but it looks so good. And more importantly, IT’S DONE!!! The sleeves will be cake after this.

I'm going to every other day or so for posting - need to balance.

Elsebeth Lavold Angora for Rogue arrived!

Look what the postman brought...

Wow, this is really luscious yarn. It's so, so soft, but not too fuzzy. And I love the shade of green. Will swatch for Rogue after finishing Flower Basket.

The postman also brought this little silver and blue package from a very good stamping friend. Now, I was going to wait. Really I was. But then I've read the wonderful things our other friends have said about her group gift, so I know what it is anyway...

So I opened it. Yes, 12 days before Christmas and I opened a gift. Something my kids can't do, but hey, shouldn't there be some benefits of adulthood? Anyway, this is what was inside:

Pretty neat friend huh? She always does such great work that I'm honored to be on her recipient list. And she knows my colors!