Archive for May, 2007

Jolly Good Old Chap 30May07

Not too much to report here, I’m just cruising along in full summer mode. There’s been yarn dyeing, grass mowing, rose bush pruning, book reading and even sock knitting. It’s really quite lovely.

On the sock knitting front, I’ve been itching to cast on Anne’s hand-spun, and I finally snagged a copy of Knitting Vintage Socks to help in picking a pattern. I had looked through this book once before, and was a bit scared of it since I hadn’t knitted socks at that point, but wanted to give it a second try. Well, why didn’t I do that sooner? Cause this book is amazing. I think it’s possibly the best compilation of stylish men’s sock patterns that I’ve ever found. There’s not a single pattern in the book that I don’t want to make either for myself or as a gift.

vintage socks + handspun = I'm an Englishman

I love this book so much in fact, that it makes me fancy myself an Englishman, wearing fine suits and sipping tea, all whilst wearing some very fine looking socks. Then all I’d have to do is get into trouble and hire a butler, and I could very well star in a remake of Jeeves and Wooster! That would be quite fanciful, don’t you say old boy?

Needless to say, I think that the Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern will look great with the handspun, don’t you think? I haven’t even gotten to the leg yet and I’m already in love. The simplicity and texture of the purl bumps on top of the ribbing is just genius. Absolute genius. The handspun is soft and squishy, with a wonderful sweet smell (what did you wash it in Anne?). I’m enjoying every stitch, and know that I’ll be very sad when it’s no longer on my needles. (Although it will be on my feet!)

In dog news, Dallas and Emma now refuse to talk to me without their agent present, because they now insist that they are internet celebrities. See, I submitted their baby hat photos to Meg at Cute Overload, and lo and behold, the pictures were accepted! If you don’t know what Cute Overload is, you should check it out…it’s most definitely the Slashdot of all things cute. (If you don’t know what /. is, then I’m afraid I have no other analogies. You’re on your own.) So if you’re now a reader because of Cute Overload, thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I’ll finish contract negotiations with the dogs soon, so that I can use their tremendous modeling skills for future knit related photo shoots.

Speaking of baby hat wearing dogs, I have some pictures of the actual baby hats in their new environment. Here are the hats, being modeled by little Samuel and his older sister Lucy. Aren’t they adorable?

lucy (with top down bonnet) little samuel

In fact, this baby knitting thing is so satisfying, I think I might be doing it more often for my friends. Just don’t tell my Mom ok? She’ll give me the “you need to give me Grandchildren!” speech if she knows I have baby knitting fever! Haha, just kidding Mom, don’t hurt me!

Obsession is Normal. 24May07

My neighbors must think I’m a loon. Actually, they might not be too far off. If you were in my neighborhood yesterday, you might have been taken aback as well. So what on earth was I doing?

Well let’s just say that I had a little dog photo shoot involving baby knits…

No Schnauzers were physically harmed during this photoshoot, although emotional damage may have occurred.

"did you just say the T word?"
"did you say treat? you better deliver!"

I better get a freaking treat out of this.
"Arrrr! shiver me timbers, I’ll get you for this! Arrrr, dArrrrr, dΘ"

I would explain, but there’s really nothing to explain. Some good friends of mine just had their second baby, and seeing as I have had lots of time, I cranked out a few hats for their adorable new son. I wanted to get some pictures of the hats before I gifted them, but wanted something more than an ordinary lightbox shot. I thought about using a comforter (like brooklyntweed does for baby knits) to model the hats, but then I realized that I had something even better. Live models with furry little heads. Next thing I knew, I was laying in the grass, saying “Treat!” over and over, trying to get my poor humiliated dogs to look at the camera. The things I do for the blog…

You have to admit though, these pictures are darn cute.

Dallas is wearing a very lovely Top Down Bonnet in some red Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky. I loved this pattern, but I wasn’t paying attention and increased too much, so I ended up making the child size instead of the baby size. It’s all good though, because I promised my friends a hat for their daughter over a year ago, and now I can finally deliver on that promise! Sorry it’s taken so long guys!

Emma is wearing a Children’s Cotton Hat, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knitted up with less than 1/2 of a skein of Patagonia Nature Cotton. It was leftovers from another baby hat, and I didn’t have too much, so this hat turned out to be more of a baby skull cap. I also knitted another one with some Manos Cotton Stria, but it wouldn’t stay on Emma’s head. I really like that hat pattern, it’s quick and simple, and makes a very cool looking baby knit.

So congrats on the new baby Sam and Rosemary, he’s absolutely adorable! Hopefully there’s not dog hair on the hats, but Schnauzers don’t shed, so they should be hair free! ;)

In other news, the yarn for my Seamless Hybrid came yesterday. It came in a USPS shoe box, which prompted me to wonder why I was receiving shoes that I hadn’t ordered, until I opened it and was greeted with the sweet smell of wool. Ahhh, Cascade 220, how I love thee. This color is so great too, it looks like a mixture of coffee and red wine, with a bit of chocolate thrown in. I’m planning to use the olive green to do the sleeve hems, and possibly the neckband too. I can’t wait to get started on this!

one of these things is not like the others

I also wound up my Tree Scum Handspun, to begin the project planning phase. I’m such a planner when I knit, and I want to be especially conscientious with this yarn since it’s so nice. The project planning phase (or PPP) usually involves making a swatch or two with different needle sizes, washing and blocking those swatches, then measuring them to get accurate gauge. Of course, this all gets written down in my yarn notebook, so that if I ever use a particular yarn again, I can just "check my notes". Then I pick a pattern, and usually adapt it in some form to suit what I’m looking for. Then I can finally cast-on! There’s also obsessive amounts of trying on and measuring during the knitting phase, to ensure that the item comes out perfectly.

tree scum handspun - waiting for the cast on

I know my process is a bit obsessive, but what else would you expect from an engineer? And one benefit is that I can almost always guarantee that my knitted objects will fit well. The few times I have strayed from this process are the few times where things have gone horribly wrong. So I take comfort in perfecting my art through the use of my calculator, ruler and notebook. Someday I hope to pass the knitting bug onto my kids, and leave them all of my notebooks so they can know what a weirdo their Dad was. As if the dogs in hats pictures aren’t proof enough ;)

So what’s your process? Are you like me, or do you prefer to be a bit more free form? No judgment here, I’m just interested to know if there’s other obsessive knitters out there! Besides Grumperina of course, because she totally rocks the math skills too.

Oh, and if you have any pattern ideas for my handspun, please toss them into the hat! I’m thinking something Nancy Bush, or Anne’s Smokin’ Socks, but I’m open to suggestions!

I Heart Yarn 19May07

All this free time is making me go knitting crazy! I love it! I actually got to go the LYS yesterday, for the first time in who knows how long. It’s been a few months at least. It was a wonderful experience just to browse, fondling many of the yarns and thumbing through the books. Sometimes I think I’m around yarn so much with all the dyeing, that I forget how much I really like this stuff.

I did pick up a few things at Village Wools yesterday, including this Debbie Blish Cashmerino Chunky in a deep red color. It’s super nice stuff, and I’m planning to knit up an undisclosed baby item as a gift for some friends who are expecting. (Past due now actually!) You guys know who you are! ;) I think it will look pretty sweet, and I’m looking forward to working with this yarn, because it’s so unbelievably soft and buttery. Yes, buttery.

look, I bought some yarn!

I also got a copy of the fabled book, Knitting Without Tears, by the knitting legend herself, Elizabeth Zimmerman. I’m planning to make a Seamless Hybrid Sweater (much like this one by the talented Julie Frick) over the summer, and I figured I should get the instructions first!

I've caught the sweater bug

Oh, and somehow 6 skeins of Cascade 220 wandered into my shopping cart the other day and are now on their way to me. It all happened so fast, I don’t really remember it, but I’m pretty sure I gave into the bad angel on that one. (But at only $4.89 a skein, I just couldn’t say no.) I place all the blame on Jared, with all his gorgeous sweaters, how could I not be tempted to learn sweaters for myself?

Then to top all the yarny goodness off, my Tree Scum Handspun from Anne arrived today. It totally makes me weak in the knees. Just to look at it and know that it was spun from roving blows my mind. It’s a beautifully spun yarn, with very even singles and plying, and the colors are phenomenal. I’m super excited to cast on my for first handspun experience, I think it’ll be a good one.

this stuff is so divine my first handspun (well I didn't spin it...)!

Now the hardest thing I have to decide is which project to cast on for first! (Oh and don’t worry Mom, I’ve actually gotten 5 rounds done on the Garden Shawl in the last few days, so I’m not neglecting it entirely!)

And what would a Saturday afternoon be without a sky picture? Today’s picture was taken just moments before hail started pelting my street in a torrential downpour. This is only 5 minutes after there were no clouds in the sky. New Mexico weather is weird stuff…

another evening storm rolling in man do I hate hail

I did manage to have a little panic attack when it started hailing, since hail and I don’t have a very good history. (Google the 2004 Socorro Hailstorm if you don’t already know what happened). But all is well, because I have a garage now, and was able to get my car into safety in mere moments. Then it promptly stopped hailing. Yeesh!

I’ll leave you with some shots of the kids dogs, since I think it’s been a while since I’ve had obligatory dog pictures on the blog. I got them some new collars today, aren’t they sweet? (You know you’re living in the fast lane when you get excited over new dog collars). I had to bribe Emma with her chew bone to get her to take a picture…she’s such a diva. And Dallas? Well give him a toy and he’s pretty much oblivious to everything around him.

dallas being his punk self the only time she lets me take her picture...

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make a pile with all my new yarn and roll around in it.

PS: All the Ravelry invites are spoken for, sorry if you didn’t receive any love from the random number generator! Just be patient a little longer ;)

Time Is A Luxury…That I Have Now! 16May07

You know, it’s amazing how much I can get done when I don’t have homework! Last night I managed to cook dinner, dye yarn and relax for a bit, all in the same evening! I could really get used to this no work after 5 PM gig. ;)

To top it off, I got to open the windows to let in the breeze from some evening rain, and witness this beautiful sunset. Isn’t it gorgeous? I looked outside and realized that the color of the sky matched my roses! These brilliant bursts of color don’t last too long, so I dashed outside to get a picture. It’s actually the 2nd night in a row we’ve had rain, which makes both my garden and me happy. Although anymore nights of rain will most likely cause the local populace to begin to go crazy from the lack of Vitamin D, so hopefully we’ll have a nice sunny day soon.

rainy sunset

In knitting news, I finished my Broad Spiral Rib socks, and I love them ever so much. There’s just something about this yarn and the pattern that makes me want to wear them all the time. I haven’t even pulled them off my feet long enough to give them their inaugural wash! They were a blast to knit, and I couldn’t wait to finish so I could wear them. All in all, it took me a little over 3 weeks to finish them, which I think is a good pace for me. That puts me about on track for a pair a month, which I think will be my new goal. If I accomplish that, by this time next year I’ll have more handknit socks than normal socks!

I want to wear these 24/7 now! these are my flashdance socks
  • Pattern: Broad Spiral Ribbing from More Sensational Knitted Socks.
  • Yarn: Austermann Step → Dark Gray/Light Gray/Turquoise (Color #21). This yarn is “enriched with Aloe and Jojoba Oils”, and although I don’t know if it really helps or not, the socks are very soft.
  • Needles / Gauge: I think I got 8 stitches / inch with US #1’s. I knitted these with Magic Loop, as usual.
  • Construction: I knitted these top down, with a K1, P4, K1 cuff, then the spiral ribbing on the leg. I did a slip stitch heel with garter selvedges. For the toe, I used the Round Toe, which I’m now madly in love with. It seems to be the best fitting toe for my feet that I’ve found so far!
  • Completion Time: Just over 3 weeks (April 21 - May 15)
broad spiral rib socks

I also tried dyeing roving for the first time last night! I’ve had a sample on hand for a while, and have been meaning to dye it up. Anne graciously agreed to accept the roving as part of our hand-spun/hand-dyed trade. Now if I could only figure out how to braid it! Anyone know of a good link they want to send my way? I tried to have Scout show me a while ago, but I got lost at, “it’s just like braiding hair!” Not being a girl, or having any daughters, I have no experience in hair braiding, and am therefore inept at fiber braiding.

Anne also picked a lovely custom colorway of Dijon Yellow and Light Gray, which I dyed up in some 1500 MHz Sport Nylon for her. I really love the way these colors go together, don’t you? I can’t wait to send her this yarn and get the lovely yarn that she spun up for me!

hand-dyed for some hand-spun

I also dyed up a Create Your Skein order for the talented Flint Knits, who is planning to make a Chevron Scarf from these 2 skeins. Didn’t she pick great colors? I really love these skeins together and think they will look awesome as a Chevron. I hear they’re all the rage these days ;)

this will be one hot chevron scarf!

Lastly, speaking of things that are the rage in the knitting world today, I’m sure you’ve heard of Ravelry by now. It’s an amazing new site that Jess (of frecklegirl) and her husband Casey have been working on. It’s an online knitting notebook/community where we fiber nerds can hang out, interact with each other and geek out over yarns and patterns. I got an invite a week or so ago and have been having a total blast. I know that a lot of you are waiting to get in, and I know many people are frustrated, but I assure you that it will be worth the wait. Jess and Casey have been working hard (really really hard!) to make sure that the site is up to snuff, and that it doesn’t go down in flames when it opens. It will be ready soon though, so try to bear with it just a little longer ;)

Oh yeah, and here’s the part you were hoping would come…I have 2 Ravelry invites to give away to you, my lovely readers. In an attempt to not be stampeded on, or accused of favoritism, I will be giving away these invites to 2 random commenters. Just leave a comment on this post by tomorrow morning at 9 AM MDT, and I’ll randomly pick 2 people to send an invite to. If you currently have a Ravelry account, just be sure to let me know in the comment so I don’t pick you.

That’s it for me, so good afternoon and good luck!

Hey Teachers! Leave Those Kids Alone! 13May07

The saga is over. Phew! That semester was craaaazy! But it’s over now and I have nothing but free evenings and BBQs ahead of me. ;)

I didn’t actually finish my last take home final until 5:30 PM on Friday, the longest finals week on record! I spent 8 hours in the library, sitting in the same chair the entire time. I put my pencil down at 5:30 and realized, “Hey, I’ve been sitting here all day!” What I’m really curious to know is how I managed to go 8 hours without using the bathroom…I must be turning into Jack Bauer!

Thanks so much for everyone who sent me good wishes on my crazy hard final, I actually got a B+ in the class! I’m very excited, because I was sure she was going to fail us all. It’s not good when the entire class scores an average of 50% on the midterm (worth 40% of our grade) and. I think the final went a lot better though, and I’m very happy with my grade! (Although I did have a small nervous breakdown before the test, followed by a huge adrenaline rush. It took me 10 minutes to stop shaking after it was over!)

I also traveled back down to the metropolis of Socorro for the first time since I graduated last year, to see a few of my friends receive their diplomas. It was really strange, because even though it was only a year ago, it feels like it was a whole other era! I think the fact that my friends who just graduated were my last link to Socorro also helped to make it feel like the end of a season. Even though my last year of school wasn’t the greatest, I still had a lot of good memories down at New Mexico Tech, here’s a collage to prove it! And yeah, I had about 15 different hair colors for those 4 years…don’t ask ;)

happy fun time college mosaic

I also have to say congratulations to Holly and Carmen on getting those elusive diplomas! Holly, Carmen and I were pretty much like the 3 Amigos during our Tech tenure, and I’m super excited that they’ve both finished the gauntlet! Jeez, we’re getting old! ;)

holly - the statics nerd ;) carmen - the english nerd ;)
Holly (she’s kinda crazy like me!) and Carmen → Congrats!

Ok, that’s enough sentimental college memories for me…maybe someday I’ll tell you about all the crazy things I did in college! On second thought, maybe not!

PS: I promise that a fitness update is coming soon! I started running again yesterday, and it was great! I’m looking forward to a bit more activity over the summer now that I’m not consumed by homework and tests.

PPS: I’m almost done with the Broad Spiral Rib Socks…and am hoping to get lots of Garden Shawl knitting done with my free time now! That’s right Mom, I’m gonna knit on the shawl! Happy Mother’s Day!