A blog about my life, knitting, and other stuff.

January 31, 2010

Bathtime for Bertha



This one was really fast.

Sewing Bee

I had a (very small) sewing bee today with Katie and Sasha. It's been over a year since I did this. (Seriously? Wow) I finally got around to making a pair of pajama pants for my older son. There is no photo because they came out too small but will fit my younger son once I hem them. I also completed sewing a gift for a friend that I started over a year ago. The pieces were all cut out so it came together pretty quickly once I reacquainted myself with my machine. I'll post a picture once it gets to its recipient.

Now I'm at a loss about what to make next. I had fabrics sort of picked out for a simple Kaffe Fassett-ish medallion quilt but I was not feeling it today. The colors are mainly pink, brown and teal/aqua and I'm just not into that combo at the moment. I do have a bag full of quilt tops still waiting to be quilted. Some have been started, some are basted. I thought it would be a good challenge to try to complete them all by the end of the year. But I'm not committing to anything right now. It was just really nice to have a day with some friends and some sewing.

They're On To Me

I told my younger son the other day that this lamb costume was so cute I was going to have another baby just to have someone to put it on. He looked at me sideways and in his best Bill Cosby voice said, "Riiiiiiight."

Compulsive Knitting

A very interesting photo gallery and an interview with artist, Daniela Edburg, titled Compulsive Knitting.

January 29, 2010

Haruni






Pattern: Haruni by Emily Ross
Yarn: Timaru in Grass
Needles: US4 Addi Turbo
Notes: When I completed the 12 "stems" called for I thought I had enough yarn to do another repeat. Then as I was nearing the end of the final chart I realized that I was not going to make it. I skipped the penultimate pattern row and its purling back row and did double decreases in the final pattern row. Then I ran out of yarn during the cast off. I dyed a little to sort of match. Then I ran out again. I dyed more. I finished the bind off. Whew. I didn't do the greatest job at blocking. I didn't have the patience to pin out every little loop in the cast off so I just ran a blocking wire through them all to pull them out.

January 28, 2010

Doubleknit #32

It's up. There's lots and lots of Audrey in this one!

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

These new cocoon-type yarns are far more versatile than I thought. You can use them to make lumpy scarves.



Or you can use them to make...uh...lumpy scarves.







I'm so glad I got to see all four of these "options." It really illuminates the possibilities of this "yarn."

January 25, 2010

Really? Really??

The yarn I dyed to match the shawl matches really well. And it ran out when I still had at least five more inches to cast off. That crocheted cast off takes a lot of yarn. Shit. I dyed more again tonight. I don't even care anymore if it matches. I will finish this shawl, damn it.

January 24, 2010

Vegetarians, Avert Your Eyes



Wes and I tried Mark Bittman's Oven-Smoked Ribs yesterday. They are so incredibly easy but they do require you to start cooking dinner three plus hours ahead of time. I really loved them. The flavor was smoky and meaty and the ribs were nice and tender. Wes and older son liked them but wanted more of a BBQ experience. But we still annihilated a whole rack between the three of us. If you want a dry-rub, smokey rib, this is the way to go.

Too Bright, Too Light

I tell you, under the artificial lights in my kitchen last night, while the yarn was wet, I thought I had a pretty good match. But in the light of day...



Yowza! That's bright. The yarn I tried last night was 100% wool and the yarn I'm trying to match has bamboo and nylon in it. So these were never going to be a great match anyway even if I did a better job with the color.

I found some merino/tencel in my stash that's much closer to the Timaru. I tried again but I think I was a bit too hesitant with the color. So it's looking too light.



I'm going to wait and look at it dry in natural light before I throw some more dye on it. I'm sure I'll just keep fiddling with it until I lose patience then just use whatever I end up with.

January 23, 2010

Foiled Again!

I am 14 stitches and my cast off row short of yarn on Haruni. I saw that I was cutting it extremely close and cut 2 rows out of the final chart but still I didn't make it. I think I have some undyed yarn in my stash that is very similar to the Timaru so I might just take a few yards and try to dye it to something vaguely similar (with apologies to Lisa Souza). I was so close.

ETA: I did not have a very similar yarn but I took some anyway and threw it in a bowl and splashed some dye on it. It looks pretty good but it's hard to gauge when it's still wet. And since I don't really have any other options I'll have to go with close enough.

January 21, 2010

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

From the Benoit Missolin, Paris website.



Balls of wool headpiece, 100% wool
Also exist in the color of your choice
167.00 EUR
221.25 USD


If you can't figure out how to make this yourself for less than $20 in under 20 minutes maybe you deserve to be robbed. But it makes me wonder how you managed to scrape together the $221.25 in the first place.

January 20, 2010

The Best Show You're Not Watching

Better Off Ted is a completely hilarious show. But don't take my word for it.



January 18, 2010

The Never-Ending Skein

Nearly five years ago I got a massive skein of Interlacements Periwinkle Petite in a stash swap. It's bulky, variegated and thick and thin. I had no idea what to do with it. I finally grabbed it on my way to the movies last week and started a charity hat.



I still had yarn left so I knit another one.



And another.



There's still enough yarn for another hat!



When will this skein end!

January 17, 2010

Haruni Grows

I've been staying up past my bedtime watching season two of True Blood and knitting on Haruni. I'm just about to start the edging. This is where it gets interesting.


January 16, 2010

I Needed That

I've been feeling really stressed out lately. This Fail Blog video was just what I needed.

January 15, 2010

Knitscene Preview

It's up. Discuss.

January 14, 2010

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Brace yourself. I have found the male counterpart to this post on crochet. Why should the ladies hog all the tasteless crocheted items?

A crocheted jock strap. Just what the world needs!


What's he got in there? A baseball mitt?

Don't forget to check out the view from the back too.



Classy.

And--yippy skippy!--you can get the pattern to make your own.

January 13, 2010

Clothilde







Pattern: Clothilde by Kristen Hanley Cardozo
Yarn: Butternut Woolens 3-Ply Sport
Needles: US6 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: I knit two repeats of the Spearhead lace and realized, after I bound off, that I probably had enough yarn for a third. But I'm gun-shy now and didn't want to risk running out of yarn again. I also did the stretchy bind off where you knit two then place the left needle into the fronts of the two stitches and knit them together like an SSK. I've also seen instructions for this where you slip the two stitches back to the right needle and knit through the back loop. I don't know why you'd do this since the version I did saves the tedious step of slipping the stitches but that is how it's most often written.

January 12, 2010

Doubleknit #31

It's up.

Finishing and Starting



Clothilde is done and blocking so I started Haruni last night. I shuffled my yarn selection a bit and am using Timaru from Lisa Souza that I originally planned to knit Echo Flower with.

January 10, 2010

Bitterroot







Pattern: Bitterroot
Yarn: Butternut Woolens Super Sock plus Miss Babs Yummy Superwash Sport for last two rows
Needle: US6 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: Knit one extra repeat of Chart A so left out last eight rows of C and first two of D.

January 9, 2010

Still a Little Bitter

Bitterroot had a lot of drama. There was the whole rip out Chart B to knit another repeat of Chart A. Then when I was knitting Chart C I realized that I was right the first time and had knit one repeat too many of A. But I wasn't going to rip again so I left out the last eight rows of C and the first two of D and kept going. But the yarn was running really low. Then I was stuck at home with a sick kid and didn't have a small enough crochet hook to bead. I used dental floss instead. Thread it through the bead then through the stitch then back through the bead then tug the stitch through the bead. Boy, does that get old fast. I set it aside. I just couldn't stand it anymore.




I started Clothilde. I'm using the other skein I got from Butternut Woolens. It's Superwash Merino. Clothilde is easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. I'm starting Chart 3 which is supposed to be the final repeat for the small size. It looks like I've got plenty of yarn so I might try to get in two repeats. I'll weight the yarn and see how I'm doing when I get to the end of the chart. I wish I had weighed the yarn for Bitterroot before I started.



I got a #10 crochet hook at work on Thursday and finally finished Bitterroot last night. I ran out of yarn with only two rows to go. I thought my Miss Babs 3-Ply Sport was a good match for gauge and color. It didn't fit through the beads as easily making that final row and total pain in the ass. I had to go back to dental floss because the yarn doubled plus the hook could not fit through the beads. It's blocking now and I think that little bit of contrast on the very edge is quite nice. I don't think I'll be adding beads to anything else anytime soon.

January 7, 2010

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Friends, I tell you, my week has been so mixed up. I got to work today--the first time all week--and realized that it was Thursday! So I apologize for the late post. In an effort to get this done quickly I'll present a single fug that encompasses the full spirit of WTHIT.




Enormous poncho with impossible armhole placement.
Great, pendulous pom poms.
Leg warmers with stilettos.
Fringe.
Ugly purse.
Balls on head.

There you go.

January 6, 2010

For the Simpsons Fans Out There

Last night at dinner the kids were asking me about when we moved to Seattle. As I was telling them about it my older son interjected, "I had an onion on my belt. It was the style at the time." Smart ass.

More on Plasti-Dip

I just got a great tip on using Plasti-dip to coat slipper bottoms that I wanted to share with you. Kathleen Taylor, the author of The Big Book of Socks, Knit One, Felt Too and I Heart Felt, wrote "There's nothing wrong with your sole coatings (sounds like a poem, right?), but if you wrap masking tape around the slipper where the sole would meet the upper if it was a regular shoe, and then pounce the plasti-dip on with a makeup sponge in a couple of thin layers, you'll have a nice even line for your non-stick soles." So simple a solution.

And Kim wrote, "Great idea from kathleen about putting on the plasti-dip. I've never heard of that stuff before. So, where in the hardware store, would I find it?"

Plasti-Dip is sold as a coating for tool handles. It comes in several colors but our store only had black and...some other color I can't remember. You can order it online too. It smells pretty awful. You should work in a well-ventilated area when you use it. Plus it's pretty stinky while it's drying. Once dry it's not bad at all.

Elf Slippers





Pattern: Elf Shoes by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US10.5 Brittany DPN
Notes: These are very quick to knit and awfully cute. I needed to go to a friend's house to felt them (Thanks Amanda!) because I could not get them to felt thoroughly in my front-loading washer. I got Plasti-dip at my local hardware store to (messily) paint the soles to make them non-skid. It's not too pretty but it seems like it will do the job well. I hope they fit the recipients.

January 5, 2010

Putting the Bitter in Bitterroot




Bitterroot is a complete joy to knit. I've hit a few snags though. I accidentally knit one too less repeat of Chart A than I should have. I didn't realize it until I had nearly finished Chart B. I ripped it out and reknit it. Then last night as I was nearing the halfway point on Chart C it struck me that I didn't have as much yarn as I thought I should. I weighed it and found that I would not be able to finish at the rate I was going. I decided to cut out the last 8 rows of Chart C and the first two of Chart D. Still doesn't look like I have enough yarn! the label says 6 oz. and 465 yards. I have only 30 grams left and 16 rows to go. I still like knitting it though. I get to start the beads on the next row. Until I run out of yarn...

January 3, 2010

2010

The new year has been pretty busy so far. We celebrated a quiet New Year's Eve at home with the boys. They got to stay up late to see the fireworks which makes them feel very mature. On New Year's Day we had a brunch at our house with a few friends. It was a really nice way to ease into the new year. On Saturday I went to the St. Distaff Day spin-in hosted by the Northwest Regional Spinner's Association. There was a very big crowd with lots of great vendors. I spent a lot of time spinning and catching up with people. It was very relaxing. I can't believe the kids are going back to school tomorrow. And I am heading back to work.

I've been working on Bitterroot for the the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge. It flows along so nicely. Not quite mindless but still very simple to knit. The yarn is from Butternut Woolens, one of the skeins Shelly sent to me. It's wonderful and I think very well suited to the pattern. I also picked up some beads at the spin-in that I hope will work well with the shawl.



I hope your 2010 has been treating you well so far.

January 1, 2010

That's Some Pretty Good Stashbusting



Of course, it wasn't all from stash. And I think that's about how much I added to my stash this year. Oops.