Brewer Burns

Gentleman's Fancy Socks, Finished

2009-05-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

I finished these last week. I love this yarn. It is silky-soft and slightly fuzzy. Stephen tried them on last night. He actually wore them. He loves them too. These were incredibly easy to make. By the end I was suffering from some serious knitter's boredom.

New Socks for Stephen

2009-04-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

My husband totally supports my yarn habit. So when he asks me for another pair of socks, I oblige. The Gentlemen's Fancy Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks is really easy. It is basically 2x2 ribbing, offset every eight rounds. I am past the gusset decreases on the first sock and it is looking lovely:

I cast on 68 stitches.

Herringbone Rib Socks-- Finished

2009-04-11T15:20:00.001-07:00

Stats:
Pattern: Herringbone Rib Socks from Winter IK (book excerpt)
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in colourway "love"
Needles: Size 1 dpns
Mods: Made to fit size 5 women's feet

I really love these socks. I love the yarn. It is firm, tightly twisted, and has a slight sheen to it. I love the red and pink stripe effect and I really love the way that this pattern takes good advantage of that. This pattern was a bit of a yarn suck. When I was knitting the legs of the sock it felt like it took forever before I got to the point where I needed to start the heel. Also, all of the stretch in the pattern comes from the purl stitches between the pattern repeats. Definitely something to consider when sizing these for your feet.

The pattern consists of two rows. The second row requires that you slip two stitches back onto the left needle, pass a stitch over, then slip them back to the right needle. This is a bit fiddly. I slipped the stitches at the same time and that helped. By the time I got to the end of these socks it wasn't that bad. I was in the flow of the pattern. These are really just very lovely.

I've started on another pair of socks, this time for my husband. I bought some Socrates yarn, in a cafe au lait color (#2908). I love the feel of this yarn although I'm a little concerned with its ability to hold up under regular wear. I'm making the Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. I am not going to do any of the calf shaping. These socks are really pleasing me.

Bettie's Lace Stockings: Finished

2009-03-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Bettie's Lace Stockings from the Spring IK
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill in Pink
Needles: Size 1 dpn's and Size 3 dpn's

I knit these kind of as written on the first sock but realized 3/4 of the way up the leg that I needed to switch to a much larger needle size. Then I realized, once I cast off, that I needed to do that much sooner than I had. So, on the second stocking I switched to size three needles when I started the wide lace pattern. I knit thirteen total repeats of the wide lace pattern before working the cast off rows as written. Then I ripped down the first stocking and reknit it the same way. These stockings fit me perfectly. I wore them a couple of days ago. The only problem is that they do fall down once you wear them around a bit so I need to invest in some ribbon to act as a garter. If that doesn't work then I will sew some elastic in at the top. I really enjoyed making these. The lace pattern is easily memorized and not terribly fiddly. I also love this yarn. It is a really beautiful color and it shows the lace well because it's a solid.

I ordered some Socks that Rock lightweight in the colourway "love" a few weeks ago and I've been itching to use it. I just love the pink and red stripey-ness. First I cast on the baroque. This was a BAD idea. The twisted stitches and cables were completely lost in the yarn. So, I frogged it. While noodling around on ravelry I saw some Herringbone Rib Socks from the Winter IK (their book insert) and I loved them. This pattern is perfect for a multi-colored yarn. So I cast on and:

It's a very good fit between pattern and yarn. So far, I really like this pattern. It's simple. There are only two rows to memorize. The second row is slightly fiddly but not too bad. I like it.

The Quick and Dirty on Bettie's Lace Stockings and Noro Striped Scarf

2009-03-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

First, the scarf. Everyone has knit this scarf. I followed Jared Flood's recipe and it turned out really well.

Stats:
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, Color 292, Knitpicks Shine in Fedora
Mods: 60" long because I'm short
Needles: Size 7 straights
Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf

Then I started my Bettie's Lace Stockings. I thought about this pattern for quite a bit before I started. I decided that since the pattern is knit for a size 8 foot I needed to size down a bit (I wear a size five and have narrow feet.) I cast on using size 1 needles instead of size 2. I ended up knitting 8 repeats of the lace on the foot, and eight above the heel. Then I knit 7 repeats of the wide lace using size 1 needles. When I tried the stocking on I realized that really I needed the stocking to be wider to accommodate my calves. This is not an unusual pattern. Lots of people on Ravelry have had the same problem. Anyway, I soldiered on and knit 11 total repeats of the wide lace before working the edging as written (pretty picot!) When I tried the stocking on after casting off not only was it too narrow for most of the leg, it was also too short. Instead of ripping that stocking back I decided to cast on for the second sock and modify it, then re-knit the first.

The second sock went much smoother. I knit it the same as the first through the last repeat of the narrow lace above the heel. Then I switched size 3 needles. I knit 11 repeats of the wide lace and tried the sock on. It fit the width of my leg, but was still too short, so I knit two more repeats of the wide lace before working the top edging. It's perfect. See?

I have now ripped back the first sock to the last repeat of the narrow lace and will reknit the leg according to my mods on the second sock. If you're thinking of making this pattern I have two pieces of advice. The lace stretches a lot width-wise but not nearly as much as you would think length-wise. Even so, you will probably need to switch to a larger needle size when you start the wide lace. Second, the centering of the pattern is a little...odd and...counterintuitive. You might just want to work out your own centering method. I found that on both socks the centering instructions as written would have caused the lace pattern below the heel to not match up to the lace pattern above the heel, even though clearly that is what the designer intended. So, proceed with caution.

Finished Flutter Sleeve Pictures

2009-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

And my fabulous shoes:

2009-03-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Flutter Sleeve Finished

2009-03-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Project Stats:

Pattern: Flutter Sleeve Cardigan from Spring 08 Interweave Knits by Pam Allen
Needles: Size 3, 6 and 7 straights (and circulars for when the back got too big for straights)
Yarn: less than 7 skeins of Knit picks shine in Fedora (dark brown)
Size: 36" bust
Mods: None

I sewed on the buttons last night, and my flutter sleeve cardigan is currently soaking in a nice bath, waiting to be laid out to dry. That picture of the back that I posted? Yeah. I ripped that. It was too long. So, I knit the back twice and everything else once. I enjoyed knitting this sweater and I enjoyed the yarn too. It's soft and it doesn't catch too badly on my needles. I think the fiddliest part of knitting this was the neck and sleeve shaping on the fronts. Basically, you are supposed to do two or three things at once and ended up writing out what to do on each line so that I didn't get lost. There were some other fiddly details: the button bands are started with the fronts, then the stitches for the button bands are placed on a holder, then knit separately later and sewn on. Probably the most daunting aspect of the sweater was figuring out how long the button bands should be, when you are supposed to "stretch slightly" to get it to fit the sweater, especially since once you knit the first band, the second band with the button holes must match it. I ended up using lots of pins and trying to sew very precisely. Lastly, once you think you have finished knitting you must then knit the cuffs on and then knit the tabs for the cuffs and sew those on as well. The fiddly little details make this sweater a bit of a challenge to finish, but they also make the sweater interesting and pretty.

I tried on the cardigan last night before it was blocked and it is pretty. One of the best things about the design of the cardigan is the use of the short row shaping around the bust area. Basically, the short rows create bit of a "cup" for your breasts. This works quite well since women aren't flat in the front, but rounded. Very nice detail. I also really like the seed stitch border and button bands. I think it adds a nice, feminine, detail to the cardigan. I think this is going to be a really beautiful work cardigan for me, with a pretty camisole underneath.

Flutter Sleeve Back, and, More Spindling!

2009-02-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

I finished the back of the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan last night:

I think it's both too long and too short. When I hold it up to my body, it's a little long. However, when I look at it on the floor it seems a bit disproportional to me. I've decided to leave it as is and soldier on. I think that it's going to be pretty and functional. I like the knitpicks shine yarn. I thought when I first started working on it that it was dying my hands, but I realized that it was actually shedding onto my hands as I knit. I'm not really certain what that's going to mean when I wash the garment, but I hope it's okay. I washed my swatch and it didn't fall apart or disintegrate or get shaggy. I think the cardigan will be fine. The construction of this sweater is interesting. You knit the sleeves with the body. I can see some advantages to this: you don't have to separately knit the sleeves, and you don't have to sew them in. Very good.

I've also done some more plying. Last weekend I finished my second ball of two ply yarn. This time I used to very well rested singles (they've been sitting in hanks for about a year or so.) I wound them both onto empty toilet paper rolls, placed the rolls onto a size 10 knitting needle, then set the needle into the notches I made on a cardboard box:

I then plied the singles off. This method worked 100% better than the ball in the coffee cup method. There was much less tangling and tying into a knot this time (mainly because the singles were both rested, I think) and there were no little balls to pop out of the coffee cups. Only at the very end was there any tangling, when the end of the shorter single came completely off the roll. The resulting ball is about 141 yards, 21 wpi and lovely:

Yarn, Flutter Sleeve Cardigan

2009-01-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

I really think that spindling lends itself to the photo essay. I finished plying up my first real substantial hank of yarn last Sunday, and finished plying my second today. These pictures are from my first attempt. I took one fresh single and one really rested single, wound them both into outer pull balls, placed those into coffee cups and then plied them together.

This is approximately 155 yards of two ply handspun wool, 18 wpi. I finished the yarn by 1. soaking it in hot water with baby shampoo, 2. soaking it in hot water with a capful of vinegar, and 3. soaking it in hot water. I then let it hang dry on a door knob, unweighted. This method worked okay for me. Since one of the singles was fresh, it kept twisting on itself and creating knots that needed to be untwisted. Also, when I got to the end of the ball it kept popping out of the coffee cup and tangling with the working yarns. Because of that I tried something different for the next hank, but I will blog that another day.

I also received my knitpicks shine sport in the mail this week and have cast on for my flutter sleeve cardigan from the spring 08 IK. Looking at the pics I've seen on Ravelry of this cardigan, it's going to look fabulous. I decided to modify the pattern to make it longer because I have a long torso. I added 14 rows (2") of stockinette at the bottom, after the seed stitch, but before the decrease rows. So far I am enjoying knitting with the shine sport. It's softer and less heavy than any other cotton yarn I've worked with. It does, however, stain my fingertips slightly. That's not a big deal though, since it wipes off really easy.

Spindling, A Photo Essay and Dumpling Bag.

2009-01-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

I took this:

And plied it so that it looked like this:

Then knit it into this:

This is my very first attempt at plying. I took some very old singles and plied them on my spindle. I hung them dry under tension and then knit them up into Perdita. I used the bluebell chart. I think it's lovely. This yarn, now that it's being spun and plied looks almost exactly like the first ball of trekking xxl that I ever purchased. It's a little funny. I still have lots of this roving to spin but at the moment I'm plying up some larger balls that I have spun.

Okay, so I have a little confession to make. I have decided that I don't care about trying to ply a "balanced" yarn. The little ball that I plied up was wildly over-plied (and overspun for that matter) and when I washed and dried it and wound it into a ball? None of it mattered. It knit up just fine, it didn't behave too strangely in the ball and it didn't bias. Additionally, there were still places after it had been washed the sat in the ball for a week that were really under-plied. Places where I was basically knitting with the singles parallel to each other rather than plied together. So, I've decided to ply my yarns together until they look right. Not a very scientific method, I know. But I think it's going to work.

I also finished this last week:

Pattern: Dumpling Bag from Winter IK
Yarn: Lamb's Pride in cream, and handspun grey wool for the embroidery
Mods: See below

I used size 10 and 10.5 needles because I didn't have any size 13 and I didn't double the yarn. So, I had to cast on more stitches and added rows to meet the size requirements. I also didn't buy rings for the handles and instead just interlocked them before felting. I ran this through the washing machine twice, on hot, heavy duty load, with a pair of old jeans to get it felted. It's still a little under-felted but I like it. Using the handspun for the embroidery worked out very well. I like the bag and hope to use it quite a bit. It's cute. And a very fast knit. I think it took all of two days, maybe.

Alpine Shawl, Finished

2009-01-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

I finished my Alpine Shawl.

Project Stats:

Pattern: Alpine Knit Scarf from Victorian Lace Today
Yarn: Fiddlesticks Knitting Zephyr Wool Silk in Coral, 1.5 balls
Needles: Size 4 straights
Mods: Omitted two center pattern repeats at the end because of sheer boredom
Finished Size: 72" long and 19" wide.

I have been knitting this shawl for a long time. I started it because I thought it would be beautiful in the yarn. I started and stopped several times because it just wasn't grabbing my attention. I turned my attention to other things, like spinning and other knitting projects. I knit until I ran out of yarn. I waited a couple of months. I ordered more yarn. Eventually it arrived. I was in the middle of other projects. Finally I picked it back up again. And. I finished it. It was a long knit for me. I continue to be enamored of the yarn (I have 1.5 balls left now.) I really love the way that the zephyr is both warm but also very soft and delicate, and I love the way it catches the light.

I have already worn this a few times. I wear it like a scarf, but it is also a beautiful wrap. I just love it. In my next post I will talk about my other projects.

Life, the Universe, Everything

2009-01-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've been reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy anthology. Very funny. Anyway, I'm currently working on two different projects: my Alpine Scarf from Victorian Lace Today and a little pattern of my own. I've decided to finish up the Alpine Scarf first though. I've been working on this project for at least a year, I think. I bought a skein of Jaggerspun Zephyr from my LYS quite a while ago in a soft pink called "Coral." I saw lots of pinky colored alpine shawls all over the internets and decided that's what I would use it for, so I cast on. I worked and worked and worked at it until I wanted to cut my hands off. Then I ran out of yarn. That solved the problem momentarily. I actually didn't knit for a while after that. Months. Had to take a little hiatus.

Then in October I picked my knitting up again. I knit a Backyard Leaves Scarf for myself. I finished another scarf I had been working on from VLT, it's the Double Border Scarf with Diamond Borders. It's worked in Rowan Kid Silk Haze that I bought myself for my birthday last year. This was my first experience with Kid Silk Haze and I really love this yarn. I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy working lace in the fuzzy mohair and I thought it might make my neck itch. I found the yarn fairly easy to work with and now that it's done the mohair provides this very warm halo around my neck when I wear it. It's beautiful. I also made myself a pair of Endpaper Mitts and just generally got my knitting mojo back.

Unfortunately, I wasn't ready to pick up the Alpine Scarf again yet. I ordered more yarn to finish it and when it arrived I stashed it in my basket, waiting patiently. Finally this last week I picked up the scarf again. I knit a few rows. Got a little discouraged when I realized that I wasn't as far along as I had thought I was. Put it down. Picked it up again a couple of days later. Now I'm back on the horse. The pattern is very pretty. I have six more center repeats to knit before starting on the end border. Once this is done and blocked it's going to be spectacular.

Lady Eleanor

2009-01-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style
Needles: Size 9 straights
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, Colorway 292, 7.5 skeins used
Mods: substituted yarn and needles
Measurements: 17" wide, 68" long, not counting fringe

I finished my Lady Eleanor and she is beautiful. This was my first entralac project. I realized really early on that learning to knit (or, rather purl) backwards was going to be very helpful. It was easy and I employed it for the entire project. After knitting 35 tiers I was completely done with the entrelac for a while but I'm really glad that I have this technique now. Once I figured out the entralac, this project flew by. The Silk Garden is absolutely beautiful and I am still enchanted by the colors. As I was knitting I just kept watching for the next color and the next color and the next color. I still have 2.5 skeins left and I hope to use them for something beautiful. Maybe the window pane scarf from the Winter IK?

I'm very excited about getting to wear this wrap out somewhere, preferably somewhere fancy. I'm thinking that this would look smashing with just about anything, but especially a strappy purple dress. The other thing I love about this project is that I really think that the entrelac shows off the variegated yarn to it's best advantage. Noro blends the colors together in such a beautiful way that the yarn really should be allowed to shine and this pattern lets that happen.

On the fringe: it takes more yarn than you think it will and it takes more time than you think it will. I used about a skein of yarn and probably 2 to 3 hours to apply the fringe and then knot it. I absolutely love the result though. In fact, the knotted fringe is one of the reasons that I was drawn to this pattern in the first place. Personally, I would not love my Lady Eleanor the way I do if it weren't knotted. But to each his own.

Lady Eleanor

2008-12-29T17:08:00.001-08:00

First, here are the beautiful, finished Lotus Blossom Tank pictures:

Now, let's talk about my project. Lady Eleanor. I have been wanting to make this project for a long time. And, after looking at the projects on Ravelry, I decided that I wanted to make it with Silk Garden. I knew this would be expensive. On Saturday I bought 10 skeins of Silk Garden in Color 292. It's a mix of navy blue, grey, white, purple, merlot, fuschia and gold. I am completely enchanted with it. This is also my very first entrelac project. After noodling around on the web for a little while I found a blog with good pictures and I figured it out pretty quickly. This pattern is knitting up really quickly. I'm using size 9 needles and I've finished Tier 19 (of 35.) I also taught myself to knit backwards so that I never have to turn the work. This is a real time and frustration saver when you're working a series of 8 x 8 squares over and over and over again.

Laundry Day

2008-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Lotus Blossom Tank and Other Finished Objects

2008-12-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

I finished knitting the Lotus Blossom Tank.

Project Stats:

Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank from the Summer 2006 IK
Yarn: El. D. Mouzakis Butterfly Super 10
Needles: Size 6 and Size 5, clover bamboo

Let me explain my mods for the reknit. As I have said before the bust line, basically everything from the lace up was always too big for me. The top would flop open to reveal my entire boobular area. Not a good look on anyone. So my objective in reknitting the tank was always to fix that. From noodling around on ravelry I determined that a lot of people had added a lace repeat to the bottom portion of the tank and had knit the bust smaller than the bottom. That's what I did, I added a lace repeat, which was really a good call. I didn't know it until I had knit the extra repeat, but not only was the tank too big on top, the proportion was off. Making the bottom longer fixed that problem. I also added an eyelet round below the bust line in the garter stitch ridge before you begin the bust knitting. I plan to run a ribbon through it so that I can cinch that portion below the bust, thereby accentuating the smallest part of my torso. I knit the size 38" inch bust for the bottom, but decreased to and knit the 33 1/2" bust size for the bust. I had some misgivings about this since my bust is larger than 33 inches, but I kind of did it on faith. I figured that 38" was way too big and knitting stretches. It turns out that I did the right thing. I don't have photographic evidence yet since the tank is taking it's sweet time drying (it's been on the floor in front of the heater vent since yesterday morning) but it fits me nicely now. Not perfect, but nicely. This is a garment that I will wear come summer. And enjoy.

It also occurred to me that I hadn't blogged pictures of my Bijouterie earrings.

I plan to keep the upper pair, and give away the lower.

Lastly, I also finished Stephen's Christmas Socks.

Another pair of Thuja socks, made in Opal Magic yarn. They fit him perfectly and he's been wearing them for two days now.

Thoughts of an Evening

2008-12-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

I tried on my reconstructed WIP Lotus Blossom Tank. And? It fits. More or less. Now, instead of having a bust that flops open continuously because it's too big, I have a bust line that will be very close fitting. I think in a good way. I'm pretty thrilled about it since that means that I have not ripped and reknit only to rip again. I am now a little worried about running out of yarn but I believe that I have part of a ball tucked away somewhere. If I don't, then the yarn I used is pretty common and I should be able to get more. Currently, I'm working on the back of the tank which means that I have about 25% of the tank to go.

After this, I have one more WIP: my Alpine lace shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I'm mostly done with that as well. After that, what will I knit? I've been carefully considering what to do with the leftover sock yarn from Donna's Mermaid Mitts. I have one skein plus a smallish size ball left over. I think I might be able to squeeze out a pair of socks for myself. However, I think it might be wiser to make myself a pair of Mermaid Mitts since I know I have enough yarn for that and I want a pair of my own. Plus I don't want to run out of yarn for my socks. I realized recently that I have reached a milestone with my sock knitting. I have enough pairs of handknit socks that I can wear handknits every day of the week, and then some. It's fabulous. I also noticed that I only have a few pairs where I didn't run out of yarn before the end or that weren't constructed from oddballs. That's because it took me a while to accept the fact that it really does take two skeins of most sock yarns to create a pair of socks and because I often buy yarn to make gift socks then use the odd balls for my own. The next pair of socks that I make, I want them to be made from fabulous sock yarn, all one colorway.

I also really want to go yarn shopping. Seriously, it's been a while. The last yarn I bought was the Shibui Knits sock yarn for the mermaid mitts, but before that, well it's been a long time. I want to make the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan from the fall Interweave Knits and I want to make Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style. I have yarns in mind for both. For the cardigan, Knitpicks Shine Sport in chocolate brown. I think it will look very nice. And for Lady Eleanor I want to use Silk Garden. An expensive proposition.

I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and brilliant new year filled with food, friends, and love.

Mermaid Mitts

2008-12-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Project Stats
Pattern: Mermaid Mitts based on the lace pattern by Cookie A. published here.
Yarn: Shibui Knits Sock yarn, Color #3930. Basically lavendar.
Needles: Size 2 Brittany Birch

As soon as I saw these on Ravelry I was smitten with the pattern. I decided to make them as a christmas/birthday present for a good friend and co-worker, Donna. There is no real pattern for these mitts. I cast on 48 stitches, worked one pattern repeat (22 rows long) then started the thumb gusset between stitches 24 and 25 (between the second and third pattern repeat.) I worked the thumb gusset like the one in the Fresco Fair Isle Mitts, basically increasing two stitches every other round until there were 17 stitches in the thumb. I placed those on a holder, finished the pattern repeat, then worked three rows in 1x1 rib to finish the mitts. I think these are pretty and functional. I will most likely make myself a pair soon. The best thing about these is that I used significantly less than a skein of yarn. I would estimate that I used about 3/4 of a skein to make both mitts. Definitely a fun, quick project.

I have also finished Stephen's Thuja socks. I will block them today. And I finished the last christmas gift, a cell phone cozy. I am therefore free of christmas knitting obligations. And four days early. Now I have a couple of WIP's to finish: my lotus blossom tank and Alpine shawl. I am also knitting on another pair of Bijouterie earrings for myself. I'm having a hard time getting really excited about any of these projects. The LBT uses the cotton yarn and it's a tank top and there's three feet of snow on the ground so it's not really catching my fancy. The earrings are fun but I can only do one at a time because then my desire to knit with metal wanes. The Alpine shawl really should be finished first because it has been on the needles longest and I will get some use out of it this season if I finish it.

Inch by Inch

2008-12-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

We're currently experiencing what I'm calling "shit snow 2008." Basically, we've received inches and inches, some of them adding up to multiple feet, of snow over the last day and a half. My little residential street will be lucky to see a snow plow before spring. My snow removal tool of choice? My neighbor's snow blower. My actual snow removal tool? A fucking shovel. My office was closed today (as was the courthouse as a whole.) That leaves me some time to blog and knit.

On the Christmas knitting front, I have finished the first of Stephen's two socks. I feel that he should have smaller feet if I'm going to knit for them. I have also had another christmas request, that I will fulfill. Another cell phone cozy. It will be simple. At this point I am one size 10 men's sock and a cell phone cozy away from knitting freedom. Hallelujah. Since I always have to reinvent the wheel when knitting for Stephen, I would like to memorialize my sock recipe for his feet. I cast on 68 stitches on size 1 needles in Opal Magic yarn, knit for several inches, then turn the heel, then knit until the foot is 8 inches long, then decrease every other round until there are 24 total stitches left (12 top, 12 bottom) and kitchener the toe shut. These fit his feet perfectly. I made him try the first one on to make sure.

I also have a picture of the Bijouterie earrings I made for my friend Lori for Christmas. I sealed them into an envelope today but we will see when they go out. I don't think we got mail service today.

The Weather Outside is Frightening

2008-12-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

We've got about a foot of snow outside and it's still falling heavily. The good news is that it's warmed up to about 15 degrees from about 7 this morning. I am 99% done with the Mermaid Mitts and have knit up through the last of the lace repeats on my Lotus Blossom Tank. I have also knit some new earrings, from the Bijouterie pattern on knitty. One pair is going off to a friend for Christmas, but I also plan to make myself at least one pair. Knitting with the wire is interesting. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. I couldn't get 32 gauge wire at my local bead shop, so I got 28 gauge instead. It's still very bendy. I didn't double the wire in any of the patterns. I didn't want to make it harder than it needed to be. Christmas is fast approaching but I still have a lot to finish, including Stephen's socks. I will post progress pictures soon.

Trellis Scarf

2008-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Trellis Scarf, Spring '06 IK
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Tide Pool, 1 skein
Needles: Size 5 straights
Mods: None

As I have mentioned already in this space, this pattern requires you to make "7 into 5 clusters." This is executed by knitting together 7 stitches, not dropping them from the needle, then performing: yarn over, knit 7 together, yarn over, knit 7 together again before dropping the stitches from the needle. This is a total pain in the ass on many levels. By the end of the scarf I figured out that if you purl back the previous row (rows 8 and 16) very, very, very loosely it is less crazy making but it still sucks. Unless you like doing this kind of thing, I would suggest not making this pattern.

The end product is pretty. It is a pattern of interlocking diamonds. This scarf is going to be a christmas present for my friend Mary. I hope she likes it because I am never knitting this again. The finished product is about 58" long, and 12" wide.

I now have just two more christmas presents to knit and then I can get back to other projects, like the Lotus Blossom Tank. Speaking of which, I couldn't figure out why my new repeat of the lace pattern wasn't lining up properly with the previous repeats. Then I realized that hadn't ripped back past the decrease row. The problem was that there were less stitches than what the lace pattern required. So I ripped back a few more rows and have started over again. This time the lace pattern is lining up properly and I am happier. I just hope it fits right this time. Otherwise I will have to send it to someone that I think will be able to wear it.

I'm Remembering Now....

2008-12-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

I started reknitting my Lotus Blossom Tank last night. I am adding a lace repeat before I start the bust area because I think it will be more flattering. Anyway, I had forgotten how many stitches 230 is in a round, I had forgotten how heavy the cotton is, and I had forgotten how irritating it can be when you screw up a lace pattern but don't realize until 340 stitches later. Ugh. I ended up tinking back to almost where I started back up again. I'm still hopeful about this project though. It looks so pretty in the magazine! And on several fellow Ravelers.

Have I mentioned that I am obsessed with Ravelry? I am. Totally. I love it.

I am currently in the middle of several projects. Very unlike me. I have the Mermaid Mitts, Alpine Lace Shawl, Thuja socks and Lotus Blossom Tank. Plus I have about twenty things in my queue in Ravelry. It's a bit of a knitting renaissance here at Chez Burns. I'm really itching to start another sweater or sweater-like project, but that requires a large investment in yarn and I don't know when I'll be in a position to make that happen. Two projects are really at the top of my mind though: Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style (I want to make it in Silk Garden) and the Mirapoix Bodice from Interweave Knits.

Mermaid Mitts: The Sunday Update

2008-12-07T14:18:00.001-08:00

I've started my latest Christmas gift. It's a pair of Mermaid Mitts for my co-worker and friend Donna in Shibui Sock yarn:

The Mermaid Mitts are made using the stitch pattern from Pomatomus. There is no actual "pattern." You just sort of figure it out yourself. Let me explain my method.

1. I decided that I would make the mitts after noodling around on Ravelry. I think they're quite pretty.
2. Three weeks later buy the yarn.
3. Two weeks later cast on. Originally cast on 60 stitches.
4. After getting three rounds in try on the mitt and decide it's going to be way too big. Rip back to nothingness.
5. Cast on 48 stitches.
6. Knit to the point of needing to start the thumb gusset.
7. Start the gusset between stitches 30 and 31.
8. Three rounds later remember that I cast on 48, not 60 stitches.
9. Tink back three rows and re-start the thumb gusset between stitches 24 and 25 (between the 2nd and 3rd pattern repeats.)
10. Successfully finish the hand of the first mitten last night.

So far I am loving this pattern and I'm loving the opportunity for some improvisation in my knitting. In other knitting news, I finished the Trellis Scarf last night and it's happily blocking now. Hallelujah. The end product is really beautiful but those 7 into 5 clusters were not only crazy making but I think completely unnecessary.

I have also frogged the bodice of my Lotus Blossom Tank.

I plan to add a lace repeat to the bottom, and reknit the bust area in the next smallest size. I'm very hopeful that this will fix the sizing problem that I had before. We shall see.

2008-12-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

More Christmas Bookmarks

2008-12-04T18:37:00.001-08:00

I have made three more bookmarks since my last post, for my MIL, and two of my coworkers. I have loved making these. They are small (smaller than the average swatch), allow for endless variation and pretty. I love the little beads. They were inexpensive but pretty. They may become my go-to christmas gifts.

I have made a momentous decision. Remember my lotus blossom tank? It never fit me quite right. It was too big at the bust line so that the top tended to gape open in a very unladylike way. After looking over a bunch of projects on Ravelry I have decided to rip and reknit in a smaller size up top. I'm very excited about my decision.

Christmas: A Conscientious Objector's Perspective

2008-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Last year I did not knit for Christmas. The year before I knit for everyone. This year I'm knitting for a lot of people but I've greatly scaled back. I'm making cell phone cozies for my BIL and SIL:

And then bookmarks for everyone else. BIL and SIL #2:

For two of the women I work with:

And for Emily:

And the thing is that I have really enjoyed making these bookmarks. Each of them was made from a stitch from the The Knitting Stitch Bible by Maria Parry-Jones. Each was made from stash baby cashmerino and each took a very short time to make.

The stats on them are as follows: size two Brittany Birch DPN's, stash baby cashmerino, beads from JoAnn Fabrics, secured with DMC embroidery floss. BIL's is made in a garter-basket stitch, SIL in stockinette with slip stitch edges and garter stitch borders, Emily's in a rolled rib stitch, the peach colored bookmark is seed stitch, and the blue one is a seed stitch rib pattern. The beads are all blue moon beads. I have a few more of these to make, and then I plan to make one for me too.

My wip's are coming along. The Trellis scarf gave me some problems today. I kept making mistakes in the lace pattern. I have turned the heel on Stephen's first thuja sock. Both patterns are moving along. I am working repeat 16 of 23 on the scarf. I'm a little sick of it at the moment though.

Road Trip Knitting

2008-11-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

I decided this year that I basically wouldn't do any christmas knitting. Then I realized that I could make a few, simple projects using stash yarn and save some cash. Then Stephen suggested that I knit for everyone that we didn't already have a gift plan for. That's how I ended up with this:

Two cell phone cozies and several bookmarks. The bookmarks are just small rectangles done on size two needles in baby cashmerino. I used several different stitch patterns from my stitchionary. The cell phone cozies are socks, 32 stitches cast on to size two needles, about 10 rows of ribbing followed by 32 rows of stockinette, kitchenered shut. Easy and effective. I also knit quite a bit on Stephen's Thuja II socks. They are being made in Opal magic (grey-green, spring green and white with brick flecked stripes) on size one needles. Also very simple. His annual christmas socks.

2008-11-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

Sweater Surgery

2008-11-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

You may remember that when I first knit up my Greek Pullover the left sleeve was sewn in wonky and therefore too small. Well, I've been wearing it like that for a couple of years now and it always drives me crazy. I wore it again today for a baby shower and I decided that I had enough. When I got home I took it off and started surgery.

First, to detach the offending sleeve. The first thread that I removed turned out to be part of the sleeve knitting so all I ended up doing was creating a hole in the sweater. Small hole. I fixed it later. Then I pulled the seamed edges apart and found the seaming thread, snipped it and then unraveled it. Then I re-pinned and re-sewed the sleeve back in. Success. The sweater is still not perfect. If I were to knit it again I would probably make it longer. However, I always wear it with a camisole underneath anyway so it's more of a layering piece. I also have to say that it's not itchy. Maybe I just needed to wear it a few times but it does not make me itch. Lastly, I took off the chiffon quite some time ago because it started to unravel in a crazy making kind of way (and also made me look like I needed a little time in a padded cell.) I would like to sew on a ruffle again in different, ravel-proof, material. It would add to the length and the prettiness of it.

Just Call Me Rip Van Winkle

2007-11-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been almost four months now. I've decided to return. Slowly. The last time I started a post I didn't finish it and it never got published (I'm sure it's still here somewhere in draft form.) Since it's been so long I will give you all a short run down of what I've been up to, in order of greatest time-suck:

1. Work

2. Work

3. Work

4. Finding new ways to "create" space for everything we own in half the space that we normally utilize for that purpose.

5. Waiting for the contractor to finish the basement so that I can move my stuff back into it.

6. Knitting

7. Sewing

I also went on a 10 day vacation to Alaska in August. I hope to actually upload some of those pictures and post them sometime in the future. We split our time there between Stephen's brother's house outside of Anchorage and Fairbanks. If you don't know Fairbanks is located about 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle and it was beautiful in August. It didn't really get dark until about midnight, and then the sun rose again a few hours later. I did manage to procure some qiviut, which is exquisite, and got to see the musk ox at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. There is a musk ox farm there. They are huge and quite smelly.

I've also knitted some scarves, and some socks, and I'm currently working on the Alpine Lace Scarf from Victorian Lace Today. I've also sewed new curtains for almost every room in my house. It's nice.

Some Summer Reading

2007-07-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've been reading rather voraciously this spring and summer. Some of the books that I've finished up:

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

A classic novel. On re-reading it I found much to like, but remembered why I have a hard time following it. Ms. Woolf employed almost a stream of consciousness style of writing that makes it hard for me to follow in places. On the whole it is interesting. I like the way that the author ties together the story of Septimus & Rezia with that of the Dalloways. Some of the prose is incredibly picturesque.

The River Why by David James Duncan

Really, this is a coming of age story. It's kind of a man's story written for men, but I still like it. The beginning chapters, dealing with Gus's family are hilarious, really laugh out loud funny in places. The later chapters are more metaphysical and philosophical in nature, but worthwhile.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

I really enjoyed reading this book. The premise is this: Julie Powell (the author) cooks every recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child in a year. Ms. Powell had a well-read blog during this time and the book is the result of that year and those blog posts. Since I wasn't a reader of the blog I don't know how the finished book compares to the blog entries, but it was a fascinating read.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked is one of those books that I really want to like, but have some problems liking. I wanted there to be much more character development with the main character, Elphaba. Lots of stuff (interesting stuff) happens in this novel, but it would be much more interesting if we actually got into Elphaba's head once in a while. Where this is most apparent (and disappointing) is after the death of Elphaba's lover. She apparently

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

I enjoy the atmosphere of this book. And, on a second reading, it is even more poignant than the first time. It's a great read (although it helps if you read up on Czech history just a little first.)

The only book on this list that I hadn't previously read is Julie & Julia. And I discovered something. It seems that I completely skimmed several of these books when I read them before, especially Great Expectations. There were whole portions of the book that I had no recollection of reading. So, it's been interesting. Now that the last Harry Potter has come out, I've started reading the second to last book (the Half-Blood Prince.) I'm about halfway through. I have a hard time with these books sometimes because I feel really bad when Harry is subjected to unfairness. I have to finish now though. I've also vowed that I will not peek at the last page of the Deathly Hallows (I do that to lessen anxiety.) I don't want to ruin the last installment of the series. In fact, I may go back and re-read the earlier books before I read the last book to remind myself of all that has happened.

Vintage Pink Cardigan

2007-07-19T20:49:00.001-07:00

My Next Project

2007-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Definitely something lacy. I still have: a partial skein of Jaegerspun Zephyr in Cinnabar, and another partial in Violet (or Lavendar, the purple color) and a whole skein of pink. I have some goals. I still owe my sister a birthday present. I want to make my niece, Gwendolyn, a scarf (the red or the pink? Apparently she loves pink. Or the violet?) It may be something from Victorian Lace Today or some other pattern. Some of the possibilities are the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls, the Paisley Shawl from Spring 2004 IK, Icarus (from IK) and probably a few more.

Being a Public Defender, Great Expectations and Other Things

2007-07-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've finished another project in my absence. Twinkle Toes from Knitty, made from Hempathy in a sea green color. I used one whole skein to make one pair (I even had to cannibalize my swatch to finish them.) Pictures when the mood strikes me. Same with the pictures of the Vintage Pink Cardigan.

I re-read Great Expectations over the past couple of weeks. I've read it before but I have to say that I think I skimmed pretty much the whole book because I didn't remember any of it really. And, I didn't even notice the last time that I read the book, but Mr. Jaggers (Pip's "guardian") is a criminal defense lawyer. It was fascinating to read the book, and especially the passages which deal with Mr. Jaggers, Mr. Wemmick as Jaggers' clerk, the passage where Pip visits Newgate Prison with Mr. Wemmick, and the portions where Magwitch's trial is ongoing. Dickens wrote Great Expectations in the latter half of the 19th century in England and yet there were striking similarities between the criminal justice system, the judges, attorneys, and prisoners.

One of the most interesting things about the character of Pip is the course that his coming into adulthood and maturity takes. As a teenager, he is ashamed of his associations with stepfather, Joe, and the people of his village, and he throws them off so that he can become a gentleman and worthy of Estella. But it's not until he learns that the source of his means is a convict himself and that Magwitch is a human being deserving of compassion, and fellowship that Pip truly sees his own shortcomings and becomes a responsible adult. Pip ultimately risks himself to attempt to save Magwitch's life (by getting him out of the country undetected.) When he fails and it is clear that Magwitch will die, either from the injuries he suffered, or barring that, by execution, Pip nurses him and even more is his constant companion until his death.

Great Expectations is really an inverted fairy tale. Pip's fairy godmother is not Miss Havisham as he has often believed, but Magwitch, a man whom Pip has nothing but contemp for. The princess, Estella, has, in the words of Miss Havisham, block of ice instead of a heart. Pip's fortunes are not made when he receives the unexpected windfall from Magwitch, but when he loses it all, through his own dissipation and Magwitch's folly in returning to England. Only then does he become a respectable adult. It's not surprising really, since Great Expectations is the second to last novel that Dickens finished. It was written by a man who was older, wiser, and had suffered disappointments in his own life.

Overheard in the Dentist's Chair

2007-07-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Remember when that woman, that CIA agent, like she was outed or something and they thought that he had something to do with that?

Is that what they got him for?

Yeah. I think so.

Guess which one was my dentist and which was his assistant.

Honestly, the conversation that they were having while they cleaned my teeth veered into so many either surprising (and not in a good way) or mildly offensive topics, I couldn't believe it.

Random Monday

2007-07-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Because life is always random on a Monday. Stephen and I watched this fictionalized TV show on the Science Channel last night that was all about what would happen to the Earth if an asteroid hit (which may happen in 2029, if you were wondering.) I have to say that I'm quite certain that in the event that a 10 mile wide rock plummets straight into the Pacific Ocean off Peru, I'm not going to make it. And I'm okay with that.

I finished the Vintage Pink Cardigan on Saturday. Dry and buttons sewn on kind of finsihed. It's beautiful. I do, however see two problems: one, the sleeves are too long. Instead of being 3/4 length they are full length. I can live with that though. Second, I'm going to have to sew down the bust area or I'm going to go around randomly assaulting strangers with the sight of my bra. I'll do that come fall. And tonight, hopefully, there will be pictures of me in said cardigan.

Now, I'm a little lost knitting wise. I have two projects on the needles: the Bed Socks for Grandma Marion that I still don't have yarn for and a pair of Thuja for me, knit with Opal self-patterning sock yarn. My heart is in neither project. I'm considering starting something completely different. I don't really know what though.

Vintage Pink Cardigan

2007-06-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

The full sweater as it is right now; the cabled edge; and a close up of the shoulder seam.

The Downside of Up

2007-06-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have finished the knitting on the Vintage Pink Cardigan, and started the finishing. So far I have sewn the shoulder seams and sewn in one sleeve. Tonight, my goal is to sew in the second sleeve, then move onto the side seams. May I say that it is lovely? It is. I love it. I also love pretty much everything available at This Site. I really want to buy buttons for the cardigan from them, but I can't really justify the expense. Except then I think, I spent lots of money on the yarn and have painstakingly knit and finished it all by hand. How can I not afford the most perfect buttons for it? It's a quandary. One that will have to be resolved sometime during the seaming of the thing.

This One is For Kevin

2007-06-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've been going through a bit of a cycle here lately. I've been knitting, reading and cooking, all in equal measure. I re-read Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion. Then, done with Jane for a while I moved on to Edith Wharton and did the same with The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. Not satisfied, Stephen and I took a trip to Barnes & Noble and I bought "Julie & Julia," written by Julie Powell, a food blogger that decided to embark on the monumental task of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. Julie & Julia is the memoir that grew out of the blog and the experience in general. I finished it in two sittings, over the course of 24 hours. I enjoyed it immensely. Friday night I finished re-reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I forgot that at the end of the book, the dog, Karenin, dies. It made me think of Leah and I had to stop for a few minutes and sob before I could finish the book. At the moment I'm toying with re-reading Great Expectations. I haven't decided yet, but there's something about Miss Havisham's festering, putrid wedding feast coupled with Estella's cruel teasing of poor Pip that I find attractive.

Through it all I've been knitting and cooking as well. I pulled out three years of back issues of Bon Appetit and revisited some of the most interesting recipes that I've either made or envision myself making. Just in the last week or two I've made Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Potato Salad, various green salads, Mexican Wedding Cakes (eggless cookies with pistachio and dried cranberries, coated in powdered sugar), Orange Cardamom Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting, and Chakchouka (eggs cooked with vegetables.) Tonight I plan to make glazed turnips, over a bed of redleaf lettuce and have chocolate strawberry shortcake for dessert. Stephen and I have also been brewing. We kegged the latest batch yesterday. Before we made the last batch Stephen bought a brand new stainless steel cookpot. It's fabulous because it's tall enough to prevent the dreaded boil-over onto the stove. There's nothing like trying to remove sticky wort that's been baked onto a stove top.

I'm still knitting on my Vintage Pink Cardigan. I've knit the back, front and left sides, and one sleeve. I'm now in the middle of sleeve-desolation-island. By the time I get to the sleeves of a sweater I'm thinking "Almost done!" Then I start knitting the sleeves and realize that I'm not almost done. I'm stranded on a desolate island with nothing but the sleeves to knit and an infinite amount of time to knit them in. By the time I get to the second sleeve I'm fairly certain that I will need an eternity before they are finished. I leave you with a few photos:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and the beer blow off bucket, overflowing.

Text, But No Pictures

2007-06-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

People, I've been knitting. I knit a Shedir in purple Baby Ull for Dulaan. That is one awesome pattern. I knit it in the smallest size, strictly to the pattern. And it is awesome. It fits me pretty perfectly in fact, but I am going to send it off to Dulaan instead of keeping it. When my nieces were here a week and a half ago, my eldest niece LOVED it. She kept putting it on and looking at herself in the mirror. This, in spite of the fact that the hat is made of wool and it was in the 90's. Since then it has mercifully cooled off a bit.

I've also been knitting on my Vintage Pink Cardigan (VPC.) The yarn is absolutely beautiful. It's soft, and with a wonderful sheen to it. I've finished the back and the left front (the smaller front) and am well into the right front panel. So, I'm about a third of the way through (since I still have the rest of the right front panel, both sleeves, the button band and a lot of sewing to do, and probably some sort of collar.)

In non-knitting news, the farmer's market has started up again and so has our CSA share. As a result I made a fabulous strawberry-rhubarb pie this last week, with rhubarb from the market box. It's wonderful, sweet and tangy at the same time.

Fickle Knitter

2007-05-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

I've been a fickle knitter lately. I've had a hard time sticking to one project, and also to really loving the project at hand. I'm a one-project type of knitter normally but lately things haven't been working out that way. Case in point: I started the Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks and have completely stalled out:

Okay, really I have completely run out of yarn and have had no success in finding more in the same color. I'm going to give it a week, go back to the yarn store, and then make some decisions. I may have to order off of the internet.

I recently finished the Target Wave Mittens:

These are made from Debbie Bliss Tweed yarn in a pink colorway, from the Norah Gaughan pattern in the 2006 Winter IK. I'm sort of lukewarm about the pattern and the finished mittens and the yarn. Let's start with the yarn. It's hard. It's even a little bit rough. Frankly, it feels like acrylic. The mittens themselves are knit flat from the wrist up to the tip, the tip is seamed, then you pick up stitches around the opening left for the thumb target. Then you knit flat and eventually seam up the rest of it. I'm not a big fan of seaming in general and this seemed (a pun!) like a lot of work for a little pair of mittens. Plus I think the end product looks a little...puckered. I may not feel that way if I had actually knit the stripes (like the pattern is written) but I doubt it.

Speaking of Nora Gaughan, I think I've found my way out of my knitting funk:

That's one little pink swatch, made from RYC Wool Silk DK. It's my swatch for the Vintage Pink Cardigan, designed by Norah Gaughan. I've been wanting to make this cardigan for a long time now, and I'm really excited about it. I'd like to leave you with one last picture of my weeping cherry tree:

Breathing.

2007-05-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am still alive. Still breathing. I will be back posting here very soon, Saturday, I expect. My in-laws were here, but left on Tuesday and I still haven't fully recovered. I also have a serious bit of work to do at the office, and it's stressing me out. I have a case that is scheduled to go to trial the first week of June and so it requires some serious attention from me.

I have been knitting as well. I finished the Target Wave Mittens, but haven't blocked them yet. I have also started the Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks, but ran out of yarn. I have cast on for Shedir from Knitty. I finished the Monkey Socks, and have worn them a couple of times even. They are fabulous.

Oh The Places You'll Go!

2007-05-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

We went, we saw, we came back. We were gone for less than 48 hours, and spent 28 of them traveling. Isn't it funny how all airports basically look the same, smell the same, and have the same food? I can't complain though. We didn't have so much as a late flight the whole trip. I was still so tired last night that I fell asleep with the lights on in my bedroom, and didn't wake up and notice until about 5:00 a.m.

On the trip I finished the Monkey Socks. They are lovely, really lovely. I like them a lot. I haven't worn them yet because they are not yet dry. That's the consequence of using medium weight Socks That Rock and having no air circulation in the house because it's too warm for the furnace to come on. It was 85 degrees yesterday when I came home from work. I really can't believe that it's already way too hot. It's also spring. The peach tree has leaves, the maple leaves have unfurled and the weeping cherry tree is blossoming. I promise to post pictures as soon as I can.

I also started a new project: the Target Wave Mittens from the Fall 2006 IK. I knit one mitten up Sunday evening. A fast knit. I'm using Debbie Bliss tweed yarn that I picked up on sale back in November or December. I think this may be my first Dulaan project. I haven't cast on for the second mitten yet but that's because we've been cleaning the house in preparation for my in-laws visit. They will be here probably tomorrow night. So, I've been rather busy lately.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2007-05-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little trip. I will actually be spending more time in airports and on planes than visiting the people that we're going to see, so it should be a perfectly miserable trip. Plus we're leaving the dog (you know, our child) with the neighbors. Totally freaks me out.

For a short time there I had four different projects on the needles. I've reduced that number down to two: Monkey Socks by Cookie A. (from Knitty) and Bed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. Why all the project chaos? I don't really know. Part of it is that I'm trying to knit from the stash and it's not really going very well. Part of it is that a couple of these projects are long overdue presents for other people. Part of it is that I kept getting frustrated with my projects and casting on new ones.

I'm knitting on the Monkey Socks pretty enthusiastically right now. I cast on for them because I really wanted to use up the rest of the Socks That Rock skein that I used to make Pomotomus (in the Sedona colorway.) I really love the yarn, and the color and the leftovers of that skein were really calling to me. Additionally, while I love my Pomotomus socks I rarely wear them out of the house because they don't fit into my shoes. I wanted to make a tighter pair of socks. I knew that I wanted to try casting on only 48 stitches for a pair of socks using the Socks That Rock. When I was flipping through my pattern stash I saw that the Monkey Socks were knit in repeats of 16 stitches, so I decided to try it out.

I really like this pattern. It's easily memorized and looks really good. Of course, I discovered all too soon that I didn't have nearly enough yarn to finish the pair, so I bought another skein of Socks That Rock in the Pop Rocks colorway. This colorway, I swear, has my name written all over it, and it incorporates the same peach color as the Sedona colorway. Best of all, I've finished the first sock and after trying it on I would say that I got the size just right this time.

Also, on the knitting front, I have a question for all of you. I have a small stash of handspun yarn. Most of it is pretty thick and thin and slubby. What should I knit with it? Do you have any pattern suggestions? I want to use it. I just can't decide what I want to do with it.

The Reason Why All of My Projects Are In Time Out

2007-05-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is Sheldon the Turtle from Knitty:

I knit this for a friend's baby (only six or seven months after the birth.) I've been meaning to knit it for a while now, but just got around to it. I actually enjoyed making this project, except for one thing. The shell is supposed to be attached to the shell attachment piece (the harness apparatus) with an attached I-Cord edging. Now, I hate attached I-Cord. I think it pretty much sucks to knit the same stitch three times. However, I am willing to do it if a pattern calls for it. On this project I. Could. Not. Get. It . To. Work. I ripped and re-knit at least five times and simply could not get it right. Finally, I gave up and whip-stitched the shell to the edging. See:

I'm glad that he's done and he's cute. I may even make this again. But I won't even attempt the I-Cord edging.

I've Been a Bad Blogger

2007-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

I may not have been posting this last week or so but I have been knitting. To give you a preview of some of the new projects:

Like I said, I've been knitting. Today I want to talk about a somewhat older project though: the Gentlemen's Socks with Lozenge Pattern that I knit for Stephen. I finished them:

They fit Stephen's feet really well.
Project Stats:
Pattern: Gentlemen's Socks with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock solid in Cedar
Needles: Size 1 dpn's
Mods: changed number of stitches to fit Stephen's feet, substitued an eye of partridge heel, knit fewer repeats of the ribbing pattern on the cuff

I've been on a real sock knitting kick lately, and these were really fantastic to knit. The pattern is well written and the stitch pattern was easily memorized. These are not too fussy for a man, and not too boring for the knitter. The perfect combination for a man's sock, really. I actually bought this book in part because there were so many knittable men's sock patterns in it. Most of my sock patterns are for women's socks, adn I really like to knit lace socks for myself, so I found myself with a dearth of patterns for Stephen. Now, with Knitting Vintage Socks as part of my library I have quite a collection of socks for men. One interesting detail in this pattern is that there is a "seam" stitch that is always purled. Since I had to decrease the number of stitches to fit Stephen's foot, my seam stitch is actually slightly off-center.

I loved working with the Lorna's Laces. I like the subtle variation in the yarn color and, as always, I love the feel of Lorna's Laces. So far, I haven't found another sock yarn that I like better (although Socks That Rock has fast become my second favorite sock yarn.) I didn't think that I would have enough yarn for a pair of men's socks so I actually knit these socks shorter than the pattern recommends. As it turns out, I probably shouldn't have worried.

I enjoyed making these socks and probably would make them again, given enough time between projects.

Random Saturday

2007-04-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry about the lack of pictures. It seems to be a blogger issue, since the pictures were visible after I posted them, then not. So, I'm going to post them again:

If you still can't see them, they are also posted at victorianlacealong.blogspot.com. On with the randomness now.

1. I set a case for trial this week. First time I've ever done that.

2. I got a kite yesterday from a former client. He just wanted to say thank you.

3. I wore my Melon Shawl several times last week. It's fabulous. It's drapey, and warm because of the wool content.

4. I finished the first Lozenge Pattern sock. It fits Stephen like a glove.

5. I covet Mountain Colors cashmere yarn in Ladyslipper. I want some now.

6. I also covet Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock in solid colors. I want some for my own socks.

Now, some non-random thoughts on the Lozenge sock pattern. I like it. The pattern is logical and therefore easily memorized. It's interesting, but not too fussy. It's perfect for a man's sock because it's not too frilly, or lacy, or fussy. It's also perfect for a woman's sock because it's interesting without being overwhelming. I like the nice little touches in the pattern, like the purl border between the top-of-foot and bottom-of-foot stitches. I also like the nice little touches in the book, Knitting Vintage Socks. I like the fact that there is an introductory section on the history of Weldon's and the socks in the book. I like the fact that the book has a range of patterns, including interesting men's patterns that are more than plain stockinette. I like the fact that the the book is bound so that it will lay flat on a surface. My one and only gripe about the book is in the photography. Personally, I like it when books have close up pictures of stitch patterns in addition to full photos of the finished project. Some of the pictures seem like they were taken too far away from the sock so that the stitch pattern is not clear.

Finished Melon Pictures

2007-04-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

Pretty Things

2007-04-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

I unpinned my Melon Shawl today and it is beautiful. Unfortunately it was too late to take pictures, so instead I will show you a couple new purchases. First, I bought new earrings:

They're vintage. And so is my new shawl pin:

I bought both of these at Finders Keepers, a really fantastic little shop in downtown Spokane. The place has, literally, hundreds of pairs of earrings. I can't go in there without spending way too much time and money.

On the knitting front, I've also started turning the heel on the first Lozenge Sock. It's going well.

Melon is Finished!

2007-04-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

It feels like forever since I've blogged. I have accomplished much in that time though. First, I finished my Melon Shawl. It went from this:

To this:

Okay, so, first: use a provisional cast on for both the center panel and the border if you're planning to make this shawl. It will make attaching the border and grafting together the two ends of the border easier. Second. I love this border. I think it provides the perfect counterpoint to the very curvy, circular center panel. Third, I am really looking forward to wearing this shawl.

Knitting this shawl really did start to get to me a little, especially near the end of the center panel. There wasn't really enough going on with the pattern to keep me from getting bored. Nonetheless, I recommend this shawl. I think it would actually be a good project for a beginning lace knitter, as long as you follow the instructions on making the melon stitch. It's really very easy, and not terribly fiddly.

After I finished the Melon Shawl, I cast on for a new project. The Gentleman's Socks with Lozenge Pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks for Stephen:

I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock in Cedar (a solid green-grey color) and I'm loving it. Just loving it. I love the yarn, love the pattern and am just really enjoying knitting another pair of socks.

The Conundrum of Lace

2007-04-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

Lace is beautiful. Lace is fun and holds my interest. Lace, unfortunately, does not make for very good blogging material. Who wants to see 62 pictures of the same pattern repeat? No one. That being said, it's still pretty impressive.

I've knit the border of my Melon Shawl up one long side, around one corner, down one short side, and around the next corner. I'm a little more than halfway done with border and I'm still loving how it's looking. I am, however, wishing that I had read ahead a little more in the pattern and really thought about some things. First, I wish that I had used a provisional cast on. It would have made knitting the border around the cast on edge a little easier, and I think it would have looked nicer. Second, I wish that I had used a provisional cast on for the border as well. The pattern instructs you to graft together the last border row with the cast on row. Grafting is easier with live stitches, and looks a little better. That's the thing with this book, it's not a hand holding book. It's more of a hint giving book.

Melon Pictures

2007-04-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

I finished the center panel of my Melon Shawl last night and started on the border. I'm loving the border, much more than I thought I would. Unfortunately, all of these pictures showcase the one big honking mistake that I made: forgetting to work the Melon stitch on the last repeat of about the tenth pattern repeat. Once I'm done I will wrap a strand of yarn around that repeat and it will not look so jackass.

Limping Along

2007-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

In knitting and in life. I'm so close to being finished on the center panel of my Melon Shawl that I can taste it. At the same time I'm still limping a bit because my left knee is still a little stiff, a little swollen and a little painful to move around on. I can't really complain though. That knee is doing very well considering the fact that the bumper of the car connected with it squarely.

Grumperina has started a Dolphin Lace scarf using a skein of Sea Silk. You should go see it. It's turning out very well, and she noticed a discrepancy between the pattern as written and the scarf as photographed in the book. The scarf in the photo has one more row of double yarn over columns than the pattern specifies.

Since it is Easter Sunday this weekend, I will probably make a batch of deviled eggs and we may even brew beer (just like last year.)

Melon Shawl Update

2007-04-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am very, very close to being finished with the center panel of my Melon Shawl. I am on repeat 55 or so. Everything is going well. The yarn is holding out. I am not yet finished with the first skein of JaegerSpun Zephyr. Apparently, some people have had problems with running out of yarn. I have not had that problem. In fact, it seems that I usually use less yarn than the pattern calls for. I intend to take some less craptastic photos of the shawl-in-progress tonight and post them.

Melon Shawl: Truly Craptastic Photos

2007-04-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have 40-some repeats of the center panel of the Melong Shawl done. So I'm more than halfway there. I do feel less sore today, except my knee is truly swollen. In fact I started to feel like the blood flow was being cut off to portions of my leg this afternoon. I plan to attempt less craptastic photos of the shawl this evening.

Still In Shock

2007-03-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

And not in a good way. I was having a fabulous day yesterday. The trial that I sat in on this week ended in a Not Guilty for the client (thrilling) and I had just finished meeting with all of the clients that I needed to meet with in the jail. And it was about 4:15 in the afternoon, so I had every intention of walking back to my office, futzing with my files and going home and starting my weekend. As I was crossing the busy street between my office and the courthouse (in the crosswalk, with the light I might add) I was hit by a car. That's right. I was hit by a car.

Lucky for me the car was not going that fast (witnesses at the scene estimated that the car was going 10-15 miles an hour.) The driver was turning left onto the the busy street and did not look to see if someone was crossing in the crosswalk. She hit me, I rolled up onto the hood of her car, a second or two later her brain connected with her feet and she slammed on the brakes, and I rolled off the hood of the car and onto the pavement. Let me say it again: I am very lucky. I did not break anything, I did not hit my head, I did not fall on my tailbone. I'm also lucky in that there were several witnesses and this happened right outside the county and city police station, so police, fire department and ambulance were on the scene within minutes. Now, the bad news. The driver is uninsured.

So, today. Today I feel as if I were hit by a car. I basically hurt from my neck to my toes. My ankles hurt, my shins hurt, my knees hurt (the car basically took me out below the knees,) my thighs hurt, my midsection, including my rib and chest area hurt, my arms hurt, my hands hurt and my neck and back probably hurt most of all. Especially the neck. I'm going to assume that my neck hurts the most because I was very invested in not allowing my head to slam into the pavement and try to be a little grateful that I succeeded. The doctor told me that I will hurt worse on the second day after the accident (tomorrow.) I'm not looking forward to that.

On the knitting front, I'm making progress on my Melon Shawl. If I can, I will post some pictures of it today. I'm really enjoying the lavendar color of hte yarn and the pattern repeat for the center section was so easy to memorize that I haven't had to open the book since the day that I cast on. That's a huge plus, not having to look at a chart or the pattern. It makes the knitting enjoyable because it flows so well.

Bayerische Socks

2007-03-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Stats
Pattern: Bayerische Socks by Eunny Jang (free pattern!)
Yarn: Opal solid sock yarn in a pretty mauve color
Needles: Size 1 bamboo dpn's
Mods: Modified size to fit my feet, didn't work chart A or C because of the fewer stitches (and general laziness)

This is a free pattern designed by Eunny Jang and offered on her website. The pattern is very much in a rough draft form. Even so, it is impeccable. First, I want to talk about the modifications that I made to the pattern. I have small feet and I know that I need to cast on 60 stitches to get the correct circumference for my socks, as a general rule. The pattern instructs you to cast on a number of stitches (72?), work the top ribbing, then increase a number of stitches (21?) in order to get the right number of stitches for the cabled leg of the sock. I cast on 60 stitches, then figured out what the ratio is between the cast on number (72?) and the number of stitches increased before the leg is worked (21?) then I increased proportionally. That meant that I cast on 60 stitches, worked the ribbing, then increased 16 stitches before working the leg of each sock. Then when I got to the heel, I decreased 16 stitches so that I again had 60 stitches on my needles. I then worked the foot with 60 stitches. One of the consequences of decreasing the number of stitches from the sock is that the side cables, chart A and C, would have had to be re-worked in order to make them work. I tried to do that but failed and decided just to have ribbing instead. I think it was a good choice.

This pattern has, as promised by the designer, cables and twisted stitches on every row. When I first swatched this pattern I didn't want to cable without a cable needle. I thought that it would be easier to cable the way that I knew how: with a cable needle. I was wrong. For me, it was much easier to cable without the cable needle. I have to admit that there were a couple of occasions where I managed to drop a stitch while trying to manuever my needle into it, but those incidents were few and far between, and none of them required me to frog or even to tink back beyond the current crossed stitches. So, I really recommend that if you're going to knti these socks that you cable without the cable needle. You will knit them faster and it will be easier.

The yarn was very good. I have worked with Opal several times previously and always liked it. It is a bit harder and scratchier than Lorna's Laces or Socks That Rock. It is still a very good sock yarn, however. I liked it and am glad that I decided to use it. The dye did not bleed at all when I blocked the socks.

I liked knitting these socks. I did find that the act of knitting into the back loop of half of the stitches, combined with the twisted and crossed stitches and the ribbing, caused this pair of socks to be more strenuous to my hands than other sock patterns. If you're going to knit these then I would also recommend frequent breaks. These are definitely a pair of socks worth having though. I will report back as soon as I get a chance to wear them for a full day.

In the meantime, I have started the Melon Shawls from Victorian Lace Today. It is the same shawl that is on the cover of the book, and several people, including Grumperina have made their own version. I am using JaegerSpun Zephyr in Violet for mine. So far, I'm loving it.

I Finished the Bayerische Socks

2007-03-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

In Which Life Kicks My Ass

2007-03-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

So, I've been AWOL here for a few days. First, I've been working. Second, Stephen has been out of town at a conference and therefore I have not been sleeping. Third, I've been judging the Linden Cup competition at Gonzaga. Linden Cup is the appellate advocacy competition at the law school. I did it when I was in law school (not that I remember it, it's all a blur) and I thought it might be fun to judge it this year. Consequently I didn't get home until 11:00 on Monday night (way, way past my bedtime,) 10:30 on Tuesday night (way past my bedtime) and 8:00 last night (not past my bedtime, but still late on a weeknight to be getting home.) I have effectively not slept for three days and am officially exhausted.

I did manage to pull out the Bayerische sock last night and knit a few rounds while listening to This American Life's podcast. Tonight? I plan to knit until I fall asleep in my chair.

11,000 Stitches Down, 10,335 To Go

2007-03-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

I finished my first Bayerische sock yesterday.

I really like it. I was worried that I would encounter the same sizing problem that I had with my Pomotamus Socks (which are also worked in a twisted rib pattern) but I seem to have alleviated much of that. My Pomotamus Socks suffer from a certain amount of sag in the heel. With these socks, there is just the hint of a dimple right above where the heel flap starts, but totally wearable. I'm glad that i went with my instincts, which were to cast on 60 stitches, then increase proportionally for the leg. I then decreased back to 60 stitches when I started working the heel flap, and worked the foot over 60 stitches since I eliminated two of the cabled motifs on the foot.

One consequence of sizing these socks for a smaller foot is that I took out some of the cabled portions. I intended to put in smaller cables, but couldn't quite figure out how to do that and retain the ribbing. So I scrapped it. While I think the cables would have looked great on the socks, I'm please with my decision.

2007-03-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

About Those Cables...

2007-03-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

I fully intended to publish pictures of my Bayerische-Sock-In-Progress today, but Blogger has conspired against me. It won't let me upload pictures at the moment.

Okay, so, about the cables. I'm sure that if you've looked at the pictures of the Bayerische sock you've probably thought to yourself "gee, that's a lot of cabling in a sock" and "huh, I wonder how she did that without going completely insane." Both of which are perfectly reasonable thoughts. When I sat down to swatch this pattern I had the same thoughts running through my head. Then I actually read the pattern and realized that all of the cables and twisted stitches are worked without a cable needle. At first I decided that I was not going to do it because I hate the idea of having all of those stitches waving in the breeze, so to speak. Then I attempted to work the cables the old fashioned way, with a cable needle. Then I realized that was completely jackass and gave in to the wonder that is cabling without a cable needle. I can't really explain it. Really, all I can say is that if you follow the instructions, everything will be okay. In fact, it will be fabulous.

More Pictures of Dolphin Lace

2007-03-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

I really love this scarf. I don't think that I've ever loved something that I've knit and given away more than this scarf. Love it. In knitting news, have you visited Eunny Jang's site lately? She announced today that she is the new Editor of Interweave Knits. Talk about a dream job. And she gets to telecommute.

I, again, have survived Monday. That is no small accomplishment, let me tell you. I have also cast on for a pair of Bayerische Socks (eunnyjang.com/knit.) I'm enjoying them so far. They are another sock pattern that uses twisted stitches to their full effect. They're really lovely socks.

Dolphin Lace Scarf Fin

2007-03-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

After working slowly, slowly on the Dolphin Lace Scarf for what seemed like an eternity I realized last night that I was dangerously close to being done. Further, I realized that the scarf would be long enough if I knit the required number of repeats. Lastly, I realized that the crocheted picot edging only goes along the cast on and bound off edges of the scarf, not all the way around like I had originally thought. So I finished it. Last night, at about 1:30 a.m. you would have found me on the floor in my living room pinning the scarf out to block:

This morning it was ready:

Project Stats:
Pattern: Dolphin Lace Scarf, page 106, Victorian Lace Today
Yarn: JaegerSpun Zephyr in Cinnabar. I used about 3/4 of one ball
Needles: Size 7 straights
Mods: None, except the yarn
FInished Dimensions: 72" x 13" (approximate measurement)

The pattern first. This is my second project from this book and the patterns in it are very concise. There was actually one error in the pattern. When you work this pattern you actually stagger the pattern rows. So, when you are on the right hand side border you are always one pattern row before the pattern row being worked on the left hand side border. So, if you are on Row 2 on the right hand side border, then you are on row 3 on the left hand side border. Adding to the confusion, you always work the even numbered rows from left to right on the chart (like wrong side rows) and the odd numbered rows from right to left (like right side rows.) The error comes in one of the pattern charts. There is a chart which shows you which pattern rows you will be working at any given time. Unfortunately, it indicates that you work a 13 row pattern repeat insted of a 12 row pattern repeat. The first row, where the right hand side border is worked as all knit stitches, is a set up row only. Once you've worked it the first time you don't need to work it again. In addition, at the end of the scarf you should end with row 12 on the right hand side border, then work the middle chart as established, then work the left hand side border as all knit stitches. This evens everything out and allows you to finish the last pattern motif on the right hand border.

I have to admit that I was thoroughly confused about the staggered border rows at first. I started out working the even numbered rows as right side rows (reading the chart from right to left) on the right hand border, and the odd numbered rows as wrong side rows (reading the chart from left to right.) This was wrong, and I would have eventually figured it out, but it would have been nice if there had been a pattern note indicating the proper way to work the charts. I knew that I was confused so I searched for the dolphin lace scarf, found the Victorian Lace Knitalong, and read a post by someone else working on a different double bordered scarf who explained how to work the rows. Otherwise it would have taken me much longer to figure this out on my own.

Moving on, the yarn was spectacular to work with. It's lace weight and very lovely. It's not very tight spun (a two ply, I think) and therefore there were some splitting problems. It had just the right amount of stretchiness and give though and is light as a feather. I love it. I would recommend this yarn for any lace project. And, I don't know why, but I only used 3/4 of a ball on this scarf. That means that I used far less yarn than the pattern called for. I've noticed this, actually. The same thing happened with my wide-bordered scarf. I used up almost my entire skein of sea silk and ended up with a 120" x 12" scarf. Huge. So, beware when working from this book. You may need much less yarn than called for. Maybe it's just the way I knit?

I am really, really happy with this knit. I'm not a huge fan of garter stitch lace, but this worked out beatifully. The border motifs are lovely and feminine and clearly visible in the stitch pattern. Once I got into the rhythm of the pattern I really enjoyed knitting this and it didn't take me that long either.

P.S. There are many more pictures. I will blog them over the next few days. Also, I'm going to blog this project over at the victorianlacealong.blogspot.com as well. So go ahead and check there if you're interested.

I Am Attempting To Add A Button

2007-03-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

Wandering Gemini

2007-03-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

That's what I've kind of felt like lately. The wandering gemini. I don't really feel focused on anything in particular, although I've definitely been getting a lot of stuff done. Speaking of getting stuff done, Stephen removed the graffiti and a lot of the paint from our garage door today. Now we have to paint the bare spots.

I feel like I've made some real progress on the Dolpin Lace Scarf over the last couple of days. I'm actually up to repeat 20 or so but I'm not nearly done yet.

It's pretty interesting the way that garter stitch sucks up the yarn. Still loving this yarn, by the way. The pattern calls for 28 pattern repeats, but at this rate I think that a few more are going to be necessary.

I have great plans for tomorrow. I'm going to clean the house. And maybe paint the garage door.

Random Thursday

2007-03-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

1. Another day, another box from my in-laws. They sent us a variety of dvd's (including some episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus and the first season of Arrested Development) and the good silver. Seriously. It's very cool.

2. We still have not cleaned the graffitti on the garage. We will though.

3. We're on the last two episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus. We Netflixed the entire series. I love the Pythons.

4. Stephen made dinner tonight, hot & spicy broccoli yakisoba. It is fabulous.

5. I cleaned all three litter boxes tonight. Yes. We have three litter boxes.

6. Did you know that daylight savings time starts three weeks early this year? I think that sucks sweaty goat balls just like global warming.

7. John Popper (of Blues Traeveler) was stopped and booked into jail in Ritzville, Washington last night. If you've ever been through Ritzville then you know that it's probably the last place in the world that you want to be booked into jail. He's since been released (but not before police found an entire arsenal worth of weapons in various hidden compartments in his SUV.)

8. The courthouse was shut down for part of the day on Tuesday because a pipe bomb was found in someone's backpack.

9. The knitting continues slowly.

Slowly.

2007-03-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

I am knitting slowly. Really, I am knitting less. I am knitting less because I am much more tired when I get home. And. I'm much more obssessed with my job right now then I am with my knitting. That being said, the dolphin lace scarf is coming along. Slowly. I am really enjoying it. The yarn (JaegerSpun Zephyr in Cinnabar) is really a dream to work with (did you know that Cinnabar is radioactive? The mineral, not the color.) The pattern is really very lovely. I do have one complaint though. The pattern rows are offset. In other words, you are working a different pattern row on the first half of the scarf than on the second. This requires a kind of mental gymnastics that makes me want to eat my own hair. Other than that it's going really well.

What Do You Do When Your Purse Sags?

2007-03-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

You felt it. So that's what I did. I took the punk rock purse that I made last summer . Unfortunately, after about eight months of use it sagged. A lot. The sag factor really hampered its usefulness. It was also dirty. So, I decided that since it needed a good wash anyway it was time to felt it. This is something I've been thinking about doing for quite a while and it just seemed like the best time to do it. So, I emptied it out and threw it in the washing machine in hot water on the heavy duty setting. I washed it twice. By that time the bag had shrunk down quite a bit overall and the stitch definition was pretty much lost. The colored portions actually felted more than the white portions of the bag. I don't know why. After I had felted it I removed the lining (which was now too big and unnecessary, and I sewed the zipper back in. I really like it. It's not too small and it has so much more structure to it now:

I've put all the stuff back in it, and given it a bit of a shave. I'm just very pleased with myself. I've also worked several more repeats of the Dolphin Lace scarf. It's definitely coming along.

Dolphin Lace

2007-03-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

I worked on the Dolphin Lace scarf while watching Gross Pointe Blank last night. Then I worked on it some more while we watched the lamest movie ever (picked by Stephen): Just Friends, with Amy Smart.

We also debated the relative political leanings of our cats. Stephen contends that Lucy, our orange kitten, is a Goldwater Republican. I, on the other hand, contend that she is a true diplomat and communicator in the tradition of Jimmy Carter. Then we had a fight with a squirt bottle. I won (although Stephen has yet to concede his obvious defeat.)

Random Thursday

2007-03-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

I watched Guys and Dolls for the first time (with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.) You should too. Frank and Marlon are young and well-proportioned and it's just generally sort of fantastic in a very cheesy musical kind of way.

I am knitting very slowly along on my dolphin lace scarf. Slowly, for a couple of reasons. First, I've been really tired (as usual.) Second, I temporarily lost one of my knitting needles. I left it out on the vanity and one of the household felines knocked it onto the floor.

I finally saw the graffiti on our garage door. Clown smiley face. Nice.

Back to the scarf. It's in garter stitch. I'm not really a big fan of garter stitch. I prefer the smoothness of stockinette knitting. Really, the only advantage to garter stitch is that it's reversible. I am liking the scarf in spite of this though. And, I'm loving the yarn. It really combines the best qualities of wool and silk. The silk content gives the yarn a kind of sheen, but the wool content provides flexibility that would otherwise be lacking.

I joined the Victorian Lace Today Knitalong (at victorianlacealong.blogspot.com.) Since I'm working on my second pattern from the book I figured that I might as well. And I've already found some good advice over there. And lovely pictures. One complaint that I have heard about the book is that there are no close up full sized pictures of the projects. The knit along site is a good place to find some lovely pictures of finished objects.

I've struck up a lively email correspondence with my niece and am very pleased with myself. In addition, she wants to learn to knit!

Stephen's New Socks

2007-02-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

The only bad thing Stephen had to say about these socks is that one of them has an odd pucker on one side. I have no idea what I did to cause the pucker, especially since the other sock does not have the same problem. Maybe it's his feet? I will have him switch feet and let me know if the problem persists, or moves to the other sock.

In work news, a wall is being built in my office (to make it two offices) and as offices are the only things that can be acquired by seniority I will shortly be moving office. My new office will be actually, hilariously small, but I kind of like it already. I'm not a very big person and I think it kind of fits me anyway. (My new office used to be the room where attorneys would interview clients that were in custody via teleconference. There was only enough room for one person and a television because that's all that was necessary.)

My in-laws recently sent us some more stuff. Specifically, a box full of DVD's and Stephen's old music books. Tucked in among the books was a program from Stephen's high school production of "South Pacific" in which he played Luther Billis. Hilarious. I cannot even speak to his hair cut or glasses. Words cannot suffice. If I can get him to agree to it I will scan the picture in. But probably not. You will probably have to settle for my dorky high school pictures, someday (I had a really hideous perm in 9th grade. And I was cheerleader: nylons, granny panties and a kicky skirt: what's not to love?)

I Survived Monday

2007-02-26T21:55:00.000-08:00

That's It. I survived. And I worked a few rows of the Dolphin Lace Scarf. But mostly, I survived.

The Sunday Update

2007-02-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, first and foremost I have to get something off my chest. I have to do something tomorrow that terrifies me. It's totally freaking me out.

Alright. Now that I've established my state of mind (frozen in anxiety) let's move on to the knitting. I finished Roza's Socks. I even took a craptastic photo of them.

This brings the total number of pairs of handknit socks in the house to ten (four pairs for Stephen and six for me. I'm the knitter. I get more socks.) I enjoyed making these socks. They are fantastically simple knitting, really. As long as you read the pattern notes. When I swatched the pattern stitch (the brioche stitch) I started out by bring the yarn forward when I slipped the middle purl stitch purlwise. This made it pretty much impossible to then purl the next stitch. I read the pattern notes and slapped my forehead. Duh. Of course you slip the stitch with the yarn in back. Anyway, once I figured that out these socks flew by. The result is a sock that is both intricate and simple. I have to admit that once I had established the pattern (you repeat the same two rows down the leg and on the top of the foot) I didn't even glance at the pattern again. Possibly, I missed something different about the toe shaping or heel turn or what have you, but I'm okay with that.

I enjoyed working with the Opal solid sock yarn. I like Opal sock yarn a lot and use it frequently. It seems to be harder wearing than Lorna's Laces (a plus when I'm making Stephen's socks) and it comes in an array of non-girly colors. I made these socks on size 1 bamboo dpn's. It seems like my size one's have become my go-to sock knitting needles, replacing my size 2's in that capacity. Perhaps I've become a looser knitter over time?

Before I can tell you what my next project is, I should first tell you that I did a little yarn shopping yesterday. I went to the shop just down the street and lo and behold! They had several skeins of JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk. I was floored. And then promptly bought three skeins of it: one in the cinnabar (red) color, and two in the violet color. I bought it because I had read on lots of blogs and on message boards how much other knitters like this yarn for lace knitting, and I had been planning to order some from Fiddlesticks Knitting for a long time, but had never actually done it.

Now, I know that I said in my last post that I couldn't wait to start on the Bayerische socks, and that is still pretty much true. However, after finishing my third pair of socks in the space of a month I decided that I needed a break from sock knitting and the Zephyr was calling to me. So instead I cast on for the Dolphin Lace scarf from Victorian Lace Today (page 106.)

This scarf is going to be gift for my mom. It's in red, which is her color and she has hinted that she might like something done in lace. So far I have mainly been confused by this pattern. This is a reversible (done in garter stitch) double-bordered scarf, and it violates all of the lace knitting rules that I have ever known. First the border patterns are staggered. What I mean by that is the left-hand side border is one row ahead of the right-hand side border. This also means that you have two right sides and two wrong sides. When you are on the right side for the righ-hand side border you are on the wrong side for the left-hand side border. It's making me a little crazy. Especially since the pattern doesn't explain this. No, I found this out by googling the scarf and finding a Victorian Lace Today knit along page. Now, eventually I would have figured this out because the pattern wouldn't work otherwise, but I wouldn't have figured it out until much later and painful frogging would have ensued. On the other hand, and to my credit, I did take the time to write out the charts this time. As Grumperina mentioned, the charts are just too small in the book, even for someone with perfect eyesight.

Stephen successfully replaced the faucet yesterday and the villagers (me) rejoiced. I ran two miles on the treadmill today and my heart rejoiced. I came home and made pizza and my fat cells rejoiced. Oh! And I also watched several hours of a series of shows on the History channel about illegal drugs. Fascinating. Do you know who first synthesized and patented heroin in the mid to late 1800's? Bayer. Yes, that Bayer. The Bayer that makes the aspirin. It was marketed as a pain reliever, cough suppresant, sleep inducer, and generl cure-all. You could get it mail order through the Sears and Roebuck catalog, complete with a syringe. And Merck invented Ecstasy (MDMA.)

There Are 1.4 million + People With the First Name Jennifer in the United States

2007-02-24T21:19:00.001-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
909
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

2007-02-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen Sink

2007-02-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

My kitchen sink is broken. Specifically, the faucet is broken. It started squirting water out of the base last night. So Stephen is fixing it. To be more specific, he is swearing profusely while trying to install the kit he bought that replaces all of the seals in the faucet mechanism. So it's been a great morning so far. Especially since this is solely a one-person job and requires that the cold water for the house be turned off. That means: no shower, no teeth brushing, no flushing the toilet. Sounds fabulous here at Chez Burns doesn't it? Maybe I could brush my teeth and then swish with leftover cold coffee?

I finished the first sock for Stephen this morning and he tried it on. It fits although there is a wierd pull on the right hand side of the sock. I'm not sure what's creating it but I suspect that it will be fine once it's blocked and worn a bit. It seems to work that way with most of the socks that I make. I cast on immediately for the second sock and I am working away on it. I have to admit that Eunny Jang's Bayerische socks are really calling out to me right now. I really want to start them. I love the twisted stitches. Love them. I also like the ribbed cables. Genius. I have to stop writing about this right now because I really, really want to throw aside this second sock to start on the Bayerische socks immediately. It's a bit of a problem.

This morning I talked with a friend of mine who is also a public defender. It was great. Even though we are at opposite sides of the country, we deal with a lot of the same issues. It's good to know that the plight of the public defender is very much the same wherever you go.

Since I started writing this post Stephen had to leave again because he broke one of the little doohickies that goes inside the faucet and now he has to try to buy a new one. So, I may not get to brush my teeth today. Don't you wish you could come over? Also, in response to Moni's question about the picture of my latvian mittens: no, I was not in Riverside State Park. I was across the street from the park. So, close enough.

I Went to a Union Meeting Last Night

2007-02-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

And I nearly finished turning the heel on the first of Stephen's socks by the end.

I settled on the Roza's sock pattern from the Spring 2007 IK by Grumperina. I think this is a fantastic pattern. It's really simple, really easy to memorize and yet interesting enough to keep me from wanting to suffer some kind of knitting related injury so that I don't have to knit it anymore. This is how far I got today:

It's coming. Slowly. I'm just exhausted when I get home. I'm still knitting at night but not as quickly and not as long as I usually do. I have had another request to teach someone how to use dpn's though. That should be fun.

Really, I Made Two

2007-02-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

The Sunday Update

2007-02-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Latvian Mitten Project stats:
Pattern: Chart No. 53 from Latvian Mittens
Yarn: Drops Alpaca in cream and pink (I used about 3/4 of each ball)
Needles: Size 1 dpn's
Mods: Omitted the fringe on the cuff because I hate fringe and substituted a full braid for the half braid on the cuff, to prevent rolling.

This mitten went pretty well, with a couple of exceptions. I would like to take this opportunity to add to my Latvian Mittens directions:

5. Center your chart pattern on the back of the hand.

if you're planning to do two full repeats of the chart then this may not be necessary, but still, it can't hurt to check. I did one thing with this pair of mittens that proved to be a very good idea. If you read the patterns in the book then you will learn that the author recommends that you work the top decreases on the mitten and the thumb with alternating colors. In other words when you work the decreases you: knit two togetherwith the contrasting color, knit one with the main color, then knit two together through the back loop with the contrasting color. There are many advantages to this technique. First, you are alternating colors at a point in the mitten where some wonky gaps can tend to develop. The alternation of the colors helps pull these three stitches together and correct that. Eventually you're going to end up working the decreases around a dpn join. Alternating the colors makes this easier and less likely to pull together unattractively. Third, it looks pretty, and like you planned it that way. I also succeeded in continuing the pattern around the top decreases, a definite aesthetic plus. And next time I plan to make one more improvement to my mitten-kung-fu. I will place the beginning of the round (the part that always looks like ass) at the side of the mitten instead of the middle of the palm. It occurred to me while I was knitting this pair that, really, no one looks at the side of a mitten, unless its to admire hte way you alternated the colors on the top decreases. All in all I'm ridiculously pleased with the mittens. And it's a good thing too since I was starting to think about poking my own eyes out with my dpn's. I was really, really ready to be finished with these mittens.

Which brings me to another observation. I'm working hard enough at my job that I have a lot less energy for knitting (and other things) when I get home. It's an interesting sensation. And a good one.

One of the reasons that I wanted to finish up the mittens so badly is that I have had two other projects on my mind. Really, I have had two other yarns on my mind. At my last expedition to Holy Threads I picked up two skeins of solid colored sock yarn, one for me and one for Stephen. This is my first solid sock yarn purchase. This is my first solid sock yarn purchase because this is the first time that solid sock yarn has been available to me locally. I know that I can buy it on the internet, but I would really need to plan ahead, find an online seller that I trusted and that had what I wanted and then purchase. And then wait for it to come in the mail. Anyway, I haven't done that yet. Instead, I bought two skeins of Opal sock yarn solids, one in navy blue (for Stephen) and one in dusty pink (for me.)

I didn't have any particular plan for the navy blue, other than to make socks for Stephen. I did, however, have a specific plan for the pink. Namely, Eunny Jang's Bayerische sock (which can be found here: http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/09/bayerische_sock_part_ii.html.) I love this sock! I generally salivate whenever Eunny puts something up on her blog, but this sock is really amazing, and even better, the pattern is free! I love this sock but it's obvious that knitting it in a multi-colored sock yarn would be worse than a waste of my time. It would be an insult to Eunny's brilliant pattern. So, I had decided to wait until I could find the right yarn to make it. The Opal seemed like the perfect fit. It's a fantastic sock yarn in a solid color. I swatched up the pattern last night and this morning and as soon as I finish Stephen's new socks, that's going to be my next project.

And Stephen's socks? Finding men's sock patterns are always a bit of a challenge because I don't have that many and I don't like making the same pattern over and over again (although this would make him perfectly happy.) I swatched Roza's socks from the new IK. I also have some other ideas. I like Roza's socks because they are a simple pattern, with a twist. These are the brain child of Grumperina (www.grumperina.com/knitblog,) and are basically a 3x3 rib with a brioche stitch thrown in. They're nice and not too feminine, I think. I haven't completely made up my mind yet but I will probably do so today.

Finis

2007-02-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

The Latvian Mitten Saga, Part 3

2007-02-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Goal: Two Latvian Mittens
Scorecard:
Mitten #1:
Cast On: Right Color, Right number of stitches: +2
1st Braid:Executed Correctly: +1, Bonus Point: executed without wanting to eat own hair: +1
1st Pattern Motif: Executed Correctly: +1, Picked up an extra stitch mysteriously: -1
Thru Main Motif: Correct: +3 points. Realize that extra stitch is better than original plan:+1
Main Pattern Motif through R. 4: Correct. +1. Failed to place thumb gore on this round: -4
Main Pattern Motif through R. 8: Correct +1. Realize that thumb gore should have been placed on R. 4: +1. Failed to frog back to R. 4 and place thumb gore where it should be: -1
Through R. 27: Correct: +1. Realize that pattern not centered: +1. Frog back 27 rows: +27
Reknit Main Pattern Motif: +27
Knit top decreases correctly, with alternating colors schemes: +18
Knit thumb correctly, with althernating color scheme at teh top decreaess, with pattern going up and down the thumb, respectively: +30
Total Score for Mitten #1: 100 points
And isn't it pretty?

Mitten #2:
Knit mitten correctly up to the main pattern motif: +5, Bonus point for casting on an extra stitch: +1
Knit first 4 rounds of main pattern motif: Correct. +4
Forget thumb gore until round 8: -4
Extra penalty for making the same mistake twice: -4
Tinking back immediately upon discovery: +8
Preliminary score: 10

The Scorpion and The Toad

2007-02-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

The scorpion, in the course of a long journey, encounters a river. The scorpion cannot swim and so he is momentarily stymied until he spies the toad, on the opposite river bank. "Toad!" the scorpion calls out, "will you please let me ride on your back to the other side of the river because, you see, I cannot swim." "No way," replied the toad, "if I let you ride on my back you will sting me!" To which the scorpion replied, "But if I am riding on your back and I sting you then we will both die because I cannot swim." After thinking on it for a moment or two the toad agrees, swims over to the opposite bank of the river where the scorpion jumps onto his back and he turns to swim to the other side. When the toad, with the scorpion riding on his back, gets to the middle of the river, the scorpion stings him. "Scorpion!" Exclaimed the toad, "Why did you sting me? Now we both die."

"Because it is in my nature." Was the scorpion's response.

This is a folk tale, a parable. Basically, it stands for the proposition that we have to expect people to act in a way that is true to their nature. A person is not going to act in a way that is contrary to their basic nature, even if they fully intend to act differently in any particular circumstance. It's something to remember.

I did not knit a single stitch yesterday. I was too dead tired. And the records called out to be perused. I will be knitting tonight though.

Things That Come in the Mail

2007-02-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

My in-laws sent us all of their old records. By records, I mean vinyl. Included in the four 50+-lb.-each-boxes was this:

That is a "Meet the Beatles" record, with the original price tag still affixed to the cover. Pretty cool. There are also several Peter, Paul and Mary records, and a couple of those are signed. While we're on the subject, my MIL recently sent me a beautiful set of china. It has 12 place settings (which begs the question: when will I have a house big enough to accomodate 12 people eating at the same time?) and it has blue flowers and is beautiful. I love it.

I'm continuing to enjoy my job. My busiest court day is on Mondays. There are some disadvantages to this: it's Monday, and Monday is Monday. There are also some advantages: the hardest part of my week is done Monday afternoon. That's a good thing.

On the knitting front, I finished the first latvian mitten on Sunday and started the second. I'm glad that I ripped those 27 rows to center the pattern on the back of the hand. It's quite lovely.

27 Rows

2007-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is where I was this morning:

Twenty-seven rows into the main pattern. Only four rows from the start of the top decreases. Unfortunately, there was to be a bit of a detour before I could move on. I realized several rows ago that I had failed to take into account one crucial detail when I drew my charts and started knitting my pattern: was the main pattern centered on the back of my hand? No. It wasn't. This morning I decided that a non-centered pattern would not do. So:

First, I pulled out the needles. Then:

I frogged furiously. That one stitch marker off to the left? It marked the row that I needed to frog down to. In just a few minutes, I was back to where I was three or four days ago. Sigh.

Several good things will come from this sacrifice though: the pattern is now centered over the back of the hand, and I placed the thumb gore a few rows lower than I had originally which means that I should be able to arrange the top decreases so that the mitten is finished at the same tim as the main pattern. Symmetry.

Work was exhausting this week. I spent a good part of my Thursday afternoon trying to hunt up a judge to sign a couple of orders. Unfortunately, I seemed to have picked the absolute worst time to attempt it. Several judges were in meetings, several were on the bench, and still others were already gone (there was a judicial conference in Seattle that started Friday.) It was a little panic inducing.

Filler Until My Brain Rests

2007-02-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

What Historic Woman Are You?
Queen Medb Queen Medb was an Irish queen, and what a queen! She ruled HER WAY or the HIGHWAY. When arguing with her husband over who had the greater fortune, she got so mad that she called a war on a neighboring kingdom to capture a bull so that she'd be wealthier than her husband. She was impulsive, temperamental, and passionate, just like you. But try and be a little calmer. Read more about this fascinating woman: http://www.angelfire.com/de/arkhamhaus/medb.html
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

The Latvian Mitten, Part III

2007-02-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

Knitting a Latvian Mitten is a process. Really, it's a serious project. It starts when you first get the burning desire to knit a Latvian Mitten. Once that happens, you're in for it. From there, there are several steps that you need to execute:

1. Pick a pattern (and chart.) I chose Chart 53.

2. Pick your colors and buy your yarn. Try to make sure that the colors don't look like ass together. I'm using Drops Alpaca.

3. Swatch. This step is so important when it comes to making this kind of two-color project that you cannot skip it. Make a two color swatch. I usually pick a portion of the project chart and knit a few rows of it. In this case, stitch gauge is important and row gauge is decidedly less so (unless you're really anal retentive.) This is my swatch:

4. Block your swatch.

5. While your swatch is blocking, make your charts. The charts in the book Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis are not complete (they only show the back of the hand while the pictures of the mittens all show the palm,) they are in black and white so that all of the black stitches run together, and they are small. You also have to determine how many stitches wide each chart motif is. This will help you in determining how many stitches to cast on. These are my charts:

6. Consider your roll-prevention options. When I knit Stephen's mittens, I followed the chart and knit a half-braid at the bottom of the cuff. That was insufficient to keep the cuff from rolling. I blocked the cuffs down on his mittens, but even now they are a little roll-y. As a result I knit a full braid on the bottom cuff of my mittens (and omitted the fringe. I hate fringe.)

7. Measure your gauge swatch and figure out your gauge. Then measure your hand. This is what I do:I measure my hand, fingers held together and straight out, right below the thumb. That meanst that my measurement does not include the thumb. Then I add an inch to the measurement.

8. Once you have calculated how many stitches to cast on, you can cast on and knit.

I picked my pattern on Saturday, bought my yarn Saturday morning, swatched Saturday night, started my charts on Saturday night, worked on them all day Sunday and finally cast on Sunday night for my mitten. This is what I've got so far:

I've knit past the first chart, and have started chart two. The other thing that I might mention is that I am not a perfectionist when it comes to decreasing in the pattern for the top decreases, or for making sure that I have enough stitches to have complete pattern repeats. My hands are small, and the main pattern in this mitten is 48 stitches wide. I only cast on 75 stitches. Two full pattern repeats: 96 stitches, would be way, way too big for me and one pattern repeat wouldn't fit over my hand. As a result, I've opted to have a wonky, non-symmetrical join in the middle of the palm of the mitten. That's fine by me. If you know that it will bother you, then you should pick patterns where you can get full pattern repeats and still fit your hand.

I'm really enjoying knitting these, by the way. And my new co-workers? Super talented people, many of whom are crafty. I've already had one request for a dpn lesson and the person who shares my office has hemmed two of my suit jackets (the sleeves were too long. As usual.)

Wide Bordered Scarf

2007-02-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, well, I know that I'm actually a project past the wide bordered scarf but I also realized that I hadn't done a proper write up of the pattern, etc. Plus, I don't want to take pictures of my current project yet.

Wide Bordered Scarf Project Stats:

Pattern: Victorian Lace Today, Wide Bordered Scarf, Page 96.
Yarn: Handmaiden Sea Silk, in green
Needles: Size 7 Straights
Mods: Different yarn, removed a pattern repeat

First, I substituted a yarn in this pattern (the pattern sample was made from hand spun silk.) And I didn't have quite as many yards as the pattern called for. This meant that ultimately, I made the border five repeats wide instead of eight, and only worked one repeat of the center panel to compensate. The resulting scarf is very long. I looked at it on me again on Friday in front of the mirror. It's probably close to 120" long (twice as long as I am tall.) I love it. I actually like my scarves very long.

The yarn: this is my first sea silk purchase. It is very soft. It is also on the heavy side for a lace weight yarn. In fact, it's about on par with Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Sock (a fingering weight yarn.) I really like the way it feels and the sheen of it. It's really beautiful.

Except for one small glitch, the pattern was perfect. You do have to flip to the back to read the instructions for the cast off and the knitted on border, but the instructions make sense and are easy to follow. My one suggestion for anyone knitting from this book is that you might wan to draw out your own chart for the lace. There's nothing wrong with the chart in the book, but it rather small. I kept having to lean over and count little squares (how many knit stitches in a row?) I would also recommend putting a stitch marker between the two separate halves of the border (one half being a garter stitch diamond stitch, and the other half being a stockinette trellis stitch.) This will help you keep track of where you are in the chart.

Might I just say that I really like the effect of the wide border? The center panel stitch is very pretty, and the border itself sort of ruffles and flows really well because it is wider than the scarf itself. The best thing is that this scarf requires less than 450 yards of yarn. In fact, if you bought a skein of sea silk you could conceivably make two 60" scarves. That's pretty economical.

How About Them Bears?

2007-02-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, really I'm not watching the Superbowl because I'm up here blogging instead. Stephen and I went and saw Pan's Labyrinth today. There are only things you should know about this movie:

1. You should go see it.

2. It is not kid friendly.

3. You should go see it.

4. It is very violent.

5. You should go see it.

6. Ofelia's stepfather is a nazi. Literally. It took me about a half an hour before I figured that out.

7. You should go see it.

8. This movie is basically the bastard child of Schindler's List and Lord of the Rings.

9. It is the brainchild of Guillermo Del Toro.

10. You should go see it.

I also finished my Kew socks and they fit perfectly.

I love them and I wore them to the movies today. My next project? Latvian Mittens. For me. In Drops Alpaca, white and pink, Chart 53 in Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis. I swatched last night and am currently transferring the chart to graph paper so that I can figure out the math.

I Survived My First Week

2007-02-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

And it was fun. Really. And interesting. And engaging. And I no longer feel like a large man is sitting on my heart. That last one has got to be a good thing, right? Ask me after Monday afternoon though. I'm going to do the Monday afternoon docket by myself. I'm certain that I will fuck up at least once. If not more.

You know what else I did? I also took pretty pictures of my wide bordered scarf.

In this one you can see the leaf pattern in the center panel. In this one:

You can see that it's quite long. Well over my 60 inches. Maybe 72? It's very long, and quite wide. I love it and have been wearing it to work most of the week.

I made some progress on the second sock last night while watching Jesus Christ Superstar, which by the way, is hilarious. I'm starting to jones a little for the yarn buying experience. I haven't bought yarn since December. Maybe early January? It's been a few weeks and I'm feeling it. I want to buy yarn for my new pair of Latvian mittens, I want to buy yarn to start in on my Dulaan knitting. I want to buy yarn to knit Stephen more socks since he loves them so much. I just plain want to buy yarn. Unfortunately, I just found out today that both of the head gaskets in my car are bad and need to be replaced. That is going to be expensive.

Break A Leg

2007-02-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have survived my fourth day of work at the new job. Today, the prosecutor gave me her offers on the files that are coming up on pre-trial conferences and show cause hearings next week. Also, I was allowed to touch the files. My computer is a little bonkers and the network seems to have some issues. I can use my phone, but the voice mail is still assigned to the last person who had the phone. Apparently there is only one guy who deals with the phones in the whole network. I am not high on his priority list.

I am (loving this job) hoping to break a leg on my way in tomorrow.

I started the second Kew sock last night. I finished the first last night. I must tell you that I sized them perfectly:

LLSS
Size 1 needles
60 stitches.

Perfect. I like my socks pretty tight and I have small feet so I usually have to decrease the pattern width and length to make socks fit properly. Sometimes I forget this and it comes back to bite me in the ass. Pictures soon. I promise.

The Week As It Goes (And Comes)

2007-01-31T18:24:00.001-08:00

Well, I started in at the new job on Monday. I visited a client in jail for the first time. It was pretty funny when I got in the elevator because my instinct was to push the button of the floor I was going to. You can't do that in a jail. They have a camera and an intercom so that the guy in the booth (somewhere in the jail) can press the button for you. The room that I met with my client in was tiny and slightly claustrophobic and the intercom didn't work. That meant that there was a lot of screaming through thick glass. I also went to court on Monday afternoon to observe. Amazing. It is nothing short of chaos.

Today is my wedding anniversary. I've been married for three years. It's been a very good three years.

I finished knitting my wide bordered scarf, and hopefully I will get a picture of it soon. The Kew socks are coming along. I'm halfway through the foot of the first sock.

That's all I've got for now. I'm enjoying the new job. I've got a couple of weeks of training, and then I'm off on my own (kind of, there are plenty of people willing to help, provide knowledge, assistance, and forms.) My first trial is scheduled for March 1. Should be interesting.

Shit.

2007-01-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

1. I missed my blog-a-versary. January 24. I've been blogging faithfully for a year.

2. I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. last night and didn't roll my lazy self out of bed until 11:00 this morning. I haven't done that in years.

3. I dreamed about the new job all night long. And Friday night. One dream after another.

4. I finished up the wide bordered scarf (page 96, Victorian Lace Today) last night.

I haven't blocked it yet. This is what I have left over from the skein of sea silk:

Not too bad. Not enough left to do anything with, but not so much left that I feel guilty about it. And if I ever need to fix the scarf, I will have a little sea silk to do it with.

5. After I finished up the scarf, I started working in earnest on Kew. This is what I have so far:

6. I discovered through the magic of google analytics that this here blog has been added to the list of public defender blogs over at pdstuff.blogspot.com. Who knew? Also, I'm apparently one of three blogs written by public defenders that are primarily knitting blogs. Actually, that doesn't surprise me. Knitting seems like the perfect things to go with the practice of law.

7. I bought new clothes yesterday. Really expensive clothes. In other words, money that I would normally have spent on yarn I spent on clothes instead. Anyway, I found one pair of pants that don't ride up in the crotch and don't make me itch. Go Ralph Lauren! I also found a fabulous skirt. Really. It's appropriately lawyerly and yet also not hideously ugly. There were some other things too, like a wool dress shirt, but you get the idea.

8. You know? I think I'm done.

I Cleaned Out My Office Today

2007-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

And good god, can you imagine how much crap I have collected in a somewhat large-ish office over the course of the last five years and some months? Lots. Some of it mine, some of it belonging to the firm, a lot of it stuff I should have thrown out at least months ago, if not years. Now, don't get me wrong, the office is still (as I sit in it) a bit of a pit. But a much cleaner and more empty pit than it was a few days ago. I'm surprised at myself, really. As I waded through the stuff I found myself getting a little nostalgic about my time here and old clients and stuff. Nothing like seeing the past through rose-colored glasses.

And what else have I been up to (aside from cleaning out my office, cleaning up my files, completely freaking the fuck out about the new job and ordering myself a new social security card with my married name on it?) Well, I've been watching some figure skating. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are being held in Spokane this year, right now. Do you think that maybe after the men skate I will be able to go downtown and find Evan Lysacek crying into his beer? Or perhaps Johnny Weir drowning his sorrows in an Appletini? Are they even 21? I have no idea. And honestly, I couldn't care less about the men's event. I like to watch the women. I have a couple new favorite skaters, including Kimmie Meisner and Beatrisa Liang. I also think the "technical advisor" should have her vision checked. If you were watching the women's short program last night, then you know what I mean. At least the announcers are pronouncing Spokane correctly. ("Kane" is pronounced like "can." Spo-can. Not Spo-cane.) And just in case you were wondering, this is a big deal for Spokane. Even the novice rounds were pretty much sold out.

As far as the knitting goes, I haven't worked a round on Kew since I cast on in the doctor's office. I'm really a one project kind of girl. I finished the center panel on my wide-bordered scarf and am knitting the second border. It's interesting. It's a knitted on border, and the border itself is knit horizontally. Basically, you have the last row of center panel stitches still on your needle, live. And then you have the border stitches. On every wrong side row you knit the last border stitch together with one stitch from the last row of the center panel. It's ingenious. I really like it. No awkward sewing of the border on or any of that nonsense. I have many rows to go, but I will take a picture of the scarf tonight. I really like it and look forward to wearing it.

Alright, I know that some of you (John Hanscom) have asked what my new job is. I haven't posted it until now both out of a weird superstition (what if I posted it and then they changed their mind?) and because I just didn't know how I wanted to say it. I'm going to be a public defender. I start Monday. I'm terrified.

This and That

2007-01-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been an exciting day so far. First thing this morning I went out to the garage to start my car and head into work, and when I pushed the button to open the garage door there's nothing but a screeching sound and one side of the garage opens about a foot, and the other side only a couple of inches. The door was well and truly fucked. So, I called Stephen (he goes to work about an hour and half before I do) and he came home and we figured out that the chain (spring loaded) on the side that didn't open had snapped. Eventually, we gave up on opening the door and decided that the best we could do was get the door to close all the way so that our stuff wouldn't mysteriously disappear during the day. To do that we had to sever the chain on the other side (because it's spring loaded.) So, long story short Stephen brought me in to work (late) and then took the afternoon off to call a guy. The door is fixed now (the guy was quick!) and my car is no longer in garage limbo. There is nothing like trying to lift a steel door to expose a person's wimpiness.

While waiting for the doctor to come in and give me my (company-mandated) physical (to prove that I am fit to sit behind a desk and read files) I cast on for Kew. For myself. In the leftover LL Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet from the pair I made for my mom. I had worked a couple of rows by the time she came in. We chatted about the cost of medical school and law school and she told me that she had thought about getting her law degree after she retires. I told her that she should find something better to do in her retirement. Because seriously? Law school, like anything else worth doing, exacts a price, requires a sacrifice. It's not a thing to be taken lightly.

I've continued working on the wide bordered scarf. I'm down to 31 grams of yarn. As I get nearer the correct weight (21 grams) for starting the border I have started to worry about the accuracy of my kitchen scale. It's just a little, cheap, digital scale that I bought at Fred Meyer so that I could weigh ingredients (like the flour that goes into a loaf of bread) and not be left guessing when recipes give the ingredient measurements in weight instead of volume. As a result, it's really not that accurate. I plan to kind of play it by ear, weigh often, and start the border early if I need to. I'm also prepared to rip back if necessary to start the border earlier. The scarf is coming out very pretty though. I really like the leafy center panel.

Most of the time I watch (listen to) movies or television when I knit. Lately though, since we bought the iMac, I've been sitting upstairs and listening to podcasts instead. And very lately, over the last month or so I've been listening to books from Librivox.org. Do you know about Librivox? Every knitter should know about Librivox. The site contains audio files of books that are in the public domain (that are no longer protected by copyright) and read by volunteers. There are lots of classics, and not just fiction. There are scientific books (Einsteins's General Theory of Relativity, Darwin's Origin of the Species, etc.) as well as beloved classics, like Emma, Pride and Prejudice, The Wizard of Oz books, as well as many, many other works. I recently listened to all of Brenda Dayne's reading of The Age of Innocence, and am currently listening to Emma. It's a great site. I can't recommend it enough.

Of Socks and Scales and Scarves and Lace, Sizing and Skeins

2007-01-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

I got to wear my Pomatomus socks today and I have a few thoughts. I could have gone smaller. Perhaps a whole pattern repeat smaller. They're not really that big, except they're just big enough to sag a little, so that I have to pull them up. Again, if you're going to make these, make them smaller than you think they need to be. That's my advice. I do love them in spite of this one flaw and I don't intend to frog them. I will wear them as is. They are soft and warm, and thanks to the Socks That Rock, cushiony. And they are pretty:

I cast on for the lacy scarf from Victorian Lace Today and worked the first border this morning. I am using a different yarn than the pattern yarn and that has led to some interesting dilemmas. First, I did figure out that I had 437 yards (approximately) of this stuff. That isn't as much as the 450 yards that the pattern calls for. So, I decided to calculate the ratio of the two borders to the center pattern motif so that I could tweak the pattern so that I won't run out of yarn (this stuff is too expensive, really, to make me want to buy more) and so that I won't have an odd-ment left over (again, it's expensive!) I figured out that there is a 23-44-23 ratio. In other words, the first border comprises 23% of the total scarf, the center panel 44%, and the second border 23%. Then I got out my handy kitchen scale and weighed the ball of yarn:

96 grams. That means that I should use approximately 27 grams of yarn per border, and 43 grams for the center panel. I cast on.

The border is worked sideways and incorporates a lacy leaf bit above a trellis pattern. After I had worked five of the eight pattern repeats, I measured my piece and found it to be about 13 inches wide. Really wide. I weighed my remaining ball of yarn. 75 grams. That means that I had only used 21 grams of yarn, but the scarf was so wide already that I figured that I would cast off and just make the scarf a little longer in the center panel. So that's what I did and that's the plan that I've decided to follow, at least for now. If I do this correctly then I will use up almost all of my yarn, but not run out. The pattern is fantastic, by the way. I've only found one wierd part. After you cast off the first border you then are instructe to pick up stitches along the straight edge of the border (this is obvious if you've knit the border) with the right side facing you. however, your yarn is attached to the piece in such a way that you can't pick up the stitches with the right side facing without breaking the yarn. Since this seemed like a singularly wasteful thing to do, I picked up the stitches with the wrong side facing me and just worked an extra row in garter stitch so that I was back in synch with the pattern. This is my progress so far:

Top Three Reasons I'm Not Going to MIss My Old Job

2007-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

1. I will never have to answer the phone again.

2. I will have the freedom to end conversations where someone is verbally abusing me.

3. I may never be bored at work again.

At first I thought that I would make a top ten list, but then I started wriing it and realized that most of the stuff on the list was little stuff, the kind of stuff that gets to you not because of the incident itself but because of the accumulation of it over time. So, what you have here are my top three reasons, which I think adequatly encompass all of the things that made me unhappy about my current job. Not having enough work to keep me busy made me look for other things to do, which led me to answering the phone, answering the phone led to me being the only person answering the phone, me being the only person answering the phone led to me being constantly interrupted when I did have work to do, the constant interruptions led to me being less efficient at completing my own work. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm basically going to be starting all over again at my new job. It will be like I'm fresh out of law school again, because I have never practiced in this area of the law. I have little courtroom experience (a shortcoming that will quickly be remedied) and my case load is going to triple and accelerate all at the same time.

In knitting news, I finished my pomatomus socks last night and they are currently drying by the heater vent. This morning I decided that it was time to cast on using the Sea Silk that Stephen bought me for Christmas. I ran into two problems. First, the Sea Silk needed to be wound into a ball. Since I don't have a ball winder, I usually enlist Stephen's help to hand wind skeins. Even with his help though I ended up spending a little over an hour untangling the latter half of the skein. That sucked ass. I really don't understand why some skeins wind into a ball relatively easily, and some skeins basically refuse to. The second hurdle that I ran into was that I thought the skein was 500 meters, instead of 400 meters, so I'm going to have to sit down and rework the pattern that I intend to use. Which pattern, you ask (you being the imaginary reader in my mind)? The scarf with the french trellis border on page 98 of Victorian Lace Today. Wait! I just opened the book and saw that the pattern actually calls for 450 yards of yarn. Interesting. Now, I have to go consult Dr. Google to find out how many meters make up 450 yards.

2007-01-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Pomatomus Progress

2007-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

My first thought about this pattern is that it’s pretty rare that a sock pattern with 72 stitches is going to fit my foot. Especially if said pattern is worked on size 2 needles. So, I cast on 60 stitches. When I had finished 1 ½ repeats on the leg of the first sock I tried it on, and found that it seemed to be on the brink of being too small. So I only worked 2 repeats of the pattern on the leg (instead of 3) reasoning that if the sock was slightly on the small side then it would be better shorter than longer. I need not have worried. Once I finished the sock and tried it on I found that it fit me perfectly fine, and it probably would have fit me if I had cast on, say, 55 stitches. So, if you’re considering making this pattern and are worried about sizing I would really urge you to go smaller rather than larger. This pattern is very, very stretchy. In a good way.

I have to confess that when the pattern was first published I was very much intrigued and wanted to knit it. I even brought the pattern to gym to peruse while I exercised on the treadmill. Unfortunately, I soon read in blogland that the pattern was really difficult to execute. Even the Yarn Harlot proclaimed it to be so. I got a little spooked. What if I was being over-confident? What did I know? Maybe I couldn’t really knit this pattern. So I put it away for a while, to age. I still intended to knit the pattern but I just wasn’t ready to tackle it yet. Because I had inwardly decided that Pomatomus was “too hard,” when I decided to tackle it I was still working on that premise: the pattern was “too hard” for me and maybe I couldn’t really knit it because maybe I wasn’t that smart of a knitter after all.

I was wrong of course. The pattern is challenging and slightly fiddly, but really, it’s no more difficult than the Embossed Leaves Socks. In fact, the stitch pattern for Pomatomus was much easier to memorize. And it was no more fiddly than Kew. Less so. So, the stitch pattern is easy to memorize, not that fiddly, and the sock construction is basically like every other top-down, heel flap heel, square toe sock that I have every knit. And. The stitch pattern is ingenious. Seriously. The combination of the twisted stitch rib with the corresponding yarn overs and decreases creates this scaly pattern that is not only an innovative bit of lace, but stands out in relief. It’s lacy but also textured. It’s very cool.

In light of all the nice things that I have to say about the pattern, I feel that I should disclose the not so nice things as well. First, the entire pattern is worked in a twisted stitch rib. For me, this means that I knit it slowly because I have to switch the yarn from front to back or back to front with each stitch. In addition, all of the knit stitches are knit through the back loop and it took me a good while to get into the rhythm of it. I think the chart for the pattern is also somewhat misleading. You are always knitting the knits and purling the purls in this pattern but portions of the charts make it appear that you are knitting the purls and purling the knits. If you follow the pattern, stitch by stitch, you will be fine but this discrepancy could be very confusing. You also have to purl through the back loop on the heel flap, a maneuver that I find to be pretty fiddly. But it’s pretty.

My other problems with the pattern all relate to the fact that I took out a pattern repeat, and substituted a yarn. The beauty of casting on 72 stitches is that when you divide 72 you get 36 which is three full pattern repeats. I cast on 60 stitches, which is 30 stitches when you divide it, or 2 ½ pattern repeats on the top of the foot. Since the stitch pattern on the top of the foot simply continues from the leg, that meant that I had six stitches (half a repeat) before the full two pattern repeats. What to do with those six stitches that doesn’t look jackassed? In the end I did a kind of modified stitch repeat. I knit in twisted rib for the first four or five rows, then threw in the decrease and yarn over that would be knit if there was a full repeat there. I continued in this way until row 17 or so, then finished up in twisted rib. Basically, I fudged it the best that I could. The finished product looks pretty good though. I put in enough of the increases and decreases to make little points on the side of the foot, and the rest isn’t really noticeable.

My last gripe isn’t with the pattern, but with the way the toe on my finished sock looks. Since the Socks That Rock yarn that I’m using is of a much heavier gauge then the pattern yarn, I had to overcompensate and ended up decreasing every row for seven? ten? rows to get the sock to be the right length. I don’t like the way that it looks because the drastic decreasing caused little funny points on the sides of the toe. I think I’m going to have to rip back and start the toe decreases a half a repeat sooner. Right now, the socks would be fine for wearing around the house but I can’t imagine trying to stuff those toes into shoes.