Crayon Box Jacket...

Is finally done.

The picture makes it look uneven, but that's just how I'm standing, I guess. Chris' designs are really sharp, and classic. This was a fun project. It is really good for when you want to be a little creative and play with color. It actually is just like coloring - the lines are there for you, and you just have to fill them in!

My next Chris Bylsma project? Out on the Town. You can see it live and in person at the Chris Bylsma Trunk Show at Crazy for Ewe.

My Ninja

Beach week

The view from our beach house is lovely. This photo was taken yesterday (even though the date stamp is wrong) - the day we arrived. Colton wanted to get in the water first thing this morning, so out we went. Unfortunately, it was kind of overcast today, and the wind was whipping the sand around stinging our legs. So, we endured about an hour of that and then had a dip in the hot tub.

I've been knitting on Kolsva. I know I should be finishing Chutes and Ladders, but this is such a quick and easy knit. Kinda like cheese and crackers for dinner - hey, I'm at the beach. Here's the back.

This is the knit side, which is supposed to be the wrong side, but I'm not a big fan of reverse stockinette, so we may have to see about that.

Every other beach house we've ever rented has come with complete with either complete linens or no linens at all. This house, apparently, comes only with bed linens, so we had to make a trip out to buy bath towels. Just what I want: overpriced, low quality bathroom linens embroidered with *cute* bikinis and flip flop and emblazoned with Cape Hatteras. Oh well. On the way back to the house there was this most amazing rainbow. It stretched all the way from one side of the island to the other and seemed to sink into the ocean. By the time we got back to the house and I got my camera, it had mostly disappeared, but I thought this was kind of nice anyway.

Sunset over the water

My daughter, Katie took these photos at the River Concert last night. Spectacular.

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Chutes and Ladders

Here's a few inches on the Chutes and Ladders cardigan we'll be knitting this Saturday! The little cable twists are staggered, and then the three purl stitches in between are dropped at the bind off row to create this lovely open section. This has gone pretty quickly even though its in 2x2 rib on size 6 needles. It's one of those that's easy enough to do without much thought, but has enough going on that it's not deadly dull. My kinda project!

Rather Huge Carpet Bag comes along

At Joanne's Fabrics the other day, I picked up several sheets of plastic canvas, hoping to give some serious structure to my Rather Huge Carpet Bag. For some reason or the other, I've been anti-sewing lately. Perhaps it's because my sewing machine rebelled against me and started making this clicking sound, which I've been informed means the timing is off. I've been in search of a decent sewing machine repair person who's not 30 miles away, but I've put the whole process out if mind, assuring myself that I hate to sew. But, I so love these Noni Bags, that I want to finish mine in perfect style. So, back to the plastic canvas and requisite lining. The plastic canvas is in, and it wasn't hard to do at all - kinda fun even. And I found a sewing machine guy recommended by one of my customers. Pretty exciting!

Krista Tee -- c'est fini!

I did the back in a size small, and the front in a medium, so I had to fudge it a bit at the shoulder a bit, but it is soooo wonderful. The yarn is Alchemy's Synchronicity 50-50 silk and merino. It feels fabulous against my skin - it took just 5 skeins, and is so totally worth the money. I can't wait to wear this. Now, should I do another one of these in a different yarn, or one of the other spectacular White Lies designs....hmmmm......

Noni Bag Update

I finished the knitting on this bag - here it is unfelted. Talk about huge!


And here it is all felted up.
Now for the finishing...handles, of course, and perhaps lining. I think my sewing machine needs a trip to the doctor's.

Collar Closing Cardigan comes to a close

This was such a fun project to knit. I started it on January 27th with the knit-along, and finished it as we were driving to the airport to pick up Sally Melville March 12th. Less than 6 weeks for a long-sleeved cardigan. Not too bad, really. Of course, I understand that Sally cranks out an average of one project every two weeks. Oh well, that's why she's Sally Melville.

Her stuff really is great. Simple and elegant. Like the Einstein coat

And the Faith Jacket

And I think Wobbly Stripes is next...

...in Noro - should it be Aurora or Cashmere Island???

My Noni Bag

These bags are so fabulous! I have been wanting to do one, but had to finish the collar closing cardigan. So, it's done, and I started the Rather Huge Carpet Bag Friday night. And here it is Sunday night, and I'm more than halfway done. What can I say? March Madness has been good for my knitting. I am totally loving the colors. Of course, the camera is at the shop, so pictures will have to come later. I will definitely try and get a shot of the Collar Cardi too.

Collar Closing Cardigan

When Sally Melville's book Color came out, I totally fell in love with this sweater:

And finally, started it a couple of weeks ago - January 27th, to be precise. It's working up really quickly, and I love the colors. Here's the back of it

And here's a close up of the public side of the collar yarns worked together:

I used Berroco Monet and Louisa Harding Sari Ribbon together with the Aurora 8 merino. You would never think that these three yarns go together, but I love them.

I've done the fronts up to where you begin using the collar yarns, so they should be done soon. I hope to start on the sleeves this weekend and get the whole thing completed by next Friday. Hey, we can all have goals. Julie and Lisa have already finished theirs, so I'll try to get photos posted. Linda's working on hers in a spectacular blue combination. I can't wait to see the collar yarns worked together.

I've already planned my next version of this sweater. Can't wait.

What a hellish day I had yesterday! I woke up feeling like I had pinecones in my throat. We’re talkin’ four Motrin and three Tylenol are not taking care of the pain kind of pain. so I called the doctor’s. They’re very nice there, and they worked me in at 10:30. The PA said my throat looked red and yucky, but not necessarily like strep, so she prescribed Augmentin which is a little bit broader spectrum than plain old Amoxicillin. The kids have taken it for ear infections with no issue, but, I’ve never taken it myself. Well, let me tell you, it his hellish stuff. In the old days they used to die without antibiotics, but after this one, I only wished I were dead. One little pill and I sicker than a dog. That leftover Indian food I had for lunch – big mistake…

So I called the PA. She suggested Keflex. Keflex is the stuff that made my mother’s skin peel right off in sheets, so I said maybe not. We opted for plain old Amoxicillin, and she made me promise to call in three days if I wasn’t feeling lots better. I got home and crawled into bed around 6. When I woke up at 8:30, I was feeling a little better, because the Augmentin was out of my system but even today I’m still trying to swallow that pine cone. Oh, and look, it’s nine o’clock. I can have more Motrin. I think I’ll crawl into bed…and knit. Yes, I feel well enough to knit…

Maybe tomorrow I'll feel well enough to post pictures of my Collar Closing Cardigan.

Friendship

I had lunch with an old friend today. We’re exactly the same age, and we’ve known each other since we were five. Our backyards butted up to each other, and we spent the long summers together lying in the grass, or riding our bikes, or climbing onto the roof of the local elementary school and pondering life from a dizzying height. She was a tomboy, and I was Miss Priss, but we loved each other like sisters. We were inseparable.

Her dad died when we were in fifth grade. It was an unfathomable loss for her whole family – especially her mother, who had married the love of her life. The mention of him still brings tears to her eyes 35 years later. We tried to stay friends through the difficult middle school years, but like all young girls, we developed at different rates and had different interests. The final blow was her mother’s remarriage and the family’s move to another neighborhood. Her new home was not far away, but it separated us by the abyss of different high schools.

We tried to keep in touch, but the familiar rhythm of life together was shattered. She went off to college in North Carolina, and I in Virginia. We seldom saw one another, and it seemed so awkward when we did. How could two people who’d been so close drift so far apart? After college, I got married, and then she did the same. We attended, but did not participate in, one another’s wedding ceremonies. We continued to keep in touch through Christmas cards, but I was living in California, and she in Maryland. We moved back east, and something drew us back together. It was more than just the physical proximity. I’m not sure what. Perhaps it was her insight on the unhappiness of my marriage before I’d dared to see it myself. Perhaps it was that we were each finally comfortable again in our own skin. Perhaps it was simply the enormous gravitational pull of shared childhood experiences. Whatever the reason, 30 years later, I am grateful.

Viking lust still strong

Pulled this out of the knitting bag in my quest to identify all UFOs. Although the picture is lousy, it's a gorgeous sweater - at least it is in the book, so I'm hoping a little blocking and some better photography will help. Anyway, here's the back of it.

This guy is really fun to knit when there's cable to work on, and pretty mindless when there isn't. It's worked in Rowan's Wool Cotton which just has the most wonderful hand -all the best o both fibers. Maybe I should spend more time knitting and less time blogging and cruising the web...

Four Corner Collar - a finished object

So, I have had this thing on my needles and 90 percent complete since I went to North Carolina to visit my uncle back in November. It has weighed heavy on my mind, because it’s a tricky pattern, the yarn is expensive, and I’m just not sure that a quick trip through the washer and dryer will fix all these worms. But felting worked on my blue Touch Me scarf, and it will work on this as well. Here is the thing after slipping the stitches to a bit of scrap yarn and before felting:

Worming at the edges

Here is me, gathering the courage to dump $100 worth of Touch Me into a sudsy bath

And here is the capelet after a quick wash (no spin) and a tumble dry. (with several towels that now have a lovely pink hue – yes, it will fade on whatever else is in the wash) You can see that the loose strands of Touch Me have lost all their chenille and are now bald little strands of limp wool. I can see why the tell you to felt the piece before you drop the stitches.

Now, about dropping those stitches. The instructions inform me that I must knit 5 stitches and slip two stitches from the left hand needle, graft those live stitches to the cast on stitches, and unravel the dropped stitches down to the cast on row. Here’s where the real chutzpah comes in. I first unravel one stitch. Despite my fears, it doesn’t unravel into the open area, but rather turns the corner of my short row and makes its way around the square to the cast on row. I do this between each opening. And it looks pretty good. But wait, didn’t I slip two stitches off the needle as I knit that last row? Yes, and there it is waiting to be dropped with its neighbor. And so I do. I’m not sure I like how open this second dropped stitch makes the capelet look. But I forge bravely on. Aaagh. This thing is so fragile looking, and bears little resemblance to the lovely photo published by our friends at XRX.

And here’s a picture of my mannequin wearing the capelet. I’m planning on wearing this thing to the Kennedy Center next month, and I'll try to remember to take a photo.

If I had it to do over again, here are a couple of changes I would make:

1. Knit the whole thing on smaller needles – maybe size 9s or even 8s to minimize worming
2. Graft together the seam before felting and drop one stitch at a time by clipping the thread.
3. Not let fear of failure allow unfinished items to languish in my knitting bag.

Crayon Box Jacket update

I've been keeping up with my New Year's commitment to work a square a day on the Crayon Box Jacket. You can see that here it is the 16th of January, and I have 16 more squares than I did before! I'm really enjoying the way this thing comes together a little at a time. I've added an extra row of squares across the bottom because my gauge is a smidge tight and I want to be sure it's long enough. So far so good.

Here's a look at Cleo, my favorite problem child yarn in this jacket - Cleo from GGH/Muench. Beautiful, but temperamental.

Here's Cate:

I doubt if anyone remembers this project that I started back in the summer, and I actually finished in August at the beach, but I just never remember to take a photo of it, so here is Cate! It reminds me how much I love Giotto Ribbon!

There's a new pattern from Berroco for a wrap-tie sweater in the fabulous Ultra Alpaca Here's a photo. Isn't it cute!