Secret Garden Vest is complete...

...even the buttons.


Thanks to Ty who helped me select these cool fused glass buttons, the vest is a finished, wearable object. I love this design, and the yarn is my favorite - Alchemy Synchronicity. Just luscious to work with, and the colors are so saturated.

This knit up so quickly that I'm planning another one in Ellyn Cooper's Homespun, a slightly heavier gauge silk and wool blend. There's something very perfect about the combination of equal parts silk and wool in a fiber. It's like ice cream and chocolate sauce or strawberries and whipped cream, or some other combination of totally yummy things in perfect balance making the whole much greater than the sum of its parts. What decadent synergy!

Symphony Jacket started

Ever since last fall when Chris Bylsma taught the Symphony Jacket class here, I’ve been pining for one of these little confections. So I started gathering up my scraps and orphan skeins. And guess what I found? Most of my pile was pink! I know, big surprise. Cast on for the sweater Friday night so that I could knit on it at WWKIP Saturday. Who knew how addictive this is! I haven’t been able to put it down! I’m almost finished with the back, and I totally love it.

This is one of those things where you really have to surrender control - just close your eyes, reach in the bag, and pull out whatever you touch. Cut off some random amount and tie it on. Very freeing this is. I might have to make another one.

Secret Garden Vest

This is a pattern from White Lies Designs- we carry nearly her entire line at the shop, and I must have every one of her patterns queued on Ravelry! Anyway, here's the pattern.

It's done in a bulky cotton, but since it just takes around 400 yards, I wanted to treat myself to something rich and decadent. I selected Alchemy Synchronicity in Red Run. Finally got to cast on May 25th as we were driving up to Mt. St. Mary's to pick Elizabeth from her HOBY weekend. It's about a 2 1/2 hour car ride. Here's what I got done on the ride up and back. The yarn is so rich and buttery, and the pattern is an addictive variation of feather and fan, so it's gone really quickly. I put it down for a while and then I changed my mind about how I wanted the lace to look with the shaping. The knitting is done except for the button bands and the armhole edging. Maybe I should have picked a better towel for the blocking! Oh well.

Flying Solo

In my new pink Solo shell by Chris Bylsma!

This top was an absolute dream to knit. The body is mainly a 4x1 rib, giving a smooth look with just enough stretch. The front has this sleek, easy lace pattern up the center that keeps the knitting interesting. The yarn is Louisa Hardings Mulberry - 100% silk, with a beautiful ply and great yardage. I made the medium size, added a good 2" to the body, and the shell still only took 5 skeins.

Speaking of which, the shop sample from Louisa Harding arrived at the shop yesterday - a simple, easy fitting tee with a cute crochet trim. It's absolutely adorable. I'll post a photo tomorrow.

My little motorcycle obsession

Today is Bill and my anniversary, so we celebrated by taking me on my first trip across the Solomon's island bridge. I kept thinking to myself, "It's only a road, it's not going to rear up and buck me off." The wind is calm today, although at the top of the bridge, it was a bit gustier than below. What an exhilarating ride! I'm so glad to have done it. Here's a shot to prove I was there.
Then we went over to the shop to get a photo of me, my bike, and my LYS for the MotoKnitters group on Ravelry.

The vest...

You all probably remember the fabulous vest I knitted for my youngest about two years ago. Lovingly chose several yarns and offered him his pick. He selected the green and was very excited about Mommy knitting something just for him. Cables, buttonholes, edging, and hundreds of picked up stitches later, I present the fabulous vest to my darling son. He won't even try it on. WHAT??? I want to throttle him. My husband, sensing my dismay, cajoles the boy into promising that he'll wear the vest tomorrow. Do you think he wore the vest tomorrow? Well, of course not. And over the months that the vest languished in the back of his drawer, I would mention it to him and he would say, "I'll wear it next winter." I swear that boy is going to grow up to be a politician.

So Thursday, the day before his kindergarten class Easter pageant, I pulled the vest out and said, "Here is the vest Mommy made you. Would you just put it on just once so that I can see you in it before I die?" So he did. And you know what he said? He said, "Hey I LOVE this vest!" So I said, "You can wear it tomorrow."

Which he did.
All is forgiven.

On the Town Bolero

Is finished.

Hooray! I really like this little top. It looked like it was going to be too small while I was knitting it, but since it's kind of a rib, it's really stretchy and fits just the way I like.

Ravelry...

I love this site! This is a new, highly popular site for knitters to connect, keep in touch, share, and organize. I'm EllenE - join the site and the fun!

Gloria Cardigan

I never posted a photo of this, but it's one of my favorites. Designed by Jane Ellison for Noro, this cardi uses two heavy worsted weight yarns. I used Aurora 8 for the main body and mixed it with silk garden for the sleeves and body top. It fits great, and it was fun to knit. One word of caution I always give is to hold the pieces up to measure them. The top of the body is worked in garter stitch, which has a tendency to stretch, so if you measure the pieces on a flat surface, they will likely be too long when you wear them. Plus the sleeves are extra long anyway.

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!

Horndal scarf update

Got a comment on this blog asking if I liked the Horndal scarf once done. Yes! I really do. I updated about the project on the shop blog under Withholding Judgement, but didn't post any photos. I don't thing the photos of this scarf really do it justice. The brights seem to be garishly bright while the muted shades have all but disappeared. It's much prettier in person, but here's the photo anyway.

I didn't read the pattern acurately (story of my life), and ended up doing only 4 inches of garter stitch rather than the requisite 8 inches, so mine looks different from those that others have done, but I love it just the same.

It seems that Noro has recognized that people are using Kureyon for a lot of felting projects and Silk Garden for garments. In response, the new Kureyon colors have gotten brighter, and the Silk Garden colors have gotten more wearable. This scarf looks great in bright colors, so I would recommend the Kureyon rather than the Silk Garden I used.

Dragged through the muck

I've been knitting my mistake rib cowl from the knit-along in a splendid shade shade of pink and ivory. The buttery softness of silk and wool gleaming and and smooth - aaah. So the other day I'm dragging stuff in from the car, my little plastic knitting bag on top of the green washtub of coffee mugs from the shop. I set down the tub and realize that the ball of yarn is still in the bag, but the cowl is not. I see yarn hanging. With the irrepressible urge of a kitten, I pull the yarn. And again. finally I realize that the lovely silk and wool cowl I thought was just in the laundry room had actually fallen out IN THE GARAGE. So by pulling the yarn I had effectively mopped up the dusty garage floor with my silk and wool cowl. What an idiot. I could have just walked my lame butt out there and picked it up, but NOOOO.

I've picked out most of the guinea pig shavings and dusted it off, but it still looks kind of grimy.
So, now we'll have a test on SOAK to see how well it cleans garage dirt and from ribbed silk and wool. Will let you know.

Here's a copy of the pattern in case you want to make your own. Based on a simple mistake rib pattern from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary #1, it's small enough to just fit over your head and still stand up like a large turtleneck. Finished circumference is 24", but you can make it any size you want. Just be sure to use an even number of stitches.

Like the gauntlets, this pattern is perfect for a luxury yarn like cashmere or silk and wool, because it doesn't take much yarn and it lives right up next to your face where you can enjoy the fabulous color and texture.

Two skeins Alchemy Synchronicity
Size 7 needle

Cast on 120 stitches. Join into a round, taking care that stitches are not twisted.
Work one round knitting every stitch.
Next round, knit one, purl one.

Repeat these two rounds until piece measures 8" from cast on row, or until it's as long as you like, or you run out of yarn. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Lady Eleanor

I've been working this with two different dyelots of the same colorway in Ellyn Cooper's Texas Bighorn mohair wool blend.