Summer Knitting Goals

Annette set her Summer Knitting Goals, as part of a contest held by Ali at Skeins Her Way. The winner will receive 4 hanks of Blue Sky Dyed Cotton in the color of his/her choice and the pattern for the Fitted Tank from Blue Sky. Click here to read all about it! But hurry...the contest closes tomorrow! Make sure you let her know that I sent you.

Here are my summer knitting goals, although not necessarily in this order:

1. CPH – although I technically should have this done before the official first day of summer (June 21), I’ll still put this on the list as a just-in-case.

2. Lace shawl – the top candidate right now is the Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn Clark using my Handmaiden Sea Silk. Yep, I’ve officially given up on the Lace Wings pattern. I get easily tempted and distracted, so who knows what will actually get cast on, but for now, FBS is the top contender.

3. Dropped Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits – This is one of the coolest new projects floating in the blogosphere. I recently got some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for it, and I’d like to knit it in the round. I figured that should make the 2x2 rib in the back go much faster.

4. Socks – Finish two pairs of socks for June and July. One of those two will be for my Sockapalooza Pal and must be mailed by the end of July. I’ll probably make the ubiquitous Monkey pattern by the genius Cookie. I’m hoping to find some nice purple stash yarn for these socks, maybe some Cherry Tree Hill? I just cast on a pair of Feather and Fan socks using stash yarn, CTH in Monet. I think the pattern will really show off the variegated colors.

5. Wobbly Tote – Finish that UFO already! It’s over a year old. I got tired of the fiddly little yarn bundles, but I just need to buckle down and get the first side done. The second side will probably be something much easier, maybe stripes in a Fibonacci sequence.

6. Pink fluff – finish the object also known as Sweetie Girl’s ballet shrug.

Are you done laughing yet? I know; you’re laughing *with* me. I really don’t think I can do all of that in one summer, but figured I might as well set some goals to stretch me a bit. I had eight goals originally, and kept wanting to add more, but realistically, I had to eliminate two of them. After all, as my wise niece, Katie, says, “Reach for the moon. If you miss, you will land among the stars.”

Wednesday WIP Report and a FO!

You’ve seen the pictures of CPH, so nothing new to report there. I’m also still plugging away at Sweetie Girl’s pink fluff, aka ballet shrug. Stockinette stitch with raglan increases. Not too exciting, but here’s a picture anyway.



I also have a FO to report. It’s my May socks for Sockamonth 3. These are for San Jose Steph and they were a breeze to knit up. Here are the details:



Project: Generic toe up anklets
Yarn: Regia Surf (cotton, wool and nylon) in Rosso colorway; 1 skein; double-stranded
Needles: US size 3s, using my inexact technique of dpns and 2 circs. On these I used Addi Turbos, KnitPick Classic Circulars, and Inox dpns.
Start: May 10
Finish: May 29

Thoughts: Doubling the yarn sure makes the projects go quickly, I tell you. These will be footies for wearing around the house, so the thickness of the final fabric isn’t a problem. I did the usual Turkish Toes but used Wendy’s short-row heel this time because I didn’t like the holes I was getting in the PGR short-row heels. The heel on the first sock ended up with small holes at the joins, but not too bad. On the second heel, I figured out where to pick up the extra stitch at the joins, so Eureka! No holes. Not a bad method either. I’ll definitely try it again. I just stumbled across (again!) Wendy’s Feather and Fan toe up socks so I may give those a whirl. Not sure if I’ll do those before or after the Monkey socks for my Sock Pal.

What’s with all the sock needle craziness… still? Turns out, I don’t mind using dpns for doing the foot, leg or even the heel. I prefer doing the toes with 2 circs though. However, I absolutely despise doing ribbing in dpns though. The needles sticking out everywhere really slow me down. Heh, now I’m game for giving magic loop a try. Thought you might get a chuckle reading that.

Have a great rest of the week!

Back to the Hood

When last we talked, I said I had finished the hood. And then I showed you the picture of that pointy, wonky thing that was supposed to pass for the hood. It stewed around in my brain for a while, and then I realized I wasn't satisfied with it. I was weighing my need to complete the durned project ("Done is better than perfect" is my typical motto.) with my need to have my handcrafted item be as visually appealing as possible (Read: Can't readily see the mistakes.). So, I ripped it. And I'm glad I did. Here are the before and after photos.



Don't you agree that it looks much better? I ended up ripping back to the last of the decreases. I continued according to the cable rows, and kept the decreases going, so I wouldn't get the pointy, wonky thing again. I knit two fewer rows this time too, as I thought there was too much cable at the joined part. Then I grafted, ripped back about half when I saw my stitch count was off, grafted again a few more stitches, ripped back yet again, and grafted one final time. Ahhhh, much better. Lesson learned: don't try grafting while at the Sweeties' soccer practice. Do read Nona's tips before attempting it.



Stay tuned for tomorrow's WIP report, guest starring an actual FO! G'nite!

Greetings from the Hood

Sleeves are blocked. The hood is done. All's left is picking up about 300 stitches to form the button band, mark where I want the button holes, and do several miles' worth of ribbing. I actually don't know exactly how many stitches it would be and how far it would stretch out, although I'm sure it could be calculated relatively easy.



I had decided to graft the hood together, instead of having a seam that shows, as the pattern directs. I came to a bit of indecision when I was supposed to seam. I was on a later row of the cable, then, and if I grafted at that point, I would have had 2 super long cables before they turned.



So I quickly emailed CPH guru Seattle Marie, asking for her opinion, since she just finished her lovely CPH recently. As Marie often does, she quickly replied, and I followed her advice. (Thanks Marie!) I knit two more rows, turned the cables, knit a couple more, then grafted it. The cables still look a bit long before their turns, but much better than what they would have been.



Can you see the funky little doohickey sticking out the top of the hood? You can see by the curve of the top of the hood where I was supposed to seam and what part I added on. Oh well, it's not perfect, but I'm sure it'll look fine when it's bunched and hanging.




I'm hoping after I put the button band on, it'll be fine. Or I'll figure something out later when I have the emotional energy to deal with it. Can you tell that I'm ready to move on to my next project? Please don't get me wrong. I will love this CPH sweater, and love wearing it, for a long, long time. But the ADD knitter needs to move on soon.

Wednesday WIP Report

It's not a regular week of CPH knitting in the dim sum house unless there's surgery involved. This time, I forgot to turn some cables. Four of them. I was so darn excited about the cap shaping that I blew past the cable part. Oops. So I fixed it in Annette's car. Here are the before and after pics.



The good news is that I finished both sleeves, and I sewed the shoulder seams this morning. Whew, that was some tough work. Lots of panic and sweat involved. Special thanks to Patty, Madge and Annette for holding my hand, calming me down, and dealing with my neediness. I am a seaming idiot and this was a challenge. Special thanks also to Michelle for the seaming clips. They helped keep everything where they needed to be. Here's what it looks like after the seaming.



I've picked up the stitches for the hood and now I'm working on that. All 11 1/2 inches of it. Boring. You can probably guess what next week's WIP Report will feature. What's weird is I'm kind of thrown off on the row count. When I put the stitches from the fronts onto the holder, you're supposed to keep track of the row you were on, so you can continue the cable up over the front of the hood. My last row was row 9. Check. When you put the stitches back on the needle and knit them and pick up more around the neck, you're on the right side of the garment but that row is row 10. Now, all my knit rows, the rows where I usually turn my cable, are now on the WRONG side. Yikes! Turning a cable from the knit side or purl side is basically the same process, but it has me discombobulated. In a big way.

I think I'll start with a new working yarn and go back to the odd number RIGHT side rows that I was on before. I feel like a loser for doing this, but if my knitting feels wrong or bad, then it's just gonna bug me for a while and I won't be motivated to pick it up.

I also cast on a couple of other projects yesterday. The second anklet sock for San Jose Steph:



And a ballet shrug for Sweetie Girl with the new baby pink mohair I got. My fingers were just itching to dive into the new stash and it couldn't be helped!



Have a great week!

7 Random Things

I was tagged by Silvia Silverknits for the 7 Random Things meme. (How does one pronounce meme? Is it "meem" or "me me?" Inquiring minds want to know useless trivia.) I think I'm the last person on planet Earth (pronounced ee-arth) to do this, so thankfully there's no one left to tag.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

7 Random Things

1. My left forearm was broken during a sparring exercise at Kungfu. The break was a classic nightstick or defensive fracture. Looking at the xray of it for the first time made me queasy. The guy kicked too hard; I blocked like I was supposed to. Crack. No, he isn't allowed back at the school anymore.

2. I'm a purse ho. And I'm still in search of the perfect knitting purse/bag. Of course, my criteria change on a regular basis, so that just ensures my odyssey will continue.

3. I'm the youngest of six kids. Yep, that's a whole lotta us. 'Nuff said.

4. I'm a Bruin through and through. I have early memories of watching UCLA basketball games when John Wooden was still the coach. 5 out of us 6 kids graduated from here too.

5. I am a sweet snacker. You know how some people automatically reach for salty foods for a snack? Not me. Sugar all the way, baby!

6. I learned to crochet when I was in 5th grade, the year of the bicentennial. (Okay, don't bother with the math. I'm 41.) We double crocheted red and white strips which the teacher was going to piece together to make a flag. It never got done, but I still have that very strong muscle memory of how to hold the yarn and double crochet in me.

7. Flying scares me but I always forget, until I'm sitting in my seat, buckled in and ready to take off. Long flights are definitely better than short ones, because once the plan reaches the desired altitude, you straighten out and stay there for a loooooong time. One hour flights are the worst. Turbulence going up and then the plane starts its descent, and turbulence again.

Okay, that's it for randomness. If you feel left out that you haven't done this meme, or if you are an alien just arriving on this planet, feel free to take a crack at this, if you're so inclined.

The Longer They Go Without Buying Yarn, the Harder They Fall

I tried really hard. Really, I did. I went for seven or eight weeks, ignoring all the posts about it -- The Black Sheep Knittery sale. I encouraged other people to go and buy up all of the stuff, so there would be nothing left. I seriously thought to myself, "I can resist this one. Really. I am strong. I am woman. I am invincible. Hear me roar (or whatever)."

Then Annette asked if I wanted to go.
"Ummm, I'm trying to be good here."
Annette said she would pick me up at my house, and bring me back home in time to pick up the Sweeties from school.
She had me there. She can be very convincing, that Annette. We planned to go on Monday.

At Madgik's on Saturday, when Ellen, MJ, Jillian and Teresa talked about the even-more loot they got on their Saturday visits at BSK, I was hoping they cleared out the store. But I'm happy to say they didn't.

This is what I got today.


Lana Grossa Pashmina (cashmere!) in spring green, Katie Ingenua (mohair) in baby pink for a ballet shrug for Sweetie Girl, Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky in deep violet, and Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in light blue. No ideas yet for what, but I'm sure I'll find some inspiration.


Rio de la Plata in Rabbit grey fora sweater for Sweetie Boy, and Noro Big Kureyon in color no. 1 for a free cabled stole pattern on Vickie Howell's blog.


Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Raging Purple, Cherry Moon and Lime Light for the Dropped Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits. The green is for me. I'm hoping to convince my nieces to knit ones for themselves this summer.

Classic Elite Provence in lavender and a couple of Bryspun circulars for some lace knitting in the near future.

Tilli Thomas Salt & Pepper in natural w/chilli and the Holiday Knits book. This will sit in a nice tucked-away corner until Christmas time when it will be gifted to a friend.

Louisa Harding Accessories book for my Secret Pal that is autographed by Louisa herself, and a couple of patterns.

It's a good thing I waited so long, so the prices would drop even more than they were in April. Yeah, I keep kidding myself by telling myself that.

The Simple Joys

I realized, when I went to block my CPH back, that I had lost my box of T pins. How can someone lose a box of T pins, you ask? Easy. You pack them for your trip to Hawaii because you're unfailingly optimistic that you'll finish your project and need to block it while on vacation. Heh. I never claimed to be sensible, did I? Well, somehow, they either never made it home, never made it out of the suitcase, or are just hiding, as T pins are wont to do. Oh and I should add that they were never used in Hawaii.



Then I read Bonne Marie's post about corsage pins. I must have kept it in the back of my mind. When I went to Joanne's to get some new T pins, I found these instead. I used them right away to pin the CPH fronts. I admit that my pinning skills are not the best, as the pins are not lined up perfectly straight. Que sera sera. These pins are so shiny and bright colored; they look like Christmas bulb ornaments to me. Sometimes, it's the simple joys that cost three bucks that can make your day. Funny how that works.

BTW, I've just done the last set of increases on the CPH sleeves. Got a bit more knitting to do before I start the cap shaping.

Wednesday WIP Report

Happy Wednesday to All! I don't know why I'm feeling chipper. Maybe because yesterday was Seattle Marie's birthday? (Happy Birthday, Friend!) Maybe because I'm happy for TC Marie who is vacationing in France, even though we miss her? Last we heard, she was Avignon bound on the high-speed train. (Go girl, go!) I dunno. Maybe because I can post and know there are about 7 or 8 of you who will read it, and then I'll actually get some email from real live people.

Onto the WIP report...

CPH's back is drying on the blocking board. Next up, will be the two fronts. Am I ready to seam yet? No, I'm not there yet, although I'm living vicariously through Seattle Marie. I've just done five increases on both sleeves that I'm doing at once, but I know once that those sleeves are done, I'm gonna wanna work on the hood somethin' fierce. I even talked Madgik into blocking hers too, so we can be prepared. Semper Fi. That's what I always say. Okay, not really, but I'm a bit chipper right now. Please bear with me.

Here are said sleeves in progress.

These are my May socks for SAM3. I'm doing a generic toe-up sock. However, instead of doing the usual Priscilla Gibson Robert short-row heel, I'm trying the heel from Wendy's generic toe-up sock pattern. Thanks, Chrispy, for the advice. so far, one heel done and no gaping holes at the join. I still have the second sock to make and try the technique again, so I'll be cautiously optimistic.

I'm using Regia Cotton, doubled, and will probably make them ankle socks. They'll be a gift for my friend, San Jose Steph, because my tootsies were cold when we were up there last weekend. I'm assuming hers must get cold too. Not sure why they look freakishly long (and don't say it's because my feet are freakishly long. They may be, but TMI!). The color is a bit pinker in real life. Funny how I can work on a sock and not notice the striping, until I see a picture of it. Does that make me far-sighted or near-sighted? Short-sighted? Color blind? I hope not.

Have a great week!

My Cables Are Mis-crossed

I realized I crossed the cables wrong on all of the cable sections of both fronts. Somehow, I managed to switch the fronts.



I'm so talented, I don't even know how I accomplished this. I just remember being really confused at some point. This was the result, obviously. So, wrongly thinking I was on the left front, I held the stitches to the back and turned a left front cable, instead of a right front cable. I did the same on the left side too. I realized this when I was about to turn the next cable, ten rows later. I did not surgically correct it, like January One did on her CPH. I did this instead.



Luckily, no eyes were put out and no limbs were lost. Here's how she looked after the little fix it.



We're back on track now and I have begun the armhole shaping on the fronts.

I ordered some stitchmarkers from Zero Markers on Sunday as gifts for Secret Pals, and this is what I received in the mail this week.

Sknitty originally turned me onto these markers, and I adore them. I got my first set at Stitches West at the Bay Area Coop Booth (where Cookie and Kristi were selling their stuff), and I love getting more new styles each time. They really are like jewelry for knitting. Aija even included the four extra stitchmarkers as extra little gifties, along with a hand-written note. I really love the colors and the simplistic beauty of these markers.

Wednesday WIP Report

It's not too exciting. I'm warning you now. Don't get your hopes up. Here's the progress on CPH thus far.



That's both fronts of CPH being worked at the same time. Slow go, no? To stir things up a bit, here's a look at just the left front.



Everybody, including moi, thinks it looks like a sleeve. Hopefully, it will almost double in size when blocked, and the wonkiness will go away. I told you it wasn't too exciting.

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of my next project. Will it be the Lace Wings Sea Silk resurrected for another bout? Maybe Sea Silk for Branching Out? Maybe the Flower Basket Shawl? Oh yeah, I have to start my May socks for SAM3 soon too. Better go dig around in the stash for that. Have a great week.

I'm Just a Spectator

Mehitabel and KnitDevil were crazy enough to get into a "I can knit my CPH faster than you" contest with Seattle Marie. Yes, the same speed demon Seattle Marie who made it to the semifinal round of the Knit Off '07. They've been posting their progress updates, and I've been enjoying reading about theirs, as I plod along slowly. Lady Marie was wondering where I am on my CPH, which I will gladly show, but I am not touching that challenge gauntlet with a ten foot pole or anything else. NosirreeBob... and don't call me Bob.



I am close to turning the second cable on both fronts, which I am knitting at the same time. KnitDevil's Black Water Abbey yarn felted when she worked on both fronts at the same time, so I'm trying very hard to keep the yarn separate. That's right; two Go Knit pouches, one in red and one in camo to separate the two. I got both from Scout, who does a superb job of sending them off to you quickly. So far, so good; no accidental felting yet. And I'm still not racing against the three of you crazies.

Sweetie Girl and I had a girls' weekend in San Jose, visiting her best friend whose family moved up there a couple of months ago. No yarning was had by me, but I did have a little time to work on CPH. When I returned home, though, there was a sa-weet! package waiting for me. It was my April installment for PureKnits' Yarntini Sock Club. And you may have read about it already on Sknitty's blog, but I will tell you again. This stuff rocks.

Beautifully wrapped package.

Ooh, look at all the stuffs!

A closer look at Misocrafty's most excellent project bag. The color and fabric are perfect for the theme. I hate to say it, but the project bag is almost a little bit better constructed than my Piddleloops bag. And people, I have to say I *love* my Piddleloops bag. I love all of it, except how the fabric and interfacing have that always wrinkled look because it got smooshed in its travels to me. This Misocrafty bag, however, was folded nicely when it arrived to me, unfolded beautifully, and has kept its shape magnificently. No unsightly wrinkles.

More excellent swag, especially a Lucy Neatby book! I don't have one of those so I'm excited to peruse it this evening. Also some nice lip balm and a sample of Soak woolwash in the citrus scent. I love this scent of Soak so much that I already have a big bottle of it.

Gorgeous blue stitchmarkers from Sarkasmo. Check out her shop on etsy!

And of course, the Pièce de résistance. Yarntini's superwash fingering weight merino in Pure Breeze stripe. I'm really loving this whole package, I tell ya. This aqua torquoise theme is perfect for spring and it makes me happy happy happy!

Bulky Moss Rib Gauntlets

Here is the lovely Keri, who has recently celebrated her 39th birthday (again!). She is modeling her wristwarmers which were handmade for her with love. Yes, these are the ones I didn't have time to snap a photo of before wrapping up and rushing to her surprise birthday party.



Project: Bulky Moss Rib Gauntlets by Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio
Yarn: Merino Wool and Silk by Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio Handpainted Yarns in Thistle colorway, 2 skeins.
Needles: KnitPicks Options US size 6, 2 circs method
Start: April 18
Finish: April 21

Thoughts: Quick and easy pattern, but not the "fast and wrong" kind. This yarn is super squishy and scrumptious; very high on the luxurious factor. KnitDevil picked up a couple of skeins of this yarn for me at the Madrona Fiber Festival last year, because when we visited La Petite Knitterie, they didn't have anymore of this decadent yarn. I was waiting for the right time to knit this up into something special. When I received the invitation to Keri's surprise birthday party, I knew it was the perfect occasion. Keri and I had talked before about wristwarmers for her and even discussed her color preferences, autumn colors. I was so pleased to find the perfect occasion to knit up this incredible yarn. These are definitely a two thumbs up yarn and pattern.

Wednesday WIP Report

Here's CPH, dug out from the basket, picked up, and dusted off. I'm past the underarm shaping part. (Sorry, Madgik; I couldn't bring myself to call it the pits.) I'm working on the last bit of the back. I reached the end of the first ball of the Black Water Abbey yarn yesterday evening, so I wound up more yarn this morning. I was optimistic, though, and wound up two more skeins of yarn, in anticipation of the fronts.



Argosy is bathed, primped and ready for her big reveal. Here she is:



Project: Argosy from Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in the pinky rose color, less than 2 balls
Needles: KnitPicks Options US size 4 and Bryspun circs US size 4 (but only because I left the house without the Options tips)
Start: March 30
Finish: April 30 (with about a 2 week break in the middle)

Thoughts: Yes, the yarn feels like you're knitting with string, but so did the Debbie Bliss 4-ply cotton when I made Orangina. The Hempathy really softened up tremendously from her long, luxurious soak. When I laid her out to dry, I didn't pin her because I couldn't find my pins. So I just pulled here and there until I liked the look of her, and let her air dry. I think the corners look nice even without the precision that needles would have given.

As for the pattern, it's a very interesting design and easy to remember after a few repeats. Knitting on the diagonal always blows my mind because I would *never* dream of creating something this way. Okay, granted I never dream of creating anything but that's besides the point. The geometry and construction of it really make it an engaging knit. I recommend it to those of you who are even the least bit curious about it. It's one of those patterns that isn't hard to do at all, but when people see the finished product, you get tons of compliments because of its unique construction. I'm off now to pack it up and send it off to my friend Joanne in Hawaii. Aloha, Argosy!

Project Spectrum Pink

It was Sweetie Girl's 7th birthday on Friday, and we threw her a Sock Hop party on Saturday. Here she is hula hooping it up.



I also give you Argosy, the FO Blob.

Please forgive her; she hasn't taken her bath or done her hair yet.