See Jo knit!: 2009.06

29 June 2009

Help, please.

So I have knitted 97% of this adorable baby cardigan.

Most of the ends are woven in, and overall, I'm quite pleased with it. However, when I picked up the stitches for the button band, I didn't pick up quite enough, and as you can see, the sweater pulls up at the bottom of the fronts. Is this noticeable to anyone but me? Should I just block it out? Is it going to matter when the sweater is on a squirming, adorable baby? Or should I rip out the button band and knit it again?

I also still need to choose a button and knit a bit of a loop. Or does it even need a button? Sigh. Decisions, decisions.

Finis.

I have finished the chemo cap for my mom's friend's niece.

This is a nice quick knit. It took me a week, start to finish, and I didn't even even work on it very hard. Tomorrow it will wing its way to California. I used a skein and a bit of SWTC Amaizing, the yarn that's made of 100% corn. I'll use what's left of the second skein to make a baby hat with bear ears. I'm not as happy with this one as I was with the hat I made for my mom — I'm not sure why, but I think this hat is a lot bigger than the first one. The band is really stretchy, though, so I'm hoping it's OK. I'm sending extra yarn along so the button can be removed and reattached to achieve a better fit when there's no hair underneath the hat. The cute green button is courtesy Teri's House o' Buttons.

You should all be impressed that I cleaned my mirror today. Look! No toothpaste spots to be seen! I also colored my hair. I kind of love it.

23 June 2009

Tonight.

Tonight, as a present to myself, I'm going to knit a few rows on my Rivendell socks. They've been quite neglected since last week, so I'm going to make an effort to at least finish the charts for the leg.

I also did some domestic things tonight. I moved some boxes out to storage, and hung things on the walls, and generally made an effort to make the apartment look inhabited. I feel a bit like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, when George Peppard asks how long she's lived in her apartment, and she replies, "About a year." I have lived here for almost three months and it does not look like anyone lives here.

I wish I had my own personal George Peppard in the apartment next door.

21 June 2009

So much for that plan.

Remember when I said I wasn't going to start anything new? Yeah, I meant it, until my mother called me and asked me to knit a chemo cap for the niece of one of her friends. My mom's oh-so-logical conclusion that *I* should knit the cap is because her friend is too upset to knit it, and because no one else, apparently, can use the FREE PATTERN that I used to make my mom's cap.

Really. Because if someone else used that same pattern to make a hat, there is no way it would turn out as cute as the one I made. (I am skeptical, to say the least.)

The main reason I'm annoyed is because the only appropriate yarn I had on hand was originally slated to become a baby bear hat with little ears, for a baby who I'm already pretty fond of on account of the fact that I will be his auntie. Ah, well. I suppose I can always get more. Also, I have A DOZEN projects on the needles, and I need to cast on for my dad's Father's Day vest.

Yes, I'm aware Father's Day was today.

Harry Potter, The Musical

This many-parted, YouTube-based Harry Potter musical is actually really entertaining, despite the really bad audio (the audience tends to laugh so loudly sometimes that it's hard to hear the actors, especially when they're singing.)

Did somebody say Ron Weasley?

18 June 2009

Honest question.

I had an interesting experience recently. As part of a themed knit-along, I declared on a public forum that I was going to knit a clapotis, because I've had the yarn for ages and thought that it was about time, because I am the only person who hasn't knitted one yet, ha ha.

It's still in the beginning stages because I've been so easily distracted lately. The yarn is Koigu. But I digress.

Imagine my surprise when I had not one, but several people reply, rather heatedly, that they had never knitted a clapotis and certainly never ever had any plans to knit a clapotis, thank you very much, and maybe they would just start up an anti-clapotis group while they were at it.

Did I miss something? Is this vehement dislike for the clapotis something that I have just been oblivious to until this point? Why are there so many people who seem to HATE the pattern? Is it because there's 11,629 clapotis projects on Ravelry, and people don't want to be considered to be "on the bandwagon"?

Now, I'm not writing this post because I've got my feelings all hurt because someone said they didn't like the project I was planning. I am genuinely confused, and wondering if there is some kind of underground anti-clapotis movement of which I was unaware. What is it about the clapotis that seems to get people in such an uproar? Usually, if a pattern is not my cup of tea, I just don't say anything about it, positive or negative. Any insight you may have on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

17 June 2009

Now with 100% more fangirl!

OK, I admit it. I am kind of a Twilight fangirl. But not in the way that most people are. First of all, I think the books are terrible. I've only read the first two, and while they were entertaining, they were not edifying in any way, shape, or form. I have the third and fourth books, but I've refused to listen to them because I am still mad at Bella for all the dumb shit she pulled in the second book. (Team Jacob, over here!) Half the time I wanted to shake her, and the other half I wanted to punch her. (I am angry with a fictional character. Help.)

But the movie managed to be entertaining, and offered up some excellent eye candy, both in terms of the actors (I like Jasper best) and, surprisingly... the knitwear.

Bella wears these awesome cabled elbow-length mittens in a couple of scenes, and I found a charming free pattern on Ravelry, so you too can have your own pair! I'm using Plymouth Galway Chunky in a lovely soft green color that reminds me of moss. Hmm, green seems to be a theme with me lately...

The mittens are also kind of an homage to the Yarn Harlot's page-a-day calendar for today: it was about mittens, and how you should knit them when it's warm out, because if you wait until it gets cold, you will have cold hands. As someone with chronically frozen fingers, I am getting a jump on my winter knitting.

Oh, and about that sock I linked to last night, that I knitted nearly three years ago (!): If you ever want to knit that Milanese Lace sock, go up many needle sizes or add stitches or something, because it was so snug, I could not pull it over my instep. (I would recommend using the Milanese lace pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks, if you feel the urge to knit a pair for yourself.) So the sock was frogged ages ago and the yarn has been waiting patiently in the stash for the perfect pattern.

Don't forget to send your Father's Day cards, if you do that sort of thing!

16 June 2009

Update.

I've managed not to cast on for anything in the last 24 hours, although I did get a new knitting book that may tempt me sorely. I can thank my dog for the book; he gave me the Borders gift card for Christmas. There is a glut of babies coming into my life in the next six months or so, so I am going to have to get my needles clicking.

The striped sweater from yesterday now has most of a sleeve. My original goal was to knit both sleeves tonight, but I got distracted by YouTube and, well, I'm sure you can figure out the rest.

I added another photo to my Ravelry page o' UFOs.

These are the famed Rivendell socks, from The Eclectic Sole. The designer has a new book out, The Enchanted Sole, but I haven't seen any patterns from it that make me go ZOMG WANT. But I'm enjoying these. The charts are really easy to follow — I was working on the sock at the guild meeting last night with nothing guiding my knitting but a super-sticky Post-It. The yarn is Fleece Artist Merino, in the color lily pond, and if you're a long-time reader, you may recognize it. (Dang, I was a prolific knitter — and really chatty! — when I was unemployed. Ah, those were the days...)

15 June 2009

Full disclosure.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have updated my Ravelry page with all my current works-in-progress in an effort to (1) keep myself honest and (2) shame myself into refraining from starting anything new. Hopefully I will find some time this week to get decent photos of everything. And start a baby pumpkin hat for my nephew, who is due to arrive right around Halloween. So now there are no fewer than 12 current projects, with the promise of more to come as soon as the baby books I've put on hold from the library arrive. This is going to be one well-dressed kid.

The first bit of knitting the darling child will receive is the Super-Natural Stripes sweater.

Obviously it's not done yet, because I have the attention span of a goldfish. If I would just sit down and knit it, the sleeves and the edging would take less than two hours, but lately I have been all "Ooh! Shiny!" and so the sweater will just have to wait. The green is a little more green, and the blue is not quite so dark. The yarn is Red Hart Eco-Cotton Blend, 75% recycled cotton and 25% acrylic. I'm making the 6-12 month size so he can wear it next summer. Many of you are probably horrified that I am making baby clothes out of Red Heart, but it is primarily cotton, and it's washable, and if I remember correctly, it was less expensive than the Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. It's been a bit harder on my hands than the Cotton-Ease was, I think because of the higher cotton content. All the ends from the color changes are going to be a pain in the ass to weave in.

14 June 2009

Announcement!

I'm getting a nephew!

Lay all your adorable baby boy patterns on me!

07 June 2009

In which I actually finish something.

Look! It's a finished project!

I've been calling these my Daylight Savings Time socks, but the pattern is, of course, the inimitable Spring Forward. The yarn is Conjoined Creations Flat Feet, in a rather muted blue and green colorway, which came from AJ at Christmas.. It's hard to tell in the picture, and I'll take a better one after the socks have been washed, but it's fun to see how the color changes as you move from the toe to the cuff. Yes, I knitted these toe-up. I used Wendy Knits' Toe-up fingering weight slip-stitch heel. It was somewhat confusing to me at first (as heel so often are) but I followed the directions blindly and am very happy with the results. It probably won't be my go-to toe-up heel, but it's good to have a variety of techniques.

I am quite sure that my neighbors think I am perfectly insane for going out onto my balcony and photographing my yarn/feet.

06 June 2009

Gift.

Last fall, I gave my friend Chery a skein of alpaca-silk laceweight for her birthday.

Imagine my surprise when, earlier this week, Chery presented me with this:

It was made in Alpaca with a Twist Fino, in the color ruby slippers, and it is gorgeous and soft and light and fluffy and lacy and beautiful. There are no words. Thank you, Chery!

02 June 2009

Also!

I've added more yarn to my Ravelry trade/sell page, and if you're in the market, check out L's Ravelry trade/sell page, too. It's funny, how I thought I was so attached to some of that yarn, but when I think about how long I've had some of it, it's time to get rid of the stuff that I will probably never get around to using.

It's very freeing.

Lately.

Sunday was Stitch 'n' Pitch at Kaufmann Stadium. The Royals lost. (Surprise.)

But we had a good time anyway. I worked on my sock:

And we met The Village People.

It was terribly exciting.

Here's a better picture of my sock.

Basic toe-up, short-row heel, 64 sts on a US 1. Yarn is Claudia Handpainted, color pink dot. I love love love it. I think I'm going to do the Giotto cuff on them.

As much as I've had startitis lately, I think my main problem is this: I don't want to knit. This is problematic, least of all because I have started half a dozen projects in the last three weeks. I was going to knit a vest for my daddy for Father's Day, but then the yarn was backordered and now I just get to mail him a swatch and a card. I really want to finish some things before I start anything new. But first, I think I'm going to take a break from knitting. I went to the library today and I got Harry, A History, and I think I'm going to spend the next few days reading and being social. Then when I get to the weekend, we'll see how I feel about the knitting.