In a fit over sock fit

Dear SM,

So, I've been interested in becoming a better sock knitter. I wanted to document some of my frustrations about how unpredictable sock fit seems. I wear a size 8 1/2 wide shoe, and have big calves. My first pair was made about a year ago, in Plymouth Sockotta--straight stockinette, in order to learn the Magic Loop technique. No photo, since I gave them to my mother. 70 sts in st. st., Addi US#1 (2.5mm).

Pair #2: My Jaywalkers, in Lana Grossa Multiringel. I had to restart them several times, to get the sizing right, and ended up making the smaller size, but on US#1 Addis (2.5mm). In the end, they came out slightly loose in the feet, but definitely wearable. 76 sts in Jaywalker pattern.

Pair #3: Embossed Leaves from Interweave Knits (Winter 2005), in Koigu blue (? color number). These are my very favorite socks. They are soft, fit perfectly, and were fun to knit. I did them on Addi #2s, but had to knit very tightly to get gauge. I could probably have used Addi US #1, and relaxed a little. 72 sts in lace pattern.

Pair #4: Conwy, from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. I used Lorna's Laces in Baltic Sea colorway (love the name) on the Addi #1s again. I enjoyed the smooth, skinny, round yarn and the twist pattern (cabling with a needle seems like a little much for socks). I made them as the pattern is written, calf shaping and all. The stitch count goes down to 60 sts at the ankle, and continues that way down the foot. As soon as they were made, they fit very tightly and I wasn't sure they were wearable. However, after wearing them for one whole day, they've stretched enough to be comfy. This brings up the whole concept of negative ease, and how much is enough.

Pair #5: In progress. Vine Lace Socks from Socks Socks Socks, but in an amazing skein of Claudia Handpainted Yarns called Just Plum (006), Addi #1 again, Magic Loop. The first sock will be done in a day or two, so I'll put up a photo. If I thought the Conwys were tight, these are even smaller at the ankle. They're on 54 sts, in a lace pattern. They're just incredibly difficult to get on and ease over my heel, but once they're on they fit pretty well. I guess I'll suspend judgement until they're worn and washed once.

So, I don't think I've come close to answering the question: "What's with sock fit?" Each unique pattern makes it impossible for me to predict how stretchy the fabric will be, and how tight it will feel. If I were smart, I'd just ditch the fancy-schmancy patterns I fall for in Interweave and on various Knitalong Yahoo groups (I've joined Six Socks Knitalong, Townsend Knitalong and KOTR Knitalong; just lurking so far). I should listen to Charlene Schurch and actally measure my foot (novel idea!) and pick a stitch pattern. For my husband's socks, I'd better do just that. There's a nice sock pattern in Big Girl Knits I'd also like to try, using 2 colorways of Lorna's Laces, and relies on measuring your actual foot.

If you have any insight, I'd love to hear it. It's funny--for sweaters, which are so much more complicated to fit due to differences in women's bodies and proportions, we customize the pattern, measure 30 times and obsess over each 1/4 inch. For a sock, I just blindly cast on and do what the pattern says.

More on future sock choices next time--I'm going to need advice on what socks to knit on vacation.

Love, Eyeknit

Must NOT buy yarn

Dear EK -

Help! Yarn resolution weakening! How much do I want this? Oh so much. It's called Rivendell, for Sauterre's sake. When I die, heaven had better look like Rivendell or I might have to look elsewhere.

But seriously, won't it just stress me out? To have yarn that I cannot yet knit with because I have only two arms and have not yet learned to knit with my feet? That would be cool, though, wouldn't it? And then whatsisname could play me in a movie called My Knitting Feet except that he'd have to do it in drag. Daniel Day Lewis (just got his name) wouldn't look right as a 5 foot 2 inch aging knitter with cashmere lust in her eyes. Maybe we could get Demi Moore to do it. Oh great giving gods of knitting, I think I'm losing my mind.

And I don't think (she said, head on one side, as if there were in fact any doubt) that I can drop a hundred bucks on cashmere today. But I WANT to.

In other news, I have finished the Daria bag, messed around with some handwarmers, cast on a ribbon yarn tank and handed over (not without a longing backward look) most of a skein of leftover Artyarns Supermerino to a friend who is learning to knit and needed a fix. I'll post pictures later, when it's not so obviously a form of procrastination. In the meantime, here is some knitting music.

La la la la la la la la la.

Oh and just because I gave you the link, don't go buying my yarn. It's MINE! MINE! Ah ha hahahahahahaha.


EDIT: It is amazingly ironic that ever since I posted this, the Yarnzilla site has been down. The yarn gods have spoken. I was not meant to have cashmere.

My first sweater (photos)

Dear Stuntmother,



Here's the aforementioned sweater, as William enjoys a late afternoon on the swingset. Wait--I forgot--they're called playsystems now. I'm showing my age.

Love,
Eyeknit

Extreme Makeover

Dear SM,
Thank you for blogging so faithfully in my blogless spell. It's been a busy week at work, and I've no knitting to show. So, what does a blogger do when there are no fiber photos? Usually, she would take fetching pictures of her cat. Well, I have no cat, but Phoebe did get a long-awaited haircut. As you know, Phoebe (Greek goddess of brightness and the moon) is a 5 year-old Yorkshire Terrier, who weighs 5 lbs (quite teeny). She's been so shaggy lately, and we've been remiss in grooming her. Thus, a trip to PetSmart for the works. I present you her Before and After photos: (Why is there no TLC show featuring pet makeovers? It seems like the only personal or home transformation they haven't yet documented).

I, too, love Diana at the Tangled Web. She's the person I credit with gifting me the courage to knit my first sweater. Last January, I learned to knit from a library book and made one yucky garter stitch scarf from novelty yarn and bulky alpaca (go figure). In February, I decided that there was no point in learning to knit, if I didn't try to knit an actual garment. I tried to sign up for the Tangled Web's beginner's "learn to knit a baby sweater" class, but it was full. I was so ready, though, and and disappointed, as it felt like my critical moment as a budding knitter. (Yes, it felt that dramatic to me at the time).

I lingered, looking at their sample Garter Cardi on the wall, and made small talk about which machine-washable yarns might get gauge for that sweater. I still felt like someone who maybe didn't belong in a yarn store, but I worked up the courage to ask Diana if she thought I'd be crazy to try to knit the class sweater on my own. Without blinking an eye or pausing to eye me up critically, she said "You absolutely can make this sweater. If you get stuck, come in and I'll help you". That was enough for me. I bought enough Mission Falls 1824 wool in a denimy blue, and went home to swatch. I performed every step slavishly, ripping out any imperfect row, and finished it in three weeks. Even looking at it now, it's pretty nicely done. The seams are even, buttonholes reinforced with overcasting, neckband without gaps, gauge consistent. I never did have to go back for help, because I knew where to find the answers, in references from the library.

When it was finished, William (2 at that time) refused to put it on. I cajoled for a couple of days, to no avail. (He was going through a phase of being afraid to put on new and unfamiliar clothes). Chrissy, our nanny, saw how crestfallen I was, and she tricked him into wearing it one day.* She gave him a bath, let him get slightly chilled afterward, and then said, "Oh, boy-we'd better get you into something warm!" When I came home from work that evening and saw him (my freshly-scrubbed little boy, whom I made from scratch) wearing my first sweater (also from scratch), I could have died from pride. I later saw a phrase which described it perfectly... I couldn't have been prouder if I'd laid an egg. I'll try to photograph William in the sweater, which still fits, even if Mission Falls wool is the pillingest thing I've knit with to date.

* Lest there be any question, Chrissy is the kindest and most conscientious caregiver we could want for our son. She's been with us for fully 3 years now, and we adore her. This episode does not demonstrate wanton disregard for William's bodily comfort--it was a truly kind act toward William's neurotic mother.

For a knitter who's not buying yarn...

... I spend a lot of time in yarn stores. Today, I was at the Tangled Web. I didn't mean to be. No, that's a lie. I did mean to be. It's a story, though.

It started yesterday. Yesterday, I was in Chestnut Hill having succumbed to the pleas of my older child who wanted his hair cut at Cookie Cutters, a cuttery which lets you sit on a motorcycle and watch Elmo while having your hair cut. And then gives you a lollipop. Helena (once fairly good at impersonating the wild woman of Borneo) had had her hair cut there and ever since, Daniel had been desperate to go. So we did.

But Cookie Cutters is on the same block as the Tangled Web. I love the Tangled Web -- for their yarn, yes, for their buttons, their lovely selection of patterns, their inspiring samples but mostly because Diana is there. Diana gets knitters. I came in having knit the sideways garter stitch gloves from Knitty and she nearly had a knitting-lust provoked aneurism and had hers knit up within days. I appreciate that level of passion in a fellow knitter. Heck, I'll even drive twenty minutes to get that passion hit. Diana taught me to knit socks toe-up and you know, she gets a good toe. She gets why you need THAT yarn even if you don't know why. Which is why my most random yarn purchases are often from the Tangled Web.

Like the Crystal Palace Deco ribbon I scooped up last year from their bargain baskets. This stuff is cool but I don't know why I bought it. Or why I bought only two skeins. I don't like making scarves from novelty yarns. I don't even really like novelty yarns. Then I found this tank pattern in Knitty and thought that's what the Deco Ribbon should be. But even holding my breath really hard I would need the five skein size. And while the yarn was still available, the colorway wasn't easy to come by. So it sat in the stash (also known as the Yarn Mountain of Doom) and I ignored it.

So I booked haircuts on Monday knowing that the Tangled Web would be closed, and how that would make it harder (but not, as you see, impossible) to buy yarn. Daniel even noticed. "Oh Mommy," he said. "Too bad the yarn store is closed. If it had been open, we could have bought you some yarn!" In their window, though, hung a skein of Deco ribbon. I moved a little closer. It was, it seemed to be -- the right colorway. It is fate, I thought. I must return.

And like MacArthur, I did. And I bought three more skeins and there will be a tank. Alas, I was totally mistaken about the colorway and was forced (at needlepoint, honestly) to buy a coordinating colorway. But hey, I can do colorblocks. It will be fine. And I did get a little Diana time (who knows both EK and I, but didn't know we knew each other -- and so worlds collide and massive yarn supernovas fill the sky). But this is (I swear to all the knitting gods) the last yarn I will buy before I wreak some serious damage on the stash. I'll show you my list of what I can knit just from the stash when I can bring myself to confess. It's scary.

I also bought buttons for the kimono sweater. I thought it deserved good buttons. Aren't these good buttons? Better than the ones currently on it which are just fine buttons.

And I bought a zipper for the Daria bag. Oooh, I'm feeling smug about her now -- I felted her a liner - doubled black Cascade 220 (from stash -- wooo) and it came out the right size, despite my insane mutterings and complete disregard of any mathematical approach to the issue. Photos tomorrow after I sew the whole kaboodle together.

Happy Birthday Loop (and thanks for the cupcake)

So Loop had its first birthday party on Saturday. That morning, my friend and fledgling knitter Kathy telephoned me.

So, she said, Loop is having a birthday party.

Mmm, I said, noncommittally. (I am attempting not to buy yarn. This is hard in Loop. Going would not, I thought, make not buying yarn easy.)

Loop, she hummed. Looplooplooploop. They have knit cupcakes.

Of course, we went.

It was fun, in fact. I found much better orange buttons for Anouk and she was much admired. Kathy bought me yarn -- which doesn't count, as you well know. She bought me this lovely eggplant colored Louet Opal... ...to make her the handwarmers from OneSkein (which I like more and more the more I look at it). She also bought me some very nice superwash merino red yarn from the bargain bins that I tried (unsucessfully) to resist. It will become the turtleneck shrug from Scarf Style in the fullness of time.

And speaking of OneSkein, I bought one skein of the Blue Sky Cotton to make the baby bolero (for my sister's best friend who is due in July sometime). Here it is. This is nice yarn to knit with, actually. Which you know already. But it is. And I also found this in the bargain bin. I was not buying yarn. I was not. Buying. Oh but forty percent off plus an extra dollar off for a birthday treat means kidsilk night, baby. I'm actually scared of them, but my youngest sister is getting married. It was fate. Kismet. Kidsilk kismet.
What do you think? A sister, getting married... something just too marvellous to throw round her shoulders? Perhaps a capelet? Some extravagent shawl? Speak to me of what this pile of kidsilk potentiality should become.

Dariations

So, the Daria bag has been staring at me this week and I've been staring back. Anj of Purlewe very kindly offered to line her for me (thank you so much) and I was all set to take her up on it and saunter over to fiber night tonight when Thursday morning happened (awful beyond words and more than that, you don't want to know) and all I could cope with was a little Foyle's War*and a large gin. I also haven't managed to get my sorry rear end to the fabric store to explore options and meanwhile I've been thinking about knitting a liner so that the bag could be reversible (although who would want Daria on the inside, really) but I could still knit and felt a liner which would be nice and sturdy. So that's what I'm thinking of doing. Tonight maybe. With more gin. And more Foyle.

I've finished Anouk, though, and she's very very pretty. The yarn (for once, the recommended yarn: Cascade Pima Tencel) stopped being so sheddy after I blocked it and really glows. I am feeling pleased. And, just like spring, just like flowers, looking at this little dress makes me feel happy. I hope that the parents of the intended wearer will also like it.And I'm almost done with this. I know, it looks like nothing much but that's part of its charm. It's the heartbreakingly cute baby kimono from Mason and Dixon. Ed leaned over as I cast this on night before last and said, Oh how cute! And I said, heartbreakingly cute, and pointed to the title of the pattern. He nodded and said, yes, well, no getting them under the trade descriptions act. That is one cute baby sweater.

I am knitting it from Artyarns Supermerino in 101, which I like muchly. Stockinette (as you see) since I thought the colors showed up better than in garter stitch but with an improvised seed stitch hem and cuffs to keep the thing from rolling. I also did the YO increases since I think they're pretty and I'm imagining a button rather than a tie, but we'll see. Less than two skeins for the whole thing. It just needs stitching up and then I will show you its finished glory.

*Foyle's War is a British series about a police detective as the Second World War begins. It's history! It's mystery! It's beyond wonderful. If you can, watch it.

Grace Notes

Dear SM,

I've completed my two squares for Grace's comfort blanket. It touched me to think about her disease (leukemia) and the dis-ease it would produce in anyone, let alone a 5 year-old.

This was my first time knitting for someone I've never met, unless you count the sweaters knit for as-yet-unborn friends and relatives. Actually, the process was much the same. The knitter spends lots of mental energy on imagining the recipient and his/her use of the handknitted item. For new, first babies, I always end up thinking about the parents. Do they have any idea how pervasively this will change each aspect of life, in wonderful and frustrating and tiring ways? What kind of infant will this be? Will the sweater get regurgitated on frequently? Pooped upon? Will this be a calm and sleepy baby, or the kind I got--alert, cranky and inconsolable? (He's a marvelous 3 yr. old now, but it was really, really rough-going for a while).

In the same way, I ended up ruminating on Grace's parents and aunt. Her parents have been dealing with her illness for a long time, now, and I hope this blanket helps in some minimal way to let them know that other parents are thinking about them and wishing for remission, homecoming, growth, development and the normal tribulations of the teen years.

Knitter's notes:
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere in pale pink
Needles: Denise US#5
Gauge: 22 sts to 4 " over reverse stockinette
Pattern: Flower Garden and Square Lattice, both from Barbara Walker's
A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Notes: I didn't realize how much I love and need charted patterns. Both of these were spelled out in words, and it drove me nuts. However, it is great fun to follow the directions, and complete a tiny, pretty-as-a-posie little square. I forgot how much I hate the tugging and wrapping that knitting with cotton involves for me. EZ was right--wool is really our friend, in so many ways.

Conwy revealed!

Dear Stuntmother,

Sorry for disappearing for a few days--we were in Western PA, visiting family for Easter. I did get some quality sock time in, though.

Here's Conwy, from Knitting on the Road. This is my first time using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock--the Baltic Sea colorway. I do love it when colors have evocative names, not just arbitrary numbers. Sometimes the name alone is enough to sell me on the yarn (OK for yarn, but try to avoid this with cosmetics). I love the teeny, round profile of this yarn, and the firmness of the knitted fabric. The socks fit perfectly into shoes, unlike some handknitted socks which seem too bulky. My gauge on Addi US 1s (2.5 mm) was a little tight, so they're a stretch to get on. However, they absolutely, positively won't sag or droop! They're my first socks with calf shaping, but don't let the 8" legs fool you. Because they stretch so much in width to fit onto my legs, the cuffs are actually shorter than most of my socks. The striated colors behaved very nicely, except on the insteps, and it's worse on one than the other. Then, the colors rearranged themselves again and behaved well all the way to the toes.

What's that. you say? What's this, in the next photo?
Pure, unadulterated potential. An inch of K1, p1 ribbing on the now available US 1 Addis--it could become just about... ANYTHING! I'm struggling with the age-old interplay between color and texture. Stay tuned for an update.

Love,
Eyeknit

P.S. I just found this other, cool pair of Conwys in the exact same Lorna's Laces, Baltic Sea...but for a man! The color progressions are funky and swirly--very nice! This pattern does look well on a man's foot...who'd have thought! --EK

Let's Tawk, Daria

All right, String. You and I need to have a little talk. And not just any old talk. A taWk.
You lured me into buying you. You with your cheap, tawdry colorways and your oh so lustrous shine. I knew better. I'd walked away from you before, you cord. You seduced me. I tried to resist. I knew it would all come to a bad end, but nooooooo(ro). No, I succumbed. Even as I bought you I knew it would be a mistake.

So you knit up pretty. What's with the chevroning, hey? What's with the leaping off the ends of the needles any time I wasn't looking? What's with the dropping stitches faster than a prostitute's panties? What's with that turquoise bit there? And what the hell was all that tangling about? I spent more time working out your kinks than actually getting my sticks in.

You scorned my attempts to knit you. Your inflexibility, your lack of any give whatsoever made this a fight to the last stitch. And now! Now, I have to line you because you're clearly going to be easy to snag. I'm not a liner. I'm a knitter. Let me knit. I'm not saying that Grumperina didn't do the best she could with you. That pattern she wrote you was better than you deserve. Just be glad it wasn't any longer or you'd be in the bin, baby. In the BIN.

Oh, Daria. I wanted to love you. But it has to end. I'm never going back to you. I need me some loving yarn. Something with a little halo to it. Something I can hold in my hands. You were better in the skein, baby. You coulda been something. What, though, I dunno. I shoulda walked on past you. I never learn.

Ode to String

You indeterminibilities.
You twisting, glowing snares.
Your long fingers twine yourselves
Around my heart.
You wind your way into my hands
(and suddenly I have to pay for you or
take up yarn-lifting
and I don't want to knit in jail)
At home
Awaiting my decisive needles
You are almost enough
just as string
(but not quite)
Oh cord, soon you will have form and function
as a purse.
You will hold my money
which I will spend
on yarn.
Ah.

Full of Grace

Oh, SM. I just visited the Warming Grace site to which you linked. I can't blog right now, because I have to run upstairs to search the stash for pink yarn. I think there's some of the Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere left over from my niece Lily's fair isle sweater (it was Parfait Play, from Interweave Spring 2005). Either the pale pink or the fuschia--I have to check. Knitters are great.

Eyeknit

Warming Grace

Over at Two Wooden Sticks something wonderful is happening. It is true that when knitters come together, something wonderful often happens; this is especially wonderful. At last count ninety-one knitters are knitting five inch pink squares to warm Grace. Go read about it here.

In the meantime, here are the two squares I knit which I will put in the post tomorrow. These were fun to knit, but more than that, while I knit, I held in my heart my hopes for her quick and complete recovery. I hope the squares carry that with them.
And here they are with Daniel's Bug of Power watching over them.

Oh, as for pattern and yarn etcetera this is Frog Tree Hill (more of that lovely cotton-silk I snagged out of the geeeeeorgeous bargin bins at Loop) knit in five inch squares on size 6 Denise Interchangeables (because I can't stomach the join when Denise are on size 5s) with seed stitch borders and patterns adapted from Knitting on the Edge. That Nicky (I nearly typed Knicky which would be apt, n'est-ce pas?) is some good stuff.

Easy, Simple.

"So (she said, sauntering over casually) have you seen this?" As she screamed this and metaphorically shoved the Mason-Dixon blog in your face, she lost all semblance of cool and did the happy Mason Dixon dance right there on the sidewalk. That's us baby. Knitters, bloggers and shameless imitators of Kay and Ann. Although they do recommend that I dye my hair. Which is slightly worrying because I don't think I'd look good as a blonde. Images of Courtney Love in vintage store slips keep thrusting themselves into my mind and I worry that I will start avoiding court hearings and trying to make out with Drew Barrymore.

But back to the knitting. I will take a picture of my enlargening Mason-Dixon inspired logcabin blanket tonight and post it but for now, a Harlot inspired thought.

As I sat on the couch last night knitting, Ed (husband) leaned over and shook his head. "That," he said, "looks complicated." I graced him with a beatific, Harloty smile and said "It's all just two stitches. Knit and purl. Simple. Easy." He looked at me pityingly and said, "That's like saying, hey, all matter is just atoms. Protons and neutrons. Easy. Simple."

I take his point.

The Taupe Baby Sweater Saga, or I have to get over it.

Dear SM,

As you said (and showed), it was a weekend full of knitterly goodness and special events. However, it was not a weekend filled with any substantial knitting progress. I've (again) made negative progress on the taupe-baby-sweater-from-hell. Actually, it's from France--but it's annoying, nonetheless. To recap, I purchased a Tiboodoo brand baby sweater at my LYS in a fit of lovey baby feelings, as my younger sister is expecting in July. It was quite expensive by baby sweater standards, but--hey, it's my baby sister's baby, and almost certainly my last niece or nephew. Being taupe with cream edges, it's gender neutral and darling. I momentarily forgot my "no allover cabled designs for those who will outgrow it within the month" rule. The yarn is from Anny Blatt, and is soft, thin and splitty. It's done on US #3 needles, for a gauge of 45 sts and 40 rows in 4". Why did I not rethink this at the time? Because none of this information was available to me before purchasing the kit. Each of the cables requires two cable needles, and I had to get new, pointier cable needles to squeeze them into the teeny stitches.

It took me a while to get it going, but I did start to get into the routine. I realized the major, glaringly obvious problem only after finishing the back and about 1/3 of the front piece. As the pattern specifies, the cable pattern starts right with the edge stitch. Don't ask. Please don't ask. I know, it should have screamed out at me..."This can't be right. I'll just do what seems like a better idea". No. I'm a pretty strict pattern-follower. I usually think designers are "the clever people", who know better and can see spatial relationships better than I ever will. I always assume there must be a reason, a higher plan that I'm too short-sighted to see in the beginning of the project. So, now the idea of seaming it up horrifies me. I've thought it through, and I can't rip and start over--the yarn has already been through too much, what with the crazy complex cables and teensy gauge. I'm going to have to suck it up, block the hell out of it, and matress very, very carefully. I'm a stickler for excellence in finishing, and I'll always be a little ashamed of this sweater. Luckily, the mother-to-be is a non-knitter, and will never notice the imperfection. However, I'd be embarrassed to show this to a really skillful knitter. Okay, now I'll show you the object of my shame:


Here's the back, unblocked but pinned out to the approximate dimensions.











Next, a close-up of the cabley goodness--again, unblocked.









Here's a photo of how my practice seaming went. I've mattress seamed the back to the partially-knitted front piece. Notice that one stitch of each cable is lost into the seam, which makes the whole thing mighty asymmetrical and off-balance. Hmm... There's a big lesson learned. I guess despite reading about a hundred knitting books, knitting every spare moment for 15 mos, and trying harder things for each project, I'm still a relatively new knitter. Okay. I've admitted my stupidity, written an e-mail to the Tiboodoo company (no response), and decided on a course of action. I must now get over it, and knit like the wind. It has to end soon. Only (!) 60 rows left for the front, then I think I'll do both sleeves at the same time, to ensure that the seam is exactly the same on both. Any comments or alternate ideas would be very welcome.

Love, EK

Northwards!

So, still flush and cheerful after the Mason Dixon evening at Loop, EK and I sauntered off to Doylestown to see Stephanie Pearl McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. The fates (the weather, the traffic, the police blocking off the main road) strove to keep me from the knitterly goodness, but I resisted, pressed onwards and arrived, late, but triumphant. EK was there (knitting her beautiful Conwy socks -- see her there?). Stephanie was there (good thing too really or why was I in Doylestown in the middle of this ucky winter rainsnowstorm). We lined up with a lovely Canadian called Theresa (whose blog I can't find! Grrr!) Stephanie signed my book and encouraged my obsessive behavior (thank you). She had the pins for Knitters without Borders and now we both do too!

Mason Dixon at Loop

See this? Well you can't so I'll tell you. It's me doing the happy Mason-Dixon dance. Seeing them and all their beautiful large swathes of knitting tonight at Loop was wonderful. It was also wonderful to sit among all those knitters, all giggling at knitting jokes. All fondling yarn. Drinking the Pinot Grigio. Eating up all the asparagus. Oh wait. That was just me. I cannot see a piece of asparagus go by without attempting to eat it and this was nice asparagus...

But I digress. Ann was lovely, Kay equally so. They were warm, witty and surprisingly awake considering their recent schedule. They signed the Two Sharp Sticks book and smiled benignly at us even while we hysterically confessed that their mutual blog was the inspiration for this little blogoid. Ann bought sock yarn and waved around a blanket panel she's knitting that was just lovely. I'd show you it but I (bad blogger) forgot the camera.

Still, I have a camera now so I can show you this. Loop thoughtfully filled a sale bin with Frog Tree sportweight cotton-silk from which I carefully selected (that is, lunged maniacally for) several colors so that I could embark on a small log cabin quilt from this. Only smaller. And probably lumpier. But it's early knitting moments. And yes, Kay and Ann, I have already modified the pattern. Genius? Or utter stupidity? Right now, it's hard to tell.


Why why why can I not concentrate on any one project for longer than ten minutes? It's doing my head in.

Retraction

Dear SM,
My memory seems to be going on me. Just revisited the Clapotis pattern photo, and realized that my memory has led me astray. First of all, the model is not the goddess Kate Gilbert herself, but Emilie Vanderameele. Worse, though, is that it's a photo taken indoors! I totally got the impression of a sidewalk (out on the sidewalk) cafe, but it's clearly not. Sorry for the confusion.

BTW, the title of this post was hard for me to type, since refraction (the process of determining a patient's optimal eyeglass prescription) is a huge part of what I do each day. Retraction still looks funny.

Love, EK

Did you hear that?

That was the sound of me ripping out the second half of the baby dress. See, this is why you (and when I say you, I mean me) should not have eight projects on the needles at once because between knitting the first half and the second I forgot what size needles I had used, why I had decided that the 12 months size was a good idea and whether I had knit to a looser or tighter gauge. It's a mystery. But I know this for certain now.

The first half was not knit on size 7.

Rrrrrriiiiip.

It's a little like Clapotis...

Dear SM,

I've continued my perusal of Mason-Dixon Knitting, by Ann and Kay, and...it's a little like Clapotis.

On first viewing, I couldn't have cared less about Clapotis. Not any more or less appealing than any one of the 5 billion scarves/shawls/ponchos/shrugs/boleros out there. I thought, "I don't need this in my wardrobe. I don't even particularly feel like knitting one". Then, one magical day, I browsed past the same photo (you know the one--you don't need a link) at the sidewalk cafe, with the undulating curviness and silky sheen, and unstudied draping/flinging around the neck of Kate Gilbert. Don't give me that. You've studied it, too--probably in an attempt to rationalize either buying or not buying the $31/skein Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb (50% merino/50% silk). I only remember and mention this because it's the most expensive yarn per yard I've purchased to date.

So, what changed on that special day? Low barometric pressure? Full moon? Was I more sleep-deprived than usual? I still don't know. I just had to knit this one thing, immediately. As you know, this is contrary to my ususal M.O.--obsessing over a new project, carefully planning the yarn purchase and methodically swatching. I ran out, bought the Lion and Lamb and I knit the Clapotis. Whew! Got that one out of my system.

OK, back to Mason-Dixon. 24 hrs ago, I had never planned to knit a blanket, a dishcloth or a rug. You two are really changing my ideas about the scope of handknitted projects. I'm feeling that cravey rumble that means it might me time to buy some new yarn. Can't wait to see Ann and Kay and their Moses basket in person. Hmm...a Moses basket. Maybe that's the ultimate solution to my ongoing problems with my sister's baby's crappy Tiboodoo sweater. Forget the sweater. Consider the Moses basket. Help! See you tomorrow evening.

Yarnlove,
EK

...after ' while, Crocodile!

Dear SM,

I've completed the crocodile puppet for my nephew, Nathan. Nate is a first-grader, who has been in the high school production of Peter Pan, playing the littlest Lost Boy. The play has required a tremendous amount of practice, and he's been a real trooper. We saw the production last Saturday--it was really entertaining. He had every song, dance step and bit of stage business just right. We were so proud.

Anyway, when I asked him if he wanted me to knit him a sweater, he shyly sidled up to me and said, "Aunt Amy? Instead of a sweater...would you maybe make me one of those crocodile mittens like you made for William?" As I'm sure you know, the base pattern is the Later 'Gator Mitts from SnB Nation. However, I've made some important mods. The basic concept and shaping are great, but I thought the googly eyes were incredibly lame. Also, I'm horrible at French knots, and they loosened up on my first pair.

For anyone who cares, here's what I did:

Yarn: bits of dark green Araucana Nature Wool (worsted wt.), red Paton's Classic Wool, and some white stuff at the bottom of the leftovers bag.
Pattern: Later 'Gator Mitts, SnB Nation
Needles: Clover DPNs, US5 and US7
Gauge: doesn't matter
Size: the second size (called Women's small, but will just fit the 7 year old for whom they're intended).

Modifications:
Using smaller (US 5) needles and green, make eyelid as follows:
Cast on 3 sts.
Make a 9 row I-cord.
BO 2 sts (1 st remains).
Pick up and knit along long edge of I-cord, for a total of 6 sts on needle. Turn.
Row 1: Purl 6. Turn.
2: ssk, k2, k2tog. Turn.
3: Purl 4. Turn.
4: ssk, k2tog.
BO 1 st and fasten off, leaving tail.

Using smaller (US 5) needles and white, make bobble as follows:
Make a slipknot on needle.
Row 1: Knit into the front, then back, then front of same stitch. Turn.
2: Knit 3. Turn.
3: Purl 3. Turn.
4: Knit 3. Turn.
5: Sl 1, k2tog, psso.
BO this live stitch.


Here it gets a little fiddly. Sew down the non-I-cord edges of the lid to the top of the head, before seaming the head to the mouth lining. Make it shaped like a little 1/2 dome. Sew the tails from the bobble through the concavity, and knot underneath. Embroider the pupil onto the bobble with the other green tail. Work in the ends.

During the mattress seaming (head and mouth together), embroider white Vs for teeth.


Overall, a little scarier than the cute, goofy original. It should be quite satisfactory for a little boy dreaming of Captain Hook.

In other news, I did procure the Mason-Dixon book, in preparation for meeting Ann and Kay at Loop (Philadelphia) Friday night. I've only read about 1/4 of it, but it's a gorgeously-designed book, and their humor shines through. I wasn't so sure about some of the home decorating ideas, but...suddenly I'm dying to have a linen knitted piano bench cover. Or, maybe a pad for the (broken) reed seated, ladderback chair in our hallway. No, really! You have to see it.

Yarn love,
Eyeknit

Progress

Dear EK,

More stash. Less stash. I think stash is an amalgam, a conglomeration. A mass, rather than a set of distinct lines. So one cannot have fewer stash, but only fewer skeins. But perhaps less is more. Or fewer. In any case, you are, in general I think, more restrained and careful than I.

Your Birch is proof. It is a thing of beauty. I, on the other hand, long to love KSH but rant at its sticky beauty, cursing my blunt needles and desire to watch Battlestar Galactica whilst knitting. Oh, but that thing of beauty I mentioned? It's here. In my house. On my bed. Luckily, the children are not around but if they were... have I mentioned how much Helena likes a shawl? But since you are in the pre-photo posting phase (a phase which every blogger must endure, at least for a little while), I am putting teasers up here of your Birch's unbelievable beauty.

I, steadfastly ignoring the one KSH project that is on the needles, have been working through the other projects in my huge pile of cast-ons. The engagement socks are all done (see below). This hat (a slightly secret hat in case its recipient's mother peeks in here) is now chugging away after FIVE false starts and a decision to scrap the crappy rolled edge brim which wasn't working for me. I did a folded brim -- which worked beautifully. Let's stop to admire it a moment.

This is the inside of the brim. I took the advice of some clever knitblogger and knit through both strands of the cast on edge and, whaddya know, but it makes a lovely edge. No flaring. No uneveness.

This is the right side. But then, the inside is so beautiful, maybe that's the right side. Heck, they're both right.

I am knitting this half from KnitPicks Shine (the pale blue and red) and half from Wildflower DK (since Shine does not come in black or white) I give the Shine two thumbs up but the Wildflower -- ick. Maybe half a thumb up. The Shine flows nicely, has lovely definition and does not -- and this is important -- spend the whole time dissolving into its constituent plys. Like the Wildflower does. Man that stuff splits like a two-timing cheatin' no good low down skunk of a man with a new pair of shoes and the contents of your wallet. When you can keep it in line, it looks real nice but boy, it's hard work making it toe the line.

In other explorations of the world of dk knitting for smallish people, I am finally thundering through this:

This is Anouk from Knitty, knit from Cascade Pima Tencel. Why did no one mention how badly this stuff sheds? It leaves orange fuzz on everything and if you run a loving finger down the surface of the knit fabric, you get orange fuzzbunnies. Maybe I'll show you one tomorrow. Still, the pattern is lovely and I am knitting quickly so that the baby does not outgrown her welcome to the world present.

Regarding our beloved Harlot

Dear SM,

You probably already saw this, but Stephanie (the Yarn Harlot) will be making two Philadelphia-area visits! This Saturday, she's at the Doylestown Bookstore (is that the good independent bookseller on the main street?) from 12-2. I'd love to go, and it might be possible, but DH thinks it's imperative that we buy shrubs (all day?) for the front yard. She'll also be at Loop (South Street) on Monday 4/10/06, at 7 pm.

It seems to me that the advantage of the Doylestown experience is that it may be less crowded. ...Or maybe not--it could attract all of Bucks and Montgomery Counties. The best part of Loop is that it'll be amidst yarn and is way closer to your house. However, there are legions of Center City knitters, many of whom might be expected to come out for this. They're about equidistant for me, so let me know. I'd also like to get my book signed.

Yarn love,
Eyeknit

Finally, I have arrived!

Two Sharp Sticks
Dear, dear, patient SM,

(Are you okay with those initials? Even without the crucial conjunction it might seem, well--unseemly. Let me know.)

I have finally arrived in blogland. You may, however, want to consider changing the name of our blog. "So soon?", you ask. Although I generally do consider myself pretty sharp, I was completely unable to access our blog, after the original sign-in I performed so enthusiastically last week. I've spent my spare moments (ha!) for the last two days struggling with the Blogger sign-in screen, their Help sections, and e-mailing their technical folks, to no avail. I tried every password and combination I could think of, without success. Did I forget my password? Did I forget my fingers? No, no. Too obvious. My password is, in fact, one of my old standbys--which explains the otherwise rather surprising fact that I didn't write it down. It turns out that my username is not the name that shows up on the blog (eyeknit). Duh.

So...we seem to have one sharp stick (you) and one rather dull, slow stick (me). Okay--you can be the Crystal Palace, and I'll be the Clover. Or, do you want to be Inox, and I'll be Addi Turbos? Before I get blasted here, let me be the first to say to every needle there is a purpose, and I love my Addis and my Clovers; just not for the same application. Many a project has come close to being abandoned (or at least sworn and mumbled over), before I tried a sharper or duller stick, a grippier or smoother surface, or a join that doesn't suck in each tiny strand of laceweight yarn. Yes, it seems I'm talking about Birch.

Like legions of others, I had to start Birch thrice. On the first try I used my Denise set, which is usually convenient for swatching--especially if you have never knit laceweight before, and have no idea whether you're a tight or loose knitter with such fine, sticky stuff. The points resisted my every attempt to k2togtbl, and the mohair squeezed the rubbery cord like a boa constrictor. Rip. Second try: Crystal Palace circulars, with a pointier tip, but a join which fell apart (I couldn't find the SuperGlue). Rip. Third time's a...nevermind. On the third try, I bought a Bryspun circular US #8 on the internet, and did better (great tips for lace, but I struggled mightily with the join), but the gauge was huge and loopy. On the final (and successful) attempt, I bought the cheapest needles on the market--Balene II long straights US #7--no join to fuss with, and all 299 sts fit just fine on the length. The points were just like the Bryspuns, and the whole thing had nice flexibility to it.

As I reread this, I realize that it seems I actually started Birch FOUR times, a fact I must have blocked from my conscious mind, to allow me to continue knitting.

Anyway, it turned out rather nicely, and if this dull stick can figure out how to add photos, rearrange text and other spectacular effects on a blogpage, I'll post photos of the finished Birch. Actually, it looks just like the other 400 Birches you can view on the web, but it'll always seem special to me. Is that the same way we feel about our children? You know..."Is our kid really, really cute, or does DNA just make us think that, to delude parents into caring for vulnerable babies, and to make sure the genetic material is safe for future generations?" Anyway, SM, I have fewer children and less stash than you do, but I'll try to belatedly flash you later this week. BTW, is stash fewer (skeins and balls) or less (yardage)? It's such a peeve of mine, that I certainly want to get this one right!

Eyeknit (Newbie blogger)

Up and coming

Dear EK (as you, dear EyeKnit, are known initially),

My complete inability to actually telephone anyone, find a calendar or remember what month it is poses a serious problem as there is some groovy stuff coming our way.

The Harlot of Yarn is going to be in Doylestown on the 8th of April from 12-2pm at the Doylestown Bookshop. I know it's not around the corner, exactly, but I feel the need to go wave a sock at her and get her to waste valuable knitting time by inscribing my book.

The Mason-Dixon duo are going to be at Loop (our Loop, not London's Loop) on the evening of the 7th of April from 6-8 pm. (It's like the knitting ley lines are converging on Philadelphia next weekend. Must check the alignment of Venus.) I don't have their book but I'd still like to go and, I don't know, wave an afghan at them.

And then there's the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and Rosie's is running a bus and for a measly $35 or so, we can hop on their bus, pet wool all day and come back for supper.

So.

So. So. So. Whaddya say?

Love, Stuntmother

Stashflashing

Well, it's just a little peek, but you didn't think I'd let my children lie around in ALL the yarn, right? As it was, I had to wrest them away from actually swimming in it.

The stash is heavy on the sock yarn at the moment (which is ironic since I'm currently feeling a bit anti-sock) but there's plenty of other stuff too. Really. Kureyon, Kid Silk Haze, KnitPicks, Elizabeth Lavold Silk Tweed, Philosophers' Wool (I love them and their wool), Malabrigo, oh lord, all sorts of stuff. Some I know what I'm going to do with it and some I don't. I have a hard time resisting a sale bin.

But recently (due to overall life stress - for more on this fascinating topic, see my other blog) I have been finding the stash itself a stress rather than a comfort. See me? the yarn whispers. You're neglecting me, lazybones. Why don't you knit with me already? Make something of me. Don't just hoard me like so many knick-knacks. Knit! Knit faster! Don't get distracted by that silk-wool over there or that KPixie sale. Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you! Don't walk away!

*sigh*

So though I thought it would be fun to flash the stash, right now, I'm better off just petting little pieces of it and keeping the rest quietly in the dark.

But I blocked Helena's little capelet and boy, did it need it. Now it's so rockin' that I can wear it too. Not that she's going to take it off long enough for me to get a look in. No sirree.

But before we go, more gratuitous cuteness. Aw.