Sprocket Knits

WIP: Paper Dolls and Audiobooks

2010-03-07T10:27:00.001-05:00

Knitting Kate Davies's "Paper Dolls" while listening to "Game Change" on audiobook. The book is absolutely fascinating--a behind the scenes look at the 2008 election. As an unabashed liberal, I find the book a lot of fun (spoiler alert--Obama wins!). But it's actually empathetic to all involved, though it pulls no punches when it (I think rightly) excoriates John and Elizabeth Edwards and Sarah Palin--with devastating insight. All I can say is, bullets were dodged. Political junkies of all stripes should find the book entertaining. Next I'm on to "Too Big to Fail"-- on the economic collapse. Good times.

Still a novice at choosing colors that work well together, I shamelessly copied Sannie's combo in Rowan 4-ply scottish tweed. I am quite smitten with the yarn, the pattern, the colors, everything. I love the way it is knitting up to create a real fabric--a fuzzy, solid, woolly thing that looks amazing. I did dispense with the i-cord cast on, just did a regular cast on and two rows of stockinette--it curls up to look like i-cord anyway.

Winter's Last Hurrah

2010-03-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

We've all had our fun complaining about the long snowy winter--but now that everything is melting, I feel a little sad. I think a lot of knitters feel that way. It's the opposite of that rush we get when we catch that first cold breeze in late September.

But it's not totally over yet. We still have a little spring skiing planned in two weeks, and in spite of the fact that the thermometer may hit 60 this weekend, there is still snow on the ground. There is still time to crank out a few accessories like this cutie from Kirsten Kapur. I was looking for a classic cabled hat and this fit the bill perfectly. Soon I'll be knitting in bright spring colors, but here's a little more winter white to ease us into it. Pom-pom yet to be added.

Wood Hollow Hat by Kirsten Kapur
Cascade 200, Natural, 1 skein
Needles: size 6

Monogamy

2010-02-18T16:48:00.000-05:00

I'm a knitting floozy and Ravelympics is getting the best of me. Six days of fidelity to one project and I am losing interest. I browse Ravelry, yearning for a new, more exciting project. I swoon over yarn in my stash. I drive by my LYS with a sense of sadness. I find myself singing Howard Jones.

You can look at the menu but you just can't eat.....

I am SO itching to start a new project right now. Seriously, 10 more days of nothing but the same project? Not sure I can do it.

FO: Nantucket Waters

2010-02-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

First of all, there is snow. Lots and lots of snow. Yesterday's additional 2" almost put me over the edge, but hardened veterans that we now are, we survived.

So as I look out the window of this house, you won't blame me for daydreaming of the view from the other house. Ahhhh July, you can't come soon enough. For three weeks in the summer, the kids run in and out of the water, playing on the same beaches, surfing the same waves, and falling asleep to the same foghorn that their dad and granddad did when they were kids. It's a grand old house with a million-dollar view, and a long family history to go with it.

But back to the knitting--thoughts of those cobalt blue waters inspired me to knit my Citron in Sundara's fingering silky merino in the Cobalt over Mediterranean colorway.

That is some *nice* yarn. I have a few skeins stashed and I'm never quite sure what to make of them. I'm not a very good lace knitter so the idea of sweating through hours of yarning over and passing slipped stitches over just to bunch my masterpiece around my neck just never seemed worth it. But a semicircle of stockinette? That I can do.

I followed the pattern almost exactly (left out a few rows of the very first gathered section so it would not look bunchy). I also blocked it somewhat more aggressively along the straight edge to elongate the semicircle so it would wrap better around my neck as a scarf (but making it difficult to photograph, obviously).

A quick shout-out to NutmegOwl, who was my pick-up Citron KAL buddy--check out the beauty she produced. Looks great, no?

I'll leave you with one more shot from my summer daydreams---the men in my life:

Olympic Knitting

2010-02-15T08:44:00.007-05:00

Yes, I'm on the bandwagon. I'm going to attempt to finish an entire adult sweater in two weeks. I've chosen Seneca (rav link)

Those look like olympic rings right? I figure it is the right amount of challenge in the sideways cable with lots of straight stockinette thrown in for plenty of mindless knitting. I'm not a huge fan of angora, but wanted to make sure the sweater was soft and drapey with a fuzzy halo, so I chose Cascade Eco Alpaca in natural. The yarn is very soft and I got gauge on size 7 needles--I'm a bit concerned that the cables don't look as "solid" as I would like, but I think blocking will help them plump up. I will admit that I did not block my swatch (I know, I know) but I used the first sleeve as my unofficial swatch. Having used this yarn before, I have a feel for how much it grows with blocking and I am taking that into account as I choose my size.

Progress so far:

Day 1: Could not cast on during the opening ceremonies as we were out to dinner so I spent Saturday catching up. Finished the cable section and about 7” of the first sleeve. Goal is to finish the second sleeve by tomorrow night, so I have most of the games to do the body.

Day 2: First sleeve finished! It’s 10:30pm, I’m very sleepy but halfway through the second sleeve cables. Can I get them done tonight? That would set up a straight shot of stockinette to get to the goal of finishing the sleeves by tomorrow.

ETA: Powered through cables, finished at around 11:30, thanks to some mistakes that needed fixing. Not unlike the “penalty” lap in biathlon.

Winter Light

2010-01-02T16:09:00.001-05:00

I got this in the mail today. Not a bad way to start the year.

It's Madelinetosh Pashmina in the "Alabaster" colorway, bought from Eat, Sleep Knit. It is a lot less yellow and a bit more peach than it looks on the website and it's gorgeous. It's the color of 3pm on a sunny day in the wintertime--that little bit of warmth when it's cold outside. I'm planning on making the Lightweight Pullover out of it just as soon as I wrap up some existing projects.

Planning for 39

2009-12-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

After my family, the greatest blessing in my life is a tight-knit group of 12 women who are my lifetime friends. We met at Princeton in the early 90s and have remained close--supporting each other through heartbreak and achievement, marriages, babies, the death of parents, job traumas and all the other stuff that life brings. We try to get the whole group together at least once a year--no small task since we are scattered from Boston to San Francisco. Often, it happens naturally--someone getting married, major year Reunions, etc. But when it doesn't, we put a trip together.

In the days after Christmas, one of the California ladies was on the East Coast so the NY/NJ/PA contingent gathered in Brooklyn for the afternoon. And that's where the plotting began--we need a ski trip. On the phone a few days later with Ms. Boston, we came up with the idea for a 39th Birthday Bash--a weeklong trip in the winter of 2011 to celebrate our collective 39th birthdays.

What does this have to do with knitting? Glad you asked. In the next few weeks, I'm going to plan my Ski Trousseau. By the time the Great 39th rolls around, I want to have a pile of awesome handknits to take to Vail or Aspen or Park City or wherever we decide to go. I anticipate needing 5 or so sweaters, about 6 pairs of socks, 2-3 pairs of mittens, a couple of hats, a few cowls and maybe even some leg warmers. Now the fun begins--picking out the patterns and yarn for this year-long project. On hiatus will be knits for the Ungrateful Children (who alternate between never wearing my handiwork, or beating the crap out of a given sweater). This will be a year devoted to selfish knitting.

Already on my list are:
Seneca and Huron by Brooklyn Tweed
Lightweight Pullover by Hannah Fetig
Hedge Fence Pullover by Elinor Brown

Not being much of a sock knitter, I will stick to straightforward patterns like Thuja. I love this pair I made for Ms. SF-Toronto last year out of STR heavyweight in the Gingerbread Man colorway. Truth be told, the only other sock pattern I've successfully completed is Spring Forward. But maybe I will challenge myself by trying something like Monkey.

What would you take with you on a fabulous ski vacation?

HC SVNT DRACONES

2009-12-17T15:23:00.013-05:00

Here Be Dragons

I know all about girls. My first child was a daughter, I have a sister, girl cousins--but no male relatives my age, and no real male friends until I was an adult. In other words, no experience with *boys*. So, around 4 years ago, when I found out I was going to have a boy, I was scared and excited, but mostly, I knew I was venturing into the unknown.

When the mapmakers reached the edge of the known world, they wrote, "Beyond here be dragons..." What lay ahead was scary and fraught with peril. And I have to be honest, raising this boy has challenged me more than, well, just about anything. I'm a verbal person--he is not. I'm not a patient person, and he requires patience above all else. There have also been many adorable, sweet moments--but I think the most incredible thing is the glimpses I am getting of a life with a son. That I get to witness the process of a boy growing into a man. And he's a reminder to me that we are all of us, works in progress.

And for me, the experience is nothing short of transformational.

So, I am pondering all of this as I knit Ryuu-Ko, by Daniela Nii from the most recent issue of Petit Purls.

Here's what I've got so far--knit in Cascade 220:

3..2...1... CLEAR!

2009-08-14T08:16:00.004-04:00

Whew, that was close. For all of you who thought the blog was dead, I'm here to tell you that it has been successfully revived. The good news is that I have a lot of finished FOs to show, though I had better pace myself. There has been sock knitting, sweater knitting, baby knitting, and lots of fun fun yarn buying.

Easing into things--here's a quickie--Spring Forward socks in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock.

Love this yarn--she has gorgeous colors and it has such a nice sproingy twist. This is a great pattern for when you've lost your knitting mojo. It's easy, it's fun, it's fast and the results are adorable.

Across the finish line

2009-04-16T15:55:00.006-04:00

And just in time too. The Diamonds in Relief sweater is finished and delivered--school auction is in two days.

Diamond in Relief (size 31")

Interweave Knits Holiday 2008

O-Wool Classic: 3 skeins in Willow

For the first time, I actually had "fun" finishing/seaming up the sweater. I don't know why, but for some reason, the rhythm of mattress stitch just clicked.

Decisions, decisions

2009-03-04T14:24:00.004-05:00

I'm going to knit a sweater for my daughter's school auction. The idea is, I'll knit a sample, people will bid and they can either take the sample or commission a new one in a different size/color. So, it's got to be basic, but not too basic, gender-neutral and run in sizes from K-8 graders.

I finally decided on this pattern, "Diamonds in Relief" from this past year's Interweave Knits.

Now, the question is, what yarn and which color? Gauge is 4st/inch so the possibilities are endless...

I've narrowed it down to:

Cascade Eco+ in blue, red, orange or green

Beaverslide McTaggart Tweed in Big Sky Blue

O-Wool Classic in Slate, Willow or Evergreen

Event is fast approaching...

Brighter

2009-02-18T13:12:00.005-05:00

The days are getting longer and even the gray days seem less gray. I'm a big fan of February. After all the holiday craziness, people seem to have found their footing again. Things seem "regular." Sometimes there's snow, but here on the east coast, we know that spring is right around the corner. Oh, and it's my birthday month so there are flowers, and treats, and good wishes.

The best part though, is that it's still great knitting weather. You can still whip up a pair of mittens and know that you can wear them right away. But if you are going to knit mittens in February, they should be pretty and hopeful. Kind of like these:

Pattern: All the Water by Kristin Kapur
Yarn: 1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino in "Sky"
Needles: US size 7 (knit on 2 circulars)

Never one to pass up a good bandwagon, I jumped all over Kirsten Kapur's "All the Water" Mittens as soon as she published the pattern. It's a fun fast pattern and the Blue Sky Alpacas suri merino knits up like spun cloud. My distracted knitting didn't do justice to the pattern--there's a stray cable on one mitt, a too-short thumb on the other--but I love them nonetheless.

Cozy

2009-02-04T14:03:00.006-05:00

My dear neighbor and I did a sweater knit-along for the kids. Here's mine--nothing too fancy, just a warm gray sweater that the kiddo loves. I love this pattern. It's mindless and easy but is nicely proportioned for kids. I've made a wee one out of cotton, but love the way it looks and feels in the Nature Spun. It softened up so much after a nice warm bath and it was easy to block away the fact that one sleeve was a 1/2" longer than the other.

Pattern: Child's Placket Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: 2 skeins of Nature Spun worsted in Charcoal

Needles: size US7

KAL: 12 in 12

2009-01-16T22:34:00.004-05:00

So I stared a little KAL over on Ravelry--we're calling it "12 in 12"-- 12 kid sweaters in 12 months. Totally doable right? And imagine, my kids will be so well-clothed by this time next year. My friends with new babies will be so grateful and think I am a knitting genius... etc...

A rule for this KAL that applies only to me is that I must knit as many items for my daughter as I do for my son. The 6yo has very strong opinions about pattern, color, and texture. The 2yo just wants some more goldfish crackers. Guess who usually gets more sweaters?

Want to join? Check it out here.

Making Progress

2009-01-11T11:54:00.008-05:00

The hoodie of a thousand tiny cables is coming along nicely. The back is done and I'm about halfway up the front. But even with the slick addis, it's still not something I can do full-time. I still need a mindless stockinette project or an instant gratification hat/mitten project.

I find I work on it during the week--when I take a break at lunchtime, or for an hour or so in the evening. And is is looking yummy. The Rowan All-Season Cotton has just enough stretch and softness to make knitting tiny cables with cotton bearable. And it has has a nice almost-rustic texture that makes me think ahead to evenings by the water in the summer months ahead--a nice visual in the dead of winter.

It's not easy being this green

2009-01-05T11:25:00.005-05:00

It was an impulse buy, I'll admit it. I saw Hello Knitty's fantastic version of the February Lady Sweater and decided I had to make the exact same thing. I was sure that as soon as I got the yarn, I would tear into it, cast on immediately, work on it until the wee hours of the morning until it was done. So I googled and ordered up 4 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool and when I opened the package.... it was GREEN.
And then reality set in. I don't wear a lot of green and when I do, it's of the forest or mossy variety, for good reason. I held it up to my face and it was not pretty. Instantly, I turned a strange shade of yellow. It's a stunning color--just not on me.

I tried to entice 6yo daughter--wouldn't she love a sweater in green?

No. Blue.

She said "I don't want to be disappointed, so can you please make it blue?"

So, down the pecking order it goes.... to little brother.

I would love to re-jigger Anny Purl's Cardigan for Merry--it seems like the perfect color for such a project--and I wonder if, by making it out of worsted instead of sport-weight yarn, I would end up with a 2-3yo size jacket. I'm off to the Ravelry forums to seek advice.

Second Hat Down

2009-01-04T10:22:00.006-05:00

The kids are now officially ready for winter. In the second-to-last -day of Christmas Break, I whipped up a quick hat for the little guy yesterday--loosely based on Tiennie's "Norwegian Star Earflap Hat"--except without the earflaps. I'm not a big fan of how the earflaps look on his giant noggin so I did some ribbing instead.

This was a fun, quick one and I have to say, I loved they yarn--soft, warm, and slightly fuzzy thanks to a bit of alpaca.

I made the ribbing extra wide to serve almost like an earwarmer headband and I eliminated all the knit rounds at the top to give the hat a more squared-off shape--kind of like the kid's head.

Unlike my picky daughter, the little guy will wear anything I knit up--hats, scarves, mittens and sweater of any color or material.

However, also unlike the 6yo, at 2.5, it is impossible to get a

picture of him unless he's asleep. So here is a more accurate depiction of the hat at work.

January, bring it on.

Light Bright

2009-01-02T10:19:00.006-05:00

There are some color combinations that only a 6 year old girl can love. Here is one of them. Because I was letting her pick out her own colors, I picked a pattern that I could knock off in a day or so--also, it's cold and the kid needs a hat. A while ago, I had queued up Knitty's "Center Square" and after a little gauge math, I was off the the races.

I started by knitting it on two circulars, but the tangle of

cables and yarn started to really annoy me so I just wrestled them onto one 24" circular until I got to the crown decreases. I have to say, I wouldn't really recommend that--it made for unpleasant tight knitting that never felt fun--I just wanted to get to the end. It was a little small after I finished, but I'm hoping blocking might help with that.

Though I like the colors she picked out, I'm not crazy about how they look together in this pattern, and in the process of knitting it, my addled brain figured out why. Artists and other color experts will instantly tell me where I went wrong, but it took me a while to see that though the blue and pink are very different colors, they are very similar in color value. That means they have a similar amount of white in them and therefore, next to each other, they don't really create much contrast. Interesting lesson learned and filed away in noggin. After a break from the colors, I'll whip up some matching mittens, per her request.

Center Square, Knitty.com

One skein each Cascade 128 in Powder Blue and Cotton Candy

US size 10 needles

Ahhh....addis

2008-12-27T14:25:00.002-05:00

When the package of yarn arrived yesterday, just as I was finishing a pair of crazy socks, I felt the overwhelming urge to rip into it immediately and cast on for its intended project--the sweater of a million tiny cables. I scrambled around to find the right size needle and got to work.

A mere three rounds later, I felt an twinge, then an ache, then shooting pain in my right arm. Turns out that knitting and cabling cotton at a tight gauge, on old sticky bamboo needles is a sure-fire way to blow out your carpal tunnel. Never mind, though. Two advil. Continue knitting.

Six rounds later and even the advil was no match for the needles from hell. So, first thing this morning, I ran out to my LYS and bought a pair of much-needed addis. Huge difference--much better.

Good tools are such a joy. I thought I hated dpns until I found the pricey but priceless signature needles. That itty bitty ribbing, the stiletto points--they make such a huge difference. Addis are a longtime favorite--I do wish they weren't quite so blunt sometimes, but in general, they are my go-to needles for both straight and round knitting.

Shhh. Don't Tell Anyone

2008-12-26T09:08:00.006-05:00

Yeah, so I've had a sneaking suspicion of this for a while, but I fear it might be knitting heresy.

I hate variegated yarns.

They are sneaky bastards--looking all pretty as yarn in skeins, looking nasty once knit up. OK, so sometimes socks and maybe scarves look OK. But sweaters? Hideous. Hats? Awful.

Maybe I'm not using them properly--but at this point, I really don't think it's me.

Case study: Two balls of Sheep Shop Two yarn. I have tried making a cardigan out if it. Result: ugly. Next, a seed-stitch scarf. Result: ugly. And the most recent incarnation? The Yarn Harlots cute "unoriginal hat." Judge for yourself:

So. New Years Resolution #1: NO MORE VARIEGATED YARN. You will not tempt me with your multicolor swirls that look so delicious on the shelf. I know your game.

SCORE!

2008-12-18T08:46:00.009-05:00

For a while now, I've been wanting to make the cable and rib sweater with hood from Debbie Bliss's "The Baby Book." I'm really starting to feel the pressure now that my own little guy is pushing a size 3T. This pattern goes up to a size 4, but that's it. It looks like a fairly mindless pattern with a ton of little cables. Perhaps this will be the time to learn to cable without a cable needle. Looks like I'd get lots of practice.

I envision a cozy cotton sweater that little buddy can wear on chilly nights during the month we spend on Nantucket every year.

I'm not a huge fan of the Debbie Bliss cotton, and I AM a fan of Rowan's all season cotton. So imagine the thrill I got when I scored 10 balls of Rowan ASC in "Cookie" for $23, shipping included. WOO HOO! Now, I just have to get it done. Let's see, we leave for Nantucket in early July so.... I should have enough time, right? I actually think I might have this one sent out to be seamed--looks like there is a lot of it and I know my track record. Hey, with the $$ I saved on the yarn.....

ETA: In my excitement, I assumed that 10 skeins would be enough for this yarn hog of a project. Once I went through one of ten skeins and had only a few inches of knitting, I panicked a bit. Luckily, cucumberpatchUK over on eBay still had individual skeins of this discontinued yarn in her store--whew.

Cure for the winter blues

2008-12-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

I usually love winter--love the clothes, love the comfort of being warm inside while it's cold outside. I love the expectation of snow and how pretty it looks. This year though, December is getting me down. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving came late and the golden days of autumn were gone in a weekend, it seemed. I was particularly blue yesterday and decided to hit the

LYS in search of some retail therapy. What I found, was Kristin Nicholas's "Kristin Knits." It's full of vibrant designs from the color lady herself. Sitting right under the book was a big pile of Nashua Handkints "Julia"--which is Kristin's signature yarn. Yes, I did fall for the strategically placed yarn, but the colors were so bright and gorgeous and I loved the idea that, without thinking, I could exactly duplicate the fun knits in the book. So, I bought enough for a pair of socks for my little sister (who is hibernating with her new baby) and a pair long-overdue mittens for my big girl.

I immediately cast on for the socks, in hopes of finishing them before my next yarn shipment arrives. The endpaper mitts are still a WIP, but two days of tiny colorwork had me seeing stars, so it's nice to switch to a mindless knit for a while.

Ya Learn Something New Every Day

2008-12-11T07:09:00.001-05:00

For example, last week I learned that infamous duelist Aaron Burr was the grandson of Jonathan "sinners in the hands of an angry God" Edwards. Monday I learned that Gen. Eric Shinseki, Barack Obama's pick for Sec. of Veteras Affairs was one of only 8 Vietnam combat amputees who returned to active duty.

And yesterday, I learned how to do the tubular cast-on. And oh it made me so happy. I even put off fixing myself the evening cocktail until almost 7pm so I would be stone-cold sober while working on it (recommended).

I feel like it was a reward of sorts, learning something new. For the last week or so, my next-door neighbor has gotten interested in learning to knit and I've been helping her out. It's been really fun and it reminded me of the time when I was picking up a new skill every time I cast on for a new project--knitting in the round, cables, colorwork-- whole new worlds open up.

But then the learning curve inevitably flattens out. I am not a master knitter by any standard, but I am comfortable with the basic and intermediate skills. So, when I come across something I missed, it's so fun.

I cast on for Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts. I'm using Lorna's Laces sportweight in blackberry and sunshine. After a tour of the blogosphere, I decided to learn a regular tubular cast-on rather than the Italian one she recommends. I tried the Italian version initially, but I could quickly see that I would run into many of the problems others had reported--it's hard for mere mortals to get an even edge. It's gorgeous. I love it. No one will ever know because it will be tucked into my coat, but I know. And it was fun.

Here is the tutorial I used.

Sick Day

2008-11-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

Bad stomach bug going around, but I'll spare you the details. But let's just say that I'm not sure the car will ever be the same again. Poor girlie is home sick from school today and my tummy isn't feeling so hot either. So between bottles of gatorade, saltines, cinnamon toast and applesauce, we managed to get a few movies in. My favorite was Kit Kittredge--American Girl and my favorite part of the movie were all the awesome vintage clothes, esp. the knits. There was one particular green seed-stitch cardigan I haven't been able to find yet, but I did snag a picture of Kit's signature ribbed cardigan. I'm going to make one for the kiddo in blue, but I want to find just the right shade of vintage dusty blue. And I do love the cloche as well.

Drive Thru Thanksgiving

2008-11-21T16:26:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Turkey Day, the super-fast, super-cute Drive Thru. I finished this in exactly one week and it really could not be more adorable on the little guy. Easy color work, no seams--lots of fun. The only trouble I had was the neck. Even with a super-loose bind off, it was still too tight to fit over the boy's giant noggin, so I moved from knitting in the round a back and forth and will put a button in the back to close it up.

Sweater for a Wee One

2008-10-13T10:08:00.001-04:00

Sometimes events drive knitting. I tried to get this done for my sister's baby shower last week, but it was missing a sleeve. And a neck. But I got it done and the baby isn't even here yet. The pattern is the child's placket sweater from Joelle Hoverson's "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" and the yarn is Rowan Purelife Cotton. I like the idea of cotton--soft, washable, etc. But we all know it's not as much fun to knit. It's so unforgiving compared to wool--shows every last little mistake--and even things that aren't mistakes, like decreases seem to jump out at you.

That said, I've been wanting to make this for a long time and have had many false starts, so it's nice to finally finish one. It's knit in the round with the sleeves attached and then decreased for the yoke. I did fewer rows in the collar to avoid the "turtleneck" effect that is unflattering on babies.

Peace Baby!

2008-09-09T18:12:00.003-04:00

OK, so this had been languishing in the WIP pile for a while now. But I seamed it up today--rather badly, I might add. Whatever. It beats sitting in a pile waiting to be outgrown, right? I *know* I don't have the patience or talent to do the embroidery, and the kiddo is already loving wearing the sweater. Also no button due to large noggin.

Peace out.

Politics, part 2

2008-09-05T17:58:00.001-04:00

Ok, so no knitting, but I *wished* I'd had my knitting while we waited for... Joe Biden!

After the awful, divisive, hateful sniping I heard at the RNC, it was so great to hear Biden speak. He talked about issues--not about petty silly issues. He talked about the

struggles that people face in their daily lives. Talked about the

challenges we face around the world, talked about what it really means to forge compromise, bring people together and find solutions to problems like Social Security, climate change, health care, etc. It was so clear to me that

if this election were about issues, it would be a landslide. Sadly, the GOP has gotten so good at the politics of mass distraction--they would like nothing more than to make this election a referendum on

Sarah Palin. And all the while, people continu

e to work, struggle, and hope for a better way.

Also speaking was Gov. Ed Rendell--who did a great job of talking about the importance of green-collar jobs, and DR. Jill Biden, who talked about education.

Political Knits

2008-09-04T18:28:00.001-04:00

I made tremendous progress on Trellis last week during the DNC. This week, not so much. I wonder why that is. Could it be because I keep throwing things at the teevee? A bad mood is never good for knitting karma. I will have to pick a less throw-able project for the debates.

Blocking Ziggy

2008-08-26T16:33:00.001-04:00

So, I missed the Ravelympics deadline thanks to blocking. But the good news is, Ziggy is blocking! And it's only August! Of the same year I started knitting the sweater! Missed deadlines aside, I'm proud of myself for actually pushing to finish this cute sweater. I don't have a blocking board, but I found a "sewing center" type of mat thing at JoAnn yesterday and it's working pretty well.

Trellis Underway

2008-08-24T11:56:00.001-04:00

After many (4) false starts, I think Trellis is finally underway. I love this pattern, I would pay big bucks for this sweater in a store and I refuse to admit defeat. Some things I have learned:
1) this pattern is not a good one to do while watching Project Runway
2) this is not something I should pick up after two mojitos
3) counting. counting is good.

In other words, for the beginning knitter, this is not a mindless pattern. Folks on Ravelry say you eventually get the hang of the pattern, memorize it blah blah blah. But for now, this is an ipod-only knit.

Trellis -- from Knitty.com
yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton in periwinkle
needle: size 7 addis

Took long enough

2008-08-23T11:44:00.001-04:00

I started this well over a year ago--and there were some bottlenecks. The seaming of course. Then picking up the stitches for the button band and collar--I messed it up several times and had to start over. Then it took a while to find the buttons. Then another six months to sew them on.... you get the picture, I am not a champ at finishing. But it's done, and , as it turns out, it fits the boy perfectly!

From the Yarn Girl's Guide to Kid Knits--"Paula's Perfect Project"
Blue sky alpacas worsted in denim and red
Size 9 needles

Precious

2008-08-14T09:41:00.001-04:00

It's inevitable. If you can't have it, you want it more. Sundara's yarn is hard enough to get--but a few months ago, she stopped selling worsted and sport-weight yarn. I'm not much of a sock knitter, so even though I get excited about her colors in sock yarn, I rarely buy them. What I really love are those big fat skeins in gorgeous colors. I have two lone skeins left of worsted weight yarn in this beautiful red, and I know it's going to be a scarf. For me. As mentioned below, I think it will become "Shifting Sands" but I'm still on the lookout for something that might show it off even better. Suggestions welcome!

Planning for Fall

2008-08-12T15:01:00.001-04:00

Not everyone knits in the summer (right?). Well, I don't. I don't wear tank tops and I dunno, "summer knits" just seems like a oxymoron. So, when August rolls around and I start getting excited about fall, I pull out the yarn, needles... start a blog... perform CPR on my Ravelry account, etc.

I have to do some massive reorg of my Ravelry queue so it actually resembles a list of projects I'm going to tackle this fall as opposed to a random collection of link from across the internet. But just of the top of my head, there are some things I definitely want to get done this fall:

Grumperina's "shifting sands"--using a great Sundara yarn
"Trellis" from Knitty
Basic scarves and hats for the kiddies
Central Park Hoodie
Bunting for my sister's new baby (due in Nov)

Let's just go ahead and start this, shall we?

2008-08-11T19:44:00.001-04:00

If I wait until the blog looks all pretty before I launch, I'll never get it started. So here's the deal: this blog is going to be about my knitting. And the sister blog SprocketEats will be about my other passion: food. But more on that later.

For now, I'm back from vacation--and gearing up for fall and winter knitting. First up: my Ravelry Olympics project. I picked "Get Ziggy" by FabMama Anny Purls. Now, I just love this woman. She has style, she has substance and she has that great sense for the simple and beautiful.