« October 2004 | Main | December 2004 »
November 30, 2004
Tuesday*
This is killing me. How do you stop?
Norma knit the most perfect, most funky, most fabulous Sophie. Perfect for my sister. She doubled the yarn - great idea. Gots to get me some Cascade 220 and knit, knit, knit that Sophie bag.
NO MORE PROJECTS!!!!
Oh and I signed up today for not one but two classes with Shirley Paden [Bernstein] at Gotta Knit in NYC. The first is in February and meets for two nights (6 hours altogether) - it's on Intarsia and Fair Isle - I'm dying to learn this. The second is kind of a strange class, but I couldn't resist:
CHALLENGE YOUR SKILL LEVEL! LEARN 14 DIFFERENT METHODS TO CAST ON. SHIRLEY PADEN BERNSTEIN will be teaching 14 different methods of casting on, when and where to use them. Bet you didn't even know that there was that many ways!
Three hours of casting on. Should be interesting to say the least. I think Jen might take it with me, which would be much fun. That class isn't until March.
I took a finishing class with Ms. Paden last March - it was really good. She's pretty intense and does amazing handouts. She also supplies all the materials - so you don't knit your own stuff. This is the only thing that I don't like about the class. I think that if I worked on my own project I would retain the skills better in my mind. Like you learn directions better when you're actually driving rather than when you're a passenger. Make sense?
I'm bummed. I've been working hard on my blog to join the Knitting Blogs ring, only to find out it's closed until the new year. Oh well. It'll be (yet another) birthday present.
Got some good work done to today on pictures. The house is disgusting. I'm the worst housekeeper in the world. Bar none. Okay, I'm sure there are worse. But I'm pretty bad. I'm in the middle of laundry too. Ugh. I'm sure it's all ridiculously wrinkled by now.
* This is what happens when you can't think of a title. Pathetic, I know.
Posted by Cara at 06:10 PM | Comments (2)
November 29, 2004
Baaaa!
Some stuff about me.
Posted by Cara at 08:56 PM | Comments (1)
the Postman always rings twice
I got some goodies in the mail!
Half of my elann.com delivery came in:

Jo Sharp DK Tweed - Paper Rose

Jo Sharp DK Tweed - Cedar
It's so nice, I want to start knitting with it immediately! I'm thinking cardigans for both colors. Now to find patterns....
And Margaret Klein Wilson was kind enough to send me some Mostly Merino to sample:

I found out about it from a really nice article on Knitter's Review. Margaret sent me a sample in the Worsted Weight and the Fingering Weight. It seems really nice. Thanks again Margaret!
I also got a very nice letter from the United States Botanic Garden requesting my portfolio of macro botanica photographs for a possible exhibit. Clearly I am very excited. It would be wonderful to have another show. My sister-in-law, Margaret, was kind enough to mention me when she went to an exhibit there featuring Andrea Baldeck. Baldeck was one of the jurors in the Morris Arboretum Garden Life Exhibit, which was held in Oct '03 through Apr '04. I had three photographs chosen to be in the exhibit, and Baldeck chose "Sunny Side Left" as her Best in Show selection. It was quite a thrill.

Click for more detail.
Posted by Cara at 08:33 PM | Comments (2)
bloat...
Thanksgiving's over. Let's move on. Please.
It's not that I hate the holidays per se, but I don't really see why singling out a special day for thanking those you love is necessary. Don't you do that every day? I try to. I try very hard. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, but I like to think I don't need a day to remember. Same goes for Valentine's. I don't even like turkey.
I did get some knitting done even though the beloved children keep me very busy. They're definitely the goofiest, craziest, most wonderful people I know. There is almost no greater pleasure in my life than being their aunt. Sometimes, I miss them so much it hurts. Okay, okay. I almost made myself cry.
Back to knitting - this is the progress I've made so far on the Geometric Scarf:

I'm not sure about the yarn - it splits, but it is very, very soft. The scarf will have to be blocked well though.
And since these days finishing one project means starting 18 more, I bought a couple of pattern books. Samara, my baby sister (12 years my junior), was in for the holiday from Michigan with her man Ted. I picked up the Rowan Vintage Style book and Magazine 36 at Ewe and I. (First time I've ever been able to find what I needed there.)
I also bought a ball of Kid Silk Haze #598 (Toffee). I'm going to make the Brie gloves in the magazine for Samara. They'll go perfect with the "vintage" (read Salvation Army) coat Ted bought her. We also decided on Laurent, from the Vintage Style book, for her birthday present in March. Should be a good project for me since I've never done intarsia. I so want to learn.
![]() Brie | ![]() Laurent |
My sister and I both enjoyed perusing the Rowan books - so much so I'm considering joining the Rowan club. Could be a nice birthday gift to myself.
Progress has also been made on G's Vest. Not enough, but progress still.
Posted by Cara at 02:34 PM | Comments (3)
November 24, 2004
Ta Da!
Without further ado....



Click pictures for more!
It was tough going, I have to admit. I started losing stitches again once I switched to the dpns, but I figured it out pretty quick. I wasn't pushing the stitches to the middle of the needles not being used, so they were creeping up to the edge and falling off. I was three rows from the end and somehow I messed up a purl stitch so I was off. Ripped back. Did it again. It was quite exciting though. And you really do only need one ball of Calmer. I was very surprised at how much I had left.
The stitches toward the top are a little bit sloppy. That's because I had to rip back a couple of times, or pick up dropped stitches and the yarn is so stretchy and splitty. But it's done, and I really have a sense of accomplishment. By far, I think, the most difficult project I've done so far. It was fun to be sure.
I finished it about 1:30 - G worked late and didn't get home until close to midnight, so I had plenty of alone time to curse and yell in frustration. I was so pumped after though I didn't fall asleep until 3 - and then I was up early because I was excited about my first big elann.com sale! (I was at the computer at 7AM, so I worried for two hours I wouldn't get what I wanted.)
I was able to get all the colors of Jo Sharp Silkroad I wanted!
![]() Paper Rose | ![]() Cedar | ![]() Dusk |
The Dusk is the Aran Tweed for my dad. When he saw I was making G a vest and Max a sweater he popped up with his request. I'm hoping it's a gray/brown kind of color. I've seen a bunch of websites and the color is different on every one. The Paper Rose and Cedar are DK Tweed. I got enough for sweaters in each color - I'm thinking cardigans. Maybe one for Samara. Maybe both for me. Depends.
My goal for today is to cast on the front of G's vest and cast on the Geometric Scarf. That way I can knit whichever one I feel like on the train to Philly tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Remember to unbutton your pants before you start eating.
Posted by Cara at 03:49 PM | Comments (8)
I DID IT!
I don't know how (I ripped out the top like too many times to count!) but the FUCKER wonderful, beautiful, inspirational chemo cap is DONE! Details to follow tomorrow later on today. I'm going to bed buy some Jo Sharp at elann.
When I run errands later I'm going to stop by the craft store and buy a nice big Styrofoam ball to model my hat. Pictures to come! she says, jumping up and down. Can you tell I'm proud?
Posted by Cara at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
DPN DISASTER!
I settle down for the evening, Shedir in hand, eagerly anticipating it's finish. Nope. Sorry. Not to be.
I was flying along, decreasing left, decreasing right, the beautiful star pattern taking shape under my fingers. I had reached row 71 when it was clear I need to switch to the dpns. Now, I've mentioned before that I've never used them. So I called Jen. She wasn't home - probably out knitting with the girls in her neighborhood. So I consult my Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book. Got to say, not really that helpful. I pop on the Internet - looking for a good video or something. I find something that says you use the extra needles to knit (insert deep blush here). Ah. Now it makes more sense. So I go back and I start knitting. Except it's all purl stitches now and for some reason I cannot do the purl when going from one needle to the next. (In the end I purled the last stitch on one needle then slipped it to the next - seemed to work.) In the meantime - I don't realize it but I'm dropping stitches all over the place. Calmer is really hard to grab when you've dropped a stitch, especially on size three needles. The yarn splits really easily. Now I've got needles everywhere, cable needles trying to grab lost stitches and I'm about to start crying. I try to move the stitches back to the circulars so I can feel like I have more control as I try to pick up these lost babies - but the pattern is so funky I can't tell where things have been knit, or purled or twisted or cabled and now I'm really crying. The only thing I can see to do is RIP IT OUT!
And I do. At first I try to go back to where there are no lost stitches and I attempt to put it back on the circulars again. But I keep losing more stitches because anytime I try to put that needle in those teenytiny stitches I lose the one next to it. My whole body is sweating. I swear. I'm working so hard on this little hat. My back is killing me today from the tension. Who said knitting wasn't a good workout!
Finally I'm like fuck it! I can't take it anymore and the martyr in me comes out and decides to RIP OUT THE WHOLE THING! I get down a couple of more rows and I'm getting a certain amount of obscene pleasure in the whole thing when WHAMO! my brain relaxes enough to figure out the problem. I think, why not try one more thing to save what I have.
I run and get some purple Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton and thread it onto a tapestry needle and I start running it through the stitches. PRESTO! It's working. I managed to save all of the stitches and get them on the yarn. Then I try weaving in the circular and by god it's working! I've saved the Shedir!
Okay, now to figure out where I'm at. Of course, in all the confusion, I lost my stitch marker at the beginning of the row, but that's not to hard to find since I've got the string hanging from the cast-on. The best thing I did was stop ripping before what was to be the first stitch. I worked backwards with the pattern so I could figure out what row I was on and found the beginning point no problem. I was back in business.
In the end, I had to rip out 20 rows. I was back at row 54, which was a really good place to end up. I was past the pattern repeats and ready to start decreasing again. In fact, I think I ended up right where I had started that evening. I did some more work and went to bed at around row 60. I slept like a baby.
When I finish it tonight (and I WILL finish it) I know I will feel much more confident about those dangit dpns. Let's just say I won't be trying socks any time soon.
PS - One problem I had with the Shedir pattern - when I got to row 63 the way the graph works it looks like you're supposed to slip the last stitch to the other side of the stitch holder, but there's no star next to the row - which all the other rows have when this happens. So I didn't do it at first, but it became very clear that you're supposed to. Easily rectified - not a criticism of the pattern, just something another beginner might mess up.
PPS - Add to the drama the fact that the little ball of yarn is getting smaller and smaller - I really don't believe one ball is going to do it. I will be shocked. It'll be like a Hanukkah miracle!
Posted by Cara at 08:07 AM | Comments (1)
November 21, 2004
Flight Attendants, prepare for landing....
Warning: lots of pictures!
Well, the decreasing has begun (hence the bad joke in the title). Yesterday I made great progress on the Shedir - I finished all of the repeat rounds and started my initial decrease. I'm up to row 58. I think it will start to move very fast now because each row you decrease more and more. Which is good because I feel like I'm starting to run out of yarn.

I'm a little nervous about having to switch to DPNs. I'm not sure when to do it, and I'm not sure how to do it, but I'm up for the challenge.
I wrote yesterday that I finished the back of G's vest. Here's a picture:

The color's a little off. My carpet's actually brown, not gray. I think the blue is a little bright as well. I've decided to cast on for the front once the Shedir is finished - definitely before the train to Philly for Thanksgiving. I want to work on that while I'm traveling.
I was busy with Melanie while she was here - I decided I absolutely needed to find beads to go on the end of my geometric scarf - the pattern has a really nice long bead on each corner. So while we were in the city, we went looking for beads. (It was a good compromise because the bead store was around the corner from Anthropologie and Melanie was very happy there!) I, alas, wasn't so happy with the bead store - I couldn't find anything that fit what was in my imagination. But then I had an idea - what about some cheap bead jewelry? So off to Target we went. I was also in search of those Hello Kitty stitch markers. Really, I had stitch markers on my mind. I wanted to make some pretty knitty jewelry. Continue for the pretty knitty jewelry!
We found this great necklace that had lots of loops to it. The smaller size loop (and it's little connector) is perfect for holding charms.

The blue arrow points to the ring that goes on the needle.
So we piled up on cheap, cute earrings and small charms. What's funny is the next day while Melanie was in the city with all her meetings, she happened past a bead store near Fifth Avenue. Much better than the first one. She bought lots of beads and earring attachments for her daughter Keegan, and a few charms for me. Including the cowboy hat - it's supposed to remind me of her - she's from Montana - but has me thinking I should make her something fabulous. I think a scarf. Here are a few I've made so far:


So easy to make and I think they're cute. Who knows if I'll ever use them. They will fit easily on a US#8 needle - probably all the way up to 10.5.
I also found a temporary charm for the geometric scarf. I'm not sure about it though - it's an earring, so I bought two pair. Here it is with the Karabella Magritte in color #11, ice blue:

If anyone knows of any great bead stores in the NYC area, or on the internet, I'd love to hear about them. I'm planning to cast on this scarf after I finished Shedir and after I cast on the front of G's vest.
Oh and my ribby cardi yarn arrived!

I made some progress in blogville yesterday as well. I found this really wonderful Movable Type tutorial Site: Learning Movable Type. I learned how to add an extra sidebar - I'm thinking of turning it into a sideblog. Also, I found some really beautiful backgrounds at Squidfingers. My plan is to go live with the new site on, drumroll please, January one. You know, because the site's called januaryone.com? C'mon, laugh along with me now.
Enough, enough, you say. Okay. I'm outta here! Thanks for listening.
PS - Thanks everyone for your comments. It seems they aren't showing up as they are posted, so I'm sorry if I haven't acknowledged them in a timely manner. Please know I so appreciate your taking the time. L, C
Posted by Cara at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2004
Back down, front to go
Between Melanie visiting and two jobs this week, I haven't had a lot of time to knit. Add into that Moveable Type and forget it. I still haven't figured out this blog stuff. I can't get it to do what I want and I don't have the energy to figure it out. There are so many blog layouts I like out there, but I can't get mine to look anywhere close. I know I can figure it out eventually, but honestly, I'd rather be knitting.
I did manage to finish the back of G's vest. At first I was freaked because the stitch count didn't work out right, but when I realized that I was exactly 11 stitches short (which is the cable repeat) I figured out the problem. It's called a bad memory and lousy math skills. I originally cast on 93 stitches for the rib, then increased 11 stitches for the body. Somehow I thought I had gotten it up to 115, which is the small size the patterns calls for. Duh. Everything's okay now. I'm still a little nervous that it won't be wide enough, but it will certainly be long enough. Hopefully blocking it will help. I'm going to cast on for the front and finish the rib and then I'm moving on to the Shedir. I want that finished soon.
Posted by Cara at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2004
blog, blog, blog, blah, blah, blah
Let the obsessing begin!
My shrink always says that personality traits are like two sides of a coin - sometimes they work for good, and sometimes they work for evil. For instance, the single mindedness, the obsession that helps me have a singular vision for things, and in turn, helps me to achieve so much that I want to do, can turn around and bite me in the ass. When my grandmother taught me to knit one rainy afternoon, she gave me some bent needles and some horrid, scratchy day-glo orange yarn and the blinders came down. I went home with that yarn and knit and knit until I had swatch after swatch of knit and purl. Until I could do it with my eyes closed. We're talking many hours here, until my hands cramped. To show you how ridiculous I am, my first project was a basketweave baby blanket. My second project - a 5'x6' slip stitch afghan using four colors. I am INSANE!
So now I'm obsessed with my blog. I decided that the name Purls of Wisdom isn't really me. It's pretentious, really, because I don't know how wise this blog will ever be and moreso it doesn't reflect my personality at all. So I bought (yet another) domain name. january one The more I think about it, it's a perfect name for my blog. January 1 is my birthday, and has always been a really large part of my identity. And januaryone.com was available! Yeah for me.
I buy the freaking domain and I buy freaking MovableType and I'm all set to go and I can't get it to be what I want. I feel like I've wasted two days already. I know eventually I'll get there - I've built more than one website in my life - but there are so many other things I want to be doing rather than figuring all this out. I just want it to be done. I want to be knitting and talking about knitting, not obsessively thinking about my knitting blog. I need to flip the coin.
I haven't touched the Shedir in days and I have probably two repeats before I can bind off the back of Georgie's vest. He's very happy with it though, so I'm happy about it. It's hard for me to have more than one project going at a time - I never know where to spend the time.
One of the things about knitting, though, that I really love - and I'm only realizing this today - is that you can actually achieve what you see in your mind. I haven't begun to even think about attempting to design something on my own, so maybe the difficulty is really there - but I get such satisfaction from following a pattern and having the yarn actually become what the pattern looks like. Everywhere else in my creative life, whether it be my writing or my photography, there is such a huge disconnect between what my mind sees and what actually appears in reality. The camera, in the end, is only a substitute for the eye. And the writing, well, that's what makes writing so hard. You can never get on paper what's living in your heart.
Best,
Cara
Posted by Cara at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2004
Loathe thy Neighbor
WARNING: No knitting content.
Okay, so we live in an apartment building. We've actually lived in this building for the last 13 years (OH MY GOD!), but in this particular apartment for 7. Well, we had this elderly gentleman for a next door neighbor until about a month ago. He was relatively quiet and besides the occasional TV too late at night, was the perfect neighbor. Never seen or heard from.
The peace is no longer.
We have new neighbors. Up until last night, our major concern was their cooking. It stinks. I don't care how good the food tastes in your mouth, when it travels through the HVAC and infests my bedroom and my closet (yes, my clothes are starting to stink!) all those delicious edibles turn to crap. That's what it smells like. Crap. Okay, fine, if I crack the window the bedroom odors clear out real quick. But it's getting cold and we don't know what to do.
Last night, though, they decided to have a little get together. I don't care if you think I'm a stodgy fool, I want to go to sleep when I want to go to sleep. In their infinite wisdom, the architects of this building designed it so the bedrooms back up against the next door dining room. Most people don't dine in the middle of the night. But these people had a party. A party people. And it went on and on and there was laughing and yelling and 1AM turned into 3AM which turned into 5FUCKINGAM. My earplugs weren't working anymore so I went to sleep on the couch. Georgie seemed to be asleep as he was snoring away (poor baby has a cold). I never actually fell asleep and got up from the couch to get some water. On my way, I opened the front door - you could hear the noise all the way down the hallway.
Making my way back to the couch, I noticed the light was on in the bedroom. G had already called the doorman to complain, yet again. So back to the bedroom I went. We watched William Hurt and Lee Marvin in Gorky Park for a while (the one time I would've liked at least an attempt at a fake accent), but flipped around and found Frantic, one of my all time favorite movies. Then we fell asleep. Finally. At around 6. Completely unacceptable.
What do we do? We talked about moving. But we really can't afford it and we don't really want to, at least not right now. Plus, it seems so unfair that we'd have to move because of rotten neighbor circumstances. I love my apartment - it's home in every sense of the word. And we are pretty much homebodies. I work out of my home when I'm not teaching or on a shoot, which is most of the time.
HELP! We're hoping the all-nighter was a once in a long while thing, but how do we get rid of the smells? Does anyone know of any good room deodorizers that won't trade one bad smell for another equally horrid, too perfume smell. My husband, my clothes and I thank you for one and all suggestions.
Okay. Rant over. I'm tired. Thanks.
Posted by Cara at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2004
Progress
The Shedir is coming along nicely. I'm just about finished the second pattern repeat - it's going pretty quickly now. I had some trouble on round #25 - I must have purled where I needed to knit or something - but it was easily remedied by taking out the equivalent to one round. All fixed now. Here are some pictures:


I've decided to give the hat to Jen's friend who starts chemo next week. I figure if I like it I can always make another one, but I'd rather this one is used in the spirit with which the pattern was written.
I was in the mood for pictures this morning, so here are a few more. This is what I've been doing with my Noro Silk Garden #84:


I found the stitch pattern on the web, but soon realized I had it at home in one of my Harmony Stitch Books. It's about 21" wide pre-blocked - I'm thinking it will stretch out a little bit more after blocking. I also have visions of lots of fringe. I'm hoping it will be quite elegant when it's finished. I have about two skeins left to go.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and go with the Peruvian Collection Highland Wool for the Ribby Cardi. Here's the color palette I chose:
![]() | ![]() |
| grape heather | antique blue |
I'm excited about it. I read a rumor that there will be a Ribby Cardi knitalong in the New Year, so there's an ETA for the sweater.
It's rainy and cold today. Perfect for knitting.
Posted by Cara at 03:05 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2004
Something for everyone!
Try XM Radio for free for a few days! It's really nice - especially since my external harddrive with all of my thousands of Napster downloads crashed the other day. I miss my music! There are a gazillion stations - definitely something for everyone. I haven't quite figured out which station is my favorite - but I've been listening to a lot of the 80's, the Loft, Top Tracks - I did hear Bruce three times this morning, which is ALWAYS a good thing.
I'm toying with the idea of one of those 100 lists. I haven't figured out how to put a sidebar on the left of my blog. There MUST be a way. Still tinkering. Once I do, I'll probably do that 100 thing. We'll see.
A day out with Jen is always fun...and expensive! We hit the new Majestic Yarns store in Ridgewood, New Jersey on Tuesday. It's owned by Berta Karapetyan - I'm pretty sure she was there, knitting away - who founded the Karabella Company. If you want Karabella Yarns, this is the place to go.
Before we left I had received my box from Patternworks with Koigu - not what I wanted (it's already on it's way back). The yarn certainly felt nice, but it was darker and not solid enough for the scarf I'd like to make. But Berta had what I wanted: Magritte in color #11, ice blue. It's really soft, a little more expensive than necessary, but it will certainly do the trick.
I also bought a ball of Aurora 8, which I need to swatch as a test for the Oscar de la Renta sweater. I'm determined to make that thing, even if I never wear it!
Jen bought some nice Soft Tweed in color #1100 (RED!) for a post-Xmas poncho. It was really soft - I wish I had seen it before the Jo Sharp Tweed, but alas.
Then we moved onto the Container Store where I exchanged the storage boxes I had bought the LAST time we went out and bought some new under the bed containers. These should work well. Melanie's coming next week, so that gives me extra incentive to put things away, not to mention clean my toilets.
Oh and I found something to do with the Valeria di Roma angora (after I purchased three more balls)! I'm going to attempt the Heartstrings Flared Lace Smoke Ring. I found it blogsurfing - Too Much Wool has some great tips too!
I also bought the ChickKnits Ribby Cardi pattern that seems to be the rage right now. I really like the blank front panel and ribbed sides, but is it blasphemous to try to put a hood on it? I showed it to Georgie and he said what's your obsession with hoods, I like it without, but I really do like hoods. And if it has a hood on it I can call it a hoodie! (I think I just like the word honestly - it makes me think of a bunny.) I'm not sure about the Peruvian Collection Highland Wool at elann though. I need this thing to be SOFT! It sure would be cheap though.
Last, but not least, I started the Shedir. I've done 15 rows. It's not bad so far, but my god those needles are small. How do people knit on those 0s and 1s? The needles barely fit in my fingers. It's making the vest go better though - I think I'm about ready to start shaping the armholes. I've got about 17" right now.
Whew!
Posted by Cara at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2004
Get over yourself!
Sites like this just feed my awful perfectionist tendencies. Isn't it enough to make a nice sweater that your nephew wants to wear to school every day? Why do you have to be the best at everything?!? It's supposed to be fun right?
And while I'm asking rhetorical questions, who were those people at the Oil Baron's Ball? That's what Georgie and I kept asking ourselves. Who are these people that dressed in black tie to dance with the cast of Dallas? It was freaky.
Posted by Cara at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2004
As promised...
Here's the progress on G's vest:

(I swear, this blogging thing is a humbling experience. I take the *worst* product shots! Now stick some people in the pictures and I'm a-okay.)
I've got about 12 inches done - the pattern says to start shaping at 16.5, but I think I'm going to go another inch. He wants it a little longer.
And here's my first felting project:
Done in Cascade 220 - I can't remember the colors and can only find one wrapper - for the brown (#9408). It's my interpretation of the booga bag. I basically doubled the bottom number of rows and knitted it using two strands for a strength. Then I knit up at least double the rows, probably more. I'm really happy with how it came out. I used US 10.5 Addis.
Thanks must go to Jen for showing me her lovely booga. I think this is a really great project for a beginning knitter. The hardest part is picking up the stitches, which is really pretty easy and then it's just knit, knit, knit. And the finished product is so nice. Something other than the usual scarf.
Posted by Cara at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
So Adventurous I'll be...
with that one ball of Calmer I picked up at Rosie's Yarn Cellar. I'd love to make the Shedir in Knitty's special breast cancer supplement. It looks so challenging and intimidating, but I know the finished product will be an accomplishment for me. Just following along with the chart will be enough!
I want to knit something for my little sister - we talked yesterday and I think she'd so appreciate it. I was thinking of the Klaralund, but when I showed it to her she didn't seem totally enthused. I'm thinking maybe a vintage knit. She's into vintage. Maybe a nice girly cardigan from the 50s. I'll have to start looking.
I would LOVE these two layette books from Bouton D'Or. So sophisticated. Hard to find though - if anyone knows a good place in the US to get these books I'd love to hear from you!
Hopefully I'll receive my Koigu from Patternworks tomorrow. And these hello kitty stitch markers are a must! Do you think they have them in Dora? I think I'd prefer Dora. I've been looking for cool stitch markers too.
Last but not least, a big THANK YOU to Becky! I'm new to this blogging thing and it's nice to be noticed - especially for the knitting, but also for the photography! Thanks for the link. I appreciate it.
Must do some work. Next up: Pictures of progress on Georgie's Vest. And possibly some booga bags.
Posted by Cara at 01:03 PM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2004
Adventurer huh....

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.
You are through those knitting growing pains and
feeling more adventurous. You can follow a
standard pattern if it's not too complicated
and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've
started to experiment with different fibers and
you might be eyeing a book with a cool
technique you've never tried. Perhaps you
prefer to stick to other people's patterns but
you are trying to challenge yourself more.
Regardless of your preference, you are
continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as
well you should since your non-knitting friends
are probably dropping some serious hints, these
days.
http://marniemaclean.com
What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by Cara at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2004
Pictures!
Here are some pictures of Charlotte's Poncho and Max's Cable and Rib Sweater.


Click on the pictures for more!
The poncho is a Knitting Pure and Simple Pattern - #243 Children's Poncho. I used Artful Yarns Jazz in color #57 Lena. The yarn was really nice to work with and I'm thinking of a hoodie in color #52 or #55.
Oh and Georgie's sweater is doing well. I figured out the gauge problem - in the end I cast on 93 stitches and did the rib border, then added another eleven (the cable pattern) in the purl row before starting the pattern. I hope it will work. Knitter's Review says the yarn will expand with blocking, so I'm hoping that will add some space in the width - I'm hoping it will be wide enough for him.
Posted by Cara at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2004
The Vest
Been to lots of knitting stores over the past week! Whew! Visited some good ones, and not so good ones. Have to say I was kind of disappointed in the NYC ones I visited, but very impressed with Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philly. Very nice selection and wonderful help. The place was small (and packed in the middle of a Monday!) but overflowing with good feelings. Not what I've come to expect from yarn stores. Sad, isn't it? I walked away with a ball of Calmer (I think this will be the yarn for my yet to be born niece or nephew's blanket) and five balls of Valeria di Roma Angora. This was completely an impulse buy for a scarf I want to knit from the Vogue On the Go Scarves book. Silly me, I don't have nearly enough (that's what you get for buying yarn without the pattern in hand) and I don't think it will work out anyway, so now I have five balls of expensive angora. I'm thinking a lacy scarf or something. It's available at elann.com for about half the price, but I don't think I want more.
And then I came home to my big box of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran! The Knitting Garden is amazing! I ordered the stuff on Friday and there it was bright and early Monday morning! Free shipping too! I will definitely shop there again. Thank you!
I was silly and didn't gauge first - instead I cast on 159 stitches and finished the 1x1 ribbing on the vest. Ugh. It was way, way too long. So I took it all out and started to gauge instead. The yarn is interesting. At first I didn't think I liked it - it's pilly a little bit - but soft, and once I had a bunch of rows done I think it almost feels a little bit like a sweat shirt. A felted sweat shirt. But I think Georgie will like it - he seemed to like the swatch I had knitted and I told him I thought it would only get softer with wear. So today I'll figure out the right measurements (god I hate the MATH involved in knitting!) and start again. I need the project on the needles. I need something in progress. It's funny though - it's so different from the Wool/Cotton I was knitting with. That had a sheen to it and was much silkier - the Silkroad is flatter and duller. Hope that makes sense.
I also ordered some Koigu KPM for the scarf in the Vogue book. That's what they call for and since everyone raves about Koigu, I thought I'd try it. I ordered it from Patternworks in what I think it is an ice blue kind of color (#2171). We'll see. I'm excited about the scarf. It's a geometric pattern and I'm going to put little beads on the end. I really just like the pattern. If I could figure it out, I think it would make a really neat blanket.
Oh and I took pictures of the kids in their sweater and poncho. I'll post those later as right now I must do some work....
Posted by Cara at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)









