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May 31, 2007
Mini Monkeys!
Oh my god!! Can I just tell you how much I LOVE my mini monkeys?!? THEY ARE THE CUTEST SOCKS EVER! And, if I didn't believe it before, I'm here to bear witness that a picot edge makes EVERYTHING in the world sunshine and unicorns and rainbows. It's like a big hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and rainbow jimmies and TWO cherries on top for your feet!
Here is my mini monkey formula: knit 5 rounds, yo k2tog - repeat for entire round, knit five rounds, knit together stitch and cast on edge to create picots next round, knit one round, start monkey pattern. I then did FOUR repeats for the cuff, which gave me about a 3.5" - 4" cuff, then do the heel and foot as directed by the pattern. All done on Size 1 Addis. I DEFY you to tell me these aren't the cutest socks EVER!
I made them with vintage STR from my stash - the lighter pinky color is Watermelon Tourmaline, which is still available on the Blue Moon website, and the green blue colorway is Seastone, which Tina told me is now discontinued. Both socks are from the old put up - 325yds. I'm not sure how much I'll have left over, but it won't be much. There's a possibility that I could do another repeat on the leg, but I think I'm sticking with this formula. I don't have to worry about running out of yarn AND I don't want them any higher on my leg. This length is PERFECT. The best part is that the monkey pattern really has little to no give so they stand straight up. No slouching here. I LOVE THEM!
Last night I cast on for the second Watermelon Tourmaline sock. I just wish it wasn't a million degrees outside. I might just have to crank up the air and sock it around all day.
I received a couple concerned emails yesterday regarding my self-proclaimed craziness. Thank you so much for caring, but I didn't mean to say that I was crazy (well, no more so than usual) but that IT was crazy. Meaning life. And all the stuff I have to do. I've got a lot of work which is GOOD, but I'm feeling the pull of the deadline, so I opted not to kill myself by staying up late to finish the socks and thus have a legitimate post for yesterday. I hope today makes up for that fact. Thanks for reading!
Posted by Cara at 10:13 AM | Comments (59)
May 30, 2007
Tomorrow is another day.
I managed to knit to one repeat and the toe on my Seastone Mini-Monkey and then I gave up. I'm crazy today so this is what you get - socks will be modeled tomorrow.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Posted by Cara at 10:28 AM | Comments (16)
May 29, 2007
I am an idiot.
Let me count the ways!
Firstly, it turns out I DON'T know what to do with miles and miles of acrylic. Oh I had grand plans, mind you, GRAND plans, but you know what they say about plans. Something or other about best laid and all that. My plan involved math and fibonacci patterns and my grandmother's recipe for afghans and intricate color combinations and it was all going to be SO GOOD. Then I sat down and cast on 257 stitches on size 9 needles, knit two rows and thought OH MY GOD I cannot do this. Ripped it right the fuck out. I will admit something truly horrifying to you: I might just crochet Babette yet. With my acrylic collection. You heard me. I realized, while I was casting on 257 stitches that I could have crocheted like thirty million squares in the time it took to just CAST ON. I suck. I know. Sue me.
The fact that I couldn't knit more than two rows of my most faboulous heirloom afghan might have to do with the fact that I've been hacking up a lung all weekend. A piddly annoying cold I had last week turned into HACKFEST 07 on Saturday. I worked really early in the morning and by the time I came home I couldn't stop coughing. A few hours later and I was locked in my dark dark bedroom with a pile of pillows over my head so I could cough without my brain exploding in a million pieces. I'm no stranger to the headache, but I thought I was going to die. Or throw up. One or the other and I'm not sure that they're not the same thing. I hate to throw up. I managed to sleep for a little bit and when I got up I was kind of okay and it's only gotten better since then, but Saturday sucked.
Also, it was hot. I hate being hot almost more than anything. So I stayed in the house this weekend and knit a lot. You know how I know I knit a lot? I have a brand new hole in my left hand index finger - in a completely different spot than the old hole - and a brand new callus/blister on the third finger (yes, THAT finger) of my right hand. Guess what? I've got something to show for it! Which leads me to reason number 2 why I am an idiot.
It's a MINI Monkey!! You may or may not know this about me, but I have A LOT of STR in my stash. A lot. Like, mindblowing amounts. (Although I bet there are a few people out there these days that could give me a run for my money.) Anyway, it's not about how much you have, but how well you use it. At least that's what I'm saying to you now. So, I've got a lot of it and a good portion of it is in the OLD put up, which was 325 yds. I'm beginning to think it was also a different recipe as well. This was before the days of lightweight and mediumweight and there was just ONE weight. Socks That Rock. I think the lightweight is a bit thinner now. Regardless, I thought monkey would make a great sock for my old put ups. I started knitting. I figured I could drop out one repeat on the leg and be good to go with my yardage. (Old put up=325; New put up=360.) I did Margene's picot edge mod and started knitting away like a champ. I was about three repeats from the toe when I realized that I was DEFINITELY going to run out of yarn.
This is where the idiot part creeps in. Last Friday I had a lovely conversation with Margene about our monkeys. Now, you may not know this about Margene, but she's 6' tall. I'm 5'6". So she's got six inches on me. And, as biology would dictate, she's got bigger feet than me. I'm about a 7.5 or 8 and she told me she's about a 9 - 9.5. So we were perplexed at the fact that she did six repeats on her Monkey sock foot and I was doing EIGHT. We talked about how I like a really boxy toe and that I start my decreases right at the tip of my pinky and only decrease down to 14 stitches on each side (28 total) and that she does a much longer toe because, admittedly, her feet aren't as pretty as mine. Which probably would account for ONE repeat on the foot, but TWO? What was going on here? Okay. Keep this in the back of your mind, but you're probably getting the drift of my idiocy, right?
So I'm knitting away. Like a champ. Then I realize I'm going to run out of yarn blah blah blah. I think to myself, I better rip out back to the cuff and cut out a repeat on the leg because I still need to get EIGHT repeats on the foot, not to mention the toe decreases. RIP RIP RIP and somehow I'm back to where I started five hours later or something. Now I've got two more repeats to go and the toe and I'm TOTALLY GOING TO RUN OUT OF YARN. AGAIN! And I've already dropped a repeat on the cuff. I don't want to RIP BACK.
Margene's in my head with her six repeats on the foot. My other monkeys were a little long, but just HOW long? I take out my most recent sock and try it on - but this time I let the heel fall where it should and I stretch out the toe a bit and DUDE! I've been knitting a freaking EXTRA repeat on the toe this whole time! DAMN!
I finish off the mini monky and put it on and the foot/toe is PERFECT. I can't believe what an idiot I've been! I must have put the ORIGINAL monkey on, thought it was fine where it was and cast off. Then, without thinking, I just copied that sock over and over and because it's been so hot I haven't been wearing them like I usually do. Sometimes I'll wear that one finished sock the whole time I'm knitting the second.
It's a good thing I figured out the problem because I had just enough yarn for the mini monkey with it's cute picot edge.
This yarn is STR Watermelon Tourmaline, by the way. Once I was done this sock, I did was every self-respecting idiot knitter does and went stash diving. I came up with another mini monkey:
This is STR Seastone (which, I think, unfortunately, has been discontinued.) Hopefully I'll have it finished today and a modeling picture tomorrow. The cuff is pretty short - about 3.5" - but it seems longer on my foot. Very cute! And now I know that when I knit another full size monkey (there will be at least one more pair) I can add an EXTRA repeat on the leg. I've also gone back and fixed at least one of the finished monkeys. They're so much better now. I'm an idiot, I swear.
Reason number three in the idiot dance is this whole I've got a secret game we've been playing. Now I feel like crap because you're all coming up with these great fantastic things I might be doing and I'm not doing any of them! You guys! I'm very flattered that you think I would be capable of all these feats but the truth of the matter is that it doesn't have to do with photography or a book or a new job - it's just a personal thing and it's HUGE in my life but maybe not so impressive in yours. So stop speculating. You're making me feel bad with your confidence in my abilities when, in reality, I'm an absolute idiot. Just ask Ann.
More socks tomorrow because I've turned into a factory. Really. It's sad.
PS - Happy Birthday Daddy! Happy Birthday Tina!
Posted by Cara at 12:20 PM | Comments (47)
May 25, 2007
Two Little Monkeys
Jumping on the bed!
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"
The monkey thing never gets old, does it?
Just this morning I finished my STR Dutch Canyon (Lightweight) Monkey Socks and I love them! So much so I'm casting on another pair this afternoon - using Margene's FAB mod - the picot edge! Truly the new jaywalker has been born. I'm taking a chance with the new pair and going with the old put up - 325 yds - so we'll see how I do.
(Oh yeah - and to all the people that questioned the validity of a DUTCH Canyon since Holland doesn't seem to have any, Dutch Canyon is an area in Oregon near to Blue Moon Fiber Arts headquarters. I've got an answer for everything!)
In the meantime, a baby or a book?! That's the best you could come up with it? Where's your sense of adventure? Your sense of imagination? Mad props to those of you who thought things like - creative director of Red Heart - what was it? Acrylic Czar? HAHAHAHAHA! And especially to Kathy - she thought I might be taking over for Rosie at the View. Not on your life, my friend. Not on your life.
You'll all just have to have a bit of patience. All will be revealed in time. Including what to do with miles of acrylic. I couldn't get it together for today, so you'll have to wait for Tuesday. I hope I don't disappoint.
Have a great weekend everyone! Long or otherwise!
Posted by Cara at 11:49 AM | Comments (54)
May 24, 2007
Mucho JUJU!
My peeps! I totally felt the JUJU slinging it's way at me through the universe. I may have been hit in the face a couple of times, but that's okay! The intentions were all good. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Don't you hate it when bloggers start asking for good wishes and all that and then tell you they have a big big secret that they can't reveal until all is aligned with the stars but trust them it's really good and exciting and life changing and blah blah blah? Yeah. Me too. But fortunately or unfortunately that's where I'm at. I don't want to talk about it. Or I do, kind of, but I can't. It's weird for me to have a secret because I'm not so good with the secrets when they pertain to me - I'll tell my life story to a stray cat in the back alley behind the supermarket. Poor cat. All he wants is some scraps but instead he gets me blabbing my life away. But it's also kind of nice to have this for myself. For a little while at least.
Now I know you all want to speculate and all that and that's good because I would too. Please, though. Don't ask me because I ain't gonna tell you! ;-)
I made it through yesterday and am looking forward to the next time I need to ask you for some juju. I'll be a bit crazy for awhile, but that's okay. I'm dealing with the crazies the best way I know how. With fiber arts!
Some more middles and some more 2nd color rounds of the crochet. I could have a finished pair of socks already if it wasn't for this hooking stuff. And then, yesterday, while out and about, I stopped in to Acryl-O-Mart and found yet another fantastic color of Red Heart. Damn! This could throw the whole square sequence out the window. Good thing I have enough of this yarn to...to.... I don't know. What do you do with a million yards of leftover acrylic?
I know EXACTLY what you do with a million yards of acrylic. But I'm not telling you until tomorrow.
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
PS - Since I don't want anyone's head to explode, I can tell you unequivocally I am NOT pregnant and I am NOT writing a book. Doesn't that make you all feel better?
Posted by Cara at 10:50 AM | Comments (55)
May 23, 2007
Larger Than Life
Yesterday was all about crochet.
I'm still not sure about it. I haven't fallen in love or anything like that. Maybe it's the yarn. (Although I still love the colors.) Or maybe it's just crochet. Or maybe it's the fact that I haven't been doing it for so long, but I don't think so. Because when I started knitting it was all I could do to stop. I wanted to knit forever. I don't feel that way with crochet. Like last night. I wasn't ready to stop, but I wasn't ready to do a whole square. So I did some middles.
So far I've done a middle in every color I have - nine colors. Well, all except for the chocolate brown which is going to be the border and bottom and gusset of the bag. When I was done with the middles (which is actually the first two rounds of the square) I checked which colors I hadn't used for the next color change (the next three rounds) and I matched up middles to colors.
I'm going to knit CROCHET (duh! Thanks Tonya!) the next three rounds and then figure out the outside colors. That gives me nine squares. Three left to play with however I please. I see a lot of the blue in my future. I may also decide to throw out some squares and choose some others. I'm happy to be making this bag and I'm happy to be learning a new skill, but really, I'm a knitter. There's no two ways about it.
Can I ask you guys a favor? I've got some stuff going on today - not bad stuff - potentially very good stuff - but it's making me a bit crazy and I'm not ready to talk about it but I could use some good vibes. Everyone knows that knitter/spinner/crocheter/fiber juju is the best. So maybe you can sling some in my direction? THANK YOU!
And, as always, thank you for reading my blog. Your presence is greatly appreciated.
L, C
Posted by Cara at 11:06 AM | Comments (108)
May 22, 2007
Seven
Amy tagged me for that seven random things about you meme, which is quite fortunate for me as I have no new knitting to talk about and no one to pinch hit for me.
Hmmm...this is hard. Don't you people know EVERYTHING about me already? I always feel like I'm an open book. Forgive me if I'm repeating stuff.
1) A few people have sent me this link to tell me that Springsteen's The River is No. 25 on The 25 Most Equisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World list. While I will agree that The River is a sad sad song and one that I very recently sat in the car and listened to about ten times while crying my eyes out, it's not the saddest of Springsteen songs at ALL and it's not my sad song of choice usually. Downbound Train is pretty freaking sad, if you ask me. Damn sad:
I had a job, I had a girl
I had something going mister in this world
I got laid off down at the lumber yard
Our love went bad, times got hard
Now I work down at the carwash
Where all it ever does is rain
Don't you feel like you're a rider on a downbound train
It only gets worse from there. Anyway, most of Bruce's songs are tinged with sadness, that's what makes them so good, but still and all, when I want my most sad song - the song I've reached for time and time again at the height of my depressiveness - it's always Nik Kershaw's Wouldn't It Be Good.
I mean, c'mon!
I got it bad
You don't know how bad I got it
You got it easy
You don't know when you got it good
It's getting harder
Just keeping life and soul together
I'm sick of fighting
Even though I know I should
The cold is biting
Through each and every nerve and fibre
My broken spirit is frozen to the core
Don't wanna be here no more
Now THAT'S a sad song!
2) Grumperina was talking the other day about how she doesn't like the number 4. I think she was specifically talking about the number 4 in terms of knitting repeats, but I kind of understood. I have a problem with odd numbers myself. I don't like things to be odd. And I'm weird about odd primes (although don't all primes have to be odd - well - except the number two?) I'll add up numbers anyway I can to get me to a number where I feel comfortable. It's not something I think about all the time, but it's there. Weirdness abounds.
3) Whenever the clock hits all the same numbers (11:11, 5:55, 3:33, etc.) and I see it, I make a wish. It's usually always the same wish, sometimes with different stuff added on to the end, but basically it's the same. What?! I'm not going to tell you! Then it won't come true.
4) I don't cook very often, but when I do, stuffed shells is probably the best thing I make. It's kind of funny because I just follow the recipe that's on the box of pasta shells and I always use jar sauce, but it comes out SO GOOD. Much better than if you bought shells already stuffed. I HATE to stuff Manicotti though even though it's the same recipe and everything. Something about getting that cheese evenly distributed in the pasta tube makes me NUTS.
5) I am the epitome of the saying: If you want something done, ask a busy man. I can procrastinate with the best of them when I'm not that busy. Give me a lot of work to do and I'm a machine. It kind of sucks because a lot of the time I'm not that busy (my work is pretty cyclical) and I sit around doing nothing. Then I get all kinds of crazy and I'm like a tornado. I'd love to be able to harness my energy better and maybe focus a bit more. That doesn't mean I don't get a lot done when I'm not working so hard (KNITTING LIKE A FIEND) but my house suffers and other stuff suffers and I should be better at being more even about work stuff. Not as much fun, for sure, but I won't live in squalor probably.
6) I've got monkey feet (which maybe explains why I like the socks so much.) Seriously, I have very dexterous toes. I've never tried to write with my feet, but I bet you I could. I also have pretty perfect feet. No corns, no bumps, no bunions. No weird errant toe longer than the rest of them. Very pretty feet.
I love my feet.
7) The pool at my building is about to open next weekend but I will probably only go in once or twice the entire season. Not because I don't like to swim - I LOVE to swim! But because the water is too cold. I'm very very particular about water temperature. It needs to be pretty comfortable for me to get in. I need to be able to walk right in without any shocks to the system. The only people that can get me in a cold pool are my niece and nephews and maybe, once a year, Georgie. He goes in the ocean when it's FREEZING. He's like a polar bear. Me, I'm like a jelly fish. ;-)
Hope that wasn't too boring. Thanks Amy! Oh yeah - anyone who wants to do this - go ahead! I'm probably like the last person in the world to do this so you're probably all like wah! Another one of these stupid things? So go ahead - knock yourself out!
Posted by Cara at 09:52 AM | Comments (39)
May 21, 2007
LA...I AM YOUR FATHER!
La has dubbed me Darth Cara and truth be told, I LOVE IT! Not so much the crochet, but the moniker! I LOVE DARTH! Sometimes I walk around humming his theme music because it's just so...so...COOL. La said I had completely gone over to the dark side because you know, it's not enough with the crochet or the acrylic, but it's got to be RED HEART. La, my friend, when have you EVER known me to go half-assed on ANYTHING? It's all or nothing BAYBEE!
So the crochet continues. I like it. It's okay. I will not be making the Babette any time soon, though, I promise. I'd still rather knit than anything. I just can't get into a rhythm like I can with the knit and that's one of the things I LOVE about the craft. But it's good. Still. So far my pattern has been to use the last color on one square for the first color on the next square. We'll see how that holds up. I'm not sure about the colors I chose for this one:
I'm not sure there's enough of a difference between the purple and red. Or maybe too much difference between the green and red. I reserve the right to change this one. But I like this one fine!
I've got the first two rounds of green done on the next one. I just have to choose the next colors. I think I need to plan this better, but I'm only sort of into it.
Decidedly NOT an obsession.
Something that is an obsession? Monkey socks! I actually cleaned up a little bit this weekend - I made a dent, let's say. Enough of a dent that I pulled together all the random yarn lying around the house and actually got out the vacuum and all the attachments. I've written before about how much I love the attachments on my vacuum. Welp, I was at it again! It's always a bonanza to clean the sofas - I never find change, but I always find stitch markers! Anyway, while I was gathering up all the yarn, I ended up digging through my STR stash looking for the next monkey. I came up with this yarn, which I've always loved, and never used.
STR Crazy Lace Agate
Even though I've only just finished the heel flap on my lastest monkey sock, I started a new one.
Only one problem: I think it's much better suited for a jaywalker than a monkey, so I'm ripping it. I think the colorway will knit up very similarly to this carbon jaywalker and that's works for me just fine. I think the monkey socks look better with lots of colors all jumbled together. The blues in this one are too much of a break for me. So back to the stash! (You may ask why don't I knit a jaywalker then? It's not the right time for that. Soon maybe, but the pattern's not going anywhere and the yarn's not going anywhere so it can sit.)
Work has exploded a bit around here so the knits might not be as fast and furious as they have been lately. The socks are great for times like these - I can knit without thinking and have something wonderful to show for it in a relatively short period of time. The Monkey period has begun. I can feel it.
Posted by Cara at 12:53 PM | Comments (36)
May 16, 2007
Nothing says Granny Square...
like 100% ACRYLIC!
About ten minutes after I posted my granny square yesterday, I ran out to my local craft store to pick up a new crochet hook. I also wanted different yarn. I'm sorry, maybe I'm prejudiced, but I can't see using my glorious STR for a crochet tote bag. Just can't do it! To me, crochet just SCREAMS Red Heart. Lucky for me, I found some GREAT colors. Colors, actually, that mimic very closely the STR I have in my stash that I would have used for the bag.
There's actually another purple - darker than the one shown - but I can't find it. It's either in my car, or I dropped it on the way to the checkout. I'll have to go back and get it because I need the darker purple. Anyway, I came home and made another square.
I managed to do it all myself! I was able to follow the directions in the magazine fairly easily and Laura's crochet tutorial was very helpful again, but I did it! I definitely had a rhythm going there. I'm keeping good tension with my left hand, which astonishes me because anytime I try to knit that way it's a disaster. But, I guess, I don't have anything in my left hand other than the yarn.
The yarn is great! It's soft and I love the colors! It's also incredibly splitty and fuzzy and who are we kidding: It's freaking acrylic. But still, I'm pretty happy with the square. And I have enough yarn to fuck up many times over and change colors if I like and it was cheap. Cheapity cheap cheap! My plan is to do the sides and border in the chocolate brown. It'll be a very fall bag and it will also be machine washable and if it gets messed up or dirty or god forbid I lose it or it rips it's okay because I didn't spend a million dollars on the yarn. Bags are meant to be used, in my opinion. And I'm not going to feel bad about using this one.
Wait. I didn't tell you? I'm making the Larger Than Life Bag from the Spring 2007 Interweave Crochet. I guess I've committed. It's got it's own category now. I can't believe I'm doing this. Here's a shot of the two squares together - clearly the yarn is nicer in my first square, but I think my crochet is getting better in the second! I'm using a 5.0mm hook with the new yarn and I think it's working out well. All you hookers out there - what do you think? I have NOTHING to base this on. Nothing at all. I'm flying blind.
No post tomorrow - I'm off to my sister's again. Tonight is the dress rehearsal for my niece's ballet recital. You can only take pictures at the recital so my skillz are in demand. Here's what she looked like Saturday at the run through for the town at their anniversary festival:
How freaking cute is she? I would be over the moon thrilled if I didn't have the song for her number running through my head 24/7. "Put a little color on you! Red, green, yellow and Blue! What a great way, to brighten your day! Put a little color on YOOOOOOOU!" It's insidious. Did I ever tell you? My lifelong dream/fantasy - to this day - is to be a ballerina. Here is my absolute FAVORITE picture of me - I was probably around five or six - there's no date on the picture.
I'm bringing it with me to show my niece. In case you can't tell, I'm the first full body on the left. The one with the arm crossing in front of me. God I love that picture!
Have a great week! Not sure if I'll be here Friday either - depends on if I'm babysitting or not. I promise, there will be knitting when you next hear from me. Thanks for reading!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 11:00 AM | Comments (84)
May 15, 2007
QUICK! Look out your windows!!!
Do you see the pigs flying by?!?!
Yes, my friends. Your eyes do not deceive you. I have crocheted.
Here's what happened. First, Margene talked about crochet non freaking stop. Then Ann with the blah blah blah crochet crochet crochet. The final straw to fall was Vicki. She's making up songs about crochet! Yesterday I actually told her to shut up and knit already.
This morning, though, I woke up to a dream about crochet granny squares and that damn bag all my girls are making. The honest to god truth is that I want that bag too! So when I talked to Ann this morning, I asked her if she thought she could teach me to make the square over the phone.
Three and a half hours later - I had a square.
I'm not going to tell you that I enjoyed it - because I didn't. It was tough. At one point I started screaming in agony and Ann's going what? WHAT? and I yelled TOE CRAMP because my foot started to cramp up. She's all like, well then you're doing it wrong honey and duh I was so tense that my foot cramped. That hurts. Add in my elbow, my wrist, my shoulders and my back and WHOO HOO! Crochet is FUN! Seriously, I know that with practice it will all get better. I need a new hook though. I have a few lying around the house but none of them were the right size really and the one I used was way to small for the yarn (which is Heavyweight STR). The square is going to be a coaster because the gauge is so tight the damn square could stand on it's own. No drape, people. NO drape. Which might actually be good if I make this bag. We'll see. I'm going to get a bigger hook and try again. Maybe.
Ann was crochet teacher EXTRAORDINAIRE and we all got a little bit of help from Laura's crochet tutorial. Thanks Laura! All in all, I think it was a pretty good foray. Definitely room for practice.
I'm getting lots of practice on these:
A finished MONKEY SOCK! Surprise, surprise! This one is Dutch Canyon STR Lightweight. Casting on for the mate as we speak. Still loving this pattern.
Thanks for all the nice comments yesterday about the kids and the pictures. Those kids are a HUGE HUMONGOUS part of my life and it's always fun to show them off. Alright - I have GOT to eat something. Too much crochet, not enough food.
THANKS ANNIE! FUCK THE YARN - YOU ARE MY LIFE GURU!!
Posted by Cara at 02:32 PM | Comments (53)
May 14, 2007
Childlike
Thank you thank you thank you! All your good vibes made my reunion a RESOUNDING SUCCESS! I had SUCH a GREAT time! Sure I was nervous walking in, but after like five seconds it was all good. It was a blast to see so many people and the years have treated us all well. Every single person told me I looked like I hadn't changed AT ALL, which I took as a good thing. (The zit on my cheek probably helped that. ;-) ) I was talking to one friend and he told me that it felt like everyone was in a really great place - everyone seemed happy and happy to be there. No pretentions, no airs, no misery. I totally agreed with him! There was a fantastic vibe to the evening! I guess all the miserable people stayed home. The turnout seemed great. My outfit was comfortable (even the spanx!) and my hair behaved and I felt really really good. I was so pleasantly surprised, I can't even tell you. I even got to talk about knitting! (Hi Diane! It was so great to see you!)
I ended up wearing a black pair of dress pants, a sleeveless black top, black backless sandals, and my shawl. It was perfect. This is how good the evening was: on my way home I stopped at McDonald's and after I ate, I popped my zit. All in all, a really nice night - I'm sure I'll be ready to do it again in 10 years!
The rest of the weekend was just as fantastic. My sister's mil gave my sister her gently used bike for Mother's Day and since the seat needs to be adjusted for my sister, I got to ride all weekend! Her mil put a seat on the back for the kids so I played pony for the weekend. What a blast! I had so much fun! My sister literally lives in Mayberry USA and every time we passed a neighbor they'd wave to me and the kid on the back of the bike. Then, to make things even more idyllic, the ice cream man came and we all got treats! Dude. I never ran into the house so fast for money! I've known this for a little while, but it all solidified this weekend. Being a kid as an adult is SO MUCH BETTER than being a kid as a kid. My sister and I decided that it's because we know just how much fun being a kid really is and we can appreciate it so much better. I also understand, though, that being a kid is just as hard TO KIDS as being an adult can be to us. I'm so happy to be grown up!
For Mother's Day, I did a photoshoot with the kids for my sister. I haven't taken pictures of them in a long time - too busy being their aunt to worry about pictures - or even bring my equipment down. Besides, that's work (as much as I love it) and I like to play when I'm with the kids. (See paragraph above.) Anyway, the shoot was great. My niece continues to be my BEST model - since she was four days old. I've got LOTS of pictures, so I hope you enjoy.
And even though it was an absolute MESS getting home last night (a train hit a deer on the Northeast Corridor line), there was my favorite boy and YARN waiting for me when I finally got home. Socks That Rock yarn at that!
Knitting tomorrow - hope you like the photographs! Thanks!
Posted by Cara at 10:16 AM | Comments (95)
May 11, 2007
So happy to be ME!
I know I said I was signing off for the weekend, but yesterday was so miserable I thought I'd share.
Last night I went to the mall in search of something to wear to my 20th Year High School Reunion having decided that everything I own doesn't fit and makes me look fatter and lumpier than I really am. That was a mistake. Not thinking that my clothes look bad on me, but going to the mall. At one point I was wandering aimlessly around Macy's trying to find something, ANYTHING, that would make me look not so lumpy and I caught sight of myself in one of the many fun house mirrors they've got hanging around the store: my shirt looked funny. I walked up to the mirror and took a good look at myself. After trying on the 100th unflattering outfit I could find, I had put my shirt back on BACKWARDS. I was so depressed that I stood there, in full view of men, women, and children, and turned my shirt around thereby letting everyone know that I can't DRESS MYSELF. It's a true story.
I even talked to my mother, complaining about how fat I've gotten, and NOT ONCE did she tell me how beautiful I was. Isn't that a mother's JOB?
And then, after buying a pair of jeans that tout "an instant tummy tuck" that I can't wear to the reunion, I sat in my car, in our parking garage, and listened to The River ten times, singing along at the top of my lungs while crying my eyes out. Doesn't get anymore high school than that.
The truth of the matter is that I'm very content with who am I and what my life is all about. I'd love my house to be cleaner, sure, and dropping fifteen pounds would certainly make things nicer, but overall I'm incredibly lucky AND I've worked very hard on myself and my relationships to get them where they are today. Generally I don't stress that much about my appearance (that's what happens when you spend most of your time in pajamas) but there's nothing like the thought of being around people that last saw you when you looked something like this:
to spur you into self-pity. Granted, they never saw me in an army uniform and this picture was taken three years after I graduated from high school, but it's the sexiest picture I have of me. Things don't change that much from 17 to 20. 17 to 37? That's a whole other story!
Now I'm certainly not complaining about how I look now. I've grown into my face and my body and I know how to play my strengths. And most importantly, my husband thinks I'm beautiful and tells me so all the time. But there are (at least) fifteen extra pounds there and I am twenty years older. I can still rock it right? This picture is from a year ago:
I still look like this. Maybe an extra five pounds but I wore this exact outfit to a Bar Mitzvah last month and I looked good. My sisters told me so. GOD BLESS SPANX!
Anyway. I found something to wear. (Note: not the outfit above. WAY too formal for this event. I'll try to get my sister to take a picture of me before I leave for the reunion.) Clothes I already had in my closet that I feel good in. My husband told me I look hot. And I'll have my favorite shawl around my shoulders. It never fails to make me feel elegant and beautiful. I decided on the outfit about ten minutes after getting home. Then I did what any self-respecting fat girl trying to get skinny would do: I made myself one of my favorite Lean Cuisines for dinner, curled up with Grey's Anatomy (anyone else think McDreamy is being a TOTAL DICK!), and knit on a sock.
(My new pair of monkeys. Dutch Canyon STR Lightweight.)
I really am confident that tonight will be very weird, somewhat uncomfortable and ultimately fun! But just in case, I'm bringing along some knitting.
PS - Go congratulate my friend MJ! YAY! Mazel Tov!
PPS - Go help my friend Claudia!! I have. Now it's your turn! Do the right thing and win prizes to boot!
PPPS - This post is my own little pity party. No need to tell me how gorgeous I really am.
Posted by Cara at 10:23 AM | Comments (105)
May 10, 2007
Knanette and Her Monkeys
I stayed up late and finished my first pair of Monkey Socks - and then I stayed up later watching Inside Job. Clive Owen and Denzel Washington. Nuff said.
First though, I want to talk about Knanette! Thank you for all your encouragement. Some initial work has been done and I can pretty much guarantee that this will not (at least not right away) turn into another miter madness. There are lots of kinks to be worked out, I think, and also, it's going to take a lot more planning on my part.
I need to say right off the bat that I take no credit at all for the construction of the square I'm about to show you. I was merely the workhorse. The genius comes straight off the brain of Kay. If you'll indulge me please, I'm going to take a minute to talk about Kay. She's a great friend, a fantastic host and most of all, she has been the single most influential person in my knitting life (besides, of course, my grandmother, who actually taught me to knit.) She has opened up possibilities to me that I never ever dreamed about. She has awakened my inner artist. Thank you, Kay, for changing my life for the better. You truly are my Kaffe.
Okay. Back to Knanette. Fifteen minutes on the phone with Kayye and I'm ready to tackle my miter in the round. I don't know much about crochet, but I understand that if you know what you're doing, those baby squares in Babette can go super fast. Not so with knitting. It will take CONSIDERABLY longer to knit this blanket than it would, most likely, to learn how to crochet from scratch, fuck things up a bit, then finally be on your way cranking out squares.
That's not an option for me. I don't want to crochet this blanket. I want to knit it.
Kay and I decided (or really Kay decided) that by knitting the square from the outside in, it gives you the best way of knitting the blanket WITHOUT SEAMS. You knit a square, then pick up one side of that square and knit another one. And so on and so on. Kay also suggested the garter stitch border - which I happen to LOVE. I think it gives the square a decidedly granny FEEL while being VERY different from an actual crocheted granny square. This is how I knit the square above:
Cast on 96 stitches. Join in the round. (When you're casting on, you might want to place a marker every 24 stitches - this demarcates the four corners of the miter.)
Round 1: [Knit 10, k2tog, k2tog, knit 10] Repeat 3 times.
Round 2: PURL all stitches (For garter stitch in the round.)
Round 3: [Knit 9, k2tog, k2tog, knit 9] Repeat 3 times.
Round 4: PURL all stitches
Round 5: [Knit 8, k2tog, k2tog, knit 8] Repeat 3 times.
Round 6: PURL all stitches
Round 7: [Knit 6, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, knit 6] Repeat 3 times
Round 8: KNIT all stitches (You're now doing stockinette in the round.)
Round 9: [Knit 5, ssk, ssk, k2tog, knit 4] Repeat 3 times
Round 10: KNIT all stitches
Round 11: [Knit 3, ssk, k2tog, k2tog, knit 3] Repeat 3 times
Round 12: KNIT all stitches
Round 13: [Knit 2, ssk, ssk, k2tog, knit 1] Repeat 3 times
Round 14: KNIT all stitches
Round 15: [ssk, k2tog, k2tog] Repeat 3 times
Round 16: KNIT all stitches
Round 17: [s1, k2tog, psso] Repeat 3 times
You should have four stitches left. Cut your yarn and thread them threw the last four stitches pulling them together. Change yarns wherever you see fit. I knit my square using two circulars because that's the way I do things, but this pattern lends itself nicely to dpns seeing as it's all in fours and such.
I just love the little bud in the center from the four remaining stitches. I LOVE this square. LOVE it. Some things I discovered: I think you really need to start with a stitch count, that when divided by 4, gives you an even number. I was going to try for a slightly smaller square, starting with 84 stitches, but the breakdown is 21 and when you're decreasing by 2 for the garter stitch rows, it's not so neat. Also, you need to knit three garter stitch ridges to get the stitch count back to something divisible by 3 so you can start the stockinette section and be able to get three decreases.
The worst part of this is that you have to cast on a lot of stitches. If I want to make a really big miter - I might need to cast on 400+ stitches. BUT you start decreasing at a very fast speed - 12 stitches every round. So you pay the price up front, but soon get to a manageable place. Re changing colors - I thought you might get a bad jog because you're knitting in the round - but the color change wasn't really noticeable at all. Maybe because really you're knitting flat? I don't know, but weaving in the ends seems to cover all ills.
The square above measures 4"x4" and I really wouldn't go much smaller. I mean, I guess you could cast on 72 stitches, but it would pretty much be garter stitch. This is acceptable to me as my SMALLEST size. I tried a bunch of times to cast on the next square by picking up 24 stitches on one side then casting on the next 72 and theoretically it should all work. I kept messing it up though - didn't like my initial cast on. Twisted it when I went to knit in the round. Cast on too few stitches. You know. Bonehead stuff. I think I've got the cast on I want to use (cable cast on) and if I can just keep the round straight this should work pretty good. My plan is that I'd take a section of the blanket and attach those together - then move onto another section. So when it comes time to finish the blanket - you seam sections as opposed to individual squares.
As I said - this will take a good long while. I really want to plan things out - make up some rules color wise (already working this out in my head! It becomes clearer by the moment!) and layout wise. If I were you, I'd probably just learn to crochet. But, I'm a glutton for punishment. Don't expect much on this for awhile. I definitely LOVE my little square though!
Hey Hey it's the MONKEYS!
Poor sad little monkeys! Look how wrinkled and scrunchy they look! Dance MONKEYS! DANCE!
I totally agree with the assessment I've seen around the blogs that these socks look better blocked - they do. But only for their photoshoot. Don't let the scrunchiness fool you. They look JUST FINE on your feet - the best blockers of all.
A thoroughly enjoyable knit, these monkey socks. EXTREMELY enjoyable. This pair took me a week. And I would've knit them faster no problem if I didn't have other stuff to do. I used Socks That Rock Lightweight, in the Rare Gems colorway (which means that it was a "special" skein that didn't go as originally planned and then was overdyed and sold as a rare gem - these are one offs. This skein is UNIQUE.) I used Addi Size 2s for the twisted ribbing and the first two repeats, then switched to 1s. I love the fit - nice and snug. The only modification I made to the pattern was to do my standard heel flap and toe. The rest of it is as written.
I'm fairly certain I'll be making a bunch of these.
Okay, so I'm signing off for the weekend. My one friend from high school, the one I'm going to the reunion with, told me she bought a new dress. So I feel like I have to go shopping - especially since all the things I thought I might wear don't fit. On a happier note, I'm getting a pedicure! Have a great weekend - reunion details next week - and more Monkeys I'm sure!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 09:28 AM | Comments (48)
May 09, 2007
Knit Knit Knanette!
Thanks for all your kind comments about my prom picture! My legs have never been a problem - I'm strictly a boob/belly girl. But I'm working on it! I've been dieting for the last few weeks (trying to eat healthier and not as much) and it seems to be working slowly but surely. I'm hoping to get back to the exercise soon and have it all start dropping off.
The zit doesn't seem so big in the light of a new day and I've got some new makeup so I think it'll all be alright. Thanks for all the great advice.
The second Monkey sock needs five more repeats before I start the toe. I MIGHT be able to finish them today. Depends on how much work I get done first. I'm thinking of casting on for the next sock NOW so that it's all ready to be picked up when I'm done this one.
That's all the real news - today I want to talk about possibilities and potential: I know what I want to do with all the leftovers.
I'm going to make Babette. Only I'm going to knit her so I'm calling her Knanette. Clearly I am NOT done with color. I happened to be in Purl the other day, visiting with Christine and I got to see first hand the Babette that's captured everyone's fancy. They also had back issues of the Interweave Crochet where the pattern first appeared. I bought one.
This is my plan: I'm going to make the blanket as written - the layout, the number of squares, the size of the squares, but I'm going to log cabin all of the pieces. ETA: I just spoke with my guru and we decided that log cabin is the wrong way to go - miters in the round is what I want for sure. The way the crochet works is that all the squares start the same. A few rounds in the middle and a few rounds on the outside - or something like that. I'm crochet challenged to say the least. (I start seeing all those CH4 and CH2 and my head starts to spin.) As the squares get bigger, you're adding more and more rounds.
And that's what I'm going to do. Make my nice little center log cabin patch and for the smallest square, I'm only going to go around once. And then I'm going to get bigger and bigger and bigger for the rest of the squares. I think this will translate VERY well to knitting.
Of course, I'm going to end up with something VASTLY different than the Babette. First off, there won't be any holes. Second off, the color combinations will have the potential for a lot more variety (as I can make the different log cabin parts different colors if I want.) Thirdly, the blanket will be cotton, instead of Koigu, so there will be much less variation in the yarn itself. Actually, no variation. But that's okay! What I love about this blanket is a) THE COLOR. b) COLOR c) LOTS OF COLOR and d) the varying sizes of the squares. So by having a "guide" for my own squares, I see it all working out. Of course, making a few squares will really tell me how it's all going to be and then maybe I'll find out it sucks.
Which brings me to the only downside I see right now: I'm finding that the more I think about it, the more I'm having trouble breathing. It's like if I don't cast on RIGHT NOW I'm going to die. Literally suffocate because I can't catch my breath. Sometimes, whether I'm writing or taking photographs or knitting - whatever it is - the creativity overwhelms me and I literally can't breathe. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever felt this way? I see this blanket at the ULTIMATE companion piece to the Madness and it's making me crazy all over again. Today I might have to make a little square. Just a baby one. Just to see how many stitches I need and how it's all going to work. Maybe just one. Only one.
I hope this feeling never ever ends.
Posted by Cara at 11:15 AM | Comments (62)
May 08, 2007
Time, Time, Time...
See what's become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities
I picked the yarn for my next pair of monkey socks. Always good to think ahead.
The yarn is STR Dutch Canyon (Lightweight - I only knit socks with Lightweight so it's safe to assume that any STR yarn I'm making a sock out of is Lightweight.) I tried to use this yarn once before - as a Pomotomus sock, but alas, I didn't like it. I think it's MUCH better suited to Monkey. I knew this yarn was destined to be a Cookie A pattern!
Speaking of Monkey socks, The RachFace seems to have a bit of knitocd going on herself: she's got washclothes or bibs and monkey socks as far as I can tell, but who knows what other obsessions are going on over there. Although, as far as obsessions go, six pairs of monkey socks is kind of lame. I'm just saying cough10jaywalkerpairscough, you could be a bit more obsessed. But thank you for raising the bar for me. ;-) But mostly - thank you for your modifications! Check out all of rach's Monkey Mods - some very cool socks.
In other news, I have a nice big red zit on my cheek. I'm prone to breakouts, but mostly on my chin and lately things haven't been too bad. So to break out on my cheek - you know - right in the middle of my freaking face - isn't the most attractive. I'm dealing with it as only a seventeen yr old can.
Did I mention that Friday is my high school reunion? Did I mention I'm GOING?
Yeah. That zit just got A WHOLE HELLUVA LOT BIGGER!
I'm sort of iffy on the whole reunion thing. I was talking to Ann today and I said that 99% of the people attending I haven't spoken to in 20 years. She said, that's the point of a reunion. Duh. The zit is eating my brain. But still - the reunion website lists all the people attending and I can't help but click over there a half a dozen times a day and think - oh. I don't want to see her again. And they all keep popping up in my dreams. I have to say though - I'm pretty damn happy with my life and where I'm at in it and who I have in it and it's nice to go to a reunion and be confident. Although I do have a huge zit. Here's what I looked like in high school:
No, I don't have a skin condition - that's scanner rot. And here's a funny picture for the family Annie! My senior prom dress!
Even then I couldn't keep the boobs up! And no, I didn't go to my prom with Conan O'Brien. I have no idea what happened to my date - he joined the Air Force soon after high school. I hope he's safe.
Now go pray for my zit to go away.
Posted by Cara at 05:18 PM | Comments (56)
May 07, 2007
I got rhythm!
Who could ask for anything more?!
Sock modeled by my own personalized Leggy Creations Sock Blocker!
A fabulous birthday gift from Margene!
I finished my first Monkey Sock, and I've got to tell you, this could be my new Jaywalker. It's got everything I love in a knit - especially in a sock. First off, it's FAST. The repeat is only 11 rows so by the time you've knit four rows you're like oh my god I might as well finish the repeat. And there are only six repeats for the cuff so you can polish them off and be ready to split for the heel in no time at all. The pattern lulls you into the perfect rhythm that makes you knit faster and faster. Like the Jaywalker pattern. Like miters. Apparently, I like to be hypnotized by my knits.
STR Lightweight, Rare Gem Colorway
While there is purling in the sock (I actually like to purl very much - but I HATE purling in a sock - I think, really, I hate ribbing in the round and on such small needles. Actually, I hate ribbing ALL the time.), for some reason it's not bothering me. I love how they fit - nice and tight. I did the twisted rib and the first two repeats on size 2s, like the pattern calls for, but then I went down to 1s for the rest of the sock. They're a little tight getting over the heel - but just like my Jaywalkers - they're nice and snug and they stay up GREAT!
The foot is actually a smidge long - but otherwise I'd have to cut out a whole repeat and I'm not doing that - so they're a smidge long. No biggie. I'm already lining up all of my old skeins of STR (in the 325 yd put up) to make Monkeys! I think if I drop one of the repeats out of the cuff I'll be good to go. When I held them up to a pair of my Jaywalkers, the length is perfect with five repeats. I've got JUST the yarn to try too. WHOO HOO! Time for some sock knitting yessireebob!
As soon as I finished the first sock, I cast on for the second. In no time at all, I have five repeats under my belt.
I'm gonna have a pair of socks before I know it! Just in time for Summer! ;-)
Posted by Cara at 03:37 PM | Comments (71)
May 04, 2007
Introducing...
four distinct images - celebrating fiber and color
Box of twelve press printed notecards, three of each image. 5"x7" glossy card stock. Blank inside. Envelopes included with each box. $27.50 per box. $5.00 shipping and handling charge added to each purchase. Shipped by USPS Priority Mail. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery. (Further shipping charges may be added when you purchase more than three boxes, or you live outside of the Continental US.)
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the cards. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Cara at 11:41 AM | Comments (26)
May 03, 2007
Be True
When in doubt, always, ALWAYS - and really - I can't stress this enough - ALWAYS! - go with what you know.
Socks That Rock, Rare Gem Colorway
KT hit it right on the head with this comment yesterday: "Aren't you the one who was just telling me that you only knit for yourself? My world is in disarray. I'm confused." YES!! YES!!!!! I ONLY KNIT FOR MYSELF!
Why did I forget that? There are many EXCELLENT reasons that I basically knit for myself. It wasn't always that way, but more and more and more it's become my reality. A reality I'm very happy with. I wanted to try linen and handtowels and maybe I'll still make a few for myself - but for now this project is deader than a door nail. I've never duplicate stitched and I don't want to rework a chart and I tried this thing and it didn't come out the perfect way it would need to come out for me to present it to my cousin in front of all the women in my family and besides, I can't give a gift that's not perfect, handmade or not. There was ALWAYS another gift - my sisters and I were ALWAYS going in on something off the registry - this was going to be my little side gift. No harm, no foul. What a relief!
Once I came to my senses, I did what any sane person would do and went trolling through my considerable STR stash. I've got stuff in there I don't even remember. Collector's Items at this point. I knew the pattern I was going to knit - I've been wanting to knit this sock for awhile - and I knew the type of yarn I wanted (something with a lot of colors and short repeats) so I went diving and came up with this:
MONKEY SOCKS! By Cookie A! YAY!
I cast on late afternoon yesterday. I started the socks on Addi Size 2s - I like to do my ribbing on a bigger needle - and actually continued on 2s for two repeats of the lace pattern. (A lesson I learned from this sock.) I then switched to Addi 1s and did another two repeats. The pattern calls for six repeats - only 22 rows and I split for the heel! Now that's a sock I like! I love this yarn, it goes without saying, but I really love this colorway. Mostly because it's MINE ALL MINE! Rare Gems are mistakes gone gold in the STR world - no two Rare Gems are alike so no one anywhere will ever have this colorway EVER. MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!
The pattern rocks - it's easy - not too much purling (for some reason I have an aversion to purling in sock patterns. Actually it's just that I abhor ribbing.) And I'm loving the effect. I'm thinking it will be nice with some of my other handpainted coughnotstrcough yarns. What? Did you say something? What?
Honestly, I really would've loved to have gone back to the Katharine Hepburn Cardigan - but I have to read my knitting and figure out the pattern again and where I am and what I need to do. I was just about to finish the back and I was doing some alterations to the pattern and I need to check my notes (fingers crossed I remembered to write everything down.)
In the meantime, it's just like riding a bike.
Some random stuff to talk about:
-- Mark your calendars! WE HAVE A DATE! Spin Out will be Saturday, September 29, 2007 - Central Park, Cherry Hill Fountain, 11-4. Much more information to come in the next month or so, but thought I should mention this now. I received the permit last week or so and wanted to get it out there.
-- NEW SOCK CLUB! Linda LaBelle, owner of The Yarn Tree in Brooklyn, NY, let me know about a new sock club she's started: A Sock Club For All Seasons. What makes this club stand out from some of the others is the talent she's got lined up - Cheryl Shaefer, Darlene Hays, Nancy Finn, Lori Lawson and others. These are PREMIER fiber artists and for some of them, their yarn is very difficult to get your hands on. There are lots of other goodies that come along with the yarn. Check out The Yarn Tree for more information.
-- RAVELRY! Generally I'm one of those "wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would have me as a member" but this one is to good to pass up. The brainchild of Jess and her husband, Casey, Ravelry is a place to share project information, pattern information, yarn information, stash information - basically anything that has to do with knitting, spinning, crochet - anything FIBER related. Right now it's still in it's beta testing stages so membership is by invitation only - BUT you can get on the list for an invitation. Use the sign-up on the right hand side of this page. BE PATIENT! Ravelry is for everyone and it's exploding as we speak so get on the list and get your pictures up on Flickr (even I opened an account - something I've been holding back on FOREVER) and pretty soon you'll be stuck in the time suck as well. ;-)
Have a GREAT day!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 08:52 AM | Comments (46)
May 02, 2007
Hit or Miss
Last night we had the first thunderstorm of the season. I didn't realize how much I missed thunderstorms until the first rumble of thunder. One of my greatest pleasures is standing by the window waiting for the lightning to hit the Meadowlands and breathing deep the smell of rain right before it falls. Spring really is here.
My forays to the window were respite from my new project. I haven't strayed far from my roots though. You know how sometimes you get a knit in your hands that's a winner from the start? And some, well, some that aren't? I'm decidedly in the latter category with my new project.
Before the miters took over and I blinked and a month and a half of my life had passed, there were other projects - being knit and being planned. This weekend I'll be attending my cousin's bridal shower and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try some new things. My plan was to be wearing a gorgeous completed Katharine Hepburn Caridgan, carrying four gorgeous linen handtowels as my gift. Two of which were monogrammed.
It TOTALLY could have happened. Dudes. You know it's true.
But, alas, we all know what really did happen. When the end was drawing nigh on the knitting of the miters, I knew I'd have to have something new to throw myself into - sort of trade one obsession with a slightly less obsessive obsession to wean myself off. The ever present in my life Kay (which is a GREAT thing) talks about linen yarn almost as much as she talks about cotton, and I never really believed her about the cotton, and do we really have to talk about what happened with that? Time to try the linen! Euroflax, to be precise. Sportweight variety.
I started off with 80 stitches, a seed stitch border and plans for a monogram. I found these letter charts and mapped them out on my knitty graph paper (which I made in Excel) and set to work. I'm knitting knitting knitting away on US Size #4 addis and I don't know - the stitches seem kind of lose. But I don't think that I can go down to size 3s and Kay has assured me that the fabric will look great once it's been through the washer and dryer. So I knit knit knit and I finish the letters. I'm unsure. Sometimes, if I hold it in the right light, you can tell what it's supposed to be. But most times? Not. G comes home. I ask him to look at it. He's tired - it's been a long day - he's not feeling well - and he says, "You know I'm not good at this stuff, but um, I can't tell at all." Can you?
It's supposed to be a J, a K, and an M.
The shower is on Saturday - and don't you worry. I'm not planning on cranking four of these out. If it all works out, I will take one finished one and tell her others are coming. But I not convinced it's working out. I could finish off the handtowel - wash it, dry it - see what it's like and call it an experiment - I did want to knit with the Linen. Or I could rip it and maybe try to knit the letters a different way. I thought maybe if I made a square of reverse stockinette and knit the letters in stockinette against the rs square? Margene wanted me to use seed stitch, which was my first choice too, but then I have to rechart everything. Which I don't feel like doing. What would you do, if you were me? I don't have to worry about a gift so this handtowel can disappear with none the wiser. Would you finish it or rip it and go on to something else?
I'll tell you - what I really want to do is cast on a sock in the gorgeous new yarn I bought. Sort of an "I'm finished knitting cotton let's go back to super soft super fabulous merino for a while because you deserve it damnit" kind of gift to myself.
Artyarns Ultramerino 4, #227
Thanks again for all your comments on the miters. I really do appreciate it.
Posted by Cara at 11:42 AM | Comments (60)
May 01, 2007
Madness Deconstructed
- 120 miters, 30 squares, 85 different colors of yarn
- The first miter was knit on March 15, 2007. The last miter was knit on April 29, 2007. Forty-six days. 2.6 miters per day.
- Each miter starts with 72 stitches. Knit with US #6 needles.
- Four main miters, one background miter from a skein of Tahki Cotton Classic.
- Only one color used two skeins. I used it to make two background colors, and then wanted to use it for a main color. I needed to break into a second skein.
This project has completely consumed me. Knitting these miters was an extreme labor of love and I'm so glad I got to do it. All of the squares sat on my floor for at least a week off and on - I would leave them out there and keep adding squares to the mix as they came off the needles. Yesterday I decided on a final layout. I photographed it and lifted the squares off the floor and mixed them all up. I think I sort of want to erase the layout from my mind while I'm seaming the squares. I will be referring to the photographs for the seaming, but it won't all be together. Plus we need room to walk around the house.
Basically I had the squares down on the floor and every now and again I'd move some around. Then I'd stand on the arm of the sofa overlooking the squares and squint my eyes. (Quite the scene, I must say.) Yesterday I was DETERMINED to get this all down - don't ask me why but it became incredibly important for me to say THIS IS IT. I would move squares around and take a picture. Then I'd put the picture up on the computer and change it to black & white. I wanted there to be a somewhat even distribution of value throughout the blanket. Then I'd go back and move stuff around - take a picture - look at it in b&w - move more squares and on and on until I got what I wanted.
When I saw this combination up on the screen - I knew that this was it. I stood back in the doorway - away from the computer and looked at it and it was good.
I leave you with another bunch of pictures, because that's what I do.
I don't think I'll be blogging about the miters for awhile - it's time to put the project to rest a bit and move on to other things. My mind can't take it anymore. I don't know when I'm going to start seaming - maybe my next free weekend - which doesn't come for awhile. Or maybe I'll start seaming and it will overtake me and I'll become obsessed all over again. Have no fear - this blanket will be seamed. A border will be knit. This project will be finished.
Thank you so much for your enthusiasm for this project. It means so much to me that I can share my madness.
Posted by Cara at 12:22 AM | Comments (167)