Best of 2007

Happy New Year!! I'm happily ensconced in front of my TV, watching the Rose Parade and generally feeling great about the year just past and the year yet to unfold. Following in knitlit's lead, here are the highlights of 2007 for me.

1. your best FO of the year
This is a hard one! Each project has so much of me in it that they are all my favorites. I have different favs for different reasons- Tangled Yoke for it's classic and classy look, the Baby Surprise for the fascinating construction, the Herringbone Tank for my shot at design, U-Neck Vest for amazing fit and comfort. But the best of '07 goes to Ene's Scarf!

In a year of never ending firsts, this is my first lace, my first handpainted yarn and my first shawl. It never fails to impress the pants off of knitters and non-knitters alike.

2. best FO of the year made by a blog you link to
That has to be oneof the many eyepopping projects from brooklyntweed! I think the winner for me is the Adult Totem Jacket , although, did you see his latest post? Big Blue is pretty amazing...

3. best yarn you tried
Oh, Malabrigo. Yum. so soft, so beautiful, so decadent!

4. best new book/mag/pattern of 2007
Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel! I knit 5 projects from that book already.

5. best new knitting technique or gadget you tried in 2007
Cabling without a cable needle is revolutionary. I felt like I was pulling a magic trick every time I did it. Knitting backward (useful for entrelac) was a close second, though.

6. top 5 inspirations--what five things inspired you the most over the past year?

1. Ravelry. The sheer elegance of this site is breathtaking. I am inspired by the dream of Jess and Casey and I am inspired by the community that has sprung up around them. This is taking Web 2.0 and putting it to it's best use. I feel like Ravelry is nothing short of a window to a new world order...
2. brooklyntweed - Jared inspires me with his knitting, design, handspun and photography. I "get" that we are involved in a pursuit of art and craft when I see his creations.
3. The Knitting BlogosphereWOW. You bloggers out there are an amazing group of people. You write so eloquently, you photograph so inspirationally, you create, you design, you teach but most of all you share. You share yourselves and you share your love of the craft. You are all my inspiration.
4. New techniques. Since I am a relatively new knitter, everything is new to me. Each project inspires me with a new method of construction (BSJ?! Yoke sweater construction?!) a new cable or stitch, a new object (mittens). Every new experience makes me believe that someday I will designs items of my own!
5. My blog. It is a way to hold myself accountable to finishing projects, a reason to raise my photography skills and a validation from people who know (other knitters) that my obsession is normal. At least to them. And, because I want to contribute to this community, I have aspirations of adding designs, tutorials and great links. This means I have to constantly improve my skill set to get there!

7. designer who most amazed & inspired you throughout the year
That would also have to be brooklyntweed.

8. knitting resolutions for 2008--what's next for you and your blog?
I want to design a top for myself from scratch. I want to knit a bag and another lace scarf. Maybe I might like to experiment with yarn dying. I really want to do a fair isle project with steeking, but I don't now if I am committed to that this year. We'll see. As for my blog - I keep threatening to move it to wordpress and create it's own domain. This would mean that I am committed to blogging - and making something of it. Am I that committed?

There you go. 2007 in a nutshell. For those who surf on by once in a while or more, thank you. The validation that I get from your comments means the world to me. Non-knitters can say lovely things about my work, but you guys truly appreciate what I am doing. Thank you for your comments and compliments and I look forward to much more of the same in 2008!

Casting On for the New Year

We couldn't start the new year without a project on the needles, now could we?

Right after the last gift was wrapped I cast on for the long anticipated Oblique by Veronik. This is the lovely Superwash Cascade 220 that was waiting to be something else. I love this yarn. It is the perfect neutral taupe-ish brown that will go with everything. And, baby, if this sucker takes as long as I think it will, I want to wear the living daylights out of it.

Here is my progress after 5 days of vacation knitting. VACATION knitting folks. What progress shall be made after I return to my normal working life? However, she is lovely, no? I don't have a name for her yet. Super- slouchy- going -to -live- in -this- "jin-jin" (chinese for baby blankee) -ultimate- comfort -sweater is just too difficult for a name. Did Linus have a name for his blanket? Maybe I will name her Linus.


Meanwhile, I had to cast on for something with more instant gratification! Here we are with iwriteplay's Leavened Raglan from Interweave Knits Fall '07. Her version was so lovely and the yarn was such a good deal (Lamb's Pride Bulky in Silver silver from the DBNY). It's so funny how a project will look dreadful in one color and fantastic in another.


Ok, here's a shot of the progress so far. We had to go all the way up to a 17 needle to get gauge. I'm pretty concerned that my swatch is a lying piece of &*(%*, since I never have to go up 2 sizes on a given project, but so far, so good. At least, until you look closely...


Can you see it? A mistake!!! (**GASP**) Yep, I had already frogged 7 rows to get rid of another mistake when I realized, **doh** if you decrease in a lace pattern, you have to adjust the next row or the whole dogged thing will be off. As I progress in my knitterly skills, I am also getting better at letting go of perfection. If it was perfect, it might as well be $19.95 at Old Navy - right?

Well, the back is identical to the front, so you can bet this guy is now designated the back. By the time I finish we might have some reasonable January weather again.

Mittens - Beyond Theory

Here in So Cal, mittens are little more than theory. In theory, you place woolen coverings on your hands and they will not freeze off your arms, leaving you with ugly stumps and no ability to play the piano. That's the theory.

The reason we never test this out is that our idea of a really cold day is standing in the freezer section of a grocery store in winter (anyone know why it is colder there in the winter? I seriously think they lower the temp in the stores when it is cold outside!) In LA you can pretty much take care of cold hands by pulling your sleeves over your fingertips.

But I am going to Modesto for Christmas. Time to get practical, baby! It gets down to 40 (F) at night in that town. (Don't laugh, Adriana. Our suffering is all relative) So - in the interest of knitting things I've never knit, I tackle mittens. I decide, based on a comment on Cyn's blog, to combine Plaid Mittens and Peek A Boo Mittens on Magknits. This would have gone so much smoother if I had any experience with mittens - but, as I said, mittens are purely theoretical for me. I had no way of knowing, as I knit them, if my mods were working or not. I used the double circ method and I didn't have 2 10.5 needles, so I made do with a pair of 10's after knitting almost a whole mitten with 11's. I think I knit enough stitches for 3 or 4 pair! Too long, too short, too wide and how the heck do you pick up 2 stitches for the thumb??!! If I made another pair (and I might) I would make them a smidge longer and I would make the slot narrower.

This is how I felt when a 3 hour project turns into a 2 day project:



But, in the end I did prevail! I vastly preferred the shape of the Plaid mitten deceases and I had the Paton's Shetland Chunky in stash. The functionality of the Peekaboo, however, was too much to resist.
How about that, eh? An honest to God, real life mitten. Hot diggity! (and there's another one too!)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and that is the big shindig for my side here in LA. I'll be cooking for my 5 brothers and their broods - 26 peeps in all. This sounds like a lot, but I cooked for the family growing up and this is how we always roll. No biggie and everyone pitches in. Christmas Day I'm off to Modesto - 5 hours up the 5 freeway and we do it all again, but smaller. And with warm hands.

Be safe, be healthy and be joyous in what ever you do this holiday season. May all your hand knit gifts be greeted with paroxysms of joy and may your loved ones contribute to your stash with well chosen luxury yarn.

See you in 2008!!

What I'm Gonna Wear for Christmas

I am so happy to finish this in time for Christmas! It is my best fitting project so far. See how happy I am? Happy happy happy. I'm happy that I don't look like a fattened Christmas Goose in this picture. THAT, my friends, is something to be happy about.

Here's the deets. *edit* Forgot to tell you the pattern! **doh** This is the Back to school u-neck vest from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits. I love this book and I've knit 6 projects from it. Yarn is Malabrigo worsted in Velvet Grapes. I used most of 3 skeins on size 7 Addi turbos. I cast on 11/19, but got way side tracked but gift knitting. I guesstimate maybe 1.5 week project? I knit for 37" bust and I am a 40" bust. Love that negative ease.

See the tangerine tree in the background? Yeah, I live in So Cal. I'm guessing that a vest is the maximum amount of coverage I can stand from Malabrigo. That is some warm and yummy stuff! I had planned to make the Textured Tunic from Fitted knits in an insanely beautiful yellow/orange color way of Malabrigo, but I think this vest might dissuade me from that plan. I'd hate to knit something I can only wear twice a year.

I made some mistakes along the way, but the Malabrigo did a great job of covering them up. I love that I am getting knowledgeable enough to know what is a fatal mistake that must be ripped from a mistake that can either be fixed, fudged or ignored. On this project I did much of all three! The awesome thing is that even I can't tell where these things happened.


Doesn't the garment look funny all by itself? It looks like a purple sausage casing just waiting to be stuffed. Oiy! And I was just beginning to feel skinny!!!

The String Blocking Thang...

This is my third Wisp. Third. One. I seem to do that at Christmas. Last holiday, my first as a knitter, I did three bears and three Swell hats. This year it's three lace scarves.

This lovely green one is destined for my other SIL (on that side). Since I have nothing more to say about this easy pattern, I thought I would talk about the blocking method that I used.

Some time back the Harlot blogged about using string to block lace, rather than blocking wires or massive numbers of pins. This technique is especially useful for an all straight sided project like Wisp!

Here she is with the strings all in place, waiting for her bath:
Post bath, Wisp is on the blocking board. I tied a knot in the string to get better traction for the foundation pins at the corners. Pull the strings as tight as you dare and only a few pins are needed along the edge. Voila!

It's not Koolhaas - It's Kool-Hawt!

Let's catch up on th Christmas FO's, shall we? I call this hat Kool - Hawt, because my DH looks so hawt wearing it! (for a definition of hawt, read Trent over at Pink is the New Blog - hi-larious guy). This hat was actually made for my cousin, who is an internationally known glass artist. He is married to an internationally known quilter. The bar is set pretty darn high, to say the least. Lucky for me, they are the nicest people in the world and I know he will appreciate the fact that it is hand made and not store bought.
Shhhh. don't tell DH, but he looked so cute modeling this hat, I made him one, too. The Koolhaas is some of the best fun I've had knitting since... well, since the Ene's Scarf! I used Cascade Superwash and the recommended needles. Row gauge was waaaay off, so the hat is taller than it should be. No worries - just flip up the edge, et, voila!


Next up is a So Called Scarf. This is my first entry into the insanity of the skilled knitter. It goes like this - Friday I find out the we are having a going away party for a beloved manager the following Tuesday. Friday night I think, "a hand knitted gift is the perfect way to express gratitude! Sure, I can knit a whole freakin' scarf in 3 days, no problem!!!" I had 2 skeins of SWS in Natural Earth on hand and My So Called Scarf in the Ravelry queue. From cast on to bind off - 48 hrs. Woo-Hoo!


DH thought the colorway might not be manly enough - but he is gamely modeling it. I think it is quite manly, don't you?

Now, all the effort and time put into these gifts deserves an appropriately dramatic presentation. I want the recipient to feel the thrill of anticipation that this gift might be special. This is red tissue paper wrapped in a kraft paper sleeve with raffia tie. Festive, isn't it?

We are 27 rows away from finished with Christmas knitting! Will I return to purely narcissistic knitting and finish my U-Neck School vest? Or, will I add last minute gifts to the list of holiday activities? Stay tuned...

Which Wife are You?

Ha Ha! I found this on Jollyewe's blog. Funny and accurate! I am Anna, Henry's 4th wife. Who are you?

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury

Holy Sheep, Batman!

Holy Sheep, batman! Has it really been three weeks since my last post? Pardon moi, mes enfants! No wonder the stuff has been piling up!

First and most important - I won this amazing sock yarn from the wonderful Melanie of Lotus Yarns in her comment contest. This is Aura in the color Walking with a Ghost. It is a lovely grey and pearl grey with fine silver threads woven throughout. I am so excited and can't wait to cast on. Socks are still an "event" for me, so this is pretty damn special. Thank you Melanie!


I am consumed with gift knitting like everyone else. I've accomplished quite a lot these past weeks, so I will break this post up into bite sized pieces for easy digestion.

First up is my second Wisp. This is for a dear friend and my very first non-family knitting - heck, I'm barely out of the narcissistic phase! I got this mohair from a Suss clearance sale and I'm not sure who made it. It was really nice to work with, though. Isn't the color dreamy? I'm pretty proud of it.


I also **finally** felted my MIL's slippers. The pattern is from Tracy and Mel's Knit2Together. This is a pretty easy pattern, but I sure hate picking up stitches. I made a pair last fall and I thought my inexperience was the problem. Maybe so, but it is a bitch to get the **right** number of stitches evenly. Oh, but aren't they lovely? I call them Cabernet Clouds because they are so soft.

That's it for tonight! More to come later.

Almost Caught Up

For my few ardent readers, remember the Wisp Shawl/capelet/cowl that I was knitting on the Great Wall of China? I'm done. It's really hard to photog yourself wearing a scarf. Really. Hard. Anyway, I haven't put on the shell buttons yet to make it truly finished. As it is now, there is no sexy caplet and no terminally cute hood. By the way, am I the only one who noticed the ridiculous High School Senior Photo quality of this scarf when worn as a capelet? Especially in that light blue on the Knitty model? I know my SIL will wear it as a cowl.

The pattern is easy and quick. It is easier if you knit it as written, but I had to cut out a row of garter stitch because I had just one ball of Kidsilk Haze. I also had to cut out one fishnet pattern. When she says 1-2 balls, she means 1 ball plus 3 feet of the second ball. I find that rather rude, but I think the size is just fine without the called for repeats.

Here is a shot of the whole scarf. I'll take more pics when I finally get the buttons on. I have 2 more of these to make. Thankfully, they go fast.

On the needles, besides another Wisp, is the U-Neck Back to School Vest from Fitted Knits. I must be getting better at ribbing, because this is flying off the needles. The yarn is Malabrigo and the color is Velvet Grape. I LOVE this color.


That's it for now. I think I'm all caught up with the knitting that happen while I was incognito.

Toodles!

Petals on the Earth

A while back I took a really neat yarn dying class (here's the post) and produced my very first skein of lace weight yarn. I called it Petals on the Earth and I was in love. How could I produce such a lovely on my very first try? (hint - it helps if you have an expert helping you. Thank you, Charles)

Ok, so lace weight yarn dictates that I knit, well, lace...no? Ok, I admit I have been more adventurous than the average rookie, but c'mon! Those lace stoles and shawls look so delicate and complicated and HARD! But I have the Scarf Style book and I see the Ene's Scarf pattern and I think "what the heck! It's just knit and purl. How hard can it be?"

As it turns out, not hard at all. I present to you, Petals on the Earth.

I used, and I'm only guessing, about 700 of the 880 yards on the skein. I wish I knew what to do with the left over yarn. What are other uses for lace weight yarn? A small hat, perhaps? Could I get fingerless mitts out of it?

I really enjoyed this process of lace knitting. I mean it was serious fun. This is a problem as I am about as lacy as a mack truck - but I might have to change my fashion sensibility to match my knitting. I can't be the first knitter to do this.

Next up are more Christmas gifts, wisp scarves for my amazing SILs, finally felt those house slippers from my MIL and a U-Neck vest for me. Yipee!

Tangled Fields of Glory

I can't begin to tell you how Cheshire Cat satisfied I am. This is a helluva way to mark my one year knitting anniversary! Here are the details: Pattern, as if you didn't know - Tangled Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall '07. Yarn - Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool color 44 from Webs, 6 balls and a smidgen of the 7th. Needle, #8 Addi Turbo. Size 38 and I am a 40 bust (no one ever tells you that. I sure wish people told you that so you could see if you like the fit compared to your own bod. I am "strong woman to pull plow". You can plainly see that. Why hide it?).



Here's me looking all satisfied. By the way, how'd you like the high art fashion shoot that I opened the post with? DH is getting more creative with the camera...



I love the way the yoke looks and how it goes all the way around. Some people have posted of problems in keeping track of their place in this loooooong cable. I did this by using stitch markers when possible (not always practical due to the K2togs) and really knowing my stitch structure one row down. Not a blip on this cable - but I didn't go fast, either.



Garter ribbing on the sleeves and the waist - looks really nice, but is almost the opposite of pulling in for shaping. It actually flares out at the ends, giving a bit of a bell shape to the sleeves and a flare at the waist. I think it looks nice, but was certainly unexpected.



Here's the folded over neckline and button band detail. I love the delicate way the neck presents and the folding over gives heft and structure. I almost wonder if you couldn't do the same thing for the button band. A little heft would help it from pooching out between the buttons...



The folded neckline was bound off using the 3 needle bind off method. I felt like a true professional with such an elegant finishing.



Cute buttons, eh? I only had 6 but figured I would never button the top anyway. I'm rather surprised the the control freaky type A monster in me is ok with this, but I ain't gonna question it.

Now we're back. What should I knit?

I am finally getting back into the rhythm of my life. International travel is incredibly disruptive for anyone - doubly so for the uninitiated.

My rhythm includes writing - lots of writing. I wrote quite a lot while in China - lots of facts, figures, history, anecdotes about my travel mates and impressions of a strange land. Maybe I will share some of this as we go along.

Most of my stuff is done or near done. What shall I do next? How about the U-Neck School Vest from Stephanie Japel's Fitted Knits?

I have this wonderful birthday yarn from my assistant. Malabrigo, yum!
I've knit my swatch and hit gauge right away. Must be a sign!

Now, I have a new delima. I bought some lovely Cascade 220 Super wash in a taupe brown ages ago. It was meant for this:


The Pimlico Shawl. Remember that one? I obsessed over this sweater. I had to have it. I bought a bag of Noro from Little Knits and knit away - only to learn how yarn and projects need to match up! I even trekked over to Wild Fiber and tried on the sample. But, by the time I got the right yarn, other projects had jumped the queue and the yarn sat and sat. I actually had plans to cast on as soon as I got back from China and then THIS happened -


Oblique by Veronik Avery. Be still my heart! The perfect slouchy comfy sweater pattern. So classic! So gorgeous! I am in love! AND.... I have the yarn. Bye-Bye Pimlico. You were always a little too fashion forward for this Ann Taylor inspired heart. (But then... I still have the pattern. Who knows if the shawl will re enter the queue?)

It's been so long...

I've been away. Far, far away. I've been to China and back and I mean that literally! Here's proof:


I'm knitting Wisp as a Christmas present for my sister-in-law. Won't it be cool to tell her this puppy was knitted on the Great Wall of China?!

I met 2 other knitters, Charlotte from Omaha and Linda from Maine. Linda thought it would be cool to knit something for myself, as a remembrance of China. Great idea, Linda! So, here I am, cruising down the Lessor Gorges of the Yangtze River, knitting my own hand dyed yarn into Ene's Scarf.

I saw many great things in China. I expected, frankly, that reality could never match up to the fantasy, but I was wrong. China is mind blowingly beautiful, dramatic, history infused and DENSE. There are so many people - can you wrap your head around 1.3 billion people in one country? A medium sized city has 7 million people in it. SEVEN million! That's outrageous, but reality. I spent many moments thanking my ancient ancestors for having the courage to leave China for the US back in the 1800's. Otherwise I would think squatty hole toilets were perfectly normal (eew).

Many of the very chic young women wear very cute knitted hats. these hats are brimmed but have no top - a perfect place for the ever present glossy black pony tail to poke through.


In Beijing, where it is colder, I saw several slouchy hats like this one:


Room for piling the glossy black hair in the hat or open it up and letting the pony tail poke through. I'll have to try my hand at designing something like these hats. Afterall, I have the glossy brownish, reddish blackish pony tail!

I have much knitting to blog about, but I don't want to overload. Here's a link to my Picasa Web Album, should you care to look. If you get the chance to go, do it. It was an amazing experience.

China Favorites

My other life...

I have a new obsession. Shh, don't tell.

In my other life I am a Realtor. Not a "boring, dry as toast, manipulate every conversation for my own monetary gain while shedding dandruff all over the table" sort of Realtor (ewe, I just grossed myself out), but a I do make a living outside the fiber arts.

This blogging thing is very cool, so I thought - "How can I be amusing and still make money?" Bingo - start a Real Estate blog. I had Jon Symons of Ninja Blog set me up - (www.ninjablogsetup.com - he does an amazing wordpress set up for FREE!!!) and I was off and running. Take a look! www.KendylsOpenHouse.com. Anyway, that has consumed most of my blogging time.

So, let's catch up. First - and arguably most important - I finally got a swift! Why, oh why did I wait so long? This is just about the coolest toy ever. Here's a pic of a very happy me winding yet another hank of Silky wool. Since I can't stay away from all the cool yarn on the web, I needed one of these puppies. I just didn't expect it to be so humongous (the swift, silly. Not the web).


So, what is all that luscious Silky Wool for? Ah, the Tangled Fields of Gold aka Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang. I am in total lust with this yarn. The color, the texture, the smooth way it knits up. Pure. Love.

However, the pattern is a bit problematic for the novice. I feel somewhat sacrilegious in criticizing Eunny - but there is an error in the increase section for the body and the directions for joining the sleeves are less than clear. And then there are the 2 completely useless markers one stitch from each edge. Huh? Isn't there enough to worry about without messing with a stitch marker flopping about and threatening to fall off each row turn? Those little ##$@^$^ fell off one to many times and I got rid of them. So there.

Erm... I must be close to that time of the month. Except - I don't do that anymore! Guess I'm just a bitch.

But... isn't she lovely? I am 20 rows away from the yoke. I can't wait, but I am a tad fearful. Will Eunny flummox me again? we shall see....


Next up is Ene's scarf. This is what the hand dyed yarn I made is turning into. It might have wanted to be a Muir, but I wanted a triangle, so there. I was a little concerned when an experienced knitter (you know who you are, girl) said - ooh, I'm scared of that pattern. Crikey! What's going to happen to me? I'll tell you what, first there is blissful arrogance at how easy this is and then **Whamo** Chart 3 kicks in. I am making slow progress to be sure. I am loving every moment of this tangled puzzle (where I seriously question my ability to count past 100 and consider hiring a 3 year old to count for me) and I now understand the allure of knitting lace.

Last up is my MIL's Christmas present - sh, don't tell, again! These lovelies are made with the ridiculously luxurious Fiesta Kokopelli and Water mark. With mohair and wool these puppies will be like wearing clouds. Warm clouds. Since she is Sainted MIL, the luxury is well worth it! After I felt them I think I will do a simple embellishment with a geometric embroidery. Or not.