Yarnmaven

Back to School

Abby starts second grade today.  She is very excited.  New backpack, new shoes, new school clothes that fit, and she's all set.  We attended an informational meeting yesterday about Girl Scouts - Abby is now a Brownie and I have the disconcerting feeling we just joined a cult.  I was never a Girl Scout when I was young, I was a Camp Fire Girl, now they are Camp Fires USA (gender neutral) and family oriented and the nearest one is 30 miles away.  So we are a Brownie family - oh, and I do mean family. I think it's a good program, and apparently we got a really good leader who keeps the girls very busy.

This week I get to take off for the 100th anniversary of President Johnson's birth. I do so love the Texas-centric holidays we get paid to enjoy, working for the state.  I plan on sewing.  I need to attack a stack of fabric and patterns so that by Thanksgiving I can put away the cutting table that I set up in the kitchen.  If things go well, there will be pictures.

I finished the Green Gables over the weekend.  I used leftover Cotton Fleece yarn from the Mommy Snug that I made Kandis when she was pregnant, I grossly overestimated the yardage required for that and I still have a half a skein after completing this sweater.  It's nice yarn, it seems to knit up quickly too.  I know that some have knit this with negative ease, but after ripping sweaters I knit that were too small for me to wear - I just couldn't bring myself to knit this one so snugly, so the sleeves are a bit more open than they ought to be, but I can live with that.  I also had to do a single crochet edge at the top to bring the neckline in and make it more stable.  I don't like the off the shoulder look on me because I am never strapless.  I also made it a bit longer and included the hip shaping.  I really wanted to get in one summertime sweater before the summer was over and I just made it.

Just So You Know...

that I am not doing nothing (and Yes, that does appear to be a double negative), I finished another Clapotis.  Just like the last one only a different colorway.  I love the Clap, but they KILL me to make.  They take forever and well, quite honestly, I get bored.  Abby loves it, but it's not for her.  My mom expressed an interest, we'll see if she was sincere, 'cause, ya know, she loves everything I make - isn't that great?  I have been very busy with some work stuff and some PTA stuff and some graduation stuff and some trip-out-of-town planning stuff and well, I suppose blogging has taken a back seat and it does bother me, just not enough to drop everything and let y'all know (both of you) what boring and geekish thing I am up to now, but I do miss y'all.  I haven't even kept up with my blog reading.  I have discovered Twitter, though and I have to say that if you aren't on Twitter, well, you just aren't geeky enough.  Actually, some people, like my oldest, Kandis, they are actually better at twittering than blogging.  I don't mean to say she isn't a good blogger, but Twitter, with it's 140 character post limitation and the randomness of it in general is really better for some blogger styles.  Kandis is great at Twittering because she has these great moments where she can blurt out her witty, caustic tweets to the Twittersphere and it just seems appropriate - and timely.  And no formatting and the only thing you need to remember is "say it in 140 characters".  Oh, and use tinyurl for links, cuz the url counts for characters.  Me, I end up reading a lot of tweets and responding to some, I don't have that instant genius thing going for me.  But I still read Twitter obsessively. 

Anyway, that's what I've been doing.  How 'bout y'all?

Resuming Life as We Know It

SXSW is over.  Even the folks that came for the music have left.  They say the airport was busier than at Christmas time with everybody trying to leave at once.  Every year about the end of February I start hating my job and then SXSWi happens and I completely fall in love with my career all over again.  It never fails.   It is such an infusion of energy and expectation coupled with all the buzz of what is hot in technology and all the friendships made, renewed and deepend that I hit an overload point usually sometime before the last day.   I finished a pair of socks while sitting through all the panels.  I finished a sweater in the two days I took off to recover from SXSWi. 

Pattern: Hooded Pullover, Vogue Knitting, Fall 2005
Yarn: Marr Haven Mule Spun Worsted Wool, 6 skeins

  Stephen and I had a great time at the Knitting Nest last Monday night.  It was a small crowd, but it was relaxing.  He signed the Wall of Fame, and posed for some photos.  I'm looking forward to next year and I hope to be able to organize another knitters gathering and/or a craft panel at the conference that will beat the lame one they offered this year.

Abby and Tom have Spring Break this week, so the train wreck getting out of the house in the morning is considerably smaller in scale.  I haven't done a thing about Easter yet.  I have fallen behind badly in reading blogs and need to get caught back up with everybody.  I really wish I was on Spring Break, but not while everyone else is.  I get a lot more done when I'm on my own, if you know what I mean.

FO, Prizes, et.

My FO mojo is groovin' along.  I finished this Vestee for my grandson last night.  This was a very quick knit.  Just a couple of hours of evening TV knitting and a couple of meetings at work and this puppy was done!  I used a bargain yarn I got at Kid N Ewe this year.  It's Plymouth Yarn Sundae Swirl, 78% cotton and 22% nylon, so it should hold up to a toddler pretty well.  This yarn was 10 bucks for a bag of 10 skeins and I only used 5 for this project.  If I'm lucky, I might get a photo of Cooper in it tonight.

Blogiversary Contest Winners and Prizes:

Chris, I know you have knit sweaters and socks and wash cloths, but I haven't seen you knitting any lace.  Yet.  Your prize is a big ol' wad of burnt orange laceweight.  Now, knit us some lace.  Or you could trade it at the next yarn swap if you aren't thrilled or a UT alum.

Steph, I know you've been practicing your dying and you could dye this if you wanted - you're getting a big skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, it only comes in one color so dye it if you want.  There's 465 yards on it which is enough for a scarf or a couple of hats.  I made a sweater out of this stuff and it's great.  It still has the natural lanolin in it so if you don't dry clean it, it's virtually water-proof.

Nicole, I don't really know you, but I thought surely you could use a nice skein of German sock yarn in wool and silk.  A friend brought it back to me from Heidelberg, Germany and he brought 3 skeins, so I think I can part with one.  Germans make the very best sock yarn, it wears like iron.

I hope you all enjoy your prizes, Tom drew the names for me.  Send me your addressed and I'll get them in the mail to you.  Steph, I'll bet I can just drop yours by the nest in a couple of days, eh?

Now, for all those patient and indulgent readers who said they would like to see some of my sewing, here is what I made Kandis for Christmas this year:

I used a tutorial I found on Sewmamasew.com for inspiration and construction tips.  I used a natural silk noil for the background of the placemats and scraps from the stash for the pieced section.  The cranberry napkins match the reverse side of the mats.  I washed all the fabric before I ever cut it - even the silk - so now she can toss them all in the wash without having to worry if they will shrink.  Some folks think that silk is delicate or fragile, but in reality, it's one of the strongest natural fibers there is.  Before Nylon was invented, they made parachutes out of it.  Silk was considered precious because it was so strong and lightweight. 

I started two more projects last night. I don't want to lose my momentum.

Samantha

Sometimes I knit something that I don't want to put down.  And when I finish it, I don't want to give it away.  I just want to admire it and touch it.  So it is with this little confection called Samantha, by Kate Gilbert.  I used 3 skeins of Dalegarn's Baby Ull in a lovely violet, though the camera did not capture the true color.  This pattern is so pretty, I love the faux smocking effect and all the picot edgings and the little lacy detail along the front band and sleeves.  This sweater is all about the little details.  I found some vintage shirt buttons in my grandmother's button tin that I dive into now and again for little treasures and I think these will work fine.  I even have an extra one I am throwing in with the sweater.  And hard as it is, I will be giving it away.  My friend Barbara is having a new grandbaby girl.  She picked this sweater. 

Thanksgiving is over but we're still eating turkey sandwiches - one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving.  I made pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin and though it was nice not to waste a pie pumpkin, nobody seemed to be able to tell the difference between fresh and canned - in the future I will save myself the trouble.  Now the wrtched shopping season has begun and I will have none of it.  Y'all be careful out there.

The Minimalist

If only it were called the Minimizer.  But there is only so much yarn can do.  I have heard the chatter over the Minimalist Roll.  Yes, the stockinette front band on the Minimalist Cardigan rolls in a bit.  It was a feature of the design.  Try and block it out.  You will fail.  One knitter I saw on Ravelry even reversed the pattern of the knitting: doing the body in stockinette and the band in moss, so great was her fear of "the roll".  She defeated it.   But it wasn't really the Minimalist Cardigan any more.  AND she had to do all that knitting in stockinette.  I embraced the subtle roll of the band that softens the appearance of the sweater.  It wasn't the sweater roll that bothered me.  Not until I saw the photograph was I appalled by the roll.   Apparently I have put on about 47 pounds while I wasn't looking.  Okay, maybe not 47, but enough to notice that now I have a "roll".  I do not look forward to the holidays facing self-denial.

Pattern: Minimalist Cardigan
Yarn: Rooster Almerino DK in Ocean
Mods: I suppose that I had row gauge issues, I had to reknit and reconfigure both the sleeve caps because they were just wrong. 
Remarks: I love this sweater.  It was a fairly quick knit, it has texture which I love and I think it fits pretty well, though I may not love my body right now.  It is warm and soft and I really like the color. 

Kid & Ewe follow-up:

I went to Kid & Ewe and ran into Katy Blogless and hung out with her and the other knitters from Houston who were on the Twisted Yarns retreat.  It was good to see them, but I missed the activity and fun of the event we organized last year.  This year it was pretty much a shopping trip.  Last year was a blast!  So, somehow, I suppose we ought to organize another gathering for next year.  I did go straight to the Brooks Farm booth as soon as I got there.  I went over my limit this year - I bought 2 skeins of Duet this time and also a random purchase of cotton yarn from another vendor at an astonishingly low price thinking it would make good baby sweaters.  Oh, and I bought one patten.  Lace washrags and soapbags from Fiber Trends.  I'm not sure what makes me think I can knit lace yet, but I remain an eternal optimist. 

The Shirt That Would Be Socks

I finally finished the oldest UFO/WIP I had.  There was a lot of picking up stitches on this, but it wasn't a difficult pattern and was fairly easy to pick up again after allowing it to marinate for over a year.  This might be interesting in a different sock yarn too, say a handpaint with a really slow progression of colors.  Each square of the top is 24 stitches by 30 rows.  I love the fit of this thing and considering it was just a bunch of squares, it fits nicely after the 6 rows of armhole and neck edging.  Oh, and blocking.  This one I blocked with some brut force.  It was a two pronged attack; soak, pin out, dry, steam, dry.  That was what was needed to get all the corners to lie down flat.  I am making a green skirt to go with it and bought some beads to make a beaded belt, but have not mustered the courage to try to put it together.

Square Play by Rick Mondragon
Knitter's Magazine 75, Summer 2004
Lion Brand Magic Stripes in Bright Spring, 3-4 skeins
size 2US and 4US circular needles

I bought some Patons Classic Merino yarn from Jenny's stash sale and it arrived just in time.  I dug out a pattern and I'm ready to cast on.  I still have two other sweater UFO's that I will be finishing at the same time.  I just really needed a new project.

FO FO FO & 1/2 FO

This has become a very quiet blog.  It's been very busy at Chez Yarnmaven.  But I have managed to clear the decks of some languishing sock projects.  I don't know how I started so many socks at one time.  I have way too many sock needles.  So, here they are in no particular order:

Plain ol' socks, my basic generic sock pattern.
Yarn: Wildfoote, by Brown Sheep Company,
Color: Jungle

Comments: Not the softest sock yarn by a mile, but for 5.50 per skein (Bluebonnet Yarn Shoppe), not a bad buy and they'll soften as they get washed and worn.

Rib and Cables Socks from Fall 2005 IK
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot
Color: Um, I lost track of the band, and don't remember, but Kandis brought it back from Montana (where Mountain Colors is located) when they went up for Rob's brother's wedding.  I still have a different colored skein I haven't used yet.

Comments: I LOVE this yarn!  It is sooo soft. And a joy to knit.  This is my second Rib and Cable socks in this yarn and I might do one more.  I followed the pattern except for the cast-on and I did my usual cast-on.

Koigu Shortie Socks with Picot Cuff, my pattern
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Color: lost the ball band

Comments: This is the first pair of Koigu socks I kept for myself.  I do like knitting with it, but can't make long socks because I am cheap and won't buy the third skimpy skein to fit my big feet.

Ribbed Socks (first sock of an eventual pair)
Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes
Color: Lumberjack

Comments: The yarn was on sale, the pattern was free on the ball band and I knit this one sock at a two day conference this week.  I have knit many socks with this yarn.  It isn't luxury yarn, but the socks soften with wear and washing and they hold up very well.  And it's economical - great for kid's socks.

I only have 2 more pair of socks on the needles.  Plus the ribbed sock mate.  Things are getting better.  I can see a little of the top of my coffee table and there's a plan this weekend to perform some spring cleaning by the whole family.  Whose taking bets on us pulling that off?

Mother's Day is this weekend.  I'm tryng not to stress.  To most folks it's no big deal; they just buy a card or send flowers or take Mom out to lunch.  Well, I have a mom and two mother-in-laws and Abby has 3, count 'em, 3 grandma's.  So, not only do I need cards from me and he-who-buys-no-gifts, but Abby wants to send cards from her.  Do you know what greeting cards cost now?  I know, I'm sounding cheap again.  I suppose if they added another damn day to the week, I could MAKE cards, but as it stands right now, my card-making priorities are way down the list.  I hope they like their cards cuz that's all I'm doing this year.  Why do we recognize holidays that were created by the greeting card/candy/floral industry?  In case I don't get back around to this blog before the weekend (highly likely), all you mothers out there, have a great one!  And don't be too dissappointed if all you get is a card.  It's the thought that counts, right?