Amazing!

This jacket is amazing! Colorwork is not really my thing, but I recognize good craftsmanship when I see it. The button bands are so intricate...

I redid the headband, this time with 8 strands and size 15 needles - my achin' wrists!



I cast on 6 with JMCO, knit 3, then knit the other 3 stitches interspersed, so I had a tubular-looking cast on edge. I increased up to 14, knit for a while, then decreased back down. The edge stitches are kept in garter and the body is stockinette. My main problem is that I don't have a button big enough to go with it! Check out the huge-ness of the stitches:

Do-over

I finished the headband for my sister in law, but I think I'm going to do it over. I increased too slowly, so it doesn't cover the ears. Argh.

Related, I used two skeins of Regia Silk/Wool in white and made an irritating discovery - they were both 4 grams short! That's 8 grams of yarn missing! I am quite peeved, and I think I'll avoid Regia in the future. It's too bad, because I cut my sock teeth on Regia yarns, but 4 grams per skein is too much.

What a day

At least the discovery socks are done :)



and a closeup of the no-hole join:



My next scheme is to make a knit headband for my sister in law. She sent me a pic, so now I just need her head measurements and the type and color of yarn. It looks pretty easy (famous last words), and I think I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't find the pattern. It should work up fast.

I may also make a pair of pants for my sister's daughter. She loves her pink stretch pants, but it's getting too cold to wear them. I have some stretch wool that's not scratchy, so we might use that. They need to be thin, but warm, and that's the best thing I can think of.

I got the latest shipment from Foxfire, a soft blend of cormo, alpaca and silk. I haven't spun up any of the fiber yet, but I'm thinking of joining next year's club. Is that crazy?

I guess I'd better start swatching for that headband. I just hope she doesn't want it made out of cotton...

Sigh. Holidays.

Argh. Where have I been? I've been so busy, I hardly had time to think. This high holiday season was both mellow and completely insane, and I can't believe that it's finally over. This past weekend was Simchat Torah, and it went out with a bang (involving a last minute dash by me mere hours before services, a malfunctioning PA system, a broken door, and the lesson that those jeans from my sister really require a belt if I'm going to wear them in public).

I have been knitting, but guess what - I can't find the cord to the camera, so I can't transfer any of its pictures! I made a pair of socks for DP's birthday, and I'm almost done with another pair for my sister. I made my niece another winter hat - she outgrew the one from last year - and found out that my sister in law (the one with a 6 month old) is pregnant with another offspring! This, of course, will require more knitting, since there will now be 3 children small enough to be forced to wear the gifts I give them ;)

I just today bought Janel Laidman's new book, The Enchanted Sole, something I meant to pre-order but lost track of time. Some of the patterns look - let's face it - enchanting :) The Traveler and Tintagel patterns look especially compelling, though who knows if I'll actually make them or just use them for imagination fodder.

I also found a great essay from 1971, Why I Want A Wife. If you're a woman with a husband, read this. If your husband is great, then you'll feel better, and if he's a dope, then you'll feel validated.

I also have been hankering for some knitting buddies...there are no groups near me, and with the bus situation the way it is and not driving, I don't think that I'll ever be a part of one. But I kind of wish I was. Sigh.

Gettin' Steeky

My sister gave me a blue hoodie that didn't fit her correctly, so I decided I'm going to steek it! Handily, it's ribbed with alternating cables, but there are no cables down the front center, where the steek will be. My sister is very keen to know how it goes, because she has another of these sweaters that she'd like cardiganized, if mine works.

Did you see the new Twist Collective? The green sweater story was so compelling. I want that pattern!

I noticed that several of the things in this issue used stitch patterns that I've been trying to write up patterns using. Argh. I need to work faster, or all of my ideas will be used up! In that vein, I'm trying to get some patterns worked up so I can try to sell them. My dream is to have a pattern published by someone, and this is my first little step in that direction.

Word of warning

If you decide to froth milk in a martini shaker because you don't have a milk frother and want a cappuccino for breakfast - don't.

Addendum: if you go ahead with your plan, note that cleaning frothed milk off vertical blinds is not easy.

I got what I wished for: hot weather! Unfortunately, it's so hot I don't want to be outside :)

I decided to try this recipe: lemon brioche rolls. I think I'm going to substitute a piece of chocolate for the lemon curd, since I have no lemon curd in the house. Every time I've tried to make brioche dough, I've had a problem, so I'm a bit scared. I only made a half batch, because the thought of using that much butter for something that ends up being gross hurts my heart. Also, I only had 2 eggs in the house ;) The dough tastes right, but we'll see how it matures in the fridge.

I got 4 rows of my shawl done yesterday! I just keep telling myself that each row is going faster than the last, though that might not actually be true. I have a way of psyching myself out on these things, evidence the not finishing this shawl during the month of July when I told myself I'd work on it. Sigh.

I got the latest Lord of the Rings sock club installment - a cream with bronze and silver highlights, meant to represent Caradhras. Unfortunately, the people making the pattern misspelled it. I feel so bad for them, but also a bit annoyed. This is the second big mistake of this sort in the club, and this is the fourth kit. 50% is only good in baseball.

I'm not sure I'm going to make the pattern that came with the yarn, but that's just the crotchety person I am. The yarn feels great; it's the same line as the first installment of the club. I didn't actually use that yarn for anything because the cabling on that pattern hurt my arm.

Where have I been?

Even I don't know! I'll try not to neglect my poor blog, even though the holiday season is coming up.

Actually, we did go to Missouri to visit the in-laws and hang out with my newest niece. She's 5 months old and has the most moxie of any baby I've ever met. She's constantly looking around at things, and she loves to laugh! DP was dancing around with her, and she was belly laughing - it was so cute!

I also took a break from the shawl to work on socks - mini-socks, to be precise. I've been wanting to brush up my flap and gusset skills and get better with dpns. I still prefer magic loop, but I wanted to make sure that if I was ever trapped with only dpns I could still survive. These little projects are great bus knitting, and they'll make good present toppers for Christmas.

I know I should be happy that it's not crazy hot outside, but I wish that it was just a bit warmer. I'd like to sit out on the deck with a cup of coffee and my knitting and just relax.