Baaaaaabies!

Okay so first of all, whoa! Really? My last post was February 28? I know this semester was crazy, but jeez. Secondly, I finished something!

I made a Baby Surprise Jacket (my third!) for my friend Ang's new baby Irie Rose. The thing about a BSJ is that you need two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport (in this case, colorway "Bittersweet"), and you end up with a ton leftover. What to do?

Make booties! These are Saartje's Booties (rav link), which I've also made before, but come on! Look at them! So cute.
I've been dying to use this colorway ever since the first time I saw it, but could never find a way to use it. Irie's parents though are the perfect people for this bright, cheerful hue. And I loved knitting with it!
After I finally sewed on the final button, I tried my hand at crochet and yeah... still terrible. I have a friend who crochets so I'm hoping she can help me out some. This same friend I "taught" to knit, taught in quotations because it felt more like reminding a master of something they once did. I'm sure she's going to be a good teacher. WAY better than the crappy books/online tutorials I've tried. I don't know why I just can't get the hang of crochet, but even my little braid of single crochet (?) never looks right. Sigh. A the end of the program, please let me have a completed short story collection worthy of publication and the gift of crochet. I just want a gd blanket. Is that so much to ask?!
In other bloggy news, I've started a new blog for my writing endeavors. I'm hoping it'll help me land freelancing jobs. Turns out, I really like writing columns and book reviews! Check it out here!

Well Hello There!

So first I have to share my most exciting news. I'm published! It's official! My story is in the current issue of Scissors and Spackle, right here! It's available in print also, if you're into lit mags. I naturally bought five copies.

With that out of the way, here's the most exciting news for my fellow knitters. I finished something!

I made Linda Cyr's Bear Hat for an impending baby. I used Cascade 220 and a wee bit of Debbie Bliss Rialto.




I admit I had a moment with the ears, but I trusted the pattern et voila! They came out cute as can be. This would be a super speedy project if you're not, you know, a grad student.

I have a BSJ in progress, but the baby's not due until April so I'm not stressed out about it yet. This year is baby-centric. I also have friends with babies due in June and July. I'm not complaining. Babies are so easy to knit for!

In other news, I'm preparing to go to Charleston, SC in a couple of weeks for a writer's conference. Point the first: do NOT play chicken with the airlines. I mean it. Those guys are ruthless. I played around, waiting for a better deal, and now I'm spending over $200 more than I would have a month ago. Point the second: I am so excited to see Charleston! I've never been to the south, and South Carolina seems very southern. Any suggestions of must see sights?

Sometimes You Make Your Own Sun

I love this colorway! I've been waiting for a reason to use it and finally have the perfect excuse. I mean, a color this bright is made for babies!

Funny story: Last week I met with a friend to teach her how to knit. I was working away on my BSJ, constantly referring back to the pattern and worrying I was missing something. I was confused when I first pulled out the pattern and didn't see any notes (I always mark up my patterns), and as I worried over missing something I couldn't remember having so much trouble the first two times I knit it. Then it hit me in a flash of memory, my spreadsheet! Ah, sweet spreadsheet. Ever since I remembered that, this project has been chugging along.

I've been keeping up with picture taking. This one is my favorite of the week. It was taken on Charles Street. The window is street level and looks into a kitchen. I love walking by and seeing the chefs at work, but I'm usually too shy to take a photo because they're there. On this day, I must have come in the short period between lunch and dinner because they had this beautiful display, but the kitchen was empty.

Baby Surprise Jacket Spreadsheet

I've had a few people ask me about my spreadsheet for the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Since the spreadsheet is basically the pattern, I can't share it, but I can give some tips on how to create your own! It's incredibly simple, but so helpful.

Make a spreadsheet with three columns. Column one is simply the row number (I made row #1 the cast on), row two keeps track of how many stitches you should have on the needle at the beginning of the row, and column three is where you put what you should be doing during the row.

For instance, one row says:
73/147/bo 5 start of row, inc 4

On that particular row, you need to do two things at once; you need to bind off stitches, and also follow an in-progress increasing pattern.

I recommend creating the spreadsheet before you even cast on. This will allow you to read through the entire pattern and give you an idea of what you'll be doing, so you can keep your spreadsheet pithy (as EZ would say). Once I had the sheet finished, I didn't even need the pattern again until it came time to fold the sweater.

This sweater is well worth the extra effort. I've yet to see one that wasn't utterly adorable. Good luck!

...and for my next trick....

The mystery project is complete! I received an email the other day that made the completion of this project necessary. Don't babies know they're supposed to wait for their sweaters to be completed?

That's right! I made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket! I just love this little thing. Once I finished the rectangle, I amused myself for at least thirty minutes, folding and refolding it into a tiny sweater. I gave the rectangle to my boyfriend and challenged him to make a sweater. He got it dissapointingly quickly. Maybe I shouldn't have told him it was meant to be a sweater. This pattern, I think, is a testament to the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman, and has shown me the way. I've got to buy all of her books right now. I've been seeing a lot of another cardigan of hers, most recently on Tipper's blog, that is so sweet. I just wish someone I know would have a girl.

This pattern was one of the more challenging I have completed, mostly because the "pattern" is more of a guideline. I'm sure someone with more knitting experience than I would have an easier time with it, but I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track (on the advice of Ellen). Once I had the spreadsheet, the project was a breeze. I used about 1.25 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Flames, and US5 needles. I mattress stitched the seams together, as I was at a loss how to invisibly seam multi-directional garter stitch. This was my most successful go at mattress stitch, and I have officially added it to my seaming repertoire. I casted on for some wee booties last night to match the sweater. No further information on mitten #2, it is still in yarn form.

As an aside: on my monitor at home, these pictures look good, but when I look at pictures at work (on my break, sheesh!), I notice they look darker. How do they look to you?

Do men wear knee-highs?

Well, I was concerned about having enough yarn for these socks, but I oughtn't have worried. If I knit any more on these socks (excluding a 1x1 ribbed cuff), they will be knee-highs. Now, I know I've seen guys wearing kilts who wear knee-highs, but I've never seen my boyfriend wear them (neither a kilt nor knee-highs). It's been a little disconcerting at times knitting these, I keep feeling like I should be decreasing for the toe! I think my best bet will be to cast on for the second sock immediately upon finishing this one. Otherwise, I'm afraid they won't be done for Christmas! One thing I love about these socks, is that one repeat of the pattern is just about one inch. Not only does that make it easy to measure for the foot and leg, but it also makes me feel like I'm getting a lot done when I'm only doing one repeat a night. I love that!

Work continues on the mystery project. I put it aside for the most part to concentrate on finishing sock #1, but have managed to get a little more done. I might take the teensiest break in between socks one and two to get halfway through this project.

Now, a PSA. I know that for many people, myself included, the holiday seasons leads to thoughts of giving to charity and sharing personal good fortune with others who are not so fortunate. If you are in that mindset, please visit Tammy's blog. She's running a contest for The Dulaan project. The Dulaan Project asks knitters to put their skills to use making warm clothing for the needy children of Mongolia. Even if you can only manage one hat amidst all of the holiday rush, you can know that your hat helps one person be a little less cold.

Speaking of the holidays, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post in the coming week. If I don't, to all of my compatriots, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I can't think of a title today.

I realized the other day that I'd forgotten to show off my single completed Hedera. Last weekend, I finally decided to pick it up and make the toe already. It feels very comfortable on, and looks pretty (I'm glad I decided to do a few extra repeats on the leg, though), but I'm still in no rush to make the second sock. I like Knitpicks Gloss very much, and I can't wait until they introduce more colors. I'd love to have some in a brighter blue, a true red, a leaf green and maybe even some pastels. Heck, even plain white and black would do. This yarn would make wonderful, practical booties and baby hats, but I like to use more fun colors for babies.

Works continues on the toe-up socks. I finished the heel this morning, and felt a thrill when I realized I had a foot! The realization that I now have to make an entire leg in 2x2 rib let me down somewhat, but it's really not so bad. At least it's fairly mindless. The only problem with the sock project was the color of the yarn. We were having gray skies around here all last week, and coming home to gray project was sapping my strength.

So, I found the best antidote my stash had to offer, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Flames. I'm not going to reveal what this project is yet, just because it looks like it will be interesting to reveal at the end. Let me say, though. This project is not exactly mindless. I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of it, and almost cried when my computer had a tantrum and shut itself off, erasing my (foolishly unsaved) work. I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight!

In non-knitting news, I whole heatedly recommend this recipe. It's a pork tenderloin with pomegranate sauce, and it is unbelievably delicious. I have to note my surprise that every recipe from Gourmet magazine each month is available for free on the Epicurious site. Why the hell have I been buying the magazine?