Hot! Hot! Hot!

So, remember a couple of weeks ago when I was all, "It's so nice and cool outside! I think I'll start a sweater!"? I swear to all that is holy it was 187 degrees F here today, no one can convince me otherwise. My current knitting projects make me look like a head case.

Exhibit A:

Cobblestone. A worsted weight, men's sweater, using 100% wool. Let me tell you, there is nothing like having this on your lap on a hot fall day! I thought I was at the armholes, but I measured the sweater against a favorite shirt, and discovered that I need a couple more inches. I should be just about at the armholes for real now. I know that I could set this project aside for cooler days, but I do enjoy working on it, and I don't like to accumulate wips.

Exhibit B:



I know you all have been anxious to see the scarf! Ha! I have a feeling I'm a little short on yarn... I'm going to finish up this ball and see how much I have. The scarf is for someone over six feet tall, so the scarf should be at least six feet long, right? This yarn, as I've said before, is heavenly. But it's also wool! Luckily, a scarf doesn't lay on my lap the same way a sweater does. But honestly, if not for that cool, wonderful weather, I would not have casted on for a scarf now!

I'm searching for a yarn for the stole pattern I showed in my last entry. I'm surprised that with all of the positive comments I got about it, it hasn't had more of a presence in blogland!

Long Time!

I feel like it's been a hundred years since I last posted! There has been a lot going on: shopping, baking, bunny care, and, oh yeah, knitting.
I made a scarf for a co-worker. I usually give this lady a giant tin of popcorn (her fave), but due to some health issues this year, she can't have popcorn. So I thought a simple scarf would be just the ticket. This used one skein of Colinette Giotto in Lichen, and I knit it using US15 needles! The only US15 needles I have are a set of double points, but faced with whether to obsess over lost stitches or buy a set of US15 straights, I chose obsession. What can I say? I live on the edge. I definitely could have gotten away with a few fewer repeats and had fuller fringe. After blocking, this scarf stretched like nobody's business. It hung down to my knees!

There's a bit of back story to this one. There's a girl in my office who loves hand knits, and I decided at the last minute to make her something for Christmas. After a brief search, I decided that Calorimetry would be perfect for her, as she is always wearing headbands and rarely wears a hat. I busted some Lamb's Pride from my stash and got started. It was a fast knit, and I finished it in one sitting. I was feeling so pleased with myself for finishing it on Friday and having the whole weekend before I gave it to her, that I decided to give it a nice wash. Uh, yeah... isn't there some rule against wet blocking ribbing? There should be. That poor sucker stretched out so far that it would still be too big if I wore it over a football helmet. I tried felting it down a little, getting it damp, putting it through the washer (!), all to no avail. Calorimetry was a lost cause. Last night I decided I still really wanted to make something for this girl, and remembered a cabled headband from Knitty, Nakiska. I dove into the stash again (this is the kind of emergency stashes are made for!), and came up with a light green acrylic/angora blend by TLC called Cara Mia. As with all good things, this yarn has been discontinued. It's been sitting in my stash for eons, and I'm almost sorry I even chose it for this project, because I'll probably never find any again. This yarn is wonderful! It has none of that plastic-y feel of acrylic, and all of the softness of angora. It reminded me of a cotton/angora blend, but with more elasticity. As an added bonus, it suited this project perfectly, and I ended up with something I'm proud to give away. Please note the five piece luggage set under my eyes. I finished this in a measley two hours, but that put my finish at 10:30pm. I wove in the ends this morning, and decided against blocking. Why tempt fate?

Thanks for the concern over Baxter and Cooper! They are getting along much better with the gate between them (no more attacking the gate), but we haven't put them together again yet. It turns out that Cooper gave Baxter quite an injury on his neck the last time, and we are on a routine of antibiotics and wound cleansing for the little guy. You'd never know he has an issue, though! He is as cheerful and spunky as ever! And, Pioggia, the rats are marvelous! They LOVE all of the wrapping paper in the bedroom, and especially love it when I put a few wads of tissue paper in their cage.

Mrs. Cooper is partial to the tree.

Baby's First Corrugated Ribbing!

I've been sitting on this pattern for awhile, and decided to try to pull it off for a Christmas gift. Unfortunately for you, the intended recipient reads this blog occasionally, so I can't say what it is. I can't resist showing off my first ever corrugated ribbing, though! This project was supposed to be the one I turned to as a break from my other project (more on that later), but it was the only thing I worked on tonight. I'm using Dale of Norway Falk, which I love already. It's wonderfully soft and has beautiful stitch definition. I want to make a sweater out of it.

Now on to the more difficult of my projects. First of all, is it just me, or does this look like a giant tangle of hair? Maybe it's because it resembles the hair I pull from my hairbrush (I dye my hair black). It's actually Kidsilk Night, and the beginnings of a lace scarf (Knotted Openwork Scarf). Now, if you've been reading my blog for a little while, you probably know that I have issues with mohair. Between the slipperiness of the yarn and my own sensitivity, I can only pull off maybe two or three repeats a night. I'm using plastic needles, and I'm thinking of picking up a pair of wood or bamboo needles for the extra grip. Right now, itchiness and sneezing aside, I don't understand why this yarn has such a devoted following. It's made me as careful and precise as a new knitter, watching every stitch, holding the needles with an iron grip. Which, now that I think of it, is kind of nice. I guess we all need some humbling sometimes.

Lastly, and only tenuously related to knitting, does anyone else have the total, crazed addiction to Beverly Hills, 90210 that I have? I drew blood once in a remote war to watch it, and am in absolute heaven that season 1 is on DVD. It's been my constant knitting companion. I only wish they'd hurry up and release more seasons!

Things That Make Me Happy

1. Finished objects! Especially scarves! I finished my Kureyon scarf last night, and wore it all day today. If I ever make another one (who am I kidding? I'll make another one), I'll go up another needle size to a US10. The scarf isn't stiff, by any means, but it would be nice to have a little more drape. I'd love to share the colorways I used, but I let Mrs. Cooper go nuts with the ball bands before I wrote the numbers.

2. I made my donation goal for the memory walk. I've already thanked Tammy, but another fellow knitter helped! A big thank you to Amy! I always enjoy the Memory Walk. Next year, I'm thinking of finding out how to get involved behind the scenes.

3. Halcyon's annual sale. This is this year's haul. Including the deal of my life! See the off-white yarn in upper left? That's 100% cashmere, bulky weight, which I scored for $6.00 per skein! They only had four skeins, and I snapped them all up! I'm envisioning a nice hat that won't make my forehead itch. A first!




4. Fair yarn! I went to the biggest fair in Maine a few days ago, and was delighted to find the Fiber House. I didn't get a picture, but there was a woman there spinning yarn directly from the back of an angora rabbit! I was excited to find some Cormo yarn, but it didn't come in any colors I liked. The yarn in the top of the photo feels a lot like the Cormo did, so I think it might be that. The bottom yarn is blue faced leicester, which is another wool I've been wanting to try. The Fiber building was mostly geared toward spinners, with the bulk of the room looking like this:











5. Sheep from the eighties:

I hope everyone else out there is happy! I am at this moment watching my favorite Christmas movie (Elf), getting into the spirit for some gift knitting!

Slowly but Surely

I've been making decent progress on Hedera and the scarf. I'm starting to remember why I'm not really a scarf person. They seem to take ages, and don't change much. But this one sure is pretty. One of the shades of Kureyon I'm using is very bright, and the other is more subdued. So far, they seem to mirror the first two colors I used somewhat in intensity. It's getting very cold here, Saturday I wished I had this scarf finished already! Speaking of cold and needing accessories, have you seen these yet? These are the armwarmers I was going to design myself, and they will be mine! I'm especially excited by the prospect of trying out Debbie Bliss' Pure Silk.
I'm onto the foot on Hedera. I was feeling pretty pleased myself, when I realized that I have another to knit after this one. Aside from my very first pair of socks, this might be longest sock project I've worked on. I know it's because of the break, but it still feels long. Luckily, I still love the yarn, and I still love the pattern! I am also completely enamored of Wendy's short row heel from her toe-up sock pattern. It's incredibly well-written, and gave me such clearly defined wraps, I almost felt magical. Next up: try a pair of toe up socks! I have some sock yarn I want to use to make socks for my boyfriend, but I don't know how long the leg will be able to be.

Thanks to Tammy for her donation to the Memory Walk! I really appreciate it, Tammy. Thanks!

Talking and Stashing

Thanks to Knotingale for the tips! I'm going to the pharmacy tomorrow for a brace and new glove, and I have not knit a stitch for the last two nights (including this one, which isn't done yet, but I'm on my way to read). This does not mean I don't have knitting to show you!

Here is my Kureyon scarf, in progress. I love how isolating two rows at a time causes surprising colors to come forward. For instance, see that stripe of green? It comes from a skein that looks completely black, gray and burgundy. I think this will be a perfect project to pick up for a half hour at a time. That's not to say that Hedera won't be touched, just that some of the stitches on that are a little more fiddley, so I won't be doing much knitting on that.

In better news, the lack of knitting is doing wonders for my stash! Today's acquisition? Ten skeins of Noro Kureyon in color #88! I've been searching for this color, and decided I was meant to have it. And I don't even mind if it takes awhile to ship!