Interim Project

After the socks I decided I would make a couple of cute little matching cabled sweaters for a couple of babies I know. The project was off to a rocky start. I knew what pattern I wanted to make, having made it twice before, always with a great reception. I headed to Ravelry and made a search and found which magazine it had appeared in and turned to my magazines and... nothing. Granted, the magazine it appeared in was a one-off publication by Better Homes & Gardens and... oh... a decade old? But I have plenty of magazines that old and older. I searched and searched and came up empty.


So back to Ravelry I went. You know when you fall down a Ravelry rabbithole and you think it'll be so easy because you want something so specific but then it's three hours later and you've looked at hundreds of patterns and added ten to your queue and just can't stop hitting "next?" That. And then I found the perfectly lovely Timberline by Sarah Cooke and I was saved.


I went to my stash and discovered to my disbelief and chagrin... I didn't have any DK weight superwash in enough yardage or an appropriate color. Like with the missing magazine, I checked several times before finally admitting to myself that I needed to buy yarn. (I know you're totally sympathizing with me right now.) The point is, since I've yet to find a yarn store local to me, I had to order the yarn and because I had to order it I had to wait to start. Enter the humble ballband dishrag. I love making these but don't usually use them for their intended purpose since I find they're bad at lathering dish soap and are horrible at wiping up spills. So I just use them as a trivet, and like to admire the bright colors. This is the one printed in Mason Dixon Knitting which I believe is just the one from the Peaches and Cream ballband, I didn't compare to make sure.


The good news is my new yarn came! The bad news is I somehow don't have any US6 dpns??? Swear to god, if you looked up "hot mess" in a stitch dictionary you'd find a fair isle design of my face.

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.

Come Together....

Check it out! Big Black Blob is becoming sweater-shaped!

With two weeks left to go, I am on the first round of decreases for the yoke. I was feeling a little nervous about finishing this in time, but now I feel downright confident. Much of this progress is thanks to a long afternoon I spent with Amy, knitting away. Also, one of the (myriad) benefits of having knitting friends: when I realized that I had not only forgotten stitch holders but also forgot the copy of IK with the pattern in it, Amy had those things at the ready. Whew!

The end of the semester is approaching. I have a final story due in my lit class where I have to write in the style of an author we've read this semester. In a fit of delusion, I chose Flannery O'Connor. The story's down, but I just don't love it. I'll be glad to turn it in so I can stop fiddling with it. In my workshop I have to make a chapbook using six stories from the term, with a cover, synopsis, bio and quotes about the author. Truth? I've not even started it yet. I just got book supplies today! The stories are all finished though. I just need to come up with the cover stuff. (She says, as though it'll be done in twenty minutes.)

Last week I had to turn in another project in my short-short workshop. We had to write nanofictions (stories of fewer than 100 words) and present them in an Artist's Book. An Artist's Book is a one of a kind, handmade book, though the word "book" is used loosely here. Some books do follow standard conventions of a cover with pages, but others (like mine) present the stories in a unique way. Want to see mine?




Stay tuned for a completed Cobblestone! Maybe I'll even be able to get a picture of my brother wearing it. (Don't hold your breath though.)

Well lookie here!

Big black blob has a baby!

This is sleeve number 1, completed. Sleeve number 2 is on the needles. I guess I'm about 25% of the way through with it. This semester is speeding by, which means that the due date for this sweater is right around the corner! I have only hazy memories of making Cobblestone the first time, but I seem to recall picking up some speed at the yoke, all those wonderful decreases! I have absolutely no idea what I'll cast on for after this. I have several projects jostle-ing for attention in my mental queue. I'd love a new hat, and also a thick cozy cowl. I'm seeing these giant cowls everywhere and they look so warm and comfy. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that I won't be starting any sweaters. Unless they're baby sized. When you only get maybe an hour a week to knit, sweaters are just too slow going.

In other news, fall has arrived in Boston. Finally we're seeing some color besides dead brown.



I live a couple of miles out of the city-proper, so I've been taking advantage of the mild weather and beautiful scenery and walking in instead of taking the T. I know that before I know it, it's going to be sub zero outside and I'll be longing for a nice long walk.

Also, I went home to Maine this last weekend for a friend's birthday AND to attend the first ever Comicon in Maine! There was a tournament for Mario 3, which I was excited about, but when I got there I started to chicken out. Especially when I saw that the leader had over 150,000 points! I have no idea how he did it. The idea is to score as many points as you can in five minutes. I had been practicing on my Gameboy for days and had a strategy. Finally I signed up, getting in just under the wire. I got third place!



I was kicking myself because I would have easily taken second except that I bit it with a minute left and never recovered. Totally threw me off my game. It was exciting though! I hope they do it again next year!

Now I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I spend most of it in the kitchen, which I like. (I actually had a nightmare the other night that I had to share the cooking of the feast with someone else. It didn't go well.) I get to see my family, eat pie, and enjoy that relaxing time you get only when everything is closed and you're forced to just stay in. I'm planning out my menu right now. Aside from the usual, I do these sesame green beans that my sister loves, roasted brussels sprouts, and rosemary carrots. What do you make besides the typical turkey, mashed, stuffing, sweets?

Black Blob is... blobby

Work continues apace....

So, the time before last when I wrote, I promised to say more about Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I think Robbie put it best when he said that Yates really understands relationships. The thing is, Yates' gift really lies in the relationships that have fallen apart. In this book (it was made into a movie that was also really good), he follows a couple from their hopeful inception (see what I did there? Leo was in the movie!) to the dregs. Yates' voice is so distinctive. He's one of those writers who make you think you could do it too. His prose is so effortless. But if you tried to replicate it you'd recognize the futility. I suppose some may say his dialogue and style is dated, but while the specific phrases used are of a certain time, the plot is timeless. I definitely recommend this book.

I also just finished Falconer by John Cheever. This book is like a Cheever short story given room to luxuriously spread out and relax. It follows Ezekial Farragut (just called Farragut) as he enters Falconer prison and makes a life there. Farragut is much like other Cheever protagonists, except that instead of being an alcoholic he's a heroin addict and he's in a literal prison instead of a figurative one. What I love about this story is that it's a story set in a prison, but is so close to Farragut and his experience, it transcends the "prison story" cliche and becomes a story about human experience, and how we change and evolve according to what we experience. Heartily recommend.

I just started Zazen by Vanessa Veselka, recommended by Cari. I was hooked by the first paragraph on the first page. I feel like if I met Vanessa Veselka, we would instantly be best friends, like she just gets me and all the crazy crap swirling around in my head. More when I finish! I'm sure my reading will slow down once fall semester starts. My lit class has, like, NINE short story collections as required reading. I've read parts of most of them, and a couple of them in their entirety, but most of them are new so I'm excited.

What are you reading? What do you look for in a good book?

Good News and Bad News

Everyone likes to start with the good news, right?

I finished the vest! I am so happy with it. I love the color, I love the texture, I love the fit. This is my second project from fitted knits. (Way back in 2007 I made the Puff Sleeved Feminine Cardigan.) I love Stefanie's use of texture in this book, especially in this vest.



In review: This is the Back to School U-Neck Vest by Stefanie Japel from her book Fitted Knits. I used Cascade 220 Superwash in color 819. I had three skeins, but only used a very small bit of the third one.

With the vest finished, I was ready to dive into my next project. Would I make a hat? Socks? Maybe some new mittens? I blacked out with all of the possibility before me and when I came to I had cast on for a sweater. A men's sweater. This from the girl who took three months to finish a vest. This also brings me to the bad news. It's not just a plain old men's sweater (Jared Flood's wonderful Cobblestone, which I've made before), but it's a plain old men's sweater in black. My apologies, and I completely understand if you skip over my photos until it's finished.



I didn't realize that I last made this sweater almost four years ago! As soon as my brother saw it, he started asking me for one. I didn't realize I'd kept him waiting for so long! Last year for Christmas, I gave him a hat I made using Mission Falls 1824 Wool. My brother is one of those people who likes to insist he's allergic to wool, so the hat was a little test. I didn't gloat about it, but he loved the hat and wore it all winter, no complaints! I figure, if he can wear wool against his forehead, surely he'll be fine in a sweater. I love this yarn. It feels heavenly and has great stitch definition.

As Promised...

Progress!

While this vest isn't moving along as quickly as I'd hoped, it's nice to see a recognizable garment forming rather than an endless ribbed tube.

Ribbed tube aside, this has actually been a fun little project. Particularly the top which has a sweet waffle stitch pattern that is so textural but also so simple.




All I really have left now are the straps and finishing! Too bad Boston has reached a sweltering 90 degrees and the idea of putting wool anywhere on my body gives me hives. This may be a job for my dress form when it's finished.

In other news, I had a birthday since last we talked.



My sister came to see me and we went to the North End for dinner, drinks and cupcakes. All were delicious! That drink in front of me is some grape martini thing they serve at Cantina Italiana that I can't get enough of. Then we moved on to Assaggio for dinner where I had some of the best gnocchi of my life. And how could we end the night anywhere else but Mike's for dessert? I usually don't stray far from the cannoli case (the Florentine Cannoli in particular gets me every time), but since it was my birthday, a known cake holiday, I had the most amazing, extravagant chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting ever. Seriously. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. For once I'm glad I don't live in the North End!

Tonight is the first night of my summer class. I'm nervous! Isn't that silly? It's my third semester, technically, and I'm still all jittery.

The Surest Way to Spring

Clearly this semester has been challenging! I love both of my classes. My workshop classmates are all so good at critiquing, and I love the format of the class. This will be the workshop against which all others will be measured. My other class is a magazine publishing class, which is what I want to do when I'm done with school. We're making a magazine as a class, which is fun. This is the first time I've had a group project where I've actually enjoyed working with everyone else in my group! I don't think I'm alone in my distaste for group work, but these girls in my group are all very organized and prepared. Love it!

Anyway, about that title. I'm convinced that the surest way to spring is to finish a project that is winter specific. Enter: mittens.

This picture is... aged. I've since finished this mitten and actually started mitten #2! Shocking, I know. I'm itching to make a sweater but at the rate it takes me to finish an accessory, I'm afraid I wouldn't finish it until I'm 47. These are the Herringbone Mittens with Poms by Eliphantom Knits. Mine are without poms. The poms are undeniably adorable, but totally impractical. I'm sure I'd rip one off within a week. The yarn is Cascade 220 in navy and gray. I'm a big fan of gray lately (especially these Gray Chucks I keep seeing everywhere), and I had this leftover navy laying around, et voila! You can thank me later if the second I cast off the second mitten the east coast is swept with temperate weather.

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a little late with my greeting, but since this is my first time on the blog in 2011, it didn't seem right not to acknowledge the new year. I went home soon after my last post for 11 glorious days. I ate, I visited, I watched trashy TV, and I relaxed. My brother loved his hat and (HA!) didn't find it to be itchy at all! Score one for wool! I forgot my knitting at home (if you could have seen how much stuff I was lugging to Maine you'd understand how this could happen), and never got a chance to shop for a new project, or else I'm sure I'd have an FO to show you. Instead, here's a WIP:

These are the Celtic Moonrise Mittens by Rhiannon Don in Cascade 220. Couple of things about this pattern:
1. I didn't notice that they have a flap thumb until I was too far gone to add a gusset. Surprisingly, the thumb fits fine!
2. There is an error in the chart on line 5. After the purl stitch that starts needle 1, the chart reads k2, p4, then work a cable. Instead, you should work work the k2, p1 cable, then p3 and work the next cable.
3. The top shaping calls for abandoning the cabling, but as it's quite a few rows, I continued to cable until it was time to kitchener the top.

I got most of the first mitten done hanging out at Amy's house, so I think this second mitten will go quickly. These mittens are for someone else, so I'm pretty sure my next project is going to be mittens for myself. I really need new ones! And also a cowl. And also this sweater. While I was at Amy's, I got to meet her friend Thea, the designer of the drool-worthy Dark and Stormy. Of course the next day I checked out her blog (I'm always looking for more knitting blogs to add my reader!), and fell immediately in love with White Russian. I have to do a stash dive to be sure, but I'm pretty sure I have just the right yarn to make this!

In other news, I got a pressure cooker for Christmas! I love it, and want to use it all the time. Last night, I had a stew recipe I wanted to try that wasn't written for a pressure cooker, but I made it work anyway. After sauteeing the leeks and garlic, I pressure cooked everything for six minutes. Voila! Dinner is served!



This is Quinoa, White Bean, and Kale Stew by Isa Chandra Moskowitz via the ppk. It's hearty and delicious, and this recipe makes a TON. I have seven more (super full) containers in my freezer. Delish!