Coz Knits?!

So, a lot of knitting has been going on since I post last. I’ve knit a bunch of things that are on my future project list…so I’ve conquered quite a bit in the past year.

Currently, I’ve got the following on my needles: Rambling Rows using Hazel Knits Artisan Sock Yarn (just because I am masochistic enough), the Kusha Kusha Scarf using Habu Wool and Silk/Stainless Steel Yarn, the Red Sox Redux Sock (the original just wasn’t working out for the both of us…sometimes it is better to recognize a bad yarn relationship and move on), and the Burridge Lake Aran Afghan using Red Heart by the pound (which has surprisingly good stitch definition…eventhough I feel like I am knitting with plastic).

These are the projects I’ve got lined up next: Ysolda’s Otto using Karabella Superwash Merino for my cousin’s B-day, EZ’s Tomten Jacket using Merino 5 for the boss man’s baby boy (he has commissioned me for another baby sweater…but he still owes me some pics of the first one I knit), the Mirage Pullover for Moi using Classic Elite’s Classic Silk, the Hemlock Ring Blanket using some Brooks Farm Four Play, and some socks thrown in there. As far as socks go, I’d like to complete my no-show lace socks, then I want to cast on for some Cookie A. socks out of her new book, Sock Innovation. Over the year, I’ve procured quite a bit of sock yarn…that I intended to knit socks from…damn second sock syndrome…I’ve got to get over it and just continue on with the damn socks. They seem like a great thing to knit when you are knitting the first one, then I get reservations about knitting the second. At Cookie A.’s Book Signing, she told me it didn’t matter if socks matched…its perfectly fine and acceptable to wear two single socks. There is a truth to that, but that might mean I will never get to the second sock with that philosophy…but it might just be ok.

The most recent yarn I’ve fallen head over heals for into a bad yarn obsession is Pagewood Farms sock yarns. They are sooo yummy and so squishy! Its hard to just walk out of the store with just one skein of sock yarn. My most favorite yarn store is Bobbin’s Nest Studio in Santa Clara, CA. If you are ever here, you must stop by this yarn store…plenty of beautiful yarns all arranged just so. Since I last posted, I moved North…so this is my LYS and a great LYS it is.

Projects that have recently come off my needles are Laura Chau’s Roam Jacket from Knitty.com and the February Lady Sweater. This year, I knit a lot of Ysolda’s Sophie bunnies for the various little girls in my life. I also knitted the Biker Boy sweater for my hubby. I know I have knitted a lot more than just this…but it is getting late and my brain won’t remember right now. I guess I will just have to update most of the pages and that way people can see for themselves.

That about sums up my year long blogging hiatus…but not a knitting hiatus. Hopefully, I will be showing off more pretty soon. Rambling Rows is very close to being off the needles…maybe another week or two before its done.

This is a little note to self that I need to take pictures of Snow White, Wheel on Fire and The Gray Flannel Purse (that is not gray, nor flannel).  I have been furiously knitting…not necessarily because of the past holiday, but just because.  Knitting is a great stress reliever…and I’ve got lots of stress hence the knitting and not posting.  So, this weekend’s task is to take pictures of these 3 projects that are recently finished.  As life would have it, I have taken pictures of the other 2 projects that I finished over the holiday…Elijah (White Elephant Style) and Piggle.  Consequently, they were also projects that were finished either in tandem or after the other 3.

 I decided to make a New Years Resolution to start more projects at once, so I can move in between them and parallelize my knitting a bit.  So far, so good.  I managed to start and almost complete Danica on a road trip up North.  I started Roam from Knitty Fall 2007, which is an endless sea of seed stitch, hence the need for more projects to jump to and fro from.  It really is turning out quite lovely…I chose to double strand laceweight yarn and the result is a beautiful limited pooling in the yarn and a lighter in weight fabric…I have to remember this trick when I want to knit something light weight that won’t feel like a sack of potatos when you put it on.

I’ve also started and almost finished (by tonight it will be finished) Penny from Knitty’s Fall 2003 issue.  Its a wonderful pattern so far, although if you intend to knit this as well, be sure to email Corinne for the latest version, as it has the errata corrected in it.  Miss BB will love it when its done.  She needs new sweaters and more sweaters very soon, because very soon, Miss BB and the rest of my family will be living in a much colder climate than we are used to.  On the same idea of keeping the family warm in the new diggs, I’ve ordered yarn and swatched for Biker Boy in the new Stitch N’ Bitch: Son of Stitch N’ Bitch.  I have not started knitting it, because I’m waiting for my new Harmony Options Needle set to arrive, because I currently don’t have the right circular needle for the job.

 Last but not least, I’ve gotten about halfway through my first official crochet project, an Irish Crochet Pin Cushion.  I saw the photo of it and couldn’t think of not attempting it.  Since I am a beginner, there isn’t anything in that pattern I haven’t done, except crochet with such a fine hook and thread.  Its taking as long as the pattern said it would and soon I will have a pin cushion that I so desperately need for all my blocking pins that I have….I probably don’t really need the pin cushion, but I’m telling myself that so that I have an excuse to crochet it!  Then I may have to make a few others for the rest of my crafty family.

I have ventured into starting two new projects at once.  One of them, I am almost finished with. 

Promptly after finishing the Emma Jacket aka most hellacious pattern to follow ever…I started Snow White.  Firstly, I love this pattern, despite the mountains of 2X2 rib.  It is cleverly designed and the pattern gets an A+ in the easy to follow / presentation area.  Consequently, I’ve had no room to bitch about it on this blog…because it is a delightful pattern to follow.  Even better, she adds these little comments into the pattern, so when you get finished with a part…say binding off…where you are wondering if that last stitch on your right needle is to be bound off or knit in pattern with the four stitches on the left needle…she explains exactly what to do, so there is no question on what is to be done.  A designer that writes patterns answering knitterly questions on the way!   Hooray!  Seriously, this was just the break I needed after the jacket.

 So, I’m knitting along on Snow White, ever so delightly when finally my copy of Son of Stitch ‘n Bitch: 45 Projects to Knit and Crochet for Men arrives in the mail from Barnes and Noble.  Instantly, I go through it and mentally note which patterns Mikey might want me to knit.  Then I have him look through the patterns and find that about one or two projects on my mental list are things he’d want me to knit, but other things I thought he wouldn’t like, he wants as well.

So, I ordered some extremely discounted yarn for the Biker Boy Sweater…that will be a Xmas gift, if I finish it in time…which I think I can do.  Then we went to Velona’s Needlework so I could get the yarn for the Wheel on Fire steering wheel cover, which I intend on finishing soon, sometime before Xmas, because he wants to use it NOW!  I already started Wheel on Fire, hopefully I can get some pictures up soon for this blog and for Ravelry…seems no one has a picture of one yet.

As for the Gray Flannel Purse, I haven’t done anything with it.  I decided that the yarn that I was substituting at first for running out of yarn, really didn’t float my boat, it doesn’t look as good as I thought it would.  So, I bought a new Cascade 220 heather in a darker heather from Knit Affair (since the original color was out when I went back to the store).  I feel better about having a darker colored purse flap rather than a lighter colored purse flap.  I don’t know why, but its easier on my eyes.  I haven’t made the progress on it that I wanted to, because I’m loving knitting Snow White too much.  I figure I’ll have a new purse by Xmas at the rate I’m going with it.

I’ve also decided that I am probably going to frog the red sox sock and reknit it, along with the second sock…because I’ll feel better about it…too many flaws.  I’m also thinking about using a different sock yarn…a yarn with some elastic in it, because it doesn’t stay up on Mikey’s foot anyhow.  Also knowing what I know now about knitting, I should have knit the sock with some negative ease…a concept I didn’t quite understand when knitting that first sock. 

 In my year of relearning to knit and more importantly learning how to knit things to fit, I’ve learned a lot about how garments are constructed and what kinds of fibers work better than others on certain objects.  Its not enough to say you know how to knit…anyone can knit, it really is quite easy…but can they knit something someone would wear?  And what is the point of buying nice yarn to knit something that will never be worn?  I don’t know about you, but I hate knitting scarves…so, I’ve been taking the time to learn what faux pas I’ve made in my knitting so that someday I can frog all the things I will never wear and make more garments that I will wear and my family will wear.  I think thats a safe assertion to make.