Back in Black

It's been quite a week here. Our 10 year old Flat Coated Retriever Echo had a very large lump removed from her mammary gland. Luckily, it was a cyst but the process made me realize that time does march on. Since I learned that some people do spin dog hair, I've always thought I'd love to take some of her hair and blend it with some roving. This breed is not for folks who thrive on a spotless carpet. Long black locks adorn our house constantly. I vacuum daily. I'd love to spin some yarn with a touch of Echo in it and perhaps make a hat or scarf for my husband since she's really his girl. Since I've not actually taken steps to collect her hair, I began to brush her this week keeping the hair I gathered in a bag. This breed apparently has ideal hair for spinning. They also have quite unusual personalities. They are the Peter Pans of the dog world - goofy describes them best. If Echo were a TV character, she'd be Phoebe on Friends. As I brushed her fur and carefully placed it in a bag Echo shot me a look as if to say "Puhleeeze, how Silence of the Lambs of you".

I also completed the Devin toque for my DH this week. This is the perfect guy hat. Solid black with 2 x 2 ribbing. Easy Peasy (except for seeing the black yarn with my aging eyes but that's another story). The kicker is it's made out of 100% cashmere by Hand Maiden. I will admit it was so wonderful to work with. I can't wait to work with it again. The pattern was written for back and forth - sewn up but I converted it to in the round. I'm very pleased with the results. So is the recipient and with the current cold snap he's worn it several times already.

We took Echo for a walk in our local conservation area so she posed for a couple of shots with her daddy. As usual, she managed to sit still for the first picture and then got...well...goofy (or a cold butt from sitting). I guess we'll take that as a good sign.

The Secret Life of Walter Knitty

My knitting projects literally leap from the pages of magazines and websites onto my needles via my very rich inner fantasy life. I tend to fall in love with a project because I fall in love with the story it's telling. Of course certain companies (Rowan for example) tend to execute this "life-style marketing" rather well and I get sucked in every time. Here are a few of the stories my projects told me once upon a time.

Cromarty:

Hi there - I'm Cromarty from RYC Classic Winter. If you make me your life will be filled with leisurely days and you'll have loads of time to bond with your inner child. See, here you are making a snow man. In fact, you even had time to knit a scarf and hat for the snow man...out of Patons.



Reality: Ironically, I've not found time to cast on for this one but the Soft Tweed I got on sale sits on my dresser...because I haven't found time to put it away.



Cobblestone:

Hey, I'm Cobblestone from the amazing Fall 2007 issue of IK. I'm glad you're home. I've just finished chopping wood for the fire. Dinner is ready and the kids are in bed. I'd love to hear ALL about your day.



Reality: Well, turns out that Cobblestone had a few issues he didn't reveal until about 3 weeks into the relationship. Warning: If you make this, use a smaller needle on the bottom garter stitch band otherwise it will flare out like a little dress. Cobblestone has been frogged back to square one and started again. Shout out of thanks to Hope and Vanessa for the intervention between me and Cobblestone.

Evie:
If you make me you'll look so hot that you too can wear a bowler hat, woolly socks and stand knock-kneed holding a bunch of balloons and still look great (and dammit, she does look great). Hey wait a minute - is that Stacy and Clinton headed this way?

Reality: Actually, Evie's not giving me too much grief and the RYC soft is divine. The pattern is one of those "do what you did on the other side but in reverse" sort of formats so it's been a slower start. We're ready to put the pockets in. I do love Kim Hargreaves' designs.

Indian Summer:

Ah, I can give you endless sunny days wandering along the beach. If you make me, I'll put you in touch with your inner artist. The colour, the style, the fingering yarn on tiny needles! Actually, I'm standing like this because, well, you know Rowan patterns. If I hold my arms at my side, the cuffs will scrape along the sand.



Reality: Meet my oldest UFO. I did the first sleeve and had to rip back because the two rows of red are very close in colour and I had switched them by mistake. Are bat-winged sleeves even remotely in style now?

NEXT!!!!!!!!!

Watching the Ball of Yarn Drop

It's hard not to reflect on the year that was. I did make a few resolutions last year so I suppose I should weigh in on how well I met these lofty goals.

1. More small projects:
Check this one. If it weren't for small projects like Nagano Sakura and the Gem Beret - my FO list would be much shorter. Handmaiden's Devin Toque in yummmm Cashmere will no doubt be my first accessory for 2008.

2. More cables:
Count this as a miss. I'm a wee bit angry with myself about this. I love cables and would welcome a nice cabled project. Contenders are Bonne Marie's Twist, Central Park Hoodie and this lovely design from Louisa Harding's new book Summer Classics.

3. Get a dress form:
Ah, I'll need to carry this one over to 2008 too but I've decided to get one of an older vintage to make it a decorating element.

4. More Noro:
Poppy and my current project Manhattan in Cahsmere Island mean I get to check this resolution as a win for 2007.

5. Experiment with different fibres and indie designers:
This was a defining theme for 2007 for me. I made The Bonsai Tunic in bamboo and spun bamboo. I'm also working on Roam in Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk which counts as 2 for 2 with designer and fibre artist both being "indie".

6. Knit with my handspun:
My Nagano Sakura scarf counts as my first "roving to FO" project. It's especially sweet that I won a prize at the 5 Counties Fair for best knitted item by a novice. I'm spinning some shetland threaded with silk that will become a Diamond Fantasy shawl for the next fair this September.

7: Make more time for knitting:
Sure, once I finish prowling around Ravelry.

8: Release another FO:
Uh, next?





So, what's on deck for 2008?


I'm excited about attending Madrona in February where I hope to improve as a spinner by taking seminars with Kathryn Alexander and Judith Mackenzie McCuin. I will embrace my inner crone by forgoing space in the suitcase for the killer wardrobe in favour of the Sonata Wheel.

I've begun some hand dyeing as well and want to continue to develop this skill. I'm reading about natural dyes and just maybe there's a dyer's garden in my future this Spring?

I predict that Ravelry will expedite the unleashing of the independent designer and that more Veronik Avery's and Stephanie Japels will get book deals and delight us with their talent.

I hear Norah Gaughan's Spring collection is amazing. I predict I will make another of her designs.

I learned I still hate sock knitting this past year. Sorry but I'm very vain about my knitting and when I finish something I don't want it shoved into a pair of shoes under a pant leg.

I want to make a top down sweater...just to find out what the fuss is all about. Maybe this one out of this yarn?

I've joined the Funky Carolina roving club so I'm excited to try some new fibres over the next few months.

And last but not least - my stash. I don't resolve to stop stashing, just to become better at hiding it.

Head's Up

I became obsessed with finishing Gem this week. Yes, I was lured to the dark side by crochet. It started with a simple ring then round and round I went. Next thing I knew - I had myself a saucy beret. I coerced twin A to take some shots this afternoon to try and capture the detail in this pretty pattern.

Here are the specifications:

Pattern: Gem from Heartfelt the Darkhouse Collection Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: One skein of Kid Classic (lavender ice) and One skein of Kid Silk Haze (dewberry) doubled

Hook: 6mm crochet hook

Beads: About 300 size 6

This pattern is fast, fun and I'm very pleased with the results. Kim Hargreaves' book has several patterns calling to me and this one was very well written. The crochet terms are detailed in the back of the book. I did however have to search elsewhere to find out how to decrease (treble two together) but that was easy enough to nail down.

The pattern has you change to double crochet for the beaded section for 5 rows. I only did 4 rows mostly due to bead supply and yarn running out. I wouldn't want any more rows any way since this is just the right amount of "ease" for me. I like a beret to flop just a bit. the hat is finished with crab stitch in Kid Silk Haze only - three strands together.

I see that Kim Hargreaves book is now more widely available through online book retailers and ebay vendors. I would imagine it will sell well.

Now that Gem is complete, I've got my eye on another fast project from Heartfelt. Thanks to Webs, I have 5 balls of Big Wool in an unusual shade for me - cassis.

I may never go below 3 stitches per inch again!

Purple Ice

The good thing about a big snow system is that it's kind of nice to know that your only option for the next day is to hunker down and ride out the storm. It lets you off the hook for all of those errands you usually take care of on a Sunday. We here in the Niagara region had been really hard hit. This system has gathered lots of extra wallop whilst traveling over the Great Lakes. My lovely new Holiday urn arrangement now has about 3 inches of white stuff on it. So, it was a great opportunity to work on some projects.

I've noticed that when it comes to yarn lately - I'm particularly attracted to purple. Now, this isn't the case when it comes to buying clothes or decorating - its seems to be simply a fibre issue. Perhaps it's a yearning for balance since according to Wikipedia in United States politics, a purple state is a state equally balanced between Republicans (normally symbolized by red) and Democrats (normally symbolized as blue). Whatever the reason, I have a fiberyen for purple.

Evie is chugging along. It's one of those patterns that seems more complex than it is. Now that I see the pattern progressions - I can truly "get" the rhythm of the design. The Cashsoft 4 ply is a delight to work with but I do seem to be getting a larger gauge than prescribed on the ball band. I'll keep you posted.

Also in the purple family is a little beret from Kim Hargreaves as well. It's called Gem and it's crochet. A nice robust 6mm hook, some Kid Classic and Kid Silk Haze and it makes for a fast project. It's got beads around the brim...yumm. It's so much fun to have a little crochet on the side. It's fast and a nice complement to my other projects. I could have used this baby on my head today while shoveling the drive way!

I'm also quite taken with the new Knitty design "Ice Queen". I've obtained some Kid Silk Night (soon to be discontinued from what I hear) from Julie. It's flecked with shots of silver so along with the silver beads - it's particularly "icy". Perhaps all of this iciness is what attracted this uber storm?

If you're like me...this week it probably your crunch time coming up. Last minute gifts, cards and grocery shopping will be top of mind but when the big day comes - I plan to be firmly planted in my house with a glass of sparkling wine and my knitting and spinning projects. Ten more sleeps!

Structured Tastings

I spent a wonderful couple of days last week at the wineries in wine school. I know, I know, at last a course I can ace. It's common practice to taste wines from light colour to dark and lighter tasting to oakier. In that spirit - I will update my various projects. We'll go from easy-breezy to the more complex.

First up is an FO. It's Narvik from Rowan 42 made out of luscious Rowan Cocoon. It's in sultry shades of charcoal, gray and mushroom. The cables on the front provide a nice complement to the raised pattern across the all-charcoal back. What makes this the easiest project in my round up?....I never said it was *my* FO. I stumbled across it at Stitch today. Jocelyn had a sample that she kindly let me try on and she even took the picture for me. This one is back on the short list for me. It's really nice in person.

Our second tasting is a nice smooth cashmere layered with complex notes of colour changes. I've finished the first front of Manhattan in the decadent Noro Cashmere Island. I LOVE this project because it's mindless and easy to pick up and put down. I'm currently casting on for the back which involves over 300 stitches to weed down to about 1/3 that amount to make the ruffle.

Here is Roam. Now Roam and I had an incident a week or so ago whereby I realized that all of my increases were done incorrectly. I was only increasing two stitches per row instead of 4. I had to rip out a good 6 inches ...all together now "OUCH!". I'm back to where I was before I ripped back. This is a delightful knit. Do learn how to purl continental if you want to make seed stitch. Once you get it down pat - it's very meditative. I was able to try the original Roam on when I was at Lettuce Knit last month taking a seminar with Laura Chau the designer. It's a great sweater! I'm also using the Addi Lace turbos and the pointy tips make the "to and fro" of the continental seed stitch very easy to stick-handle. The Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk is like a silky Merlot. Rich, deep, smooth and elegant.

I am also still plugging away on Autumn Rose. Second sleeve is almost half done. I'm eager to get to the body so I can actually gather up some rhythm with the pattern. The sleeve is too short a run to actually get "in the Fair isle zone".

Evie is progressing too but I had to clarify a few things with the designer re: pattern directions so, there isn't any progress to show since I had to rip back.

Projects galore! I love it because just as there is a perfect wine for every meal - so is there a perfect project for every mood.

Father, Kim and the Holy Post

There are just some situations that defy logic. Sometimes you get what you really want in spite of your best efforts to sabotage yourself. Such is my quest for a recent Kim Hargreaves project.

Last September 12, I mentioned in a post that I admired the design Evie from Kim's Fall collection called "Thrown Together". I loved the styling, the colour and most of all - the fact it bore the same name as my mom who passed away several years ago. It's also the name of my little 3 year old niece (insert gratuitous picture of cute child). I wrote "Don't you think the Universe want me to have this sweater?"

After humming and hawing for a few days - I decided to order it but since I *always* make things in the same colour they're shown in, I tried to think of different shades...just to be different. None - other than the Loganberry shade which most closely represented the colour shown on the model - appealed to me. In the end, I opted for a dove grey called Weather. The colour is great and very popular this season but I did kind of kick myself for not getting the deep purple.

What I didn't know was that my father (who reads my blog) had read the post and decided to surprise me by ordering the kit. He stalked knitting guilds and stores in his area in an attempt to locate Kim Hargreaves' designs. He didn't realize she sells via the Internet only. He got in touch with my knitting buddy Dr. Steph who not only showed him how to find the Kim Hargreaves website but also advised him on size and colour. He called Kim in England and says he had a delightful chat with her. He ordered the kit for me (without knowing that I'd already bought it). A week later while dad was visiting the kit arrived..........

in all of its deep purple glory. Yessssssss! It's the colour I really wanted all along.

So, since the universe definitely wants me to have this project - there's only one thing for a girl to do.

Cast on baby.

Stash Flow

I attended a trendy agency party a few years ago where I met a fellow knitter. I had car-pooled in with a male colleague who was chatting in another part of the room with an executive from another company. When she mentioned that she was a knitter my co-worker said "I should introduce you to Michelle. She knits". Of course, we knitters hear that all the time and we know all knitters are not cut from the same cloth and my colleague confessed in the car later on that she had asked a few qualifying questions of him before crossing the room to meet me as another knitter. He'd been able to field them fairly well (because I blather on about knitting whenever possible) but admitted to me that he'd been stumped by what appeared to be the most important question of all to her. She'd asked him if I "had a stash". He said "Michelle - what the hell is a stash?"

A stash to a knitter is what a basement full of chick-peas is to someone preparing for Armageddon. It gives us options should our oxygen (yarn) supply be cut off. My stash constantly ebbs and flows with my knitting fantasy life. Since the last week has been filled with article deadlines and family activities - not much real knitting has been accomplished so I thought I'd share a few projects that have caught my eye and as a bonus - are stash friendly.

From the new Kim Hargreaves book Heart Felt - Armory. It's made from RYC Bamboo soft of which I had almost enough in my stash. My supply is a pale lilac colour and fortunately Julie had the few extras in the same dye lot to complete the picture. BTW - the book is amazing and well worth the price. Only available on Kim Hargreaves' website.

I love the way the back dips down - this will be the perfect Feb. project.

I'm pleased to report that I have one skein of Kid Classic and one of the Kid Silk Haze (violet) to make this little hat also from Kim Hargreaves. It's crochet but on a 6mm hook should be a fast project. The brim is beaded.

An old supply of Adrienne Vittadini Mimi seems to be around the right gauge to make this pretty jacket. I applaud Ms. Hargreaves' ability to make chunky yarn look delicate somehow. My colour is called chambray.

I was initially not thrilled with the Winter IK. It felt a bit too "missy" for my tastes. I do however understand Eunny Jang's argument that classic designs are great for times when we don't get to projects as quickly as we think we will. At least these stand the test of time. My picks from this issue include:

Henley for which I have some Peacock coloured Blue Sky Alpaca Silk. This yarn has lived in about 4 designs already in my dreams so it's been a good investment even still skeined up.

I also really like this Louisa Harding tunic. The cable sweeping from shoulder across the body is quiet unique yet I think this would be very wearable. It would be great with a turtleneck, long skirt and boots. I have some Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran that just might work.

Last but not least - the Gathered Pullover made from Browns Sheep Top of the Lamb. I love how this is layered and the intricate yet simple detail in the middle. This one doesn't have a stash-mate that jumps out at me. I'll have to think about that....and peruse the shade cards at Browns Sheep.

Little Reminders

I have a confession to make. I don't feel guilty about having lots of WIPs and UFOs. New knitters and non knitters often ask how many projects I work on at a time or how long it will take me to finish something but I dodge the question. I figure that life is full of deadlines and obligations - my hobby is the one place I can be irresponsible. I'll pick up projects here and there depending on what I need creatively at any given moment.

Roam with Lisa Souza baby alpaca has afforded me the opportunity to learn how to purl continental. I'm finding the seed stitch very theraputic and the yarn is like butter.

Autumn Rose is the project I reach for when I want to enjoy the colour play of stranded knitting. These shades are so regal - perfect for working on whilst watching The Tudors.

Manhattan is the perfect "on the go" project. Stockinette, simple shaping and those amazing Noro colour changes. The yarn is Cashmere Island. Yeah, that's an island I want t be stranded on.

I pull out my husband's Cobble Stone pullover when I know there's another package of yarn about to arrive at the door. "See honey, I'm making you a sweater. Cast your eyes away from the fibery deliveries."

Sometimes a project will slip through the cracks. It drifts to the bottom of the knitting bag in favour of shiney new projects. The Tulip Cardigan was such a project. Often life will provide some sort of cosmic tap on the shoulder to remind us that we really need to turn a UFO into an FO.

Say hello to my new niece. A 7lb 2 oz tap on the shoulder. With that flaming red hair I'm gonna guess that she won't be accepting an of my excuses. I best get knitting.