Pattern: my own
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino, Paprika and Old Gold / Mustard (1 ball each)
Needles: US 5 DPNs
Recipient: Chris
Notes:
Chris is NOT a glove or mitten wearer. But his paws are soso cold in the winter! This spicy pair represents our compromise. Will he wear them? Tune in in November for the answer. This pattern was cobbled together from several other patterns and my own modest creative genius. To tell the truth, I finished these weeks ago and did not write down the pattern. But here's a hint: take any glove pattern, and (gasp!) only knit the fingers and thumb halfway up!
Let the stash-busting continue! Truth be told, there's probably enough yarn left over from these, STILL, to make another pair. Teeny tiny accessory projects do not a stash bust make. But whaddayagonnado? I only have one ball of this and that, and most "leftovers" projects don't strike me fancy. I guess there's a hand-warming cottage industry in my future...
Pattern: French Market Bag
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Limeade (bottom), Blue Blood Red, Aztec Turquoise, Spruce, Tahiti Teal (scraps of all)
Needles: US 8 circulars & DPNs
Recipient: Moi
Notes:
Thanks to Sandra, Lisa, and Chris' parents' top-loading washing machine, the French Market Bag, my oldest unfinished object, is finally complete. I'm kind of mmeh on the shape. I think Lamb's Pride doesn't felt in quite the same way as Cascade or other 100% wool yarns, and the mohair also makes the finished product a LOT furrier. So the final verdict is... I like the concept of this bag, but given its schlumpfing down on the floor if you set it down most ways, the odds are I won't use it. This type of schlumpfing does not serve one well on, say, the subway. But it was a fun way to use up scraps!
Sorry! This is just coming slow as molasses, but progress is being made. Though I did frog 1/2 of one sleeve for being slightly different than the other. No matter. Here she is as she will again look in a few hours, for anyone who's interested:
It's not really true to size because the sides curl in on themselves like crazy, and of course the arms aren't sewn together and the whole thing was really thrown on the floor in the most haphazard way. Anyway. I've been asked by a couple of folks to post my modifications for shorties. Good news! This path has been forged before. I am using Stacy's tres helpful modifications.
This is inspired by one of my favorite recipes at a local Italian place. It's one of those where you can really play with amounts - more parmesan in the sauce if you like it thicker, light cream instead of heavy, more zucchini or less, etc. Enjoy!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 package fusilli, rotini, or penne
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
5 T butter
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 28 oz. can crushed plum tomatoes
4 to 8 oz. smoked salmon (lox), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for topping
Directions:
(1) Cook pasta.
(2) Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add cream, stir. Add tomatoes and parmesan, stir. Simmer over low heat.
(3) Heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, sauté for a minute, then add zucchini and onion. Sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
(4) Combine pasta, veggies, and sauce (you may have extra). Toss and let sit over low heat for a minute. Remove from heat. Add salmon, toss. Serve with parmesan cheese and a sprig of fresh thyme, if desired.
You all rock! I knew I could count on you for medical advice. There's even a doctor in the house (congratulations, Dr. Kate!). Anything to spare me a fruitless trip to the NYU health center. The toe situation is holding steady - no better, no worse, really. And instead of a photo of my blackish-blueish-greyish foot, I give you many more attractive colors: have you seen Pantone's Top 10 Color Trends Au Courant. [via Gnit] Mmmm glazed ginger. That sounds a LOT better than "burnt olive," despite the attractive color of the latter.
On Knitting
Obviously this whole working thing cuts into my knitting time and my blogging time. As to knitting, it suffices to say that Simply Grape is not finished, although I've made a hair of progress. Both front and back are finished, and one sleeve (which I suspect may be too long and need to be redone) is complete too, with the other sleeve is halfway done. She's getting there, but it's slow going. My blog reading has also suffered, sadly :( (though I keep checking up on James to make sure she hasn't given birth in my absence!) I miss my fix of regular reads!
On Rushdie
Part of the lack of knitting is due to a resurgence of interest in the written word since school finished up. The ability of law school to leech any desire to read for pleasure astounds... but I'm now about 2/3 of the way through The Satanic Verses. I'm truly enjoying the book, but much like Midnight's Children, I wish I knew more about the relevant historical, or in this case religious, background. Maybe we should just say histori-religio-socio-political background.
On Office Decor
I bought an orchid for my new office! I've got a lovely wide window with a southern exposure (which also happens to look out upon one or two Famous New York Attractions), so this beauty should thrive there:
It's my one splurge this week, and it was quite affordable ($59) for its size and its double blooms. It came from the small florist down the avenue, which is owned by the nicest Muslim couple. I hope to avoid killing it too quickly.
On Basquiat
C. and I and our friend Pickens checked out the Basquiat exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum this afternoon. It was nifty, as I was quite unfamiliar with his stuff until today. What a product of New York. We also saw the free showing of Basquiat, a not-so-great fictionalized film about his life. And we saw Stephanie Seymour, aka, the former Mrs. Axl Rose, with the two Axl-itos and her new beau. I felt like approaching those children to make sure they knew of and honored their half-Hoosier heritage. O, those Sweet Children of His!
On Possibly Breaking My Little Toe
On my way out to a par-tay last night, I stubbed my toe really, really, really hard on a wayward Rubbermaid container that was sticking out from under our bed. I don't know if I was walking forcefully or what, but it seems to be quite tender. And even weirder, not only is my toe black-and-blue at the "knuckle," but a large greyish-blue splotch has spread out over a large portion of my foot (I've spared you the photo, but, oh yes, one was surely taken). I can wiggle my toe around, so I figured it wasn't broken, but who the hell knows? Do you? I know there are probably better ways to get medical advice than asking you, Dear Readers, but all advice is welcome. With you, I'm sure the Doctor is Always In.
And On, Finally, More Stitch Markers
I learned to make little spirals with wire! Now I just have to get that getting-them-to-be-all-the-same-length thing:
I bought those beads on a trip to NY Bead with Marcela, a Dear Reader of Fig and Plum! Quel cool girl. Anyhoo, I also made an army of matching markers from Czech-glass leaves in anticipation of beginning Clapotis. Of course, my yarn order from Mystical Creation had better hurry up and get here, now that these markers are ready to serve:
With luck, this week will bring at least a few more dispatches than last week did... stay tuned...
At my LYS last weekend, I happened to mention to the owner that I was seeking Filtes King Van Dyck for the Lace Leaf Pullover. She used to carry it and got out a sample she'd knit from it, warning me first that she didn't think I'd like it. Well, in my opinion it was mighty rough, and she was probably right.
I should add for balance that Teva really likes Van Dyck, as she said in her comment to this site (Teva Durham read Fig and Plum!):
"Van Dyck is an absolutely lush and not too expensive yarn and worth seeking out. It is light and airy not heavy or stifling hot because has several small loosely spun plies and not itchy even though the alpaca gives it texture. I wore the sample sweater to the Knit.1 launch party and another event and people couldn't take their hands off it."
I agree - Van Dyck is light for such a bulky yarn. But I still think after seeing it that it might still be rough for me. So I'm now considering, as a substitute, doubling one of two Knitpicks yarns. Either...
... Andean Treasure (Lagoon, 100% Baby Alpaca)
or
... Elegance (Grass, 70% Baby Alpaca, 30% Silk)
I think I prefer the color of the Elegance, but I worry that it may be *too* drape-y for a sweater with lacework. Anyhoo, that's the status of this whole Lace Leaf Pullover question, for those who may be interested.
Oh, if you're still looking to split a bag of Van Dyck with someone, there were several volunteers on the comments of this post.
Today (*yawns, struggles to prop eyelids open*) was my first day on the job at fancy schmancy law firm job. Attended a looong day of tech training, etc., but met quite a few nice peeps and got settled into the office I share with one other summer associate. Anyhoo, I've been low on posts and knitting because the last few days were crammed with quite a bit of squeezing-in of vacation stuff. The weather was gorgeous for my few days off! Not much knitting to report, but I'm hoping to finish Simply Grape by this weekend. Now time for a bit of decidedly un-fancy-schmancy sleeeeep.
I may have hit on a good use for those 6 balls of Pingouin Cotton Ribbon I've got:
It appears to be a good substitute for the Plymouth Napa called for in the Ballet Pullover, another Teva Durham pattern that ran in the Summer '04 IK. My 6 balls (480 yards) won't be enough for a long-sleeved adult version (needs about 900 yards), but there's a cap-sleeve version in Loop-d-Loop. And if there's not enough for that, there's a girls' version of the cap sleeve that would look darling on my niece, Lorin. I'm not really sure I have the guns for that cap-sleeve version, anyway (but compared to those models, who does?).
Although, then again, geez, the Napa is only $1.67/ball at Herrschners! Must... use... stash... first...
Is anything better than vacation? Especially valuable are those precious days off in your home town: vacation where you're not visiting anyone, not traveling, renting cars or catching flights, not really doing anything except hanging around the neighborhood. Of course, I have come to appreciate those vacations more since moving to New York.
Since Monday, I've been lazing about, doing some knitting, reading Rushdie, cleaning (yes, a longed-for activity over the last weeks), planting tomatoes on the roof, poking the cats, making up shifts at the Food Coop, bothering Maxcine at the LYS, and attending a few yoga classes. In fact, today I was the only one to show up for the 10:45 class, and so ended up with a private session with the teacher. Normally private sessions are expensive, which was always sort of the excuse for my real hesitation - that it would be extremely uncomfortable, that the teacher would see how terribly out of shape, restless, and un-yogic I really was. Actually it was exactly the opposite: being alone was calming, and I was much more able to focus without people around me negotiating space and, let's face it, doing everything with seemingly so much ease. I know you're not supposed to compare yourselves to others during yoga class, but give me a break: I'm in law school. I'm working on the type-A-ness, okay? I prefer to think of myself as a type A minus.
As for crafting, two events:
First, the front and back pieces of Simply Marilyn (aka "Simply Grape") are complete. She's stalled for now until I can buy some 6.5mm needles. So far she's looking good, and the yarn is super-soft. I have some reservations about pilling and fuzziness, but for that softness I'll accept it.
I also purchased two hardcover early editions of classic knitting books off eBay and Amazon Marketplace this week. First, Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, 1968 edition:
And second, Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears, 1971 edition:
Can't wait for them to arrive! That old-book smell gives me a strange, perverse thrill.
*
Simply Marilyn appears to be at least a little smarter than me. She's certainly doing better on this test. Anyway, obviously I started her. I cast on 8 stitches less than the S size in the pattern.
It has been pointed out to me by Sarah** that Simply Marilyn and the sweater measured below are very similar. I was quick to point out all the huge differences in response, but really she's right, of course. I guess the biggest difference will be that the green one was made by J.Crew, whereas Marilyn will not be.
*no worries, law folks - that's not the exam, just some reading materials!
** aka, She of One Hundred Equally Lovely Boatneck Tops
Pattern: my design
Yarn: Peruvian Collection Highland Wool, <1 ball Navy, <1 ball red
Needles: US 5 straight or circular
Recipient: Mameleh
Finished Dimensions: 7" x 5"
Gauge: 4.5 stitches / inch on US 5 needles
Notions: 1 7" zipper (or appropriate size for your bag), small amount of plastic liner material (could use cut-up shower curtain liner), needle & matching thread
Notes:
Mystery project goes public! This idea originated with Margot, who suggested a cosmetic bag on the uber-useful Mom Keep Out thread.
My Mom's handwriting is beautiful (and large - her signature on a check takes up half the paper), so I decided to try a knitted gift that would incorporate it like this signature bag I saw on Craftster.
The great thing about bags is that dimensions don't matter too much. Yours will vary depending on the size of your yarn and your chart. Here's what to do:
(1) Solicit handwriting from the recipient in thick marker (if it's a surprise, reassure them that you won't be defrauding anyone!)
(2) Scan handwriting sample and run through knitpro freeware charting application. You'll have to play around with the image size until you get the number of stitches on the chart you're seeking. I used this:
I had to crop out the rest of Mom's signature, because the letters were too narrow to chart well. It became this:
(3) Complete front panel according to chart. You could also knit one long piece for front and back panels, to avoid having to sew the bottom seam.
Here's my front panel. Baby's first colorwork:
I'm not thrilled with the colorwork, but I started over like three times and couldn't bear to do it again to fix the bumpy spots. I don't know whether it's possible to get a smooth edge at this gauge on a letter so curvy. If it is, I'm too lazy to figure out how (sorry Mom!).
(4) Knit a matching back panel in a solid color.
(5) Sew panels together at the bottom seam.
(6) Cut a piece of plastic slightly narrower than knitted piece, and about 2" longer.
(7) Sew in zipper. Sewing in zippers is mucho tricky, and I couldn't adequately explain it. Try this tutorial. The only difference is that you'll be sewing an extra lining layer on top of the zipper fabric. Basically you'll make a zipper sandwich, on either side of the bag, then sew it all together.
(8) Now that you've sewn in both sides of the zipper, you can sew together the sides of the plastic piece to form an inner bag.
Here's the inside of Mom's bag:
(9) Seam sides of knitted piece as usual. Stuff in any loose threads or yarn ends (yay! no need to perform the hated task of weaving in ends).
(10) Deliver to impressed recipient, who should be thrilled to see her name in lights stitches!
Related Entries:
No Mom Allowed (Stay Away Sandi!)
Mother's Day Gifts for the Prepster Mom
Super-Duper-Chart-Anything-A-Tron (or knitpro)
I'm in the middle of a 48-hour take-home exam today, which is really no big deal, but when it's over my school year will be, too. Hurrah!
As a reward for several hours of hard work today, I've resolved to cast on for Simply Marilyn this evening.
But here's a sizing question for you:
The smallest size in the pattern is 40". I know it's a loose sweater, but this seemed like a lot of ease to me given my shrimpiness. So I measured another sweater I have, which I consider quite roomy (fashionably sported over PJs):
The chest of this sweater measures 36". If you've made Simply Marilyn, how true was the end product to the pattern measurements? Even if you haven't made SM, do you think I should size down the pattern? If so, how does one do that? Most of the stitch figures for width are at regular increments. Should I just look at the increments (e.g. CO 68(72, 76, 80, 84)) and subtract an equal or roughtly equal number of stitches from the "S" (making this CO 64)?
... to not use the Wool-Ease for Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Pullover. Thanks for all your input! I'm wary enough of acrylics that a few red flags are enough to convince me to avoid them. Oh, and Miss Joy Olivia's musical shaming, of course, helped.
In fact I think I'm just going to stick it out and get some of the original yarn, Filtes-King VanDyck:
This stuff is harder to find online than an Amish grandmother. I sent a bunch of e-mail inquiries to little shops that listed it on their retail stock lists, so we'll see what comes in.
If that doesn't work out, I'll be looking for someone with whom to split a 10-pack from yarns-and.com. I already have one volunteer from Georgia, but if anyone from the NYC metro area would be interested, I'd rather do that to avoid extra shipping and stuff. You'd need to also be making a size S. Any takers?
So I'm thinking of making this:
And the yarn, Filtes King Van Dyck, seems to be super hard to find. The best I could do were 10-packs at the mysterious yarns-and.com for $118/pack. I only need 5 balls of it, so I can't see going that route (unless someone out there feels like splitting it with me).
Finding a comparably-gauged yarn in a similar colorway turned into something of an internet quest. But I seem to have found a decent replacement in Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick:
I am, however, naturally skeptical of acrylics, but for no good reason except snobbery. Has anyone used this yarn? How do you think it would do for this project? Also I worry that this color is much greener than the original...
Another option is Reynolds Blizzard in #680 ("Leaf"), but the color isn't exactly right:
I could also see doing it in Cashmerino Superchunky, though in a darker green:
What do you think? Any other suggestions?
These happened last night. Don't ask me how:
Blue Glass Ovals w. Brown Swirls w. Silver Beads
Vintage Plastic Flowers
Jade (?) Chips w. Silver Beads
Packaging
Indian Beadwork Earrings
(in case you thought I was a one-trick pony)
I'll probably send some or all of these as RAOKs to someone out in blogland... what do I need with a gazillion sets of stitch markers?
Yes, it's true. The day's begun (this time, early!) with another time-wasting project before studying. These vintage plastic beads were hanging around my jewelry box begging to be made into stitch markers. Their pleas did not fall on deaf ears, obv.
I also put together a set for Jody, the cool lady I've been secret pal to these past few months:
If you're interested in making stitch markers, here's a great tutorial from sheep in the city.
In the contest where we decide who is the biggest procrastinator, I win.
I'm supposed to be studying for my last exam today, but awoke this morning thinking "needle roll!" Two hours this morning were spent on this creation, intended to handle those monster 14" straight needles and supplement the wonderful DPN case C. bought me for Christmas.
It's fairly shoddily constructed, but will serve its purpose. The fabrics are corduroy (outside layer), stiff cotton/polyester blend (middle layer), and vintage damask (?) (bottom / innermost layer). At some later date I can describe how it was done, though again, the design has real flaws and you'd probably be better off using someone else's pattern (there's one in Stitch 'n' Bitch).
Here's a view of the needle roll in its full, open glory:
Pattern: Lelah Top (free from Knitting for Boozehags)
Yarn: Recycled Acrylic / Mohair / Metallic blend, about 6 oz.
Needles: US 7 circulars and US 9 circulars
Recipient: moi
Notes:
What a fun pattern! If I can just get over the "pregnancy top" feeling of this thing, I'll be 100% loving Lelah. (Okay, I'm over it, thanks to your flattery and insights, Dear Readers: empire waist! empire waist!) I modified for size (FYI, my calculations are that a "S" size, which is what I did, = 132 stitches, though that's not included in Christine's pattern). I also used smaller needles and did 8 repeats of the lace pattern. The only substantive modification I made was that, at the top, I purled a round where I was going to turn the hem to get a crisper fold. Though you can kinda see the elastic (3/4" by the way) under the fabric in the model pic, it's actually not that noticeable in most light. An olive green velvet ribbon finished off the project. Thanks for a great pattern, Christine!
A note to the photo: is there one time, just one time, I could take a photo when my hair's not a mess? Apparently not. Oh, and since the sparkle doesn't photograph well, here's a close-up:
By the way: I think this pattern looks good on just about everyone. If you're thinking of making it, check out the Craftster thread and Christine's reader gallery for plenty of examples!
Related Entries:
Lelah in Progress
Wow! Freeware is amazing. The other day, Lauren linked to knitpro, an online application that will chart any image for knitting or other needlework. Being that I need a chart for the mystery present, I tried it and it worked beautifully! The mystery present is a secret, but I can demonstrate for you with another image...
Like say, for instance, you wanted to create a loving tribute to Our Fearless Leader in stitches. You might try a little something like this:
And beneath it, you might chart a caption. "I'm with stupid," for example. It's just that easy.
(And the creator, MicroRevolt, has several other neato things on its site, like this crocheted petition to Nike)
If you knit...have you ever had the feeling that knitting has made you a more sedentary person? I have (and apparently Asics agrees). While knitting is meditative and relaxing, I find I fill time with it now that I might have spent otherwise before: going to a yoga class, going for a run or walk, etc.. Of course, I think law school has done more than its fair share of putting me in this most unfit condition. So I'm making a renewed commitment to my yoga practice this summer. Yesterday I attended my first ever class at a real yoga studio, Park Slope Yoga. It's been a long time since I've gone regularly to classes at school, much less hour-and-a-half classes, and the Vinyasa class I took yesterday kicked my ass a little. But the difference between yoga in a skylight-lit, wood-floored studio and yoga in the NYU wrestling team's practice room (complete with a sweaty, disgusting, stinky padded floor) is pretty amazing. I decided to pay way too much to purchase a 10-class card there, and intend to kick off my summer by reinvigorating my practice. Woo hoo! Break out the yoga mat bag.
The perfect way to celebrate this alleged new commitment would clearly be to make myself an Asana Tank from the Spring Knitty. I've joined the Asana Knit-Along:
Wonder what will happen first: completing Asana or exhausting my 10-class card. No matter what, I'm looking forward to the coming two weeks, in which I'll be unobligated, (technically) unemployed, and free to free myself from the habits of this school year!
ps - Happy International Workers' Day!