The final tally in the great Lady Eleanor Poll of 2005 was 70% for 82 and 30% for 217. But in the comments, 217 had some strong proponents who zealously praised their champion. In the end, it was a tough decision, but I went with my leaning and chose 82. I loved the colors in both, but the yellow in the 217 grabbed my attention in an overly demanding way and in the end I knew it would be distracting. Thank you for your thoughts, and your votes!
What else? How 'bout the Readers' Digest version of a knitting update? The Irish Hiking Scarf is nearly complete will grow till I run through my yarn, which will be very very soon. Colchique is still in pieces, awaiting blocking and seaming. USMP... poor, dejected USMP. She may have to await the close of Holiday Knitting to finally get her arms. Next on the needles are likely Forsa and My So Called Scarf.
School will have me a bit ragged the next few days, I fear, so this may be my last post for a tiny bit. Signing off...
Halloween party night is over, and I'm just sittin' here pickin' eyelash glue off my neck! Chris has a wee cold, so he stayed in, but I went out with some lady friends. I have a thing against "sexy" halloween costumes that are not at all scary, so this year the theme was "that's disgusting." Sarah and I dressed as an infestation! We were so revolting that no one even asked what we were. People mostly just informed us of our grossness. And that just makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
(ahem, click here)So, remember I told you about the sale at Little Knits last week? My Silk Garden arrived, but while it was in transit I began having second thoughts about the color. I had seen 82 at some point, and started thinking that would be a better choice because of the smoother, subtler color transitions, than 217, which, when it arrived, was super unique. So I broke down and ordered a bag from Yarnbow, an eBay seller whose regular prices are $80/bag, and the 82 arrived, and now I'm in a pickle. I have to return one bag, but I don't know which one. I'm leaning slightly one way, but I'm keeping mum as to which because I want to get your opinion. Which of these would make a better Lady Eleanor?
82: grey / moss green / purple / russet / berry
+ smoother, subtler color transitions
- kinda expected hues, not so much "pop"
0 very similar to the colorway on the model
217: black / charcoal / purple / red / yellow
+ unique, lovely color combo
- potential for "court jester" effect / may not be as wearable?
Oh, and feel free to comment, too!
But I heartily enjoy working on my Irish Hiking Scarf!
It has been ages and ages since my last scarf. It's easy to forget how lovely it can be not to count rows or fret about shaping. The Irish Hiking Scarf is comprised of the simplest of cable patterns, but that's just what's so pleasant about it. That, and working with my favorite ever School Products purchase, cashmere yarn in this dreamy deep-yet-light blue color. And with respect to that, a mea culpa: for the longest time the ladies at School Products have recommended to me using size 8 needles with this yarn, which appears so sport-weighty in the ball to me that I just went ahead and used 5s at most, despite this advice. But this time I tried using 8s, and even now, pre-washing, it's plumped up admirably and looks totally normal. And the fabric is soft as air. I guess cashmere really does need room to breathe, eh?
Also, after reading Eunny and Felicia's memes, I attempted cabling without a cable needle for the first time, and they are right - what a godsend! Now I know how Eunny does all those cably cable projects so quickly.
Anyway, Jenny Narcoleptikov came over last night, and we knitted, ordered takeout, and watched The Usual Suspects. Lots of Irish Hiking progress made - bet she'll be finished by Monday.
I thought it was a new personal smell. Sadly, not.
Did you smell it, too?
Joelene at Misocrafty sweetly tagged me for this meme, which is all about knitting. Yay! I feel so popular when I get tagged (although apologies to those who tagged me long ago with the book meme. I accidentally deleted a very long and thoughtful response, and lacked the wherewithall to redo it. Popularity squandered is a terrible thing.)
What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
I just adore Lamb's Pride. It was one of the first yarns I ever used, and it's remained a staple. It comes in an amazing range of fun and luminous colors, it's strong and consistent, and it's not too itchy for a basic yarn. Here's a selection of projects it's built in the past... apparently I like stripes, too:
Your favorite needles?
Some unspoken knitters code binds me to say Addi Turbos, but the pull of my rosewood Lantern Moon straight needles wins out. In truth, I really prefer circular needles, but using my Lantern Moons just makes a project feel more special. They are ultra smooth, warm, and of course, elegant. And every girl knows it's important to feel elegant.
The worst thing you've ever knit?
I'm only considering finished projects. It's a policy I have to delete anything at the bottom of the frog pond from memory, Eternal Sunshine style. Anyway, it's a tie between these two hats:
The first one was a baby gift for my friend Angela. It turned out about the size of, oh, my fist, but I gave it to her anyway. It's to her credit that she didn't take it as a bad omen about premature birth. THe second one was for C. It was my first attempt at ribbing and, as you can see, it didn't go so well. Not only was the hat too small in the first place, but the rib was messed up in about three places and I didn't even know how to go about fixing it at the time. It was a sympathy wear for about a month, then it was mercifully abandoned somewhere. Bless that boy. Hats have been avoided ever since.
Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)
I dig small and intricate. My favorite has to be Sheik Yerbouti:
The pattern was a heavily modified one from Zoe Mellor's 50 Baby Bootees to Knit. You can never get bored knitting booties. A close second place was Ann Budd's Aran Hot Water Bottle Cover from the Summer 2002 IK:
Most valuable knitting technique?
I liked Joelene's answer: bravery. On top of that, knitting in the round whenever possible!
Best knit book or magazine?
Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman. Even though I've still never created my own sweater pattern, this book made me feel equipped to when the time comes. And EZ's writing is super charming - I wish she were around to have a blog.
Your favorite knit-a-long?
Although I just joined, I've found the Scarf Style knitalong inspiring. There's nothing like seeing so many real life examples of so many creative designs in one place. And of course the Colchique knitalong has been satisfying in a different way - working with a French pattern is truly a group effort, sometimes requiring transatlantic collaboration.
Your favorite knitblogs?
Oooh. This is a toughie. The common thread, besides knitting, is great photography - I'm a sucker for sharp focus and nice lighting. EDIT: after thinking about it, I wanted to add so many "favorites" that I can't in good conscience give any kind of top blog list, but check out my blogroll, why don't you?
Your favorite knitwear designer?
It might be Veronik Avery, Joelle Hoverson, or Stefanie Japel. But I'll think about it and get back to you.
The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
Definitely the Hourglass Sweater. It's in heavy rotation in the fall and winter uniform:
Tag time
Whoo, that was fun! How about Sandra and Sarah, two of the lovely ladies I met in Rhinebeck?
Heh heh. (nervous laughter while glancing over at burgeoning stash)
Jillian pointed out that Little Knits is having a sale on bags of Noro Silk Garden for $75, through October 27. I bit. A bag of color 217 is coming my way for Lady Eleanor. After being so good at Rhinebeck, I'm entitled to a little enhancement, no?
Not to be outdone, Laura alerts us to a 50% off coupon at Joann (OCTH550), which just happens to carry Sew EZ blocking boards (and other goodies like umbrella swifts and yarn winders).
Thank you for your lovely comments about Marilyn! I just hope she stays in shape after some wear. Someone on Craftster asked about the what-to-wear-beneath dilemma... probably a camisole would be fine but it's not as if you could tell (esp. given my dearth of endowment) if I wore nothing, since the sweater is so thick and all. As I said to the Craftster poster, my only worry is that there's too much stretch in the collar, so if you see me on the street somewhere, topless, with Marilyn about my ankles, you'll know what happened.
On Blocking...
So in other knitting developments, the knitting for Colchique is complete - now it's just blocking and all those fancy French seaming techniques to contend with. On the blocking question, I've never blocked a sweater before seaming (cringe), but I'll need to do it here. I've also never used pins when blocking. (I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!) Anyone have advice for blocking a piece smaller? The back is a bit larger than the front - gauge issues, but if I can get it to shrink just a bit, it will work out. I'm also debating whether to invest in a blocking board for this and the USMP, since both may need some agressive blocking. Any suggestions about the merits of a board versus other types of blocking surfaces?
On a New (to me) Method of Seaming Live Stitches...
On the seaming question - check out the method suggested by Phildar for seaming the live stitches of the collar to the body, as demonstrated very clearly by Valette from the French Knitalong.
It's ingenious! The only other time I've worked with live stitches was on the Hourglass Sweater, and I found the method suggested there sort of gut wrenchingly stressful. With Valette's method, you knit a few extra rows in a second color, then just frog as you go so you don't need to wrestle with waste yarn or extra needles as place holders. That was totally new to me.
On Fair Isle and Steeking...
Okay, next topic. I frogged the Silky Wool Yoked Cardigan begun over the summer. She was oddly sized, plus the best way to do it right might be to knit her as a pullover, then steek her. Which brings me to steeks. Inspired by the stunning work of Felicia and Diana, I'm considering Baby Norgi for no one in particular, just as a way to try steeking and fair isle. I'd probably try the crocheted steek method, though I don't know how to crochet, exactly. I might have to convince someone to actually teach me how to steek via that method, because it seems like a lot to figure out on one's own.
Of course, Eunny's beautiful fair isle Norwegian Socks from Folk Socks have also stoked the fair isle fire within, and if fair isle is in the future, these may be first in line.
On Reality...
*Ow!* Okay, okay! USMP has just smacked me with one of her nonexistent sleeves. Of course, USMP, you come first! No more daydreaming! I'm hoping to return to USMP before, let's say, the end of the month. Then it's on to Forsa, and possibly Lady Eleanor. And then, after all that, let the daydreaming finally re-commence.
Pattern: Simply Marilyn [.pdf], Interweave Knits Spring 2004
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky, Color 20, 8 balls
Needles: US 11
Completed: June 6, 2004
Notes: Geez louise, I finished this ages ago! You may remember that Marilyn helped me to complete my exams last year.
Yes, it's been that long. I wove in ends sometime this summer then just let her sit in the bottom of my drawer until sweater weather arrived.
Now that said season is here in all her coldness and dampness, Marilyn has emerged. She's heavy and soft, and extremely comfortable. Her sizing has been modified to hell and back. Virtually everyone who made the sweater as specified speculated that the one on the model was either not to spec according to the pattern, or pinned back to appear less shapeless, or that their viewing of the sweater on the cover of Interweave was just sheer hallucination. This sweater has schloompf potential. Modification was in order.
Stacy, however, having traveled this road before, was a wonderful guide to sizing Marilyn down. As a result, petitifying the sweater was easy as pie. Like Stacy, I cast on 8 stitches fewer for each side, and 4 fewer for each sleeve.
The only other modification I made was to the cuff ribbing. You can kinda see the sleeves in this photo:
The ribbing at the cuff is long, like that pictured in the pattern photo, but I considerably lengthened the amount of ribbing suggested in the actual pattern, which definitely did not produce the cuff on the model. That's really annoying. I ribbed for 6" instead of the 4" the pattern suggests. Yes, who's a moron now? Laura wisely points out that the pattern actually has you ribbing for 8", 4" on smaller needles. Um, yeah.
My only other observation is that, although there are subtle differences in shaping that affect the way the neck hangs, I can no longer tell her back from her front. She may be backwards in the photos above, but no one will ever know for sure.
I think Marilyn will definitely be a frequent winter wear, on days when I'm not feeling too shapeless. She's a great snuggle piece.
Related Entries:
Simply Marilyn Takes My Capital Punishment Exam For Me
Sizing Down a Pattern?
You Know I'm Bad, Shamo
An hour or so of my daily morning procrastination were devoted today to doing a little blog maintenance, updating, and whatnot. The changes are mostly cosmetic, but I did want to draw your attention to the new blogroll on the "links" page... the other one hadn't been updated since I stopped using blogrolling two years ago. Anyhoo, now a few more frequent reads are listed, and of course, more will be added as time goes on.
I also, sadly, deleted the "bookshelf" link, since it was horribly out of date. It's time to face facts: everything I read nowadays is at least 1500 pages long and full of law crap.
The biggest improvement I could make to this site, I think, is to finish more stuff more often. You may have noticed an FO drought of late (why can I not be more like Eunny, my role model for speedy finishing?). And who wants to read some slacker knitter drivelling on about this or that random tidbit without ever seeing a completed project? Dear Readers, I know you prefer otherwise. So I promise to try to be better about finishing stuff, time permitting, k?
In any case, I'm incrementally happier with things in Blogland. Now maybe if I do some laundry it will give the illusion that I really do have it all together.
Edit: I forgot to write about the freaks! I'm going to the Freak Show at Coney Island on Sunday. Has anyone been?
Okay, after my second order with World Knit, I must put in a plug. I have only ever bought one thing and one thing only there - those wee Clover circular needles from Japan that come in 8.25" and 12" lengths. And they do it well. They're 1/2 the price they are at Purl, shipping is less than $5, and they use Priority Mail. Easy as pie. I order two 8" needles this time, size 4 and size 6.
Why, you ask? The project is not quite ready for disclosure, but I'll give you some teasers: it's cashmere and it's charity. Cashmere for Kashmir, you might say. Stay tuned!
Aaaah! Quel crazy week. I've been buried under clinic and other school work. No progress, really, on Colchique. But I'm checking in to say, first...
This may be a bit late, but it's Spa Week here in NYC. $50 gets you a variety of chichi treatments at any number of ooh-la-la places. I, myself, am getting something called the "60 Minute Fresh Air Facial with Seasonal Apple Drop Peel" from Euphoria Spa in Tribeca. Spa Week continues through Sunday, 10/23, and I bet you could still scoop up some cancellation slots at a helluva spa.
Second: Go Sox! Although I'm not the biggest baseball fanatic, my geographic allegiances lie with the South Siders. I even have a ball signed by Carlton Fisk, aka "Pudge," somewhere. There are a few tooth marks in it from me allowing it to be mauled by one of our dogs once, but I have it!
So Rhinebeck was fun, though several logistical mishaps meant we didn't arrive until 2:30 and missed the meet-up. Somehow I always miss those bloggers-meet-other-bloggers events, dammit! I swear to you, I do exist, though! As proof, ask Lisa, Sarah, Amanda and Sandra. These lovely ladies, whose blogs I greatly admire, happened to run into us between the tents! What good fortune. We had a nice conversation, and I've resolved to stop by their knitting group at The Point sometime. All were toting large sacks of yarn. Which brings me to my shocking news:
I did not buy anything at Rhinebeck.
That's right, nothing. I don't know whether it was indecision, or cheapness, or incredible self-restraint, but probably all these forces combined to bring us home with nary a skein.
Sarah, however, accumulated a worthy haul:
That's a skein of Duet mohair / wool blend from Brooks Farms in a fabulous, firey colorway, a few skeins of what I believe is a natural alpaca / wool blend, and several skeins of lanolin-rich worsted wool from Carodan Farm. I'd say the Brooks Farms yarn was definitely the star of the show - everyone had a skein or two on them at the end (except me, because I'm a dork). Instead, I guess I spent a lot of time looking at goats:
And of course, sheep (above) and male sheep, or rams, or whatever they are. This one looks like he's enjoying the sun almost as much as we:
Speaking of sun, the big news of the day? Take a look:
East Coasters: let's congratulate each other on our fortitude, shall we? Yarn or no yarn, blue sky and good company made it all worthwhile, after days of continuous rain and weather-bidden isolation. Hurrah!
Oh, and for the curious, there was some Colchique progress in the car on the way up:
Go see it. The feel of the film is that of a documentary, and so I wouldn't say there's anything special about the direction or anything, but the story is important and worth knowing.
Now I'm curious to read the Bob Edwards biography of Murrow I heard so much about on NPR last year. The real question is whether Murrow's real impact is on political reporting or celebrity interviews?
And in non-media consumption: After, oh, a year of agonizing, I have finally bought some rain / snow boots! This is very exciting. Add this to the vintage cowboy boots from my days in Houston and I have finally joined the ranks of NYC's boot-power-elite:
Huzzah!
It's the meme that is too hilarious to avoid! Endorsed by a number of fine bloggers, including Heatherfeather and Mamie. Just type "[your name] needs" into google and realize what it is you truly, truly need:
That one about the cat peeing on the bed? So true. Chris has said this to me I don't know how many times. I just. can't. learn!
I've had a number of requests to expand the NYC Knitters Ring beyond the 5 boroughs into outlying areas, and have struggled to create a rule that would keep it NYC-focused (rather than tri-state area focused).
Following are the possibilities I came up with:
If you live in the 5 boroughs or...
(1) see the Manhattan skyline clearly from the roof of your apartment building
(2) the shop you consider to be your LYS is in NYC and you live within 30 minutes of it
(3) (the "reasonableness" test, as we say in law school) I mean, in the end, the best thing might be for you to make the call - if you reasonably think you spend enough time in the city and consider yourself truly an NYC knitter, you should join the ring.
A word about why this is even a question: my reason for creating this ring was to facilitate a community of knitters with a common base in the real world. I can read your blog, for instance, and say, hey, I walked by that place just yesterday or yeah, I should totally take the subway up there and check that out some afternoon or good lord, I hate the F train too! Hate it! I've lost 5 DPNs there on 5 separate occasions! But I digress. Those connections are most likely to happen in the city, so I started with the idea that the ring should extend to the borders of the 5 boroughs. Others out there share the common base I'm talking about, despite the address on their rent checks, hence the expansion. But it's really the everyday commonality I feel the ring should retain. What to do?
Thoughts? Shall we expand? Shall we use one or all of the suggestions above? Use something else I haven't thought of?
[Note: The author is aware that being in law school has warped her pea-sized brain to the point where questions like these have become complex and jurisprudential. Please deposit any jokes about her condition in the comments section, for they are deserved.]
Another list, on the long list of lists I've made over the last few days:
Things I am allowed to buy in Rhinebeck:
Sadly, I suspect there is no way Colchique will be fini in time to wear to Rhinebeck. I lost a day or so to a translation impasse with the sleeves, and anyway am habitually slow at finishing. However, if you haven't checked out the Colchique knitalongs yet, you definitely should - both English and French are aflutter with activity!
I'm in a great mood tonight, not the least because I heard from a dear college friend who lives in Islamabad that she and her family are all okay, though they live a mere two blocks from the big apartment building that collapsed. What a relief!
Less momentously, my library has swelled a bit in the last few days...
Scarf Style is securely on the shelf, the rest are on the way via the slow boat from Amazon, courtesy of Ms. Joy Olivia! I'm so excited to read On Beauty, I, well, I just can't hide it. I'll try to retain control though.
Except... someone's going to have to really encourage me to exercise restraint in starting Lady Eleanor immediately. As you can see, I have many projects to finish and must get through some of my stash before I can buy new yarn. My name is Jessica and I have a chronic starting problem. Lust is a powerful thing.
And speaking of lust, have you seen this lemon poppyseed waffle recipe from The Food Palate (swabs drool off keyboard)?
And yes, the rumors are true... I was in the studio audience of Martha Stewart's morning show today! She gave everyone in the audience a free copy of her new book, so I guess this is another addition to my library:
The show was fun... an interesting experience, though. More thoughts on that another time. 'Til then, take care of yourselves, and each other! Oh wait, wrong daytime TV personality!
Ha ha! Someone hates David Brooks as much as I do!
Hey, check out my friend's mom's website! I wouldn't just link somewhere because she's my friend Shiri's mom; what do you think I am, some kind of nepotist? No siree, Orna, whose company is called "Ornaments," crafts amazing jewelry. Check out, in particular, her stunning cuffs, which combine (I think) embroidery and beadwork. Brill!
And why am I home on a Saturday night, a Saturday night that was to be a late birthday celebration in Chinatown? Just because the prospect of neverending rain and fish guts streaming down the sidewalk thwarted my will to party? No. No no no. You may be hearing a lot from me over the next couple of days, because it seems I have gone and given myself food poisoning. The culprit (besides me), I think - eggs. You see, I made eggs this morning and ignored a telltale sign that the egg should have been tossed. Now look where it's got me: within 10 seconds of a bathroom at all times. Oh well, guess I should have had a Krispy Kreme instead.
Note: actually, a quick internet search tells me a blood spot in eggs doesn't make an egg unsafe to eat. It might have been the eggs, might have been some bad salmon (more likely) in pasta I ate for lunch, might have been any number of things. Ah, the mystery of digestion! (Never thought I'd put that phrase on my blog!)
Cutie cute cute cute! These kitten mittens are the kind of cute that makes me want to squeeze something cute almost to the point of violence.
And while we're on the subject of mittens, don't you wish you were as awesome (maybe you already are) as the person who made this rainbow-hued Nordic Mittens? In addition to your awesomeness, you would also need to acquire the patience of an ancient mountain to weave in all those ends.
How 'bout a culinary flickr of brilliance? Not Martha, reigning queen of gross and/or witty Halloween fare, whipped up what seems to be a mere test batch of these pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese spiders perched atop.
Just a teensy progress shot. The godron section was done last night while watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, so I wouldn't be surprised if I find I did something weird and trippy and wrong with it! Lately the percentage of movies I've seen that include Johnny Depp has been strangely elevated. No surprise there.
Yay! Finally a real trip up to Rhinebeck! My knitting, non-blogging friend Sarah and I will be driving up on Saturday morning with our respective gentleman companions (hope that's not a bad idea!). Lauren tells me she'll be there, and I'm hoping to see a few others of you up there, too! Look for me, I'll be the one obsessively petting the alpacas!
Will I see you? Are there any meet-ups planned?
New York City knitters share a special kind of solidarity. Maybe you've stabbed a neighbor on the subway with a too-long needle or left a DPN in a taxi cab. Maybe you've spent a perfect day in Prospect Park or Central Park with a blanket, a book, and your knitting. You definitely know where School Products is and how to get to it without referring to a map.
We 5 borough knitters need some solidarity on the Internets, too. So here it is: a blog ring.
RULES
To be a member of this ring:
1. You must live within the 5 boroughs (sorry, Philadelphia is not a borough!).
2. You must have a knitting blog, where you talk about knitting.
3. You must post regularly. For our purposes regularly will be at least once a week.
4. The ring code must be correct and must be visible on the page where your blog is located.
5. Your blog must be written in english.
6. You are responsible for making chages to your blog information (new url, new email, new blog name).
When joining the ring:
1. Your blog must be at least a month old.
2. Your blog must show regular postings (once a week) for the last month.
3. You have one week from the time you submit your site to get your ring code up and running correctly.
4. You will receive a message from RingSurf with your Ring Code and Ring ID. Please keep this message or your records!*
I've never done the ring thing before, so please let me know if you have problems or suggestions!
Oh, and as for icons, this one is just one I threw together. If you've got an idea for one, send it to me!
* Shamelessly lifted from the Knit Blogs ring.
We're back!
Highlights of the trip:
And let's not forget the child in the cabin next to ours who toted what appeared to be an entire arsenal of BB guns with him on vacation. He had a handgun-type one and a rifle-type one. Pretty much his entire weekend consisted of going around and shooting objects on the ground at close range. His parents were trying (though not to the extent of not letting him have shockingly realistic pseudo weapons). For example:
Kid: Mooooooom, I'm out of bullets!!!!
Mom: You mean you're out of bb's?
Kid: Yeah, bbs, right.
A few photo highlights:
