Pischi Days

What Time is It??

Holy Cow! Where do the days go? They are flying by and I can't keep up. My last post was in May with news from September. How lame is that?
Lets have a quick roundup of news.

• I graduated with an AA, a huge accomplishment for me.
• Went back to school to earn a certification in Medical Billing and Coding. The big board exam is this Saturday. Hope I pass.
• Netflix and knitting have kept me sane!

Let's round up some projects, mostly old, mostly socks.Here we go...

Coralicious Socks, an easy, lacy pattern that's free on Ravelry, knit from a skein of my coveted Sundara Sock Cerulean Seas. These socks and the ones below were donated the a charity auction to raise money for school scholarships. I hope that they fetched a decent amount of money.

My first foray into socks using Zauberball Frische Fische. While watching the colors change was enjoyable, knitting with a single unplied yarn was not. My tension is tight and this yarn is not forgiving, not to mention splitty. Oh, the pattern is called Peacock, fitting, wah? Janel Laidman writes awesome sock patterns.

These were a quick knit. I love the colors and the fabric pictured with them is a vintage sari that I scored at the thrift for $4! The yarn was a gift, Gypsy Girl Creations and the colorway is called Floridian. The pattern, Dragonfly Socks, is free.

Knitting black fingering yarn can diminish your eyesight! Really. Black is so versatile and I would like more socks knit from black yarn, but my eyes...my eyes...

The pattern is free and called Clover. It's a great combination of cables and lace. Very classy. The yarn is JaWoll Solid Superwash. This is the yarn that comes with a spool of reinforcing thread for heels and toes. Too bad, I forgot to use it!

Pom Pom Peds are my current obsession. I could knit these day and night. Well, I do knit these in between projects. The yarn is something random out of the stash. It could be Lion Brand Magic Stripes, but who knows. The great thing about these socks is that you I use up all those remnants from larger sock projects. I wear mine to the gym and they are the socks that I get the most use out of. These are for my son, a Christmas gift. Since he never reads this blog, it's safe to say he will still be surprised.

I still have a plethora of projects and things to share. Stay tuned!

The ShawlWashclothBlankie Post

Catching up is such a process. This is the shawl post in which I will attempt to chronicle three months of shawl and miscellaneous knitting that took place in the latter quarter of 2010. Without further ado…
I will start with Saroyan x 2! The last two years I was smitten by Sundara's yarns, mostly because they were so unobtainable. This made made want to own skeins and skeins of the stuff. I would join the clubs just to make sure that I received a good assortment. While beautiful, it is now out of my budgetary wheelhouse but I enjoy folding and knitting it up…very slowly, you know, to make it last. Saroyan is a great pattern to use for small batches of luxury yarn. I has three skeins of the Silk Aran in Orange Blossom. The first shawl I knit used up just one skein. I made some adjustment to repeats and the result is still a generously sized shawl. This one made its way to the UK with my friend Annie. Hi, Annie, hope you like it !

I loved this pattern so much, I had to try it using beads. This one is slightly longer and is part of an upcoming charity auction for the SPCA. Someone on Ravelry has figured out how to add little dangly leaves to the ends. I tried this and didn't have the patience to follow through. I must preserve because I love the look so much.

When I visited Stitches South in Atlanta last April, Citron was on every ones shoulders. You could see every colorway and yarn imaginable. I made mine using a Cranberry Zauberball. My only regret, not having made it larger. This one was knit on the September trip to Toronto. Since that trip was so jam packed, it will need a post to itself. Stay tuned.

 
Next up, Classic Washcloths. These are the classic numbers from the Mason Dixon book. I used the same yarn called for, Crystal Palace Chenille culled from a Ravelry stash. This stuff does not worm! You've got to love that. The trio were part of a wedding basket filled with cleaning necessities. I hate gift registries and prefer to do my own thing. Who can't use Method and Mrs. Meyer's cleaning supplies? So pretty and smells good, too!

Florida has been in the grips of some pretty cold weather….again. I am not an afghan fan, especially those ziggy zaggy ones that seem to be a prolific sight on the backs of sofas here in the South. Really, any throw draped on furniture, other than a bedroom chaise is a turn off for me.

Despite turning up my nose at knitted blankets, I was smitten with this one. It's the Hemlock Ring Blanket, a modern take on a doily pattern. This was Jared Flood's brainchild, which some charting assistance from the Rainy Sisters. Again, I used the called for yarn, Cascade Eco Wool In tarnish purchased from a Ravelers stash. I loved this knit as it flew right along. I was actually sad when it was finished. Blocking was a bear and I definitely recommend blocking the center as it will bubble. The feather and fan portion will still bubble a bit, despite heavy blocking. That OK, though. Another regret, the color. This grey is so boring. Go check out some of the ones in the Ravelry database. The orange one is just spectacular. Eco Wool comes in colors…..

Three Month's Notice

Where did October, November, and December go? I blinked the the latter months of 2010 became a blur. It looks as though I have some catching up to do.Lets time travel back into last year and let me consult my Ravelry notebook, well, because I did try to keep some stuff current.
The end of the summer was time to finish up some sock knitting. I try to keep up without he gals at Sock Knitter Anonymous, but hard as I try, my knitting tools along in the right lane.
Ode to Eames was a colourwork pair that I started in 2009 and after having knit one sock just chocked on the second one. This behavior is not the norm.  These two yarns started out as another colorwork sock project that didn't materialize. These, however, while a bit tight, are pleasing and I am glad that I finished. I am trying very hard to knit up the stash from the bottom, that is yarn that I've had in bins and have been marinating the longest. This pattern was a freebie at one time but is now on hiatus and not available. So, if you have the pattern, keep it close!

Knee High to a Grasshopper is an older Rockin' Sock Club installment. At that time Blue Moon Fiber Arts just introduced the Silkie Sock Yarn. While yielding a pretty result, I much prefer their sturdy light or medium weight yarn. I think that these sock won't hold up over time.

 

I plan on returning this weekend with the next installment of the last quarter 2010. Stay tuned for a trip to Toronto and the Koigu Farm.

Purl Diving

My stash seems to grow much faster than I can process it. I have 154 items logged into Ravelry. That does not count the few miscellaneous balls of yarn that I can't seem to identify, nor the balls of remnants that I have housed in an old sweets container. A rough calculation, although ambitious, supposes that I knit a project per month. That has me knitting non stop for the next 13 years. By conservative calculation, stash now exceeds  life expectancy. I have to cull the heard, and put yarn acquisition on hiatus.
Cataloging my stash on Ravelry has allowed me to play around with the various methods of sorting my yarn. For example, I love sorting by color, so pretty. When I am looking to knit from the stash and have a specific pattern in mind, I will sort by weight and hope that I have the required yarn to meet the needs of the project. Since knit a lot of socks, this has not bee much of a problem. I have also managed to find patterns and place them into my Queue and then attach a stashed yarn to the project. This make me feel superior and organized. Unfortunately, I easily stray from that plan by casting on something that is not scheduled, or queued.
My latest method of working through the stash is to organize it by date added. This places all yarn in chronological order with the newest item at the top and the chestnuts at the bottom.
My plan is to knit up...from the bottom of the stash. I have some lovely chestnuts that are begging to become something, anything.
Having said that, I was able to turn some two year old yarn into a beautiful shawlette. I found Keiran Foleys shawls in the Ravelry database. My first purchase was Emily Dickinson. The light gossamer fabric and the beads really appealed to me. I also purchased Teardrop for its repeatable pattern, its simplicity and elegance. My choice of yarn was Knit Picks Shadow in Basalt that languished in the bottom of my lace bin. After many false starts, I was able to get the first few rows down pat. The beaded row tripped me up. I didn't have the correct crochet hook size to place the beads so I prestrung and knit away. That was a disaster because the knit fabric is so airy, the beads tended to wander, spoiling the symmetry. I tried using a dental floss threader to thread the beads and that, while successful in bead placement, was a huge chore. I finally had an excuse to make the 20 mile trip to our local LYS for a 1 mm crochet hook and what a difference that made. 
 
 
 
  Here is the finished product. I used every yard of yarn, knitting 14 repeats.  Blocking was a breeze and th shawl was dry within 15 minutes of laying in the morning sun. I love this shawl and took it out to dinner and a walk along the Indian River. It's neutral, light, and sized just right for pocket or purse.
Next up, a couple of sock skeins that date back several years. Socks That Rock Silkie and Yartini, shake of the dust, 'cause I'm going for a stash dive and you're up.

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

 

        Summer is here and school is out! Thanks to the fabulously cold winter, spring was delayed and the garden has been bursting at the seams inspite of the winter freeze. June also heralds the start of what forecasters promise to be a busy hurricane season. So, watch out for signs of Alex.

As I'm sure all have heard our beautiful gulf coast is now an oil slick, the worst spill in history. Oil has reached the beaches of Louisiana and will soon make its way around the peninsula and onto our beaches. Tom and I were reminiscing of the early '80's when a trip to the beach always included a can of Zippo lighter fluid and a roll of paper towel to clean the tar balls off our feet, thanks to frequent tanker spills in the Atlantic. We'd blissfully put those days away.

So, back to more pleasant things like knitting…

  I made a rare after Christmas pilgrimage to the mall earlier in the year and hit the evil Anthropologie empire. Home to overpriced stuff and more stuff. I couldn't resist opening up my thin wallet and snagging a couple of Frosta Design crochet basket kits slashed from $60.00 to $10.00. I just now cracked the first one and uncramped my knitting hands and begged them to take on the position, the crochet position. They had forgotten how. As persistence would have it, they remembered and soon I was hooking my way towards a great basket. Those clever and generous Swedes; much to my surprise, I still have a huge ball leftover so another basket is in the works.

     A leftover Ravelymics project has limped over the finish line. No excuses, it was napping in a bag, sleeping away spring. These are super cute and great on the feet. Mountain Form Slippers only take about 100 yards to make. I used the last of the pea green Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, getting yet more mileage out the yarn that won't go away.  Not to be forgotten, blueberry season was late this year and I totally expected few berries, what with the freeze. I was shocked at the abundance of blueberries. The bushes were loaded and I picked 25 pounds. In the spirit of sharing, here is a great breakfast recipe that showcases any berry, freshly picked.

 

Cheese Blintzes

Ingredients
    •    1  cup cottage cheese
    •    1/2 cup whipped light cream cheese
    •    1/4  cup  sugar
    •    1  cup flour
    •    1 1/2  cups  skim milk
    •    1 1/2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
    •    2 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
    •    1/4  teaspoon  salt
    •    3  large eggs
    •    2  cups  blueberries or other fresh berries
    •    2  teaspoons  powdered sugar
    •   
Prep
Place cottage cheese in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add cream cheese, sugar,  vanilla; blend until smooth. Cover and chill.
Place flour in a medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, salt, and eggs, and add to flour, stirring with a whisk until almost smooth. Cover and chill.
Heat a 10-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers skillet with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute.
Carefully lift edge of crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over; cook 30 seconds on other side. Place crepe on plate to cool. Repeat procedure with remaining batter.
Spoon 3 tablespoons cottage cheese mixture in center of each crepe; fold sides and ends of crepe over filling to form a rectangle. Place filled crepes, seam sides down, on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap.  Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Place 4 blintzes, seam sides down, in skillet; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn blintzes over; cook for 2 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining blintzes. Serve warm with blueberries, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Yum!

Isn't it rich? Are we a trio?

Ha, a little Stephen Sondheim/Judy Collins mischief!

It's been a cruel, cruel winter all over America, but down here in the sweet south, we are just not prepared for temperatures approaching zero. Tom and I managed to burn through two cords of firewood in our overly large fireplace. We also managed to wear everything in our sparse collection of sweaters and long pants. I was so glad to have had a drawer overflowing with socks. They were all put to good use. Up until this year, I really had no use for wool scarves or hats and I have only one hat to my name. This year, however I had the need for several neck warmers…PDQ.  

  So here we go, first in the lineup is a neat little knit that takes very little yarn and even less thought with smashing result. I had three tiny skeins of Laines du Nord Cashsilk bought at a Tuesday Morning. They were just too soft to pass up and were destined to be a scarf of sorts. I found the Darkside Cowl perfect for wear with my boiled wool coat and I loved the neat geometric pattern that ensued.  
With yards of Cashmerino Aran left over from my Wisteria and not want to waste a yard, I was able to squeak out yet another cowl, the Asymmetric One-Button Scarf, done in moss stitch. I have quite the collection of vintage buttons to choose from, so I put this one back into service after decades in the button stash. 
I have written about my obsession for knitting the Mobius Cowl by Cat Bhordi. this is my third cowl and I am proud to report that don't even have to watch the YouTube video to cast on any more. The yarn is Trendsetter Dune, a gift from a generous member of my Thursday morning knitting group. Thanks, Kate! 
 
Last of the neck warmer lineup is the Milkweed Shawl, a Laura Chau design. Laura, or Cosmic Pluto, knits up a winter storm in Toronto at Lettuce Knit. Our intrepid Jody has had the pleasure of her knitting company while at her summer home. The yarn is also a Canadian standby, Koigu KPPPM, dyed by our honorary Knead to Knit member Rhichard. I was lucky to benefit from Jody's frequent trip to Koigu HQ and land a couple of skeins that reminded me of geraniums. Unfortunately, this scarf is destined to grace the neck of another friend who has reached the half century mark. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I would! So, now I have a small arsenal of warm weather gear for the decolletage, that is if this winter was a sign of things to come. 

Wonderful Wisteria

Our temperatures dropped below 60 for about two days last week. We scrambled for the firewood and enjoyed a fire in the fireplace for abut two nights total. Our Dorrit has been acting very frisky and enjoys playing hide and seek in the pillows. 

So, finally, a sweater finished and the experience was a positive one. Although I droned on about how difficult and disappointing Arwen was, the Wisteria sweater made up for all my complaints. This pattern, also by Kate Gilbert, was a joy to knit. There is nothing like a top down raglan in my book anyway. Through in a bunch of cables and I am a happy knitter. 

 

My yarn choice was Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. I think I used about 13 skeins. After frogging the Arwen and rewinding the yarn, it was hard to tell. I used Bonnie's size 9 Harmony needles to knit in the round. The sleeves were knit in the round using the magic loop method.  The only modifications I made were in the sleeve length. I knew that I wanted the sleeves to hit at the wrist so I just decreased more often and ended up with just the right length. I also made the body a bit shorter. Although I got gauge, I wish that I would have dropped a needle size to achieve a tighter knit. On the whole, I'm pleased. Now could the temperature just drop below 70, please?

Here is my Magic Ball offering for our knitting groups swap in December. I was thrilled with how he turned out. What is a Magic Ball, you ask? It's a lot of knitting and non-knitting goodies wrapped up into a couple of balls of yarn. My treats came from places far and wide and are very unusual. I hope that the recipient think so too. The ribbon says it all!

Hamina, Hamina

First I fell in love with the yarn and then I waited for the perfect pattern. The yarn, Neighborhood Fiber Company's Penthouse Silk, was featured on Mimknits, Miriam Felton's blog. I just took a sneak peek at what she's knitting with it. No  photos yet but it's called the Anthemion Wrap and the pattern will be published in December. I can't wait.   
Anyway, run, don't walk to a shop or a site that carries Penthouse Silk. You won't regret the splurge. My choice of pattern was Pink Lemon Twist's Hanami Shawl. I love the contemporary look and the story behind it. There is a tiny error as to how many beads to use that I made notes on my Ravelry project page. 

Originally I cast on using #5 circulars and quickly frogged the too loose lace. My new needle size, a #3 was so much more pleasing. I won't say that this shawl was a walk in the park. The yarn is very fine and the basket weave pattern demands a bit of attention. Once in the groove, it was smooth knitting all the way. I chose silver lined beads to resemble water droplets. Instead of using a crochet hook I threaded the correct number of beads for the edge. 

 

 

  

  

 

I really wanted to showcase my shawl with water as a background. Unfortunately the weather was so windy and when we walked out onto the pier over the Indian River, the sky opened up. I think the pictures in the backyard came out very well.

A small modification on the ruffle was that I added an additional knit 1 through the front and back loops to give the ruffle…well, more ruffle. I also made the ruffle wider, wider, wider.
This was a great project with well written instruction. The scarf is very versatile. Dress her up or down. I will be wearing this a lot next year!
On a side note, Kathleen (entrepreneur extraordinaire) is opening up a new yarn shop in Daytona Beach called She Sells Yarn. Its smack dab in the center of Beach Street and across from the headquarters of the Chicago Cubs affiliate, the Daytona Cubs. Daytona is the yearly host to Biketober Fest and Bike Week in March. Don't forget the Daytona Speedway. Now there is a fabulous new yarn and fiber shop as well. So, if you're in Daytona Beach, stop by and say hi to Kathleen. Check out her fabulous stock of sock yarns, spinning fibers, and more Maybe I can talk her into carrying some fabulous Penthouse Silk. 

Dances With Dorrit

I know, I know, radio silence for eons at a time and then suddenly three posts in less than a month. I have been knitting because I know that when school is back in session, needles and yarn will have to take a holiday.


These are my Ravelry Sock Knitters Anonymous entry for the month of June. We had a choice to design our own or use any Nancy Bush creation. I chose a sock from her Vintage Socks book. It has some crazy long name, Silk Socks for a Five or Six-year Old Child. I liked the lace pattern. It shines using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Medium Weight Spirits yarn. All yarn in this collection are lightly tinted, this one being blue. The more I look at it, the more green it seems to be. The results are pleasing, to me anyway.

I took too many pictures and Dorrit became weary and wanted a play mate. He decided to chew on my ankles mid shoot. He is a hellion and snatches yarn out of my stash basket every chance he gets. These sock have a few joins thanks to Dorrit chewing the unguarded sock in progress.

Summer Socks and Summer Squash

It is indeed a mystery, that after so many years of knitting , why I don't take more care and count my rows. The knitting trinket box certainly holds every type of row counter imaginable. I have stacks of notes and paper and there is always the option of looking at the first sock that I knit to make sure that they match.
Here is Kiila, Ravelry's SKA group Mystery Sock for May. I was only days short of completing the pair to qualify for fabulous prizes. After I had cast off and donned them for their photo shoot, I noticed one sock was shorter than the other.  Well, I couldn't leave them looking like the odd couple, so off to the frog pond they went. Luckily they were knit toe up and the tear out was not so painful. Out came the leg and after a careful pattern count, presto, they're a matching pair. 
Down to stats. Kiila was knit toe up using the Magic Loop method using 32" long, #2 circular needles. The sock yarn came from a long ago purchase on a trip to St. Petersburg a couple of years ago. It's ShiBui Sock yarn in a semi solid color way called Midnight.

I have moved onto the June Sockdown for Sock Knitters Anonymous on Ravelry. This month's theme was a Nancy Bush sock or Design Your Own. Since I feel that there are far too many great designers out there  and that my efforts would be superfluous, I have chosen a pattern from the Nancy Bush Vintage Socks book. Here is the first sock with one to go. Hopefully I will qualify for some of those wonderful prizes this time around. I'll post stats next installment.  

Since we are in the midst of the summer season, dinners are usually cold meals consisting of salads or soups. Anything hot will usually be cooked outside on the grill.
Due to a bumper crop of yellow summer squash and mint leaves, I found an easy soup recipe that I will share. The only substitution is olive oil for butter to keep it heart healthy. This soup tastes great cold as well. For any of these puree type soups I find that my Braun stick blender is the best appliance. It blends hot liquids right in the pot. I can't imagine life in the kitchen without one. So, without further ado, run don't walk to the store and try out...

Squash Soup with Mint Pistou
courtesy of Bon Appetit

For squash soup
    •    3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    •    1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    2 lb yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
    •    2 carrots, thinly sliced
    •    1 yellow-fleshed potato (1/2 lb), peeled, halved,
    •    4 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

for pistou
    •    3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
    •    1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
    •    1 large scallion, chopped (1/2 cup)
    •    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    •    2 tablespoons water
    •    1/4 teaspoon salt
Melt butter in a 6- to 8-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat, then cook onion with salt, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool soup, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Puree soup in a blender until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Return puree to cleaned pot and thin with water if desired; simmer 3 minutes. Season with salt.
Make pistou while vegetables simmer. 
Pulse mint, parsley, and scallion in a food processor until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream, then add water and salt, blending until incorporated.
Swirl 1 tablespoon pistou into each bowl of soup.

Dream of a Cardi

Just when I thought that I couldn't produce a proper sweater, I find that its best to get back to basics. With one of my oldest friends coming to visit, I had to clean out the craft closet and the guest room. Among my 4 boxes of yarn were several skeins of Marks and Kattens Dream in a light shade of blue. With Arwen in tatters and my sweater mojo along with it, high time to shake off the bad karma and cast on a "no fail" project. I chose Bonni Marie Burns Sitcom Chic.

I shlepped this sweater everywhere and, yes, I had my set backs. After attaching the sleeves and merrily knitting along, I stopped to count front, sleeve, and back stitches.  I missed several decreases somewhere and was forced to rip out a days worth of knitting. Here I actually captured a stitch way down in the center some where.
Not to be deterred I used my new found math skills and paid closer attention to my count in round two. Success. I added an invisible hook and eye closure to the front. It’s a  little sweater in a nice basic color. It looks as though this sweater is available on the ChicKnits site as a top down version called Eyelet Cardi.

The skirt is a quickie from deep in the fabric stash. The pattern is from Favorite Things Cute Skirts and will also be a nice wardrobe staple.

I want to share my newly discovered summer drink. Framboise Lambic from Belguim. Easy to drink, just pop the top and uncork.  Pour into a frosted Pilsner glass and enjoy. It is like drinking a basket of the sweetest raspberries. Sip slowly, though. It's pricey and, oh, so easy to drink. Savor with a good bar of the darkest chocolate.… I have been buying mine at our newly opened ALDI. The Moser-Roth brand tastes wonderful and the $1.89 price tag offsets the lambic.
Now, back to my regularly scheduled sock knitfest!

The End of May

It's been a graduation turmoil at the Claybaugh household. Our one and only child experiment finally completed high school and will hopefully be out of the nest and into the wild blue yonder courtesy of the USAF. Good bye and good luck. Be well, do good work and keep in touch. 
There have also been parties upon parties, graduation and otherwise. This is the aftermath of one of my oldest friends half centennial. I can't believe I'm saying this, but WHERE has the time gone. I first started asking this when Erik turned 18 earlier this year. Among the assembled were friends that numbered 25+ years and their children. I suppose that we need to brace ourselves for what comes next? No, no...segue and onto knitting.
Here is the birthday girl wearing Cat Bordhi's Cashmere Moebius, albiet not cashmere by Fiesta La Boheme. This was caston on impulse in front of a YouTube video explaining the crazy on in rapid repetition. Had it been film, it would have worn out. Once on the 40" long circular needles, I completed it in a day.
As Memorial Day weekend and the last couple of weeks were filled with rain and thunderstorms, I finally sat down at the sewing machine and made fitted sheets out of flat sheets. While in the sewing mood I was able to whip out some small project bags from the stash. They are modeled after the Japanese Knot Bag from this site and are reversible. I added buttons so that I can tell them apart.

 

Since time has been on my side the Hedera sock that I started in January are also complete.The yarn is Fleece Artist's Sea Wool and the pattern is from Cookie A. via Knitty. I am in love with semisolid yarn. No more variegated yarn for me. I still have some in my stash and hope to find just the right patterns for them.

 

Today, sans child, we hit the beach. Me, with my current sock in cute new project bag, iPod, and book. Tom with coffee, newspaper and his Siruis radio. We spent a quite 3 hours until the march of the families with kiddies arrived en mass loaded to the hilt with all the kiddie beach accessories. Now that we are just two again, we travel lightly and early to avoid the humans and catch the bird parade. 

Lemons on the Menu

When I discovered hand-dyed yarn, I was mesmerized by the colors. Socks were my knit of choice during those early years and I bought a lot of very bright sock yarn, much of it now destashed in favor of more muted tones. The New Year barely began and I felt the need to weed out my piles into what Clara Parks refers to as my happy and unhappy pile. What's left is yarn that I truly love and have planned projects for.
Just before the year ended I was searching for a knit quickie and I pulled a yarn out my destash pile. A brightly colored lemon yellow skein of Woolarina Merino sock yarn. I cast on the Lace Ribbon Scarf from 2008 spring Knitty.
Due to the short yardage, I only cast on enough for three columns of ribbon  and had the pattern memorized in no time. The scarf accompanied me through the holidays and a trip to EPCOT prior to casting off. The scarf is so bright and tart that the palace lion puked it back up.

The result is pleasing but I learned that superwash merino has a mind of its own. The scarf curls despite blocking the dickens out of it and steaming it for good measure. This is not among my favorite finished shawls but I know that it will wear like iron and should brighten a dull winter day...
The rest of the country might be covered in snow and experience freezing temperatures but Florida is basking in mild 70,s and 80's. The little animals should have no difficulty foraging for food. So why do I have a parade of woodland creatures traipsing through my house and feasting on the Science Diet? I guess because they can and they have discovered the cat doors. The latest nocturnal visitor is a skunk. Mind you we have had racoons, possums, rabbits and a variety of birds...the smaller animals brought in by the cats. A few years ago we have a tough time keeping the raccoons out of the kitchen. They scattered food everywhere and washed muddy paws in the water bowl. The skunks are much tidier but the fear of the spray, which hasn't come yet, scares me to death. Here is Pepe in his favorite hiding place in between the fillers between the cabinets. The cats just watch. After the portrait session, we shooed him out the garage door and closed off the buffet entrance. Forage outdoors, little skunk.

Lessons in Thrift

Thrift doesn't come easily. It's a work in progress. The urge to splurge is always lurking and I avoid shopping as much as possible. My car is on autopilot from home to work, home again and to school. Tom has been gracious enough to shop for groceries and take ove the day to day finances. This cuts down on the anxiety.
In the spirit of thrift, I have been using yarn that has not seen the light of day for months, sometimes years. Finding patterns for these hidden gems has been much easier since Ravelry.

Here are two examples. Both are knit with Noro Silk Garden Light and Alpaca With A Twist Baby. Both are found on brooklyntweeds blog. The scarf is the Noro Striped Scarf, a simple K1, P1 and change yarns every other row. The fabric is plumb and soft and the result looks as though far more thought has gone into knitting it.
I still had leftover material and so I Turned a Square and made a matching hat. Now this doesn't seem a practical choice here in Florida and so I may have to stash it away for wear at a later date or maybe send it across the ocean to a chilly friend or relative.
Susan was a kind and patient model as we pranced around the yard in search of decent light. Susan is doing well after her last round of chemo and radiation. Her hair is growing back quickly and I think that it suits her. She looks wonderful. I was able to wear the scarf on our annual family outing to Cracker Christmas at Fort Christmas.
With Christmas is just around the corner and I have just received my first present. A new Reisenthel Carrybag mini. Only a fellow knitter would know what a great project  bag this is. I have two larger baskets and had no idea that this mini existed, and with closure up top and my name in pink! The bag the basket is came in is perfect for light laptop protection on the go. I love my new basket and will be retiring the old Boardwalk basket for a while.

While on the subject of yarn totes, I was playing around with "yarn" and "knitting" on craigslist and up popped this little jewel. A vintage knitting basket/table. I took a 35 minute trip north and picked it up for a few dollars. It is solid cherry and in great shape. The fabric is pretty tacky and has to go. I will do some further stash diving into the fabric bins to see what I can come up with to replace the bag. I'll share when the liner is replaced. 

Although these items are not in the spirit of thrift, it's a subscription purchase that I made in better times. The second round of Sundara yarn has arrived. This time I received Fingering Silky Merino. Three 500 yards skeins of gorgeous colorful yarn. On a tip from a knitterly friend, I immediately put the two pink skeins, Sugar Plum and Flaming Flamingo up for trade on Ravelry in favor of two more skeins of The Aquatic Life. At least I will have more options as to what to knit with 1500 yards. Now I am crossing my fingers that they will all match!

Feet First

Every now and then a bit of blogging lethargy sets in and  the words just won't commit themselves to paper, or screen in this case. Sure, plenty of opportunities and events have presented themselves that I have failed to record. Now I sit tongue-tied, wondering where to jump in. So, I will just burst in feet first.
When the most of the country experiences chilly weather and have their toes propped up on the hearth,
we, in Florida, are still able to stroll around in sandals and shorts experiencing this.

Finished and on my feet are October 2007's Rockin' Sock Club socks Lenore, a pattern  by Stephanie Pearl McPhee. The yarn was the first in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Raven Clan series. Knit on extra long #1 circular needles, the pattern was a breeze to memorize once the lace cuff was complete.
An impulse buy early in my stash enhancement turned into an impulse knit as well. This skein of Great Adirondack mohair ribbon yarn lingered in my stash for almost three years. I couldn't find the right pattern for the yarn. With the type of yarn, that it is and the short yardage it's only destiny could be a scarf. I finally settled on a simple chevron pattern found by trawling Ravelry for pattern used with this type of yarn. I knit the scarf in an evening. Knit on size 11 needles, the pattern was another easily memorized and quickly executed. The scarf is now living a few mile north an Ormond Beach yarn shop where Kathleen has just ordered Great Adirondack yarn for the first time.

I first met Kathleen over a year ago  in a local eatery. I was knitting while lunching. She stopped me on my way out after recognizing the Monkey socks. We've kept in touch through Ravelry.  Recently, Bonnie and I met up with Kathleen on a chilly Sunday over some Chinese food and knitting. We hope to take a trip up the Ormond to check out the yarn and retrieve the scarf.

DuhCapo... Oh, I Meant DaCapo

I can't quite remember when I first discovered the Hanne Falkenberg sweater collection. I think that I saw the Mermaid Jacket  written and pictured in a Woolworks catalogue. Anyway, I was in love. I trawled the internet and found a treasure trove of Hanne sweaters at a Danish company that shipped overseas. I found the DaCapo and was stunned at the range of colours on offer. I couldn't resist the pink/orange/red combination. It seemed very daring, so, decision made.  Ordering from Denmark turned out to be far less expensive than buying a  kit in the US.

I remember when the box arrived and I unpacked a clear tote filled with yarn and a 2 page instruction booklet. The presentation was minimal and the yarn was  thin and coarse. I loved the packaging but was still so naive about yarn and insecure about my skills and started to wonder if I were  foolish in spending so much money on a garment that I would have to make. Did I have enough know how?
The package sat on the buffet for several weeks while I shopped for the proper size circulars. Once the needles arrived, then I procrastinated some more. One day I just decided to cast on and be damned. The sweater starts in the middle of the back with 5 stitches and grows in a mitered triangle while incorporating a clever knitted I-cord  onto the bottom edge. After countless fits and starts I was on my way.

The jacket back grew quickly in the beginning, but slowed as the triangle grew to almost 300, tiny, tiny stitches. Garter stitches galore grated on my nerves. Soon other yarns and projects seduced me and I set the jacket aside. Early on I had it on display in a variety of containers, kind of like art. It would receive some attention and then be tossed back in the bowl. I would experience guilt every time the bright colours caught my eye. Soon I jumbled the jacket and the yarn into a closed basket.

As months passed I would pull it out and in a burst of energy, knit. Soon I was at a point where the geometry and holding needles came into play along with colour changes. Setting the jacket aside for long periods caused much confusion as to where I was in the pattern. At one point I was so lost and confused that I called the company to ask for clarification. They referred me to Hanne herself. I was shocked when the phone rang and she answered. She was gracious and patiently answered my frazzled questions. The jacket was momentarily back on track. I had knit a sleeve and joined it with the rest of the jacket and knit the placket. Then, fool that I am, set the whole thing aside again. By now a few years had elapsed. I was so close.
A few weeks ago I pulled to jacket out of its basket. This thing had been on my WIP list on Ravelry for far too long. I didn't want to move it the  ZZZ section at the bottom of my projects page. I wanted to finish, no matter what. I took the jacket to our group at the bread store. I received a few skeptical looks as to the size. It looked tiny. Mary Beth had me slip on the jacket, needles, holders, and all. It looked a tad small but not hopeless. I fed off the encouragement that my fellow knitters gave me. I sped through the placket and cast on the last bit, the orange band around the collar. Once I cast off, I cheered. Unfortunately I was the only one to hear. I sewed up the sleeves, the only two seams in this ingenious design. Then I tried it on. It fit! 

Yesterday I gave it a bath and spun out the extra water in the washer. I laid it out on my butcher block and hand blocked it into shape, trained a fan onto the surface and let it dry. By dinner time it was ready for a trip through the garden.

My model is a tough critic  and her approval was all I needed to top off my pleasure. I still can't believe that I am done. Don't get me wrong, there are mistakes. I read some of the instructions incorrectly, but only an experienced Falkenberger would know.

In my haze of accomplishment, I purchased a colour card for the entire Jamieson & Smith yarn line. According to several bloggers, the Spindrift Shetland 2 ply is the perfect match in fibre and weight to knit a Falkenberg. Is there another DaCapo in my future? Who knows, they say love is better the second time around.

A Little Blue Swallowtail

The first weekend in November is always reserved for Pioneer Days in Barberville, a two day celebration of everything that is old time Florida. The Florida that was once home to sprawling cattle ranches, pineapple fields, and orange groves. We always go on a Saturday morning and get there right at 9:00 AM, just in time for the first batch of biscuits to come off the wood fire. My husband slathers his with home made apple butter and I always go for the country smoked ham.
Then we make our way to the old homesteads to admire the weavers, caners, lace makers, and listen to the sounds of the cracker cowboys snapping their whips.
This year I found a group of spinners on one of the front porches. In the background was a large rack of home spun wool of many breeds. What caught my eye was a small skein of teal blue. It turn out to be finely spun silk. I introduced myself to the spinner and told her that I really admired her work. At first she was cordial and then I showed her my knitting. Cordiality turned to mutual admiration and that we shared Ravelry. That was the magic that it took for her to sell me the precious hand-spun.  I know that I didn't pay enough. It took a few months to find just the right project for this special lace weight.
After plenty of Ravelry browsing, I chose  Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl. It is the currently the number one lace weight shawl according to Ravelry's pattern browser with 1856 shawl on and off the needles and ready to knit in 2052 queues. After I blocked my shawl and gave it a test twirl around the garden, I can understand why.

As lace goes, this is an easy and a rapid knit. I used a US 3 Knit Picks nickel circular, 32" in length. The yarn was fairly easy to knit with. As it is a hand made yarn it was filled with lots uneven thickness. This was a something that made knitting the silk special. I imagined how the yarn must have been difficult to spin and how difficult it must be to maintain and even thickness. I love the way the colours stripe and close up the ply is also subtly different.  This time I was successful in blocking points. Casting off as loosely as possible is the secret. I learned my lesson the hard way when I knit the Icarus Shawl and the points along the apex didn't point .

I am keeping this shawl for myself and plan to wear it at Pioneer Days this year. I just hope that Elayne will be spinning at her spot on the front porch. 

A Week of Small Accomplishments

If Ravelry gives me anything, it's accountability. In the not so distant past, some of the projects I started were never completed. In the heady moments after finding that perfect pattern, the perfect yarn and after casting on, there were times when the romance ended quickly and the project was cast aside. This is a bad habit that I share with many knitters. When I found Ravelry I never thought that I would actually take the time capture each skein, hank, or ball of yarn digitally and then catalogue it with minute details. That went for my projects as well. Soon I found myself hauling out the yarn, projects completed and in flux. I remember spending several weekends taking pictures and raking my brain as to when I cast on, where I found the pattern, looking for old ball bands. Thank goodness that I had a blog to fall back on.
It's been almost a year since my Raverly marathon. I'm pleased with my progress and I feel that I finally have some oversight over what I knit and the supplies that I own. I don't think that I've ever stuck with a program for this amount of time.
In the spirit of celebrating my accomplishment, I've completed three very small items in the past weeks. Two of these items lingered in the snooze pile far longer than they should have.

Heart Sachet

My aim was for  Valentine's Day with this one. I was looking for a project that would eat up some of the many of the sock yarn remnants that I've managed to collect. My aim was off. I finished this last week. The yarn is STR's Fairgrounds, the pattern is a freebie found on the Interweave site. It took months to finish this up. Although I would not knit this again, I'm pleased with the results and filled it with sweet smelling balsam. It hangs off a knob in my kitchen. 

Honeycomb Scarf

 

My friend, Kathryn,  agreed to model the scarf.  She said it makes her feel like Samantha Jones.

I have a dear friend, Terri, who has a shop that sells all manner of vintage things. She clapped eyes on my Lantern Moon knitting bags and had to open an account. She offered to order items of my choice at cost. I decided to treat myself to Leigh Radford's Silk Gelato. I received the Honeycomb Scarf pattern with it. Knitting on giant hot pink US 35 needles was cumbersome and not portable. The stitches kept slipping off the needles. After revisiting other Gelato projects on Ravelry, I pulled this chestnut out of the  recesses and completed it in a few hours.I finally finished this and am really pleased with the results. While looking for links, I noticed that Lantern Moon now offers a box of Gelato in small "scoops" for embellishing. Maybe I need to consider another order.

  

Klee Scarf

 

This was a guilty splurge and I didn't drag my heels quite as much as with the aforementioned projects. This was a quick and simple knit using tiny balls of pure cashmere. I plan on knitting another using some of my leftover sock yarn scraps.

Another Wee Sock

There is a great Ravelry Group whose members are committed to swapping more tiny socks.The original swap took place a few months ago. It seems that it was so much fun knit a tiny sock, pop it in an envelope,  send it, and in return receive a small sock in the mail.

I still have several WIP's in that stare me in the face when I click on my projects page. Old habits are hard to break, but I can say that I've made peace with my habits and can control the chaos a little bit thanks to a little site called Ravelry.

Merry Month of May, I Hope...

All in the merry month of May,
When green buds they were swellin',
Young Jemmy Grove on his deathbed lay,
For the love of Barbara Allen.

Enjoy this little snippet from a favorite movie, "Songcatcher".

It has already been a whirlwind Month' O' May. To begin, May 1st was not only "Tag der Arbeit", but the beginning of my 50th year on the planet. OY. Thanks to my wonderful friends and my kind husband for the lovely surprise party. In lieu of gifts all the food items, 10 bags full, were donated to our local North Brevard Charities. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I received a very special present from my aunt in Germany, a lovely Morgan silver dollar minted in 1884. I love that it has been passed down through the family. I feel you're with me when I hold you in my hand. 
Thank you Krista for the fabulous stiletto needles and the Noro. Where have you been all my life! You, dangerB, not the Noro...
My May 1st Thursday started out with knitting on the group, upstairs in the bakery. Susan, my friend and knitting ingenue, was having another tiresome tumour removed from her lung so we filled her spot with the lads from the flight school. They became tiresome and begged for cashmere and complained when we wouldn't share provisional cast on techniques. Come back Susan, they're not staying!
My month was further enhanced with a last minute trip to ever lovely Alabama and a trip through the Wellborn Forest plant. I processed much information on kitchen design, rift cut oak, as well as drink mixology prior to 10 AM. Some of us had the good fortune of flying back home in the corporate plane . Nutkins took a ride too. This method of travel superseded the six-hour car ride there.
I was hardly unpacked when Lisa whisked me to New Smyrna Beach and our favourite fish camp for real crab cakes, boiled shrimp, and pinot noir. Naughty Nutkin is stealing the lime light. We watched the dolphins play and the sun set before we headed back down US1 south in the old lime green del Sol, topless of course (the car, not us).
For the last surprise, a present to myself arrived, a new swift and woolly winder.
The only shadow on my reverie is the sale of our little shop to new owners. Nancy and our canine companions will be sorely missed. I am treading water and trying to conform into new environs and culture. The next 50 years will be telling...

Animus Pomatomus

The danger of starting a sock in December and then putting off the second sock until months later the confusion that accompanies folly.
I have long admired the clever design that is Pomatomus. Thousand have knit this pattern since it first appeared in Knitty Winter 2005. That was also the issue that contained the famous Mrs. Beetons, Thuja, Tempting II, and Danica.
But I digress, this is about my adventures in Pomatomatry. With knitting up my stash at the forefront, I pulled out some of my older sock yarn, two skeins of Cherry Tree Hill. The blue skein was made up of such vibrant blues, green, and purples that they were destined to become a pair of socks named after a Blue Fish. Sock one went swimmingly and I was surprised that I finished in a little over a week. The holidays got in the way and I started some other projects, fully intending to cast on the mate. When I did, disaster came in may forms. I bungled the heel turn several times. When I finally got it right I put the socks side by side and realized the  unfinished one was smaller. I revisited page 2 of the pattern only to realize that, in my haste, I grabbed the wrong size needles. The socks were to be knit on a size 2, not a size 1!  I unravelled, yet again. At least I can speak up for the fortitude that the sock yarn had shown up to this point. I cast on with my old dusty, trusty DPN's and knit like a fiend.
Here are the results. I think they are the finest pair of socks that I have made to date. I love the clever pattern and the colours in the photos don't do the socks justice. 

So what do i have on my needles now?
I'm working on Nutkin, the second of the Cherry Tree Hill skein bought so many years ago from Seattle's Little Knits. This is also a sock fraught with disaster, this time involving the trails and tribulations of the short row heel. The heel had so many holes in the gusset that I had to correct to problem. Again, many hours of knitting and reknitting until I decided to let go of the intended heel and just knit a simple heel flap. I am knitting the gusset and plan on an early April finish.
I have more knitting to share, in the form of two delicious knits, one of which arrived in the mail last week. The other one is still at large. This will have to wait for another post.
To cap off the week, Yarn Miracle is hosting the Wee Tiny Sock Swap. I couldn't resist. I am knitting up my little sock as we speak and sending it, Monday, to my swap partner on the Pacific Coast. Never mind, done.
Here is my completed Wee Tiny Sock...