There's Always Money in the Banana Stand

Any knitting Arrested Development fans out there? Check it OUT! That's right, we've made some serious ground as far as getting our presence known! The Arrested Development Documentary project is sweeping the nation to interview die-hard AD fans for their film! I'm a huge advocate of this project (who wouldn't be?) and wanted to spread the word. Especially because it has now been made known that we collectively (as knitters) love the show! Here is a link to their trailer for the project!

And I know it's posted right on the side of my blog, but again I proudly state:

I promise it's not cheating...

Okay. So I know Foliage wasn't exactly on my list of things to finish. Okay fine, it wasn't on there at all. But here's the thing: rather than jumping right into my second Bird-in-hand mitten, I opted to work on something a little lighter, a little more slouchy. *Enter Le Slouch*. Le slouch and I had been having this sort of love/hate relationship all along. Meaning I loved the way it was looking in my hands but absolutely hating the way it looked on my head. For whatever reason, it just wasn't a good fit. So I put the beret on "time out" (which is quite typical for my knits when they get into trouble) until I was in a better state to deal with it.

























That state never came, and I knew I had to take account of my situation. On the one hand, I have 200 yards of gorgeous Malabrigo worsted, and on the other hand, I have a hat I'll never wear. *Enter Foliage*. This hat pattern was well written, cute, fast, easy, and everything else a good hat should be. I barely even remember making it next to casting on last night and finishing early this afternoon. Here are some stats:

Pattern: Foliage from Knitty Fall 2007
Yarn: 1 skein Malabrigo Worsted - Polar Morn
Needles: I decided to do it all on magic loop size 7's for body and 2's for the brim
Cast on: 2/1 Cast off: 2/2

So there you have it. One project done, 6 more to go!

Absence Makes the Gauge Grow Smaller

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I leave my mittens alone for 2 weeks and what do they do? They changed gauge on me! (as if this is their fault...). Sometimes I forget that I'm controlling my knitting and not the other way around. It's almost as if I look down and smile sweetly (like one would do to a small child) and think "Ohhh, is that what we're doing now?". Sigh. Essentially my change in gauge means that my mittens actually started to fit rather than being fit for, say, a linebacker. Well, at least a linebacker with huge hands.This not only was my first experience with stranded knitting but also my first run-in with the Kitchener stitch. Now, after hearing horror stories about this part of the finishing process, I was a little tentative to sit down and do it. Who wants to ruin their weekend with that? However, being the "go-get-em" college student that I am, I decided to tackle this move in one play (yes, I am looking forward to the Superbowl).
Despite a minor error on my part (which was conveniently blurred in this photo), the grafting was completely seamless (ba da-bum *ching* hehe). But in all seriousness, it really was quite simple! Primarily because I was following Sandi Wiseheart (of Knitting Daily)'s guide to Grafting on the Needles. Now, I don't know if her tricks are any easier than a normal one (since this is my first time) but this description was definitely easy to remember & execute! So there you have it. Updated photos + me well on my way to staying true to my promise! I consider that success.

Dear Wisconsin, please make up your mind.

I say this with the deepest sincerity and warmest affections. Well, as warm as they can be on a day like today! Why my impatience? Yesterday the weather was sunny with a high of 45 degrees (balmy weather for January in Wisconsin) and today I had classes canceled due to winter weather advisories and a -30 degree wind chill! How is a girl supposed to knit under these conditions?I have decided to give myself a new strategy for tackling some of my WIPs. It has come in the form of organization that I took the liberty of doing over winter break. Let me introduce you to yarn central!Now, I should probably take this time to point out that Yarn Central is conveniently located next to Shoe Central--an area of slightly lesser passion in my life, but definitely still pleasure-inducing.

Now to explain the awesomeness of my new layout. The set of two drawers each have their own category of contents, both of them yarn-related. The bottom drawer contains the yarn of projects to come. Yarn that can continue dreaming to seize their own destiny. Well, until I seize it for them anyway.
The top drawer contains all of my works in progress. All of them! It is so much easier to take account of what i have to work on when it's all physically in one place to look at. So here is my vow: I solemnly swear that I will finish every single object in the drawer before starting something new. With the exception of ONE baby sweater that I have to knit for a close friend who's due in March. This is my promise to myself, to ultimately gain control over my projects.

Projects in Question include:

1. Wide Collared Vest
2. Tree Jacket
3. Back to School U-Neck Vest
4. Bird in hand Mittens
5. Forest Canopy Shawl
6. Embossed Leaves Socks
7. Le Slouch

Do you see why this has become a problem? I'll certainly have enough there to keep myself busy for the semester.

It also [unfortunately] means that I have to overlook all of the beautiful yarn I showed off yesterday until this mission is completed. Who thinks I can do this?

All my bags are packed

That's right, I have just completed the grueling (maybe not that bad) and tedious 4 hour drive back to school. Admittedly, it was a tight fit getting all of my belongings (read: all of my yarn) to fit into the back of my compact sedan. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of having my yarn basket loose in the backseat, so quick fix there:

(Well if you'd buckle up a cute child, why wouldn't you buckle up a cute basket of yarn?)

No trip back home is complete without a visit to Iris Fine Yarns. It was my one last hurrah before starting the semester, so obviously that meant stocking up on goodies to keep me busy over the next few months (who cares if that's what homework is usually for!)
The major purchase was 10 (count them, TEN) skeins of Elizabeth Lavold Silky Tweed. I had kept reading about how amazing this stuff was and I honestly couldn't figure out what the big deal was. Yeah. That was until I felt it. Talk about smooth and amazing, this stuff is incredible! So, why 10 skeins you ask? Because it's being made into this . That is the sweater "Patti" by Sarah Hatton. Granted, it is slightly more trendy than most of the stuff I wear, but I think it's cute enough that it won't matter.

Moving on, we have 3 skeins (I know only two are photographed, one was prematurely wound) of Blue Sky dyed cotton. I'm thinking of making them into this which is the Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. Who doesn't love an extra lacy shrug for spring?

Lastly, we have one [adorable] skein of Malabrigo Lace in Tuareg --This will definitely be made into a lace shawl of some sort, but I have yet to decide which one.

To close, As I was unpacking, I noticed that my collection of knitting books has expanded to the point of being considered an actual library. Admittedly, I have discovered that I love buying new knitting books almost as much as I enjoy knitting the projects inside of them. Hilarious. Click on the photo to see a more detailed list of titles, Twinkle & Jo Sharp are apparently too big to stand upright with the rest of the group...troublemakers.

Oh, my mom is on Ravelry now, check her out!

I Seriously forgot?

How on earth could I forget to blog one of the most pivotal moments in a knitter's life? How could I? I mean, if making the analogy between knitting life and real life, what I forgot to blog was comparable to graduating from college, getting married, or maybe even having my first child! What was it I did you ask?

I turned my first heel!

Was it unbelievably difficult? Not exactly. Was it slightly more nerve wracking than knitting a hat or scarf? Yes. Luckily for me, I had my mom there to show me what that heck I was doing during the entire process (Thank you mom!). There were moments when I was spotted saying things like "I have to pick up stitches from where??" and "What do they mean cut yarn?!". Apparently I chose a sock pattern that wasn't exactly ideal for the first timer sock knitter, but with some creative reworking on my mom's part, I ended up not having to "cut yarn" and I did manage to successfully complete my first heel! HUZZAH!

Oh, and here is an updated shot of my mitten. Much love.

An Intentional Accident

Okay. I'll come right out and say it: I like the way dark purple looks with yellow.
Call me crazy (you're crazy!) but I just think that those two colors make an attractive pair. Why is this a problem? I'll tell you: last night I was reminded by my brother's fiance [Keri] that, as nice as purple and yellow are together, that they belong to a certain Minnesota football team that will go un-named. Okay, maybe they won't go un-named-- it's the Vikings. Am I a Vikings fan? No way. Do I love the Packers? Absolutely I do.
Now, that all being said, when I chose the colors for these mittens I was absolutely intentional about choosing my colors (as before mentioned, I think yellow+eggplant = fantastic)--my accident was not realizing I was inadvertently supporting the Vikings by doing this. None of this would really matter, but with my college being so close to Minnesota, I feel like I'm going to have to make a disclaimer every time I wear my new mittens! Uff da.

Now that THAT'S covered, I can talk about the mittens themselves and how much I love working on them! This is my first colorwork project and I must say it is not only addicting but is very enjoyable to work on! Here are the Stats:

Pattern: Bird-in-Hand mittens by Kate Gilbert
Made for: My Green Bay Packer loving hands
Yarn: 1 skein Cascade 220 Goldenrod & 1 skein Cascade 220 Royal Purple
Needles: US 2 Addi Turbo circs
Date Started: 1/18

I've always prefered chart reading so that's not really the obstacle here. The color work is going faster as I practice more, and I'm finding that I want to work on them more just to see the pattern developing. I suppose this is probably a common condition among knitters who stranded color projects. I will be posting updated progress of my identity confused mittens as they progress--in the mean time, GO PACK GO!

It's been a while....

Yes. It's been a while since I did plain stockinette knitting. No cables, no seed stitch, no yarn overs, lace or anything fun-- just plain stockinette.
Yesterday I received the pattern book Jo Sharp 3 from my fantastic manager, Kristy (a slightly belated holiday present). I love the book, it is 39 patterns of gorgeous knitting. Immediately I chose one that I wanted to start and I decided to make the Wide Collared Vest. I think the pattern is classic and beautiful, however is pretty much an endless sea of stockinette. I equally love and hate working on it because It goes quickly but is boooor-ing!

Ideally, I'd like to cast off before I finish work next week Friday so I can wear it before going back to school. I suppose stockinette does have its place, it'll be good to have a mindless project to work on during the Packer/Seahawk game today -- my vest is ready for some football!

Oh I just LOVE surprises!

Here's a surprise FO for your viewing pleasure!

So, operation Holiday '07 was secretly knitting my roommate this vest! This mission was deemed successful tonight when she finally received her [belated] holiday present! The verdict is...IT FITS! Note to self: it is very challenging to knit something in secret with somebody you live with! I can't believe I pulled it off without spilling!

It might look familiar to Fitted Knits fans, it is the Back to School U-Neck vest by Stephanie Japel. The exact same vest that I started (and never finished) in purple- see, here! That is all in the past now because I can have the satisfaction of looking at my version for Jamie instead. Much better. The only modification was making the ribbed portion a little bit longer, nothing crazy. The yarn, Cascade 220 in a happy yellow color, I can't remember the name/dye lot off the top of my head. That mustard-like yellow is Jamie's favorite color. My favorite color is aqua blue which is why my title photo above makes me so happy.

A project of Firsts

I'm not usually one to shy away from new knitting techniques or items in general, and this project is proof of me embracing this statement. I was, admittedly, avoiding double pointed needles until this project. I love (love) magic loop knitting for projects in the round, and honestly have never needed double pointed for anything until now. Until now. I've decided to try my hand at socks! My reason for avoiding sock knitting for so long was different than my reason for avoiding double pointed needles. I knew that once I started knitting socks I would love them and never want to stop. This, for someone who is a compulsive project starter, isn't necessarily the best thing. Regardless, I decided to tackle these new skills to see what I come up with. Here are the stats:

Yarn: 2 skeins of Claudia's handpainted sock yarn in Sea Dreams
Pattern: Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave's Favorite Socks
Needles: set of 5 US 3 double pointed needles
Size: Rachel-foot size

I have 2 of the lace repeats done so far and I'm loving it. One more to go until I turn my first heel--Yikes!

Ooooh! and no ladders so far! (knock on wood)

Here I am!

Hellloooo!
Apologies for my absence, I don't really have many excused besides finals & holiday knitting deadlines. Okay, I guess those are pretty good excuses...

I have some fun little new things knit up that I will share with you!

First of all, I have been a little ridiculous when it comes to this "Mercy" pattern. I have made 4 for various people this year and will probably continue to make more as I acquire the yarn.


Also, I made a Christmas knit for one of my favorite people of all time. The striped cable hat was chosen (yarn, colors, pattern, pom) by Nick for Nick. This is a very nick hat. He goes to Madison and will fit in quite well now--GO BADGERS!!


More FO's and information to come very soon--just thought you might want something to hold you over in the mean time!

Oh, I almost forgot.... Merry Christmas! (and happy New Year!)

C is for Cookie, That's Good Enough for Me!

I haven't had much time to knit, but here's what I've got to show for myself:














That is the start of my Slouchy Cabled Beret. I found this pattern by mindlessly browsing Ravelry (seeming to happen more often lately than normal) and decided to use it as relaxation knitting working up to finals week. The yarn is Malabrigo worsted in Polar Morn. so far I'm very pleased with the way it's coming out, it's unbelievably soft! The photo doesn't do the colors justice, it's really a more purply grey than it looks. Actually, I'm making this hat to go with this new addition to my wardrobe.

Much love for this coat. It should be arriving tomorrow via DHL and I'm definitely looking forward to it. It is, admittedly, retail therapy to cope with the loss of the puppy I've had since I was 9. She was too cute for words, and she will be missed and never replaced.


I love my Mabel. How can you say no to that face?













Lastly, earlier tonight (to prevent me from having a homework meltdown), my fantastic roommate Jamie decided we should make holiday sugar cookies! They were a success, and the definitely took my mind off of schoolwork for an hour. Mission Accomplished. Here are some photos of what we created.
Some of my personal favorites include the field of grazing sheep, the angelfish, the menorah, the hat, mittens, ball of yarn, and of course, the sad-looking dreidel that really meant well.
What a fun night!

Go away Insomnia....

In a perfect world, I would actually be cuddled up next to my Rowan wool dreaming of spectacular knit items to come...

In REALITY, I'm taking pictures of myself wanting to dream of knitting, but instead staying awake for reasons unbeknownst to me. Sigh. It is the plight of a college student, yes?


Oh, and for the curious: the hat is one of my wardrobe staples. It's a modified newsboy hat with a chevron stitch pattern that I found in the book Knitted Stitches. Rowan big wool is one of my favorites. And yes, I've been known to fall asleep with my hats still on. Usually I take enough care to remove my earrings first though...

Holy Grey Yarn Batman!

Sooo, I realized this evening that my yarn stash is beginning to develop a pattern. That pattern (lately) has been grey. Let me take a moment to introduce you to my happy grey family:

Starting from the left, we have Cascade 22o in Silver Grey. This yarn's destiny includes a second go at the hat Gretel, since I love making the first one so much, I want to try doing it again in a different size with worsted weight yarn. As we travel around the back we see 5 skeins of Rowan Ribbon twist in Rocky. Their destiny has not yet been established. I keep changing my mind. I used two to make my Mercy hat, so a lot of sweaters went out the window at that point. If you know of any good projects that call for 5 or less of this yarn, let me know!

Next, on the far right, we have a ball of Rowan kidsilk Haze in Pearl. This ball represents quite a problem because, due to my skin sensitivity, I have an intense reaction if anything (we're talking anything) irritates or scratches my skin. It basically has to be made into a gifted item-but that's exciting! The next yarn selection we have is Malabrigo worsted in color Polar Morn. This yarn has Le Slouch in its future.

Last, but certainly not least, we have beautiful early Hanukah present from my parents! Tilli Tomas silk (3 skeins Pure & Simple, 2 skeins Disco Lights) in Atmosphere. This present came as such a shock (for those of you who aren't familiar with my longing for this yarn, read here , or just scroll down). My mom said that even though I was waiting until I was "established & successful" to make this sweater, that I'd need something to wear while I'm getting there. Gotta love parents for knowing you better than you know yourself sometimes. So, there you have it. My stash is grey and growing!

Ethel struts her stuff

Check it OUT! I got to try my Tree Jacket onto Ethel, my mom's dress making form over Thanksgiving break. It's so nice to see this thing looking like an actual sweater now!

I just wanted to give an update on progress, but there is much more I have to share soon!

Gretel geht zum Heidel Haus! OR Gretel goes to the Heidel House!

I just finished Gretel! This might come as a surprise since I didn't even mention I was making Gretel. Here she is...SURPRISE!

This project (nicknamed the Heidel Hat) was found on Ysolda's page and I quickly became intrigued and excited to learn how to make this beret-like item. A hat with very German roots despite its French tendencies.

Pattern: Gretel
Designer: Ysolda Teague
Yarn of Choice: Becca's Woolen Works - 100% Merino wool. Beautiful Handspun wool made by a coworker, and gifted by a very good friend. 1 hank = aprox. 200 yards.
Needles: 4's for the ribbing and then size 7's for the rest.
Cast on: 11/15
Cast off: 11/22

I did try the tubular cast on, but it was a little bit too small. Sigh. I ended up knitting the ribbed portion on size 4 needles and it fit well when I tried it on. Also, cabling without a cable needle = fantastic. I'm very excited to know how to do that now!

If I were to make this pattern again (which I plan on!), I would probably not use handspun wool. The yarn was fantastic and very nice to work with, but I think the variations in the fiber look a little funny for cabling. Also, I think I might try it again in the slouchy size--who knows!

A tree that's growing, Fancy that!

Progress on Tree Jacket has been made! I was starting to think I wasn't going to make it past that garter stitch portion on the yoke (BOR-ING), but now it's finished and I'm on to the lace bodice! After separating the sleeves the first time, I discovered that the "small" size was way too big. I ripped out 8 rows and now am working the XS size. I would be confused (I am by no means an extra small), but I've read that Zephyr patterns tend to run on the large side. Whew. Here's a look at what I've got photos of so far!

a tam o'shanter in Wisconsin!

I know I've taken a brief hiatus from writing; I just finished an intense week of coursework, projects, exams, and papers. All went well and now it's time for some well-deserved knitting!

Do any of you remember this?



















Well, since I'm not one to let anything go to waste, those two grey balls of Rowan Ribbon Twist were fashioned into something new! Let's have a look, shall we?














Is that a pom pom you see peeking out from behind? That'd be correct. And I love it. Here are the stats:

Pattern: Mercy - Rowan ribbon twist collection
Designer: Kim Hargreaves
Yarn of Choice: Rowan Ribbon Twist in Rocky - 2 skeins
Needles: 11's for 3 rows and then SIZE 17's for the rest! yeah!
Cast on: 11/8
Cast off: 11/9

Much love for this tam.

Happy Halloween a la June Cleaver!