Iced in Today

It's Groundhog Day (think of the scenes in the movie where BillMurray repeats the previous day over and over again), it's dejà vu all over again,it's winter, it's disgusting, and it's several inches of new snow followed by inches of ice followed by semi-solid precipitation (rain that's almost in a gel state). It's awful. I used to like winter. No more. Even Rocky would rather do this than play in the snow:

On the knitting front, I finally put the finishing touches on DH's new vest. He models it here (he wanted to look very serious and professional for you):

To help me cope with the cold, I'm making myself a cowl out of some lovely Sundara sport merino I was saving for a special occasion. This winter qualifies as special.

The color is Shell Over Cocoa Butter and the pattern is Rivendell by Susan Pandorf. Don't think it ever snowed in Rivendell: Elrond wouldn't let it, I'll wager. I'm using a bigger needles (4 mm in place of 2.75 mm) and making fewer repeats, so my 250 yards just might be sufficient (pattern calls for 300 yards). I did a cable cast-on very loosely and that seemed to be a good choice: you can see how the edging is shaping up so nicely.
Last week I made a beret out of the Venezia I bought for myself. Not for me after all; DD#2 on the day before she returned to college decided she needed another hat (not as if I hadn't asked her for months). One look at the photo of Brambles plus a touch of the Venezia and she begged me (well, didn't take much begging).

Now I need to find yarn - again - to make Brambles for moi. I really liked that Brooks Farm yarn I used the first time; maybe I'll call them and see what colors they have in stock (they don't update the website very often).

Sunday I'm off to Israel (G-d willing). I'll be there nearly 10 days to observe the 30 day anniversary of my mother's passing and to be present at the unveiling of her monument. My father and one brother, one nephew, and some cousins will be traveling from the US. Other assorted relations already live in Israel, most of whom I've never met. I'm excited and sad at the same time. Camera, batteries, local cell phone, shopping list, color-coordinating outfits: I'm making lists and starting to pack. L'hitraot until I return.

On the Road to Recovery

DH had his surgery last week. It went very well according to the surgeon. I suppose I have to take his word for it-- you see, when the surgeon came out of the OR to talk to me he said, "You husband had a very large hernia." Oy vey.

DH came home later that day and has been a bit motile since. Appetite pretty good, wnet off the heavy duty pain meds and as of yesterday not even taking over the counter pain relief. What a trooper is DH. Today he's at work for a few hours of data analysis (we work at the same medical school so I can nab him at a moment's notice and shuttle him home if need be).

The night before surgery I was about to bind off the back of Silures, only to find that my gauge was once again off, though I went down a needle size. This has not happened to me in maybe 20 years of knitting. Thoughts flew madly: the pattern was written for a yarn that's really a DK weight, and Rowan Magpie Aran is, well, Aran weight. On a size 7 needle (what I went down to), Magpie knits up as a substantial fabric (on a size 8, my preferred needle with it, it's lofty and drapy). On a size 6 it would be like iron to work with, stiff and unyielding. I was already making the extra-small size; I could re-write the pattern for one size smaller but my brain was a bit fried with DH's surgery coming up. So I grabbed a book, a very old book, of vests: Bernat #240 Small Change (if you like classic vest styles, this is a good one to have. The women's vests are pretty dated but the men's vests are true classics, and most could be worn by women too). DH picked a pattern (reluctantly, it must be told; he really liked Silures but I have no DK-weight yarn on hand and when asked, he wants a vest in thicker rather than thinner yarn). the pattern DH picked is an intricate one, featuring cabled lattices, Bavarian traveling stitches, asymmetric cables, and sand stitch at the sides. For all its intricacy (and despite the fact it's not charted), it's easy to memorize once the pattern is set. I knitted up the the armhole while waiting for DH, now I'm just about at the shoulder of the back:

Close-up of the cables:

This pattern loves Magpie, and Magpie loves this pattern.

In other knitting news, I finished a pair of socks:

Pattern is Undulating Rib socks by Ann Budd from the Favorite Sock book. Yarn is Cascade Heritage handpaints. This is my least-favorite sock pattern so far. Ms. Budd must be a very tight knitter, for she specified a 3.25 mm needle; I used a 2.75 mm needle and the socks are too slouchy in the ribbing; I may need to add some elastic. Also, the way she has you do the increases creates little holes (k1, p1, k1); I should have done the increases thusly: k1, p1b, k1; that would have prevent the little holes. Not so bad on the legs but at the gussets! I never had holes there before in any of the socks I've made. Maybe after washing and drying the yarn will tighten a bit. We'll see. I give the yarn high marks for being lovely to knit, lovely to look at, and lovely to buy ($18 buys a 437 yard skein, enough for a pair of large or long socks). No dye came off on my hands either- that's a common complaint I see on reviews of handpainted or hand-dyed yarns.

Being in sock mode, and needing a break from constant cabling, I started Evelyn Clark's Twining Leaves Lace socks. If you're looking for well-written sock pattern, Evelyn Clark's are those. Great charts and line-by-line written instructions. Easy designs (really! the lace pattern is so easy). Good pattern notes. And a pretty result:

The yarn is Sundara sock yarn, 100% merino wool, color is Crème de Menthe. Pricey at $28 plus shipping for 370 yards (I may need to use another yarn for the toes, in fact); however this yarn knits like an absolute dream.

Cutting it Close and Some Elective Surgery

No pun here (not that I'm above such things).
Finished DH's Rugged vest III last eve, with just about 10 yards of yarn to spare:

I didn't make the neck or arm bands as wide as called for, for fear of running out of yarn. If I were smarter, I would have striped some of my black Tapestry (I have part of 2 skeins somewhere) into the ribbing everywhere. But I didn't think DH wanted a multi-colored vest. Well, what's done is done (most times). The right arm band curves around I think because the ribbing is so few rows. When DH put on the vest, the arm band lied flat.

And DH is picky about fit, let me tell you. Remember I had found this vest in the back of the cedar closet?

It's made of Rowan Magpie Aran. Well I needed to know why DH never wears it. Turns out that he wanted it a tad longer (could he not have told me that while it was on the needles, I ask you?). In addition, DH's infamous destroyer-of-vests belt buckle had done a number on the ribbing of this vest too. Not yet ripped a thread, but close. Ergo, I did elective surgery on the vest. Truly, this is not for the faint of heart. I cut off the ribbing about half-way. The gore! The mess! Being this is a family blog, I could not in good conscience post photos of the ordeal. Several times I needed to do what EZ advised, and lie down on a darkened room with a cold cloth over my head. Once the surgery was done and live stitches back on the needle, I reknit the 3x3 ribbing to DH's desired length. Note to self: always bind off a top-down job on ginormous needles, else wind up redoing last ribbing row. Which is what happened to me.
I would show you a photo of the refurbished vest but I can't get it off DH, he now loves it so much. Maybe when he's in the shower...

On a personal knitting note, I finished the back of the navy Sera top and started ribbing for the front (1 row to go). The back is just a curling mess now. When I block it, I'll take pics. I have a wedding on Valentine's Day. I plan to wear this top with my long navy skirt. DH just cannot have any more vest emergencies between now and then!

Some eye candy for you: I made squares from the Great American Afghan
years ago to teach myself new techniques. Here's my first entrelac:

The flip side is a pretty jacquard pattern by Sidna Farley:

Here's a dainty Victorian lace pattern designed by Jacqueline Jewett:

For some reason, the Bernat Berella pilled more on this pillow than on the others.
The flip side is a cabled lace pattern by Eugen Beugler:


If you don't have this pattern, and like different types of textured knitting, do get it. The directions are really clear. Disclosure: I subscribed to Knitter's at the time the pattern came out.

One last note on the earthquake in Haiti: I'm selling some of my stash (hard to find yarns) to raise funds for Doctors without Borders. If you're interested in checking it out, go here. Thanks for looking.

A Bit o' Blocking

Rugged is blocking now. I have the front and back pinned to the board:

Sorry for the bad photo; camera seems to have gone wonky on me. I should get, no deserve, a bigger board.
The cables seems to pop even more after blocking. Like a lot of knitters, I hate blocking. Even calling it "dressing" doesn't help. What does help is seeing the cables come alive and the edges flatten down. Then I don't hate it quite so much, and can look forward to seaming in peace. As for seaming, that I don't mind so much. It's pretty mindless, and gives my hands and wrists some change from knitting. Which is good for avoiding repetitive stress injuries. So folks, you read it here first: seaming can lead to more knitting.

Skye (D#1's smooth collie) consented to model this Mystery Scarf that I found in going through winter clothes to donate to Vietnam Veterans of America. I see it's done in garter stitch, in 2 types of wool, and features a pull-through loop. If anyone recognizes it, give a holler, OK?

Beautiful New Yarn and Repair Results

So how gorgeous is that JaggerSpun Zephyr DK 4/8? The blueberry color in reality looks more like blueberries with the bloom on them than denim blue. I love it. I wish you could feel its dreamy texture. I can't wait to start knitting the Dorothy Siemens sweater with it. DH is jealous he can't get a vest of this stuff. Hah! Not unless I can find a Cordura or Kevlar yarn to knit along.

Speaking of DH and his poor vests, here are the results of the evening spent doing vest first-aid last week.
Here's the repair to the cast-on edge. I also reinforced all the way around. The new Lamb's Pride is a different dye lot than the one I knitted with, so there's a slight color variation. I don't think it's very noticeable.
Believe me, this is the Donegal vest after repair. I was lucky I could do everything from the inside and keep the repair invisible when the vest is worn.
Not so lucky with the old Rugged vest. You can see in the ribbing how the wool is just worn so thin. DH has accepted that this beloved vest will be laid to rest with honors in the cedar closet.

On a happier note, he now has a new Rugged vest to look forward to (almost). Just have to block, do the arm and neck bands, sew the seams. Photos of it coming soon, I promise!

Knitting Accessories for Hair: A New Trend?

With D#1's wedding coming up, I'm teaching myself how to make an up-do. While perusing the internet for handy-dandy gadgets (what knitter doesn't like gadgets?), I came across this: Doesn't it look like a stitch holder with a fancy stitch marker strung on it?
+ By the way, these stitch marker come from Chicken Stitches. Non-sheep markers are available too, in case you want some for your hair and your knitting. And of course, you'll want to top off your up-do with your wooden DPNs, right?

Last night was spent repairing the vests. Heartfelt thanks to Merri Williams of The Fiber Addict for the Lamb's Pride. She was kind enough to send me enough to reinforce the cast-on edge all the way around. As for the ripped cable in Rugged, I rewove as best I could; that vest is so well-worn from the years that the yarn is threadbare in many spots, yet DH loves it so. For the ripped V of the Tahki Donegal vest, that was easier than I thought: flipped it inside out and repaired it so it's invisible on the outside. DH promises to be super-careful taking off vests, and has recently bought a new belt; now he won't be ripping out cables or snagging edges on the new rounded buckle. After repairs, vests were washed in Eucalan and are now resting quietly on drying racks and towels. They've been through an ordeal.

Finally, I'd like to show you how Addi, maker of marvelous circular needles, can try to convince you to part with over $100 in gadgets you already have around your house for $0.00. Yep, specialized circs meant to be stitch holders not knitting needles. Seriously, who doesn't have a) some smooth cotton yarn or perle cotton lying around; b) extra circs to pass sts onto, tying off ends with a rubber band? There now, I've just saved you $10.50 a pop for each needle size!

NOOOOOO!

See the black rectangle? That's where DH r-i-p-p-e-d the vest while removing it yesterday eve. I can't bear to photograph the rip. THAT MAKES THE THIRD VEST THIS PAST FEW MONTHS HE HAS RIPPED! Soon I will be spending more time repairing than knitting. UGH! Admonishments to DH to be careful! get me some sincere repentance, followed by "But I wear them while I work" lame sort of excuses. He's a yeast geneticist! At a medical school! How does that constitute an occupation hazardous to hand-knit vests, I ask you? Some kind souls are sending me a few yards of Clematis Lamb's Pride, so one vest repair will soon be done. And I've located the Classic Elite Tapestry to repair the second vest. But this baby- I can't find or source the grey Tahki Donegal Tweed anywhere. Might serve him right if I repair it with a scarlet VR for "vest ripper." He's down to 2 clean everyday vests these days, one of Rowan Magpie Aran in Truffle and one of navy Tapestry. Guess I'll have to cave and clean his green Shetland vest sooner rather than later. I was hoping to do one big wool cleaning with Eucalan at the end of winter, but maybe that was a stupid thought, with how cold this winter's turning to be.

The third ruined vest has me planning yet another vest, in case the day comes when I absolutely cannot repair one. Over at Ravelry, the Cable Lovers group has been showing off WIPs. One knitter showed off her Plain Vanilla Aran by Janet Szabo at Big Sky Knitting. Think I may tweak it into a vest for DH. Sometime in the future. When I feel he deserves it.

I played a bit of hooky from knitting last night to see "The Young Victoria" with bride-elect D#1. We both give it hearty thumbs-up. I came home in time to manage 1 pattern repeat on Rugged: 90% to the armhole. Hope I have enough Tapestry to squeak by and finish it. For the other Rugged, 10 skeins was more than enough, but for some reason 10 skeins (same size) looks like not quite enough for this one. Pray I'm wrong.

Lost and Found Department, II

So as the frigid weather continues, I find myself rummaging deeper and deeper in the cedar closet. As I rummage, I come across more lost FOs from years past.

First, this wool-blend sweater from a McCall's pattern I made for my father. Turns out it's too warm to wear in LA, where the rest of my family live, so it came back to us in the Northeast to use. I'll wear it, believe me!

If anyone recognizes the MCall's pattern from the late 1980's or early 1990's, please let me know? Thanks.

Next, a waistcoat for DD#1 knit of Harrisville Designs Orchid Line, a silk/mohair/wool blend that is so soft:

She is packing to move to her home, so this will be joining her. Such a fine, soft yarn! Pattern is from Classic Elite booklet #820.

Last, this vest made for myself, modified from a Rowan Magpie Aran brochure (#553) into a vest and made of Magpie:

I'm wearing it today. It looks quite sharp with a grey turtleneck and slacks.

Rugged marches on; the front is more than a third done:


And I started a new "mindless" project after the Tahiti scarf, the kind of project that doesn't need much mind-power for knitting to churn on.

The yarn is Filatura di Crosa Sera; the pattern is from Rowan Classic Colour of Summer #25, by Martin Storey, and the pattern is the cover sweater. The yarn used is a DK-weight, which Sera matches. I like the hour-glass shaping in the pattern, and the subtle shaping of the neckline. I changed from 3x3 ribbing to 1x1 ribbing, and used a cable cast-on, purling in back of sts for the first row to create a picot effect. The simplicity will really show off the yarn, and this will be a dressy warm top. Which is quite needed!

Under the Wire

Happy New Year! DH and I went to First Night revelry last night. We enjoyed flamenco dancing and singing and guitar (great stuff), zydeco (a treat for us, especially since we were in New Orleans in early November and heard live zydeco there), and a ventiloquist act (I'm a sucker for those things). The Tahiti scarf came with us and at 11:32 pm, just under the wire, it was finished. I made it with no one in mind; someone will get a surprise gift from me.

Rummaging through the cedar closet again (it's cold and turning colder), I found a sweater I made for DD#1 when she was in high school in upstate NY; she had forgotten it and thought she lost it (imagine my thoughts on that score). Here it is: Well DD#2 took one glance at it and claimed it. She plans to wear it as often as she can in fact. It's made of Brunswick La Laine (washable Merino wool in DK weight with great yardage and an easy price), and the pattern is Suzann Thompson's Diagonal Diamonds from the February 1993 issue of McCall's Needlework and Crafts.

DD#1 isn't the only one guilty of forgetting what's I've made that gets stored in the cedar closet. DH forgot about this Tahki Donegal tweed vest: DH is happy I was thoughtful enough to bring it upstairs for him so he can now wear it.With 2 vests out of commission, and Rugged not finished (I started the front! I'm already on the second pattern repeat!), he needs his vests.

And I have to plead mea culpa as well. I found this sweater I made for myself: The pattern is Classic Elite #369 by Norah Gaughan and the yarn is Classic Elite Willough. That was a silk and cotton blend, DK-weight, and very nice to work with. Classic Elite didn't offer it very long (my LYS couldn't get it for me in ecru to knit a DKNY top featured in the Spring 1994 issue of Vogue Knitting) that required it. Guess waxing nostalgic for great yarns that are no longer is part of a New Year's theme: should auld yarns be forgot and all that.

Back in Play

So look what I dragged out from the back of the closet and began working on again. Yup, the AS Maidenhair shawl. I am now at the halfway mark (assuming I have enough Jamieson Soft Shetland to get to 11 full repeats of the big diamond motif;I have 6 full skeins left). The pattern is really easy and quite fun: I left out the bobbles to save yarn and because who wants to lean back against them anyway?

Rugged did not get ignored, see? Almost at the shoulder of the back. Today's plan is to finish the back of Rugged and start the front.

And I took some photos of the Lace Dream shawl dressed and modeled by Daughter #1, a bride-elect: She told me the shawl was heavy on her arms (!), whereupon I threw it up in the air to show her how it floated down. Her gown will be Duchesse satin, with a cathedral-length train, and her veil will be 2 layers of French net, hip-length. She thinks the shawl is heavy?

Progress

So this is where the Rugged vest is, a little more than halfway to the armhole. Maybe it will be a 2009 FO after all. We'll see.

And here's where I've left off on Rogue. Maybe about halfway up the hood (I didn't check what row I'm on). DD thinks she might like it as a hooded vest (I have to tell her it's an irreversible decision, since I know I won't want to do sleeves in the future).

Today is quite frigid, maybe about 15 degrees F out (and only second day of winter), with a foot of snow on the ground. Our younger collie decided cold weather is not for him.

Rugged Vest Knitting Knotes

So while I'm making this vest, let me jot down my knitting "knotes" on it.
I need to make it in the small size, for a 40" chest. I casted on 112 sts (110 called for plus 2 selvedge) using the Guernsey cast on method. I like this method for its elasticity and the fact that I don't have to "guesstimate" how much yarn to pull out for the cast on. The 1x1 ribbing is next, 2" of it = 13 rows on my size 5 (I hope; my circs are in such a mess) circular needles. Last row is the increase row: increase 22 sts. It's supposed to be a right side row. Changed to size 6 needles and purled across the wrong side row. Now the fun begins, because the pattern says: Do 0 (2, 3) sts in border pattern, which is a 3 st pattern. I hate when patterns economize the writing like that, instead of charting the pattern. Well, having previous models allows me to check what I did before: for the 40" size, I started with the circle cable instead of the border pattern (the beaded rib). Good thing there are selvedge sts, which I'm working as: slip 1st st as if to purl on all sides and knit last st on all sides. Now I can knit the back up to the armhole, at about 15" or the completion of the 12th circle cable. The last times I made this vest I used cable needles; doing the BCs and FCs side by side really killed my hands. This time I'm doing it the Meg Swanson way, sans cable needles. Each time I do a cable without the needle, my heart leaps into my throat. Killing hands or heart in throat; those are the choices. After completing enough of the back that I'm halfway to the armhole, I can say my heart leaps lower and lower, whereas my hands feel fine. Hooray for Meg!


On preview: After checking and rechecking the first set of circs with a magnifying glass, I can now say with certainty I used size 5. I would have preferred to use 4s.

Why are my knitting things in such disarray? Well among the awful things that happened this past year is that I fell, dislocating and breaking both bones near my right ankle. Required a stay in the hospital for surgery plus mounds of PT. I was in a wheelchair for a bit. Orthopedist (who had DH for micro years ago) said it was the worst injury he'd had to repair thus far (great). You'd think one would be knitting like mad if one is non-ambulatory, but the truth is one can't be dictating to family members to tear through the house to find yarn, books, needle, etc.; one needs their cooperation for essentials such as helping one use the necessary, showering, bringing one food, and so forth. Knitting can wait, and it did.

Well, I'm Back

It's been a while, and a rough 18 months. I had pretty much stopped knitting during that hiatus. But it's time to get back to knitting and blogging.


See the gorgeous vest (if I do say so myself)? Made it years ago for DH out of Classic Elite Tapestry. It's his favorite vest too. So much so that this happened:


By the time I spotted it, the hole became too big for me to repair (behind a cable and all). The vest lays in repose in my cedar chest.
If that weren't enough, DH did an injury to this vest:

Yep, that's DH clowning around in a vest I designed and made up in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. This week I saw that DH ripped the bottom of it at the cast-on edge. I'm still frantically in search of the leftover yarn I know I put away but so far no luck. DH is, as you might deduce, terribly hard on vest. So out came the needles and the patterns and the stash. Fortunately, I have enough Tapestry stashed away for 5 more vests. While I'd prefer to knit a simpler pattern, DH really likes this pattern called the Rugged Vest, published by Reynolds Yarn in 1991. It was designed by MJ Protus, and features a beading rib strip alternating between a circle cable and a gull wing cable. Tapestry is perfect for it; it needs that crisp feel. I made it once in Jamieson Shetland Aran, and I don't like it as much in Shetland wool; the cables don't pop out as well. So here I am, starting it again, even though it required cabling on every right-side row.




I've even messed up one gull wing cable already, cabled in the wrong direction. I decided to let it be; after all I'm still recuperating from bronchitis (courtesy of DH).

Amazing how much my knitting stuff has scattered over these past months. I think they sprouted legs and wandered off. So far I'm missing my leftover yarn for repairs, a bunch of circular needles, a Bernat book of men's vests, and a knitting notebook. Does this ever happen to you?

Fell in Love with Jamieson's Shetland

Now I see why knitters go nuts over Shetland wool. The stuff is great - can't lose your stitches if you drop them, cable easily without a third needle, great stitch definition, great depth of color, heathered shades are so heathery, I could go on and on. Last year (that is, December of 2005) I bought a bunch on sale from Two Swans Yarn (Two Swans Yarn) to make an Aran vest for DH. It sort of languished when other things claimed my attention, then I resolved to finish it for Chanukah 2006. Just look at it:





Yes, I did something stupid and pinned the bottom border! But never fear, I sprayed it again, removed pins, and voila! ribbing pulls in. BTW, I used the Channel Island cast-on for this vest (an old Reynolds pattern), and since I am left-handed, that was no trivial matter! There are NO instructions for special cast-ons for lefties! Anywhere! That I could find! If you know of a place with them or a book with them, please let me know?