Book Report Time and (Non-Knitting) Eye Candy

Since getting back into the knitting groove, I've added a few books to my knitting library. Some of you may be in the market for knitting books, so I'll comment on my new ones here briefly.

Pub. Date: February 1993
Publisher: Reader's Digest
Hardcover, 318pp
ISBN-13: 9780895774675
(There are a couple editions of this book around, so I'm including the details of mine).
Provenance: Purchased

I've had many handy-dandy knitting guides over the years. The Vogue Ultimate Guide to Knitting (first edition) is one I used to turn to frequently. But as my knitting skills grow, I want a book that has more: more methods for cast-ons and bind-offs, more troubleshooting tips, and so forth. This book isn't perfect, but it has 40 (yes, 40) different methods of casting-on, including 2 variations on the Channel Island cast-on. It calls the Guernsey cast-on the knotted cast-on, but that's a minor quibble (maybe that's a UK nomenclature, since Alice Starmore calls it the knotted cast-on in her books too). Along with the explanations are Montse Stanley's personal observations, such as her observation on one cast-on method: why bother? It has illustrations rather than photos (they are very clear). It's not spiral-bound (too bad!), and it doesn't have nearly enough on fixing mistakes (also too bad). If you are looking for patterns, this book isn't for you, though it has enough essentials to start you on designing your own. The 1993 edition can be found for as little as $13 if you hunt around. Recommendation: It's a good book to have in your library, even if you're an advanced knitter.

Next up is Scarves and Shawls: The Best of Knitter's Magazine

Pub. Date: Jan. 1999
Paperback, 106 pages
Publisher: XRX Books
ISBN-13: 978-0964639164
Provenance: Received from paperbackswap.com

I had some of these in separate issues of Knitter's, in fact I made some of the designs already. I thought it would be nice to have everything in one place. Well, the republished patterns are fine and EZ's explanation on making Shetland shawls is superb, but what's up with the new patterns included in the book? They are not complete. As in, the directions for one Faroese shawl shows you a chart, tells you how long to follow the chart, then tells you to finish as per yellow shawl. Only there are no instructions for yellow shawl. Yellow shawl is a snippet of a chart. If you've made a Faroese shawl, maybe you know how to finish. If you haven't, you'll be stumped. If it's in errata pages on line at XRX, I haven't yet checked (and for the record, I deplore sloppy redac editing that forces you to check a website for every pattern or knitting book you buy). Perhaps this is why the book was up for swap. On the positive side, the Eugen Beugler patterns are lovely (I made the Lace Dream shawl; blogged about it here. Those patterns and the Shetland shawl section make the book worth keeping for me. Prices for used copies start at around $12. Recommendation: if I rated on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd give this a 3.5.

I'm awaiting delivery of two more books, Evelyn Clark's Knitting Lace Triangles and Wrap Style by Pam Allen and Ann Budd. I'll write another book report on those when they arrive.

Meanwhile, one of my lab assistants just returned from an extended trip visiting family in India. Look what she brought me as a present:

The pearls are from Hyderabad, a center for pearl jewelry in India. I love South Asian jewelry. I have some Pakistani jewelry sets from a former post-doc whose mother is forever sending me gifts. When I have a chance, I'll post photos of those; they are equally exquisite.

In the meanwhile, Milkshake is nearly up to the armhole in the front. With DD#2 back at college, I think I'll appropriate her bed and pin the edges of the completed back. Don't tell!

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?

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.

What a Week

When we went to Lincoln Center for the Philharmonic Concert little did we know that I left my very expensive prescription sunglasses with Escada frames and brand-new lenses at Mike's Bistro! it was dark when we left Mike's and headed back to Lincoln Center, it rained the next few days, so by the time I needed them and figured out where I'd left them, they were history. Maybe because the frames were sooo pretty. Maybe because they are now impossible to reacquire. Aaaaargh! So a trip to the optician's was in order. Did I find more Escada frames? No. I found these terribly expensive Kate Spade Vita frames instead:

That was Monday. I was promised the new glasses to be ready on Friday. Meanwhile they are not ready today, maybe not tomorrow, and I get blinding migraines from the sun. So I can't drive at all in the daytime. I've gone through a pack of Maxalt XL this week, plus added painkillers for break-through pain (and I take a migraine preventive too). I have not suffered this much from migraines in years. Tomorrow cannot go to the optician's because it is DD#2's concert at Lincoln Center (where I have to be all day; she has to be there at 8 am for rehearsal. Concert time is 3 pm if you want to drop by State Theater. She'll be playing the first clarinet part.) So a bit of pampering was in order. I had to get this lipstick color, a limited edition, supposedly what Princess Graces wore on her wedding day.

Then because I am going to LA for 2 weeks in January, I had to get this one to wear with a fake tan:

And this to wear while tootling around the hotspots: Malibu, Beverly Hills (where I'll be staying part of the time), San Marino (all right, near San Marino! Duarte, if you must know), Hesperia (the High Desert, dahling), and so forth.

And of course the new clothes, since we are all going for my youngest nephew's bar-mitzvah, and we need all sorts of new outfits for for a chssidic bar-mitzvah in Southern California in January. If that isn't a sartorial challenge, I don't know what is!

Knitting stuff: Finished my mystery hat pattern. Take a peek:

That's the obverse. Here's the reverse side that faces you as you knit:

I suppose which side shows is a matter of preference. The way I have it is traditional but I kind of like the reverse side too. Guess if you knit it right it could be reversible (I had a knot so it didn't work out for me). The yarn is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted in Turquoise Sea (a bit more green than the photo shows) and the needle size was US 7 (Inox Express). Haven't done any more on Rogue; the warm autumn weather isn't inspiring me to finish socks, hats, or sweaters. Maybe when I get my sunglasses and my eyes go back to normal I'll be motivated again. still, this afternoon we trekked out to see "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in 3-D. Loved it even more this time around. Why isn't Danny Elfman in the movie composer Hall of Fame next to Howard Shore, please tell me? We'll see if wearing the 3-D glasses gives me a migraine. Sure hope not. Better go take the meds now; wouldn't do to have migraine during DD's debut tomorrow!

Rogue Hoodie Progress

So here's Rogue, in Morning Dew Rowan Magpie, good color to show off those Celtic cables. And the pocket front is done; yes that is a Guernsey cast-on I used (why, when it will be hidden in the hem? I dunno- easy, stretchy, didn't have to pre-measure yarn for cast-on, take yer pick). O! do I wish I had though of using a lifeline to mark the first row of the pocket front. O! did I wish it as I was picking up and repicking up stitches last night (until 2 pm, started right after breaking the Yom Kippur fast and decided I had to finish the pocket front, including pick-up stitches). O! why did I not Google for Rogue hoodie; I would have found THIS, in which much useful information is included. But most of it I already goofed up and learned from my mistakes (I hope). Seriously, the 19 page pattern could have used a few of the tips from this page (plus mine own sole tip). At least put this page up as a link on the mods or FAQ page! More thoughts: Instead of picking up a pocket (say that 5 times real fast, Peter Piper), what if one were to m2 out of every one of the 51 sts for the pocket front, threading alternate sts on a lifeline? One would then have sts ready to go for the body when the pocket front is completed. Hmmm, if I make this again, say for DD#2 who may start clamoring when she lays eyes on either the Ruby Magpie or the Burgundy or Mid-Blue Jaeger Shetland Aran I have stashed away (another discontinued, lamented yarn; indeed, all of Jaeger is slated to be but a memory ... but I digress). I am intrigued with making this into a cardi; I have the note on it, started it as a cardi, got frustrated when I got up to the pocket part, then DD#1 said she wants a pullover, not as cardi (whew!). Almost enough to make this steek virgin make a Rogue cardi- using a steek down the front. I'd baste down anyway, and sew the pocket edges; wonder if you can do a steek and create enough border to set a zipper in. After mastering socks and circular knitting, it seems I am ready for anything. Where're my Alice Starmore books? If I do make a cardi using a steek, I know I'll follow EZ's advice to lie down in a dark room with a cold cloth over the face after cutting the steek. I'll emend that to say: after imbibing a snifter of cognac, or 2, as needed! If you're a veteran steeker, would you mind telling me the best scissors to use? Veronika Avery, knitting designer, says big dressmaker shears, others say small pointy ones. And if you've a nice cognac to recommend, that would be fine, too.

Guernsey Cast-On Tutorial

For the EFA KAL, as I mentioned before, I started my 3rd EFA with a new cast-on I learned in honor of the EFA. To see a close-up of it, click here.
It's really quite easy, much more so than the Channel Island cast on. And you don't have to try to guesstimate how much yarn you need for the cast on edge, like you do with long-tail or Channel Island or German twisted or many other types of cast on methods.
Here's how you do it. ALERT! I'm left-handed so my needle is in my left hand when I cast on.
1) Start with a stitch casted on by the simple cast on (or thumb method), it'll give a nicer appearance than a slip knot. Secure the tail along the needle with your fingers until the 1st stitch is secured . In all the photos, the tail of the yarn goes to the left while the yarn from the ball goes to the right.

2) Cast on a 2nd stitch by the same method.
3) Pull the 1st stitch over the newest stitch you made and tighten slightly. One stitch has been cast on.

4) Cast on 2 more stitches by the thumb method.

5) Pull the 1st of these 2 stitches over the 2nd and tighten slightly, now you have 2 stitches cast on.

6) Continue in this manner, always casting on 2 new stitches by the thumb method and pulling the 1st of the new stitches over the 2nd of the new stitches.

Study what you have done: each time you pull the 1st stitch over the second, you create a little knot that secures the stitch in place. Plus, you created spaces between your stitches that will make your edge elastic when you knit your ribbing. With this cast on, I found that I could get a nice springy edge in 1x1 ribbing without using 2 needles to create width while I casted on. Look at both sides of your cast-on edge: they look different. Which edge is right side and which is wrong side is up to you; I decided after I began knitting that I liked the edge with the yarn tail coming off to my left more, so that's the right side of my EFA.