Days of Wine and, er, Wine

As I look over my knitting for 2010, I'm struck by a couple of major color themes that emerged.

First was the blue theme, with Milkshake and Carefree both in shades of blue. Then there was the Bluebell scarf in deep silver-shot blue, Swallowtail shawl in lovely azure. Added the Undulating Rib socks to the mix of azures. Seguéed to the teal of Twist, and the marine blue plus ivory that is the Toggle Knot Cable sweater. Which led to an ivory Wilson hat, tied to the pale beige of a Shetland shawl and the cream of a kitchen towel. Oh sure I got side-tracked along the way, with a pink Shetland Triangle shawl and a bunch of colorful baby accessories, not to mention a blanket for DD#2.

But the days of wine and wine are upon us. Perhaps they started with Evenstar and the Hugs & Kisses scarf, both in the same deep shade of burgundy wine. Now here's Peggy, in a claret color I could drink.

The recipient is happy with Peggy's fit and claims it is her warmest sweater (no doubt the alpaca in the yarn is part of the reason):

I'm still plodding away on wine-dark Maidenhair. Making this is an odyssey in itself: 55 repeats of 55 rows of 235 stitches. No wonder I feel inebriated when I work on it. To finish off the year, how about Norah Gaughan's Silures in port-red yarn?

The yarn is Rowan Magpie Aran, color, Ruby. The vest is DH's belated birthday gift (hey, I can only knit so quickly). If we were to sample wines to match these yarns, we'd have port, claret, Burgundy, Zinfandel, maybe even Beaujolais or Côtes du Provence. I could drink to that!

Speaking of DH, he will have his hernia repair done one week from tomorrow. It will be same-day surgery but not laparoscopic surgery (hernia too big for that procedure). All positive prayers, thoughts, and wishes greatly appreciated.

Spinning a Yarn

Remember this pretty little spindle I bought last month at Rhinebeck? I used it on the Cotswold roving to make this:

Yeah, go ahead and laugh; I know it's quite pathetic. In fact, I intend to save these ~200 yards of handspun madness as a reminder that we all start out as rank amateurs (and I don't think spinners start out any ranker than this). I suspected that besides my non-existent spinning skills, my pretty spindle wasn't really up to snuff, at least for a beginner. Ravelry spinners recommended several name-brands to me, and so I bought a Kundert spindle in walnut and maple:

It came with the tie-dyed roving you see wrapped around it. I took it for its maiden spin to the spinning guild meeting yesterday. I was the lone person using a hand spindle; everyone else had wheels: Louets, Schachts, Ashfords, you name it, it was there. One wheel in particular was made of gorgeous chestnut-colored wood, with leaves carved around the wheel. It was quite a thing of beauty. Naturally, everyone told me how hard it was to spindle, how easy it was to use a wheel, and how everyone present started with a hand spindle. Two lovely ladies helped me used my Kundert spindle. One, V, took my pretty painted one for a spin and determined that it was not balanced well-enough for me to use (she of course could make a lace-weight yarn out of my BFL roving like that spindle were a $300 Golding!). So I guess I'll use it as a hand-supported spindle, or stick it in a basket as decoration. My Kundert, which weighs 1.3 ounces, V though was too light for a beginner (yikes! and it came as part of a learn to spin kit!!). However, if I draft well (I still really suck at drafting), I should be able to use it. Bonus: I can use it as a top or bottom whorl. Ha- I actually think I like it as a bottom whorl more.

I also bought the cheap $9 lucet:

It's made of walnut, so for $9 I think I really got a bargain. I haven't used it yet; I've been waxing it since it came unfinished. When I like the gloss, I'll start cranking out cord.

On the knitting front, Peggy is about 97% done. I have about 5 rows left on the 2nd sleeve. The body is made up, waiting for the sleeves.

My hairdresser is expecting a wee one on Valentine's Day, so I'm making some bibs. Here's the first, modeled by Betsy:

This is a pattern from the Down Cloverlaine website (link on the sidebar) called Baby Ripples; I modified it a bit. I may make another in the same Peaches and Crème Fiesta yarn.

DD#1 still has lots of stuff at our house that I keep threatening to make disappear. The other week she realized that the dressy hat she insisted I make her when she was in college is still at my house. Now she wants it again (I don't think she wore it once while she was at college, to be honest).

Nice, isn't it? Made of Tahki Sable that is 70% Merino wool and 30% angora, it's sooo soft. The pattern is the cover hat by Nicky Epstein on the Vogue Knitting Winter 94/95 issue, only I made it shorter, in one color, and left off the snowflake and reindeer embroidery. (In case you have that issue and were wondering.)

Later this week DH and I go to Atlanta, GA, where my scientific society is having its annual meeting. I'll be speaking next Sunday about my cancer research. Might take a project along for the plane; can't decide. Flying is such a hassle and TSA is somewhat capricious.

Collie Show

Yesterday was a cold day, the kind of day we call "collie weather." As if it were planned, the Collie Club of North Jersey's annual show was yesterday. We all went, 4 humans and 3 (that's right, 3) collies. You see, the rescue group called DD#1 the other week to foster a pup. She fostered before for co-op credit in collie and Rocky is a rescued collie from their affiliated group in central Jersey. When a few smoothie pups came their way, DD#1 popped up on their inner radar. So Col, a lively 10 month old that's BIGGER than Rocky, joined our lives. Yesterday was Col's opportunity to shine as the prospective adoptee of the month.

That's Col on the right (the sable). Is he shining enough for you? Skye hopes so. He's gotten so used to being top dog in DD#1's house (though he loves to visit Rocky every chance he gets) that Skye hopes someone will fall in love with Col and take him, please. Col really is very loveable but DH does not want a second dog in the house. I suppose 4 years with Skye (who's a bit of a clown) was enough for DH and so I won't push the issue.

That said, DH did fall for this little fellow. If he had a "Buy Me" sign on him, I think we'd have gone home with a fourth collie.

Last week we took some photos of this house all ready for Hallowe'en:

Well last night DH just had to see it in the dark. Turns out he was not alone...

We couldn't get near the place!

This is the best we could do. Those are FLAMES shooting out from torches flanking the double window, with little ghosts strung on wire from a tree. You can see the red eye of the giant skull peeking out between the branches of the blue spruce towrds the left.

Not to be outdone, these neighbors did their best to recreate Shelob's lair from the Lord of the Rings:

Those are little lighted skulls lining the pathway. No trick-or-treaters at this house. Wonder why....

On the knitting front, Peggy now has a zipper and one sleeve done halfway to the armhole decreases. Next week is a meeting of the local spinner's guild. Guess who is going with a brand-new walnut spindle plus more roving?

Scotch on the Rocks with a Twist

That's Twist, completed and modeled by DD#1 (still in her scrubs, she's so excited to finally get it).

But wait... what's that sneaking in for a petting?

Why, it's Auchentoshan on the Rocks, CGC, aka Rocky. Not one to be left out of the action, the Twist photo shoot turned into this:

and then this:


and finally this:

(he wouldn't sit still for a nice pose).

A Knitting Storey

There's a marvelous knitting designer out there. Named Martin Storey (that's him wearing his design, Morris). Perhaps you've seen his fantabulous designs for Rowan yarns, perhaps you saw them for the now-defunct Jaeger yarn line. Wherever you saw them, did you swoon over their perfection for today?

I did. I bought his books for Rowan featuring Soft Lux (soft, soft, soft), and his summer book from a couple of years ago.


And one of his Jaeger Handknits books.


I made Milkshake from the Rowan summer book. Why? Because the shaping, the neckline, the proportions were perfect, darling. I made that sweater out of Filatura di Crosa yarn (itself wondrous to work with and wear), and wore it to several weddings to rave reviews. As in, "No, you did not make that yourself; it looks professionally done!" Exclaimed several times in loud voices. I was kvelling (Yiddish for swelling with pride), I tell you.

Now, this Jaeger book has 15 designs and all of them are winners. When was the last time that happened? The sizing runs from extra-petite to, shall we say, suitable for the quite well-endowed. The yarns are no longer available, BUT they are standard DK-weight yarns, running 22 stitches to 4 inches so finding suitable substitutes should not be a challenge. DD#2 took one look at the book and wanted every last one. Though I love her dearly, truly, 15 sweaters were just not happening. Plus DD#2 told me she needed a cardi more than a pullover, and she'll never wear a sleeveless shell even as an underlayer (she prefers thin camis). After long thought, this design won:

Peggy, it's called. Cables on every right side row. To be made in DD#2's favorite color, Burgundy (of Jaeger Shetland, a blend of soft wool and alpaca). It's worsted weight to be sure, but I'm making it in the smallest size so it'll be more like a jacket than a light cardi. DD#2 goes to college in Maryland; this will be her go-to outerwear for most of fall and all of spring.
Did I say cables on every right side row? Did I say that most patterns in this book feature either cables or lace motifs? Did I say that the patterns are not charted? This is 2010, you'd think that charts are now de rigueur. Guess who charted Peggy (the things we do for our kids)?



Note that not only are cables running throughout the garment, the cables are on a background of stockinette stitch, rather than purl stitch. You can't tell from the stock photo but trust me, that's the way it is. The cables at least in Shetland don't pop out quite as much from stockinette as they might from purl. Yet the subtle appearance is part of its charm. I suspect that the Jaeger yarns specified in the book, Trinity and Aqua, are crisper than Shetland, and the cables would have more definition worked in either yarn. Still, this will be one warm jacket when it's completed, and that's the important feature.

Mr. Storey, I'll keep knitting your patterns but I'll also keep wishing you'll start charting them. Morris is calling me to be knitted, but I must have charts for those cables.

Saturday is the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Have an easy fast to those who are fasting. May we be sealed in the Book of Good Life for the coming year.

A Bounty of Books

The New Year holiday was a welcome break from intense work activity. Synagogue services were inspiring, lunch with friends was delicious and fun. USPS worked through it as usual, bringing me some wonderful "presents" in the form of books, one of which I'd been awaiting since May.

First book I cracked open (post-holiday) was Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously by Adrienne Martini. In case you don't know, the 2 books are related by virtue of the fact that Martini wrote about how she spent a year knitting a design by the author of the second book. The design is Mary Tudor, and it was published in the out of print Tudor Roses, which I am lucky enough to own. I followed Martini's adventures along with Tudor Roses open at my side. I could appreciate the art and the craft of the design, the intricacy of the colors, the beauty of the finished product. Martini included no pictures, which several people on Amazon commented about in their reviews. The book entertained me for the most part until the end: the sweater did not fit Martini. How she didn't know this a priori boggles my mind: the schematics are right there, in black and white. Now, I've been known to resize a sweater (not drastically, mind). Often, going up a needle size or 2 can be enough (often, not always). In the case of designs by AS, who might specify a size 5 (3.75 mm) needle for bainin (Aran-weight wool from Ireland) to make a sweater waterproof, going up a needle size will not only make it larger but may give it better drape. If you don't need a waterproof sweater, why not make it to suit you? I was left, well, cold upon reading that Martini balled up Mary Tudor, stuck it in the closet, and declared that she's a process knitter. Well, so am I (that's my excuse for my kntter's ADD and I'm sticking to it), but I still make sweaters that fit folks (most of the time- I'm only human after all). And I look at schematics before picking out yarn and needles to see if size needs adjusting. The ending did not satisfy me as a reader or as a knitter.

A case in point about resizing a sweater is ongoing due to the second book I received, the long-awaited (since May) reprint of AS' Aran Knitting. We'll get to it in a moment. I have the first edition, and now the second. I do not regret owning both. The photography in the second is mostly updated, so you get more beautiful shots of sweaters (in new colorways) set against beautiful scenery. There's an retrospective introduction, with a couple of fantastic (in the sense of fantasy) claims made. And then there's the new design: Eala Bhan, which means fair or white swan.

To say it is gorgeous is to understate its elegance, its perfection (I couldn't get scans of the sides and back of the sweater to show you; trust me on this). BUT its largest size is like Mary Tudor, which is a tad too small for me. Oh it'll fit if I wanted it to be a blouse. But I need a dressy cardi for Sabbath winter eves. when I have the thermostat cranked down. I'm making the lovely White Lies Designs Collette for DD#2 in ivory wool (as soon as I'm caught up with other knitting); I don't think the Mom and Daughter thing will go over too well. Eala Bhan will suit quite nicely if I can get the size to work for me. My plan now as I mull it over is to make the largest size 10% larger by using a DK-weight yarn in place of the light sport-weight specified in the book. That'll give me the ease I need and I should be able to knit the pattern as written. A bit longer won't bother me, and I know I want the sleeves shorter than they are on the model. As befits a fair white swan, I'll look for a lovely ivory or winter white color.

Meanwhile, I finished the body to Twist and am currently blocking it.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. The pieces are wrong-side up, so I could flatten the edges. I love Magpie but its one drawback is that it's so tightly plied it curls like the very devil when knit in stockinette stitch. I now regret not having knitted the body in one piece, but what's done is done. Pattern says to block before adding the hood. DD#1 is now vacillating about whether she wants sleeves or not (please, not! there's so much other knitting I have to get to!).

And I have yet to take a photo of the new project for DD#2, but that's its own story (and therein lies a clue).

Now what?

Now that I've decided to rework my Norah Gaughan top in Mistral instead of Jaeger Ascot, what shall I do with the 26 skeins of Ascot sitting in my cedar chest? Answer: make this luscious lovely!

I need another lightweight cardi anyway, in addition to my favorite Bernat one (a gal can't have too many nice cardis, right?). I was considering making Cerisara but don't think it'll be too flattering on me. I've never made anything from White Lies Designs before, but reading about the designer/founder/creater Joan McGowan-Michael and how she designs for those of us with less than sylph-like proportions (that would include yours truly, *cough cough*), I think Colette would look nicer on moi. Plus it has lace edgings, and I am becoming hooked on lace edgings.

I am officially half-way done with the edging to Evenstar. I am also nearly officially out of beads. To give you an idea of the devotion this project required, the edging alone needs ~11,200 stitches worked, with 5 beads ever other row (nearly 3,000 beads in all). When I need a break from Evenstar, I alternate between the Norah Gaughan top and finishing up (finally) socks promised to DD#1 around 2 years ago (has it been that long, really?)

Ignore the gaping toe; this sock is now complete and the leg of sock #2 is over 80% completed. Yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit, a cotton blend, very nice and soft. Pattern is Jeanie Townsend's Baby's Breath. Easy to memorize. Get it from her website.