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Blog EntriesThis is getting boring I know…
Posted on | May 16, 2007 | 1 Comment
I finished the 3rd glove and it matches its mate (the 2nd glove) in size perfectly. I’m so impressed with myself for finishing 3 gloves. I’m usually so bad at finishing the 2nd sock, the 2nd glove, the 2nd sleeve, etc. Still, knitting the same glove over and over again doesn’t make for very exciting blog posts, sorry… But I’m quite pleased with my fair isle knitting experience and may even tackle a larger project next – maybe one of Nancy Bush’s Estonian socks (where the fair isle is confined to the cuff) or even a sweater!
Hopefully soon I’ll have a little more to post. I think One Planet Yarn and Fiber is releasing one of my patterns soon. When they do, I’ll be able to post some of my own pictures and impressions of the project.
I’m also working on a secret project that I’m really excited about. I don’t mean to be coy, but I’m superstitious and don’t want to jinx this. Feel free to email me if you’re curious, I just don’t want to post it in a public place. Suffice it to say that it’s something that I’ve been pursuing for a few months and am thrilled that it’s happening.
3rd glove syndrome
Posted on | May 1, 2007 | 7 Comments
I did finish the second glove. And look how good I was, I made the second glove a left glove too so I wouldn’t be tempted to just stop at the second glove and use a mismatched (size-wise) pair.
The second glove is slightly too large, but I prefer a slightly large glove to a slightly small glove. Now, I just need to cast on and knit its mate (easier said than done).
Thoughts on the pattern:
I like the pattern. There’s a definite left and right hand which is nice since our hands aren’t identical. I also like the amount of fair isle in the gloves – just enough to provide visual interest, but not so much as to be overwhelming for a first time fair isler.
Making the glove a second time was instructive. I always have problems with holes in gloves. I find that I need to pick up more stitches than the miserly number patterns usually prescribe. I then reduce the amount of stitches to the right amount on succeeding rounds. Any remaining gaps, I fill in when weaving in ends.
2nd or 3rd Glove Syndrome?
Posted on | April 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
I finished a glove and here she is in all her fair isle glory:
But, alas, she is too small! The pattern calls for 8 sts/in, but it’s a one-size fits all pattern and my hand span is a bit smaller than the average hand. Plus, trying on Calia’s almost completed glove at the shop, I figured I could knit it a bit tighter and have it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, I guess I overdid the tight knitting (as usual) and my gauge turned out to be 9.5 sts/in. So, the glove fits, but kind of cuts off my circulation too.
Thus the 2nd (and 3rd) glove dilemma. I have a few orphaned socks lounging about waiting for their mates to be finished and I suspect I won’t be any more conscientious with gloves – especially gloves that I’ve already knit poorly the first time out. I’ve cast on for a second glove in the next needle size. Let’s see how far I’ll get before I throw in the towel.
Still, this glove sans hand is quite pretty. I wish I could frame it and not waste my efforts completely…
FOs and the beginnings of fair isle obsession
Posted on | April 27, 2007 | 2 Comments
As I mentioned in my last post, I just finished my first felted project (a design for One Planet Yarn and Fiber that I can’t reveal yet) and I find myself wanting to make more felted objects – slippers, bags, pouches, makeup bags, etc. To satisfy this new thirst, I casted on for the Lucy Bag last week and managed to finish it this week. With the help of my wonderfully talented 
Finished Rowan Bag
Posted on | April 21, 2007 | 4 Comments
The Best LYS
Posted on | April 19, 2007 | 3 Comments
I’ve always wondered, does LYS stand for Local Yarn Shop or Little Yarn Shop? I guess for me, since my LYS is located in Ithaca (NY) and I live in New Brunswick (NJ), LYS will have to stand for Little Yarn Shop since Ithaca and New Brunswick aren’t local to each other by any stretch of the imagination (for the curious, Mapquest puts the distance at 215 miles).
Knitting Etc is the most welcoming yarn shop I’ve ever been to (and if you ask my husband, that’s a lot of shops since I often plan trips around visiting the area’s yarn meccas). There’s a long, rectangular table set in the center of the store where everyone is welcome to sit for a spell (or 8 hours!) and knit, talk, or flip through books. Hickory, the owner, is very knowledgeable about knitting and yarn – often identifying yarn and patterns with the barest hint. To be in Knitting Etc is to be surrounded by a heady nirvana of textures, colors, and inspiration. It’s often the first place I go to when I set foot in Ithaca.
Two Fridays ago, Knitting Etc had its first Happy Hour – a two hour stitch-eat-n-bitch fest. But I’ll let the photos tell the story:
That’s Ellie (Hickory’s sister and a new knitter who’s already knitting socks, hats, and her first sweater) on the left in the second photo, trying to duck out of my camera’s range.
I’m just glad Knitting Etc in its current incarnation didn’t exist when I was a grad student at Cornell – I would have gotten even less done if it had!
Class with Kate Gilbert Woo Hoo!
Posted on | April 13, 2007 | 3 Comments
I’m going to be taking a class with Kate Gilbert (of Clapotis, and Interweave Knits fame) tomorrow morning in Rochester! Yay! I love her designs and while the class is a basic raglan sweater class, I’m really excited about meeting her and (hopefully) soaking up a bit of her extensive knowledge.
One Weird Thing About Me
Posted on | March 31, 2007 | 5 Comments
There’s this meme going around – six weird things about me – where the subject reveals six weird things about him/her. Well, once I start, I might not be able to stop so I’ll just confine myself to one, knitting-related weird thing about me.
I get stressed when yarn cakes start to look like this:
I really like the photography (photography can really make or break a knitting book) and can’t wait to see what the other designs are like.
You know it’s late when…
Posted on | March 29, 2007 | 1 Comment
…the Nickelodean channel programming changes from guilty pleasures sitcoms from the 80s/90s (i.e. Full House) to kid shows (i.e. Rugrats) — for the record, that happens at 6 a.m.
I’m off to sleep!
Pretty yarn, American Idol, and Eunny Jang
Posted on | March 15, 2007 | 5 Comments
Look! Pretty yarn!
After giving myself a two-day break, I’m ready to start my next design project. The yarn is Lanas Puras, a supersoft worsted weight merino handdyed by the talented Yarn Botanika – look at the subtle variation in the cream skein (gorgeous!). The skeins are wound up and ready for swatching. I find that that first stitch is always hardest for me. I like to look at the beautiful yarn and dream of the possibilities. Casting on and actually knitting seems to whittle away these possibilities, making mundane what once was boundless. But lest you think I’m overly negative, I should say that I have been pleased with final products. Still, that mental block can be hard to overcome.
Being out of a job is a weird and kind of stressful experience. I find myself watching American Idol for the first time. I never understood the appeal of this show, but this was before I watched a minute of it. Now, after faithfully watching season 6 from initial auditions to Hollywood week to the current 11-finalist lineup, I am hooked. There is something fascinating about watching these contestants go from unpolished a cappella riffing in a small room with just the 3 judges in attendance to singing in a concert hall wearing stylist-assisted wardrobes. You feel like you know the person, you have an investment in their success, you cringe at their missteps and rejoice in their triumphs. Having said that, I have yet to (and probably never will) vote.
In much the same way as I’ve come to root for certain Idol contestants, I also root for those bloggers I read regularly. Their successes are exciting; their disappointments sad. I guess that’s why Eunny Jang’s announcement generated such commotion in the blogworld — something good was happening to someone we “know”. I started reading her blog about a year ago, when her comments numbered in the 50s rather than the 100s. And even then, I joined the bandwagon late, long after her popularity had already taken firm hold. And so while I’m thrilled for her, it’s the displaced thrill of a citizen for a celebrity; does that make sense or am I babbling?