Old Cat, New Bed

A couple years ago I made beds for my 3 grandcats, but my own kitties had gone bedless. After getting some furniture reupholstered, though, it seemsd like a good time to make a bed for the cat who had claimed a spot on the new upholstery. Frau Kitze is a sweet old lady of 20 who sits in my lap every evening as I knit (and contributes some natural fiber of her own to every project.) She seems to be enjoying the bed, which is based on the improved cat bed pattern from Wendy's book. The improvement is that the side wall is doubled, so it is less prone to flop over.
I made a scarf this weekend for DS's girlfriend, using some pink ribbon and novelty yarns knit longwise. It is very cute (for someone less than 40) and since she expects to live in Colorado next year it should be useful. It was so much fun to make; I felt like I was knitting a party.
I saw the new Knitty on Friday and found 3 gotta-have projects: Spirogyra, Laminaria, and the Ribbon Lace scarf. I stopped at the LYS on the way home and bought a skein of Silky Kid (on sale) for Spirogyra, and the left on is almost done. I went one size down on the needles and it is still a bit loose in the wrist, but I can't wait to have them for meetings in super-chilled conference rooms. I plan to make the other projects with stash yarn--a big skein of Pro Natura Trekking (wool and bamboo in deep blues and greens) for the Ribbon Lace scarf, and Malabrigo lace-weight merino in blues and grays for the laminaria. It feels good to find tempting patterns for yarn I already own.

Belle Complete

It is finished; I've worn it, it is just as nice as I hoped it would be. The yarn's hollow core construction makes the sweater very light, which is important because of all the cables in the peplum. There are a few minor mistakes that I discovered way too late to correct, but for the most part everything worked out okay (probably because I was willing to rip back or tink back an fix problems as they came up.)
BTW, the pictures are not just to show you the sweater, but also the redone patio. It was a birthday present; we hired a true concrete artist to resurface the patio and create the faux paving stones. It exceeded our expectations!
Since I finished la belle dame, I've gone on to mindless projects--a stash-eating cat bed and finishing up the silky wool seed stitch tie. There are just a few inches to go. My thumb has been hurting and I think small needles and lightweight projects will be theraputic. (The cat bed was a mistake!)
There are several thing in the new Knitty that have piqued my interest, esp. the Estonian shawl. Is it light? yes! Are the needles small? yes!
Gotta flit; work calls.

Is this Progress?

I really thought I would be wearing this sweater to a party tonight, but totally underestimated the finishing time. On Tuesday the three main pieces were complete, and I thought a couple evening's knitting would bring it all home. Silly me. I had left everything on waste yarn (instead of binding off) to check the fit and proportions, and it took two whole episodes of "Slings and Arrows" to bind off the peplum. The back band took me through "Law and Order."

On Thursday, my knitting time was short because of my weekly Voces Angelorum rehearsal. I finished the back band and started the button band, which brings us what you see in the photos. The top photo is closer to the real color, but the lower one shows the cable detail better.

I found these buttons last week and really like them, even though they weren't what I had in mind. Silver buttons, which I thought would be my choice, looked too yellow next to the sweater, which is really silver and black. These buttons have a medieval or Viking look that appeals to me. This sweater began with the idea that I wanted to knit some "armor."
The real progress has been in finding the perfect name for this project. Vogue called it "Silver Belle" and I thought of it as just "The Belle," but now I've changed my mind. It is "La Belle Dame sans Merci" which hath me in thrall.

Things I've Learned from the Silver Belle

Every project is a learning opportunity, and the Belle has been the equivalent of a 4 hour course plus labs! There have been the obvious lessons of learning how to work cables and trinity stitch, but a few more subtle ones, too. Here are they are (so far):
- Read the pattern one more time than you think is necessary (learned from reversing the left and right edging bands)
- Pay attention to the cable crosses (learned from tinking back several rows several times)
- Check Ravelry and Google to see what other people have learned while making the same pattern
- Use small hair clips (butterfly clips) to hold pieces togehter while you try them on (actually, I learned this one a while ago), and
- Do not bind off pieces while you are working on other pieces! Instead , put the live stitches on waste yarn and assemble everything with those little clips so you can try on before you bind off! I learned this after I bound off the peplum and realized later that it was too short.

I'm sure I'll learn several more things before this is over, but with the peplum (now lengthened) and one sleeve/bodice complete the end is in sight!

Over the weekend I took time off from knitting to make this little item! A gym friend and fellow baroque music fan gave me the tile last fall, and I knew it should be a hot pad. There are always plenty of wine corks around, so I trimmed some of them so the tile would be flush with the frame and glued everything together. Cute, no?

It was a beautiful 70 degree weekend so I worked outside, too, pruning roses and grape vines and planting petunias in window boxes.

Sweet Silver Belle

The Belle continues to be the focus of my knitting activity, and it continues to be amusing and diverting. Making sure those cables cross the right way keeps my attention, and the sleeve rows are so short that there is always time for one more. I thought the first sleeve was long enough and had cast on for the bodice, but decided after a few inches that the sleeve needed to be longer (or the bodice would be too wide) and ripped back and added 12 more rows. I also decided to make the bodice longer, based on Ravelry comments and a hard assessment of my own "bodice." I'll probably go back and add another inch to the peplum to balance the additional bodice length, but I have plenty of yarn, so there is no problem. There is a race with the calendar, though, to wear it this year.

I took a Belle break a few weeks ago and made the Bow Knot Scarf for DD2, to protect her from the icy gales off Long Island Sound. It took a few hours and was lots of fun. This one was made with stash yarn, but I'm tempted to buy some super-soft merino to make another one.

After a futile search for a runner that's narrow enough for this cabinet, I visited the sale corner of the local upholstery shop and bought fabric. It took longer than I anticipated, but I think the finished product works, and it was finished in time for Saturday's dinner party!

Well, work is heating up and my knitting and blogging will probably suffer, but I'll check in from time to time.

Quick Update

Here it is--the first 30 rows of the peplum of Silver Belle. There would be more progress if I hadn't misread the charts and reversed the button bands. Be warned, the way they are presented on the pdf is confusing, at least to me. Anyway, I spent 4 evenings tinking two 12-stitch, 22 row sections. I've done two 32-stitch decreases so everyting fits on the needle better and it is going faster. It would be nice to finish this before the weather is too warm to wear it.

Old Projects, Knitter Gifts, New Plans

My goal had been to finish the Hanne Falkenberg-esque tank top before the new year, and I missed by only a few hours. It had its beginning last spring; I was wearing the cardigan in a cold meeting room, and it occurred to me that I had enough leftover wool to make a matching sleeveless pullover. It would be a Falkenberg twinset! It was pretty easy until I got to the shoulder pieces, which were a conceptual challenge, and then the weather got too hot to think about wool sweaters. In early December I pulled it out, and had two unsucessful attempts. The third time was the charm, but it was harrowing becasue the blue yarn was disappearing fast! I finished with about 6 inches to spare.

My children, who all excel at taking hints, gave me knitting presents. DD1 gave me
The Knitter's Book of Yarn and A History of Hand Knitting. DD2 gave me a precision scale for weighing yarn, and DS came through with a pair of Signature Needles (size 4, 7", stiletto points.)

2007 ended with with 3 WIPs: a seed stitch necktie in Silky Wool, ad scarf from a kit that DD1 bought in Paris, and the Elven Cloak. Since New Years I've worked 5 rows of Silver Belle , which is an accomplishment at 400+ stitches per row! Other projects in the queue are a scarf out of some Malabrigo Lace Baby Merino worked on the Signature needles, using a pattern from the Knitters' Book of Yarn, and diagonal washcloths in Patons Grace in Tangelo, to match the saffron kitchen color.

As for resolutions, there are only three. First I resolve to improve the quality of my purling. Second I resolve to knit at least every other project from my stash. The last resolution is the hardest; I resolve to knit less. Knitting is so much fun and is so reinforcing that it seems to have crowded out other important things from my life. I resolve to get myself back to the garden (just like Joni Mitchell said) and the gym.

Christ-knits

Well, here they are, the long-promised Christmas knits! The sweaters are both the Cuthbert pattern from Noro Unlimited, the first one knit in Noro blossom, the second knit in Mission Falls 1824 cotton. For me the yarns have the same stitch guage, but the cotton takes fewer rows. This pattern is quick and fun to knit, and both recipients seemed happy to get them. The mittens were a late inspiration and worked up so fast with Brown Sheep Lambs Pride.















I made caps for the boyfriends



and scarves for Marina, who has been cutting my hair for 15 years, and DD 1.


















The shawl is my own design and it took a while to figure out how to wear it once it was made. The addition of a button and loop, plus a snap inside, seems to have solved the problem.






There were a few other knitted gifts--socks, catnip toys, and washcloths--but for now I'm happy to be knitting for myself. Last night I cast on for this pattern.




Happy knitting in 2008!

Ellen

New Wallpaper and a Trip Outa' Town

Here they are--the boring 18 year old striped wallpaper in the front hall and the new, outre undulating fern wallpaper. It is amazing that my husband and I had no trouble agreeing on this pattern, even though I had brought 4 books home to choose from. I haven't rehung the pictures, and I don't know whether to give such a prominent place to the 14 year old portrait of the kids. Any thoughts?

The other pictures were taken in St. Augustine this weekend. DH and I went over to see his brother who was there for a few days, and also to hang out in our favorite place in Florida. We've been there so often there is nothing new to see; we just have to decide what to see again. We did sample a new restaurant for breakfast (it was great!) and went back to the lighthouse. The picture is looking out over Anastasia Island to the Atlantic from the top of the lighthouse. You can see that things are still very green for November.














I had lots of knitting time in the car and made progress on the second sock and the Silken Straw scarf. Next week we are going to New Orleans for a few days (he has a conference) and there is always good car knitting on that trip. It would be nice to finish up the WIPs and plunge into the queue.

So Long Gone

I have excuses, really! There were home improvement projects that rudely elbowed their way into my "leisure time," Christmas knitting projects that can't be pictured or even described, and then there was the work project from hell that consumed most of October. It's true--I worked 285 hours last month!

In the last week I've been trying to get rested and organized. Yesterday I even completed a stash inventory! What I discovered:
-every completed project results in 1 or 2 extra skeins
-combining these with purchases of single skeins, I could make scarves and hats for several years without buying more yarn
-there is also enough sock yarn to last a long time, since I don't plan my own summer of socks!
-I over-estimated my enthusiasm for felting
-the Crayon box cardigan I began last year might as well sleep with the frogs because I can hardly stand the thought of all those miters.

Along with the inventory, I also made a list of WIPs and FOs, and set up the queue.

WIPs, and progress on each one: Christmas sweater for DD1 (1/2), Step socks for daughter of friend (1/2), Alchemy silken Straw scarf (3/4), mohair/novelty diagonal stripe scarf (3/4), Elven Cloak (Spiral Nebula shawl in Mister Joe Blanket. I'm using a moss green that doesn't seem to be available now from elann), and final adjustments on the Hanne Falkenberg-esque tank top.

Gotta flit for now; hope to be back soon with pictures, FO's and the queue.

Finish-itis

 
Three projects done, how many to go? Unlike Stephanie, I can't bring myself to take pictures of the works in progress. I am pleased as can be, though , to have finished the fraternal socks, red scarf project scarf, and Mission Falls cotton lap blanket (or back-of-the-sofa blanket.) The socks were supposed to have Elizabeth Zimmerman's replaceable sole, but after three tries I gave up. The sole was either too loose or too tight. Also, the repeat in repeat in the Opal Hundertwasser yarn is very long, so the socks are decidely fraternal.
 
The scarf is ggh merino in a k2p2 rib and somewhat random stripes. I wanted a not-too-girly scarf. Doesn't it flatter the Little Kittle?
 
Mission Falls cotton is my new favorite yarn! Who would have thought a cotton yarn could be so tactile? And the colors are sophisticated and homey at the same time. The colors in the picture are a little muted because it was getting twilight-ish (but still 95 degrees!) when I took the picture. On a recent visit to the Guggenheim in NYC I saw several Kandinsky's that seemed to have the Mission Falls palette. I have plans for a Mission Falls Christmas present, but need to finish a few more works in progress. Last nught I totally frigged up a short-row heel on the second of a pair of Step socks, so tonight I'll try again. For some reason, the heel of the first sock nearly always works on the first try, but I have made some second heels as many as three times!

Just wondering, is "finish-itis" a beneficial computer virus? I think I caught it from Ann.

Ellen

Too Many Pictures

I love Berlin because it isn't all about tourists. I felt like I was visiting among people who are living real lives there. There are still lot's of places to visit, though. The Berliner Dom was built by Kaiser Wilhelm in the late 19th century and is beautiful, but a bit overwrought. The inside of the dome is decorated with scenes of the beatitudes, which seems ironic in the context of a place where rich and powerful people worship.

Interior of the Berliner Dom

The Berlin Zoo has all the usual zoo attractions right in the heart of the city. Knut is a polar bear born at the Zoo who was abandoned by his mother, so he was raised by hand and is a celebrity.

Knut, the Star of The Berlin Zoo

The train station and the tram show the whole spectrum of the public transportation system. It is very impressive; you can get to most places in the city by at least two, and often three transportation options. There are the U-Bahn(subway), S-Bahn (surface trains), busses, and trams. Between cities there are regional trains and Deutsche Bahn, with lots of high-speed (250 kph) trains.

The huge, beautiful new train station

The tram, a holdover from the divided city. The trams only go east.

I found only one yarn shop in Berlin, but I wasn't looking too hard. It had swatches of every yarn for sale there, including information on how much yardage was used to make each swatch. It made it easy to imagine something actually made from from the yarn, and how many skeins you would need.

LaLaine, a yarn shop near Savigny Platz

Yarn from the yarn shop. I'm going to knit myself some armor!

We took day trips to Dresden, Hannover, and Leipzig. Each is less than 2 hours away by train.

The Armor Museum in Dresden, inspiration for knitting armor.

The Baroque Gardens in Hannover.

The J.S. Bach window in Thomaskirche, Leipzig.

Back in my Own Time Zone

It's good to be home, but it was a great trip! Five days in Copenhagen, eight days in Berlin, and 2 more days in Copenhagen. I'll start with Copenhagen, and report on Berlin later.
Here are things I loved about Copenhagen:
1. The weather was cool and breezy, just what a girl from Tallahassee wants in July!
2. The public transportation system is a dream come true, especially the Metro, where trains come every few minutes.
3. There are few hills, which makes long walks very appealing.
4. Outside the city center it is serene and peaceful with little traffic and wide sidewalks.
5. Hollyhocks grow out of cracks in those sidewalks!
6. Elsinore (called Helsingor) is a short train ride away.
7. You can see Sweden across the Baltic Sea.
8. There is a little mermaid.
9. There is a tree in the Frederiksberg park where parents hang pacifiers that their children have given up, many with fond notes and pictures.

On the downside:
1. Denmark hasn't embraced the idea of clean indoor (or outdoor) air, and the smoke is omnipresent.
2. The area around Tivoli and the Radhus is incredibly congested.
3. The knitting options were limited. The yarns were the same as I can buy here (only more expensive) and the interesting patterns were all in Danish.
4. One knitting shop that looked interesting (in the neighborhood of our hotel) had the sign below in its window. I don't know Danish but I know it means "Closed for July."







There wasn't much knitting time, but I did mke progress on the Diagonal Triangle Top in Bamboo, and a mindless diagonal scarf.

Thoughts on Shawl-Wearing

There is nothing new to show you all, so I want to share some musings on shawls. The yellow mohair one in the picture was made so long ago I don't remember exactly when. It was sometime after I moved to Tallahassee (1980) and started my current job (1990). I keep it at my office for those days when the air conditioning is way low. I keep a lighter woven stole for the sorta cold days. Recently I was working on a project that required long hours in an extremely cold conference room and wore both shawl and stole, held in place with a large brooch. I felt like a character from a Dickens novel, or one of those museum models that show how the Vikings lived. It made me appreciate fitted garments, and glad to have shawls and stoles as options, not necessities.
Shawl/stole wearing seems to require a certain finesse to avoid the extremes of Drama Queen and Jemima Puddleduck. I have read other knitters' comments about the potential frumpiness of shawls, but how about the affectation of stole-wearing?
I would love to read anyone's thoughts on this issue, especially since I keep making shawls and stoles, but have trouble wearing them.
BTW, I'll be out of town for a few weeks and may have limited blogging opportunities, but I'll be back with pictures after July 22.

Getting my (Knitting) Life Back

What a month this has been! Between June 1 and June 14 I worked 90 hours of overtime! No wonder my knitting output fell off.The big project is done, and I am now answering questions and reporting on results, but at least it can be done during a regular workday.

Fortunately, the project did not interfere with my upcoming vacation. On July 6, DH and DS and I go to Copenhagen for 6 days, then to Berlin for 8 days, and back to Copenhagen for 2 days and the flight home. I like the idea of returning to Copenhagen; if we realize we missed something important or really want to see something again there will be an opportunity. DH has a conference in Copenhagen, but for me the trip is pure vacation, and it is for him, too, after the first 5 days. I am lucky to have married a man who is so much fun to travel with.

Last weekend we saw Paris, Je taime. It is very charming and funny in places, and there is a shot of a Paris yarn shop in Montmartre. I will be researching the yarn shops of Copenhagen and Berlin, plus Dresden and Leipzig, which are likely day trips.

The projects pictured above are a button-front top in Berocco Yoga, and the beginnings of a shawl in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton. The top is from a Berocco leaflet and worked up easily. The shawl is all garter stitch, 26 st and 24 rows making a 6" square. I worked out the color placement using cut up paint chips. I want to finish the shawl before the trip because I think it would be a good airplane wrap.

After I finish the shawl I'll get back to the Hanne Flakenberg wannabe twinset. The back is finished and the front well-started; I just hope it works as I envision it.