Shetland Triangle and lace

I have a hard time with lace.  I have to rip out at least 5 times before I can really get going on the project, and even then it’s hard to not make a mistake.  I hate it… and I love it.  It’s addictive.  Why do I torture myself??

But I’ve made a new discovery!  Lace looks great when done on bulky yarn.  I saw the Shetland Triangle in Eco Wool and had to have one.  It just happened we’d just got Eco Wool into Hilltop Yarn, so it was destiny.  It took me a week to finish it because, of course, it flew on my hands, and before I knew it I was giving the finished shawl a good blocking.    I loved EcoWool-  it is soft and fluffly (THICK!) and knit up beautifully.  i will be knitting with his yarn again and again and again.  I can’t wait to go back to the shop!

Stash busting

I’m now working at Hilltop Yarn in Queen Anne in Seattle.  It’s a great place to work and to covet yarn… of course, I’m surrounded by yarn, and my yarn cupboard at home (no small thing) is ready to burst.  So… Mom if you’re reading this… you’re getting fingerless gloves for Christmas, you and everyone else I know.  I’m using up all those one skeins I’ve bought because I fell in love with the yarn- but never used because I never had enough.  So all those Noro skeins… mittens, fingerless gloves and hats,  and that lovely wool/silk, already on the needles…

I finally finished the Shetland Triangle, and right away gave it to Carol since she was leaving the next day.  I hardly had time to block it, let alone photograph it properly which is a shame.  It came out very nice though smaller than I intended.  I used Handpainted Misti Alpaca Lace yarn, and have about 1/2 a skein left of it.   I loved knitting with it, and after blocking I could feel it getting soft and fluffy- and warm.  Maybe I’ll do a small lace scarf for my little one- it would look adorable on her.

December is the time to think about 2009 project- and get rid of the old projects.  I seem to be in a finishing mood.  I’m picking up all those projects still on the needles and finishing them or frogging them… sort of project spring clean.  Though I think I’m more motivated by all that gorgeous yarn in Hilltop that I see and pet everytime I go in- and all those patterns everywhere.  I think I have my projects picked out for 2009 and 2010.

November weather

In England we’d of had 2 months of dreary weather by now.  Here in Seattle the sun was lovely and bright today.  Of course, it’s cold- so that really pushed me to go ahead and finish Keld- which has been hanging over me for some time now.  I loved the pattern, and I loved the yarn- the colour is gorgeous and it is very warm.  I am very happy with the way it came out.  BUT I am not happy with the way it looks on me.  I should have made a shorter garter stictch part to have the waist shaping actually shape my waist.  It was a miscalculation on my part.  Also the round collar in general is not flattering on me (busty and small waist)- so it doens’t look that great on me.  However, it does fit well- the shoulders the arm lenght is all perfect and it keeps me really warm, the whole point of making it in the first place.  So I’m keeping it and wearing it proudly.  Today I got lots of compliments while I wore it around the shop (my new workplace- Hilltop Yarn), so that’s got to be something.

What I did to Keld- the main change was the gauge- since I was using Peace Fleece.  I used size S for the lenght in the pattern and size L for the width and stitch count.  It worked!  Except I wished i had done less of the garter stitch part- about 4″ less!  I also shortened the sleeves - I made them about 6″ shorter and then started the bell of the sleeve.  i have short arms- and I just kept measuring them on my arm until I thougth I had enough lenght.  The sleeves are the perfect lenght now.

So now on to another project to finish!! I really want to get the Clapotis done so I may wear it in this weather.  In the meantime I am exploring the world of toddler mittens- so far Natasha has about 5 mittens- all different sizes and shapes.  I think I have the final ones now- pattern from The Knitter’s Handy book of Patterns by Ann Budd.

going round

I can’t help think that I would have avoided a whole LOT of frogging if I’d decided to do this coat in the round… BUT I do love knitting Peace Fleece on my rosewood needles- and although I also love my Addi Turbos I don’t love them with the Peace Fleece… The CHP flew on the rosewoods, but not that much on the turbos which was a big suprise.  Maybe it’s personal preference…

Note to self: MUST consider doing sweaters and coats in the round before I simply start knitting with the nearest needles to hand… in other words, don’t fall in lust with yarn and pattern and jump into knitting - THINK before you KNIT…

It’s almost like marriage, no?

Keld Coat frogging.. and more moving

This weekend in the big moving weekend… We signed the papers (all the 40 papers or so) and in the next few days, the owners of the house will be signing the same amount of papers- and at some point Saturday, the house will be ours.  On Sunday, all our things from all parts of the USA are going to converge in our new house, and we’ll probably have just enough time to think about cleaning before the movers arrive with our stuff.  To me that means I better get some knitting in QUICK!!!  I will barely be able to find my stash and knitting, much less find time to knit something.

I’ve been busily working away of the Keld Coat, which I love so far… I’ve loved it so much I’ve just been knitting away not realising that I’d made a very fundamental mistake.  I have made the left side shorter than the back- about 10 rows too short- since I’d miscounted as well on the neck line, I thought I might as well frog the whole left side and do it again- do it proper…. I hate having to frog… HATE HATE HATE… but I hate more knowing I’m wearing something that I knit wrong.  I though I might actually get most of the coat done before we move (Peace Fleece is so quick to knit and addictive), but no chance now.  I’ve been pretty monogamous to Keld, which is rare for me.  I usually have several projects on the go at once, but the same happened with the CHP- I couldn’t stop.  I have knitted a few rows of the Thwaite in the yarn it was meant to be in - the British Breeds Sheep Collection Wool- and it is also somewhat addictive.  I’ve come to realise that knitting with wool is what I prefer (at least this year).

I got to wear my CHP yesterday when the weather turned from gorgeous sunny to drab and cold.  I wore it while it rained and I didn’t feel a drop!  I love my CHP!

Moving again… and again… updates

Moving is like childbirth- you forget the pain after a while. So far I’ve moved 3 times in a month, followed by another move 2 months later (where I am now) and there is yet another move at the end of the month. I hope, for my sanity, that this will be the last move for a long time to come.

We have bought a house! Or at least we’re in the process. Before you shout out your congratulations, bear in mind we’ve just signed the next 30 years of our life away. I think our realtor thought we should have been happier than we were, elated even, but no, we were shock. Later we were deep in buyers’ remorse. Still, I don’t think we’ve made a bad purchase. We’ve seen more than 100 houses and none really met with everything we wanted… well, one did, the one we could not buy (thanks to the snail pace that banks have decided is appropiate when it comes to dealing with short-sales). This house is quite nice and big, so the other short comings might not be too noticeable. I hope we didn’t pick this house out of desperation. After 3 months of living out of suitcases, and 3 years of not seeing our furniture and things from England, we just want to get settled.

What does any of this have to do with knitting? Have you ever chosen a house because you could see a knitting nook in the corner or a sunny room?

In the meantime, my dearest darling of a husband broke my camera on a business trip. So there have been no pictures of recent projects. I have finished a shrug for my daughter, made out of Manos del Uruguay yarn in Wildflowers and a cute little dress in Dream in Color yarn. They are both very cute!

I am trying to finish off some projects and face the reality that I am not meant for lace, at least not at this moment. I tried lace to be able to carry projects around while moving all over Seattle, but with a two year old it’s been impossible to keep track of stiches and yarn-overs, lines knitted… patterns… I need something easy to remember and pick up. I have realised that I love lace and I do have the skill for it- now it’s just a matter of quiet time. After a few months, once we’ve settled into our new house and lives, then I’ll be picking up the lace again for another go.

Picking up the latest Rowan Magazine- their 30th Anniversary edition- I read an article about the British sheep industry’s push to have some yarns made in the UK from raising the sheep to spinning the yarn. The result was the British Sheep Breeds Collection. The pattern book is excellent and the yarn is gorgeous. It is bulky and light- so knits quick and looks fab. I went to Hilltop Yarn in Queen Anne, and bought some yarn and the pattern book. I got started almost right away on Thwaite- a cardi/jacket in a blackish brown- the black welsh breed.

Knitting on a hot day

Today was so hot that just trying to knit some of Natasha’s Accordion Jacket almost made me run to the fridge for a cold glass of …something…. anything! Instead I picked up the not so exciting, but ever so elegant, yet unending Veil by Norah Gaughan which I’m knitting with Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (from my stash!!). It is light and well, not terribly cool, but light- so I worked an inch or two. I also worked a bit on Kim’s Clapotis which is made using lovely and delicate Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in Kim’s favorite colour (from my stash too!), but way too hot to even look at the Spring Clapotis- in worsted weight wool. No I ended up sticking with the Veil. It is straight easy knitting, great for watching TV they say… I don’t have a TV. This week hubby is in Mexico and I’m in San Diego, so hopefully I’ll have my nights free to watch movies gallore in front of my computer (or the 7 inch portable DVD player that’s become my new best friend this past year)- and knit knit knit this Veil until it’s done. Then I can wear it in the very slightly cool evenings we’ve had (24C at night! This is April, right?)

Kim’s Clapotis looking a bit mangled because the poor yarn has been frogged a few times in search for the perfect pattern for the yarn and Kim… yarn whispering I call it.

RIP

The Central Park Hoodie, because of other commitments and necesseties it’s taken me nearly two weeks to finish the back, and finished I am… until I spotted a mistake I made in the cabling… means ripping up about 4 ” or more.   I hate ripping up.  there’s nothing as disenchanting than having to rip up work that was hard to come by (to find the time to do it!!). I seriously considered just frogging the whole thing and doing something else!  I feel like I’ve lost momentum… part of that is due to the disheartening result of the Frock Cami…  I’m contemplating redoing the top of that one as well- though I could give it to my younger sister who would probably look fabulous in it!

What I knit this weekend

In the packing up for the trip I realised that my better half’s wooly hat was in San Diego. Since we didn’t know what to expect when we got to Guerrero Negro, I thought it better I knit him a new one before we went. I cast on the night before we went and was finished in a day almost- I knit it in the car on the way to Guerrero Negro, Baja California. I used Peace Fleece since I’m pretty sure I won’t use up all of the yarn I bought for the Central Park Hoodie. The Pattern was Kim Hamlin’s Kim’s Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I’ve used this pattern before to make several hats, and all of them for gifts. Nick (my better half) also has another hat pretty much the same but different wool and a bit shorter. This time I wanted to make sure that it fit him snuggly and also that it was long enough to cover his ears (he gets colder there than anywhere else apparently).

**Changes to the pattern**- I knit it for the 22 1/2″ size but on size 6 needles (for the brim) and size 8 for the main part of the hat. It’s a bit tight but it stayed on through a high speed boat ride and lots of messing around with whales! Also I only knit it to about 6 inches from the brim and began to decrease so it wouldn’t fit too long like the first time I tried this pattern. It fit perfect- pics to come soon!

I also finished the back of the Blanket Cardi and started on the front left side.

A few notes on Guerrero Negro:

It is about 550 KM from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico- about an 8-10 hr drive on a two lane road. It sounds grim, but it’s not. It’s a well maintained road, and the only one connecting North and South Baja. It’s got gorgeous scenery particularly of late since we’ve had some rain here and the desert is green, yellow, and lavender with wild flowers and grasses. It’s beautiful. I’ll post some pictures when we have them!

We stayed in the Desert Inn in Guerrero Negro- a bit out of the town but nice in general, and took the tour of Los Caracoles, which had been recommended to us as the best tour for the whales. We were not dissapointed! There are plenty of other tours done by various hotels and co-operatives in the town as well. Apparently March to mid-April are the best times to see the whales since the newborn whales are more mature and more playful. After mid-April the grey whales begin their long treck to Alaska.

Frock Cami front and plans for the weekend

I am nearly done with the front- all I have left to do is 11″ of strips.

My concern is that the front part is looking quite small. I hope it stretches! I’ve got more pictures of the Frock Camisole in the Knit Gallery

Unfortunately for this project (but fortunately for me) - we’re going away this weekend to Guerrero Negro in Baja California to look at the whales and baby whales in a lagoon the grey whales use for birthing. It’s a 10 hr car trip, and since I get car sick if I read even for a short while, I’m going to leave this one here and take with me either the Central Park Hoodie, or maybe even better - the Blanket Cardigan. At the moment though, I just realised my better half’s wooly hat is nowhere to be found- seeing as how we have a lagoon tour for 8 am- I’m making another one out of the beloved Peace Fleece using the pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (very useful book!). I’m pretty sure I have more than enough for the CHP and the wooly hat (and hopefully some left over for some colour work in another project I’ve got in mind!).