FictrixKnitz

Myrtle Leaf Shawl

2010-02-28T10:48:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited to have finally finished this beautiful shawl. It took almost a year of on and off knitting but here she is in all of her lacy glory! TaDa!!

Val's Commercial Last Minute Shopping

2009-12-27T16:17:00.004-05:00

Val's Commercial High Def TV

2009-12-27T16:07:00.002-05:00

Val's Commercial Gift Goodness

2009-12-27T15:59:00.003-05:00

Val's Commercial Family Joy

2009-12-27T15:50:00.002-05:00

Val's Commercials

2009-12-27T14:59:00.002-05:00

July - December

2009-12-27T14:10:00.004-05:00

The last 6 months of '09 have been busy and wonderful. On the knitting front I finished 3 blanket squares - unfortunately not photographed, I am 80% finished with Myrtle, and made a squishy pair of socks with Collinette Jitterbug in Zebra for Val. I read 57 books, which is a big reason for the slow down in the knitting progress:

January

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore: Funny, dark, ironic. Crazy story!
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick: excellent storytelling!
I Am Charlotte Simmons Finished - required reading for anyone sending a kid to college…maybe not - ignorance is bliss!
Time Traveler’s Wife- I loved the love story, I’m still thinking about the logic of the time travel…

February:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - beautiful and inspirational, bittersweet.
The Shack - I didn’t expect to like this book, but was very touched by it’s message of forgiveness and healing. Beautiful imagery.
Curious Case of Benjamin Button short story; interesting..
The Reader Bernhard Schlink - intense and heartbreaking.

March:

Eventide - Kent Haruf - Gorgeous
Gossip Girls - trash
Knitting in the Old Way - terrific resource
The Six Wives of Henry The VIII - Allison Weir - excellent companion to the Tudors

April:

The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri - LOVED!
Paddy Clarke HaHaHa Roddy Doyle - Blech

May:

The Help - Kathryn Stockett - absolutely fell in love with this - wonderful!
King of the Screwups - K.L. Going - YA - wonderful, wonderful story about father/son relationships, gender identity, self acceptance.
Unaccustomed Earth - Lahiri - OK, a little choppy, not as good as Namesake
Winter Girls - Laurie Halse Anderson -YA - fabulous, terrifying- the protagonist is a knitter!
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell - fun, some interesting bits of info, a bit disjointed, short.
A Movable Feast - Ernest Hemmingway - fascinating glimpse into an idyllic time.
Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson - YA- Unbelievable storytelling except for the BS set-up for a sequel ending!!! I had no idea! She better hurry up and write the next one!!!
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Traitor to a Nation the Pox Party - YA-MT Anderson - Excellent story, this book has everything mystery, creepiness, intrigue, horror, tenderness, despair.
Octavian Nothing II - good but got a bit boring for me - war stuff was hard for me to stay interested.

June

Olive Kitteridge Kathryn Stockett - Love! Will definitely read again this summer.
The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCollough - Still love it. Fee and Meggie are knitters!
Lady Chatterly’s Lover - DH Lawrence - excellent.

July

Pinocchio - Collodi - Wonderful!
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - hilarious- I am surprised by my reaction to this book. Sci-fi is not my thing but this is ironic, sardonic, silly, and smart.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling - no commentary necessary

August

Many Lives Many Masters - Brian Weiss
Because of Winn-Dixie - Kate Dicamillo- Exceptionally moving story, lovely.
Time Traveler’s Wife (again)
Why Kids Hate School
The Help ( again)

September

The Thing About Georgie - Children’s - Fabulous
The Savage - David Almond- unbelievable little powerful story
What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know - Sonya Sones - YA - Wonderful, spot on book from the boys point of view sequel to What My Mother Doesn’t Know.
Touch Magic - Jane Yolen - wonderful essays on fantasy, folk literature.
Thirteen Clocks - James Thurber
David and The Phoenix- Edward Ormondroyd - beautiful story.
The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry - ok, a bit weird, but ok
The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown - good - a bit predictable.

October

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Fabulous story. Very clever. (#45)
The Mysterious Benedict Society book 2 Perilous Journey.
Silas Marner - George Elliot
Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood - HATED this book.

November - December

Sons and Lovers - DH Lawrence- W-O-R-S-T book ever.
Fountainhead - Ayn Rand - she is awesome!
Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls - incredible memior/true novel.
The Uses of Enchantment - Bruno Bettleheim - deep, exploration into the mind of the child and the fairytale.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks (53)
Glass Castles - Jeannette Walls - fabulous, heartbreaking, and triumphant.
The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry - Parody of children's books where the parents die, and in this book you want them to die! Silly, kids will like it.
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neal Hurston
The 5 People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom

I'm not going to attempt to read this much in'10. I want to spend more time knitting up a seriously large stash.

I made a big change on the job-front and it was a good decision. I have three healthy, happy, and employed children and a loving husband. I thoroughly enjoyed my daughter's foray into acting and it was so much fun watching her on TV. I'm grateful for my family and my friends that are my family. I'm looking forward to '10!

Diabetic Dog

2009-07-10T10:30:00.005-04:00

So, Leo has had diabetes since the beginning of June, and for the most part it has been uneventful. We decided to take a day trip to LBI and left the dog in the care of #1 son. We were on our way home and got a phone call from said child letting us know that he was about to give dog insulin shot. I told the boy to be careful not to stab himself with the needle - to which my husband replied - the boy is not an idiot - he will not stab himself. SO out of instinct I guess, I told him to NOT give the dog the shot, that I would give it to him when we got home and hung up the phone. About 5 minutes later we got another phone call from child who said that he had, in fact, stabbed himself with the needle because the dog moved when he was being injected. The boy complained of terrible pain in the index finger and said that he was feeling weird. I gave him instructions to eat and have some candy even though he insisted that he did not inject insulin into himself. The man-child was fine, although he has flu-like symptoms today. I don't think the 2 are related. We had a good hearty laugh at the expense of our firstborn, and after blaming each other for the faulty gene that lead to the incident, I have concluded that it is another example of the inherent problems associated with the Y chromosome.

Kindle: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

2009-05-16T10:49:00.006-04:00

The Good:

Love, Love, Love the screen saver. It's my favorite thing. New author's portraits every day.

I can send an attachment to my kindle email and read my pattern on the kindle; very cool and convenient.

It certainly beats carrying around books. It is great to read with in bed. I haven't tried reading and knitting at the same time, which is one of the appeals of the thing.

Definitely has a WOW factor, everyone wants to try it.

It reads g-mail.

I can read blogs and newspapers without subscribing.

It has a few very convenient links in the pre-set browser bookmarks.

It acts like a GPS - but I can't figure that out yet.

There are lots of free classics - which is great, because who wants to spring for poor-quality paperbacks and than have to find a place for them to live in my already book-saturated household.

The Wispernet syncing and book downloading is quick.

The Bad:

It is like reading on an etch-a-sketch.

The gray-scale of the print is not so great on the eyes. I'm reading slower on the Kindle than I read a book. I'm sure it is because of the contrast.

NO PAGE NUMBERS!!!!! There is a % scale on the bottom of the page.

The browser is slow, and it freaks out on occasion. I do not get a great signal.

It is not comfortable to hold, it is kinda slippery, and too thin. I did not buy the Amazon cover, I bought the Octovo sleeve - which I love, but the cover probably gives it more of a "book" feel.

I have charged it 4 times in 1 week and most of the time the browser is OFF. It takes a VERY long time to charge - 3 hours.

Cannot read Mac mail on it.

The Ugly:

The Browser - very ugly - not easy to manipulate at all. I know that this is not its primary use - but still, in this day and age it should fly. It is probably a limitation of the e-ink, and how it refreshes itself.

Also hate that the browser doesn't go to a fresh search page when you wake the computer and turn on the browser. It goes back to the last page that you were on, kind of annoying.

Strongly dislike the fact that I cannot use Stanza on my computer to read Kindle content, even though the e-books are Mobi files and I should be able to do what I like with content that I paid for.

Myrtle progress, nice, huh?

Knitting Progress

2009-04-19T10:28:00.005-04:00

The last two months have been productive. I've finished Randy's Birthday scarf and the Cozy sweater. I started the Myrtle leaf shawl from Victorian Lace today using 100% Mongolian Cashmere from Sarah's Yarns in Brooklyn. The yarn is lovely and has lots of yardage for a very reasonable price. I splurged on some Cascade 220 Superwash to make the Tulip and Rocketry sweaters for my nieces and nephews.

Noro Striped Scarf II

2009-02-14T09:39:00.005-05:00

Noro Silk Garden #'s 267 and 47

Noro Silk Garden Chunky #4

I love, love, love the Chunky #4. It has a really black black, and a really pretty steel blue to break up the browns. I thought just starting two balls at different places would work but I had to re-break and restart at points because the same colors met up at the same points and became mucky. This was a bit of a pain. I also didn't realize that I'd bought the chunky because I was so focused on the color. But it worked out, the scarf took 4 balls and is not long. My son is 6'2 and the scarf comes to his waist which is the length he wanted.

The second scarf was a pleasure to make. I originally bought three colors, but stuck with the two neutrals and made it for my husband. I just started another using the same colors but with a third color, #252 which is blies and an acid green. We'll see what that looks like soon!

February FO's BSJ, BS Cap, Blankie

2009-02-08T15:24:00.006-05:00

This blanket was made using Patons Classic Merino, and Filatura Baby Bon Bon. I used the knit three, purl three prayer shawl pattern, and alternated it with rows of Bon Bon, also knitted in K3P3. After I finished the body of the blanket, I did a single crochet border. It blocked beautifully, and the Bon Bon cooperated nicely.

This project is the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann made in Sheep Shop Three, wool and silk. I love this yarn. It is soft and has a beautiful polish. I made a cap to match using my own pattern with a four point raglan decrease.

Val's Best Buy Commercials

2008-12-28T12:02:00.005-05:00

May...December, or why I quit blogging.

2008-12-27T14:14:00.008-05:00

Well it all started with a vow to only work on one project at a time. That project happened to be the Tangled Yoke in Finnean's Rainbow. Well it was all going well enough, I even went for private lessons with Kathleen, but then I decided that I really didn't like all of the rayon slubs in the yarn - there were so many of them and I decided that I couldn't stand looking at them anymore. I didn't knit anything for a long time because of the RULE. Then in August I decided to ignore the rule and knit a BSJ. So I did. But the pressure of the unfinished and despised cardi was too much so I frogged almost 900 yds. of wool and started knitting again.

BSJ in Lorna's Laces Shepherd's Worsted Bittersweet.

Then I completed 2 caps using Brooklyntweed's Turn a Square Pattern. The pattern as written is HUGE. We're talking Frankenstein head sized. So that one went to my husband, and it is big on his big head, we're hoping for a bit of felting with wear. So I went down a needle size and did not increase after the ribbing and that hat went to Anthony.

The last FO is a BSJ in Sheep Shop 3 wool and silk, which I am crazy about. Beautiful drape lots of yardage, great colors. Shown here with BSJ 1 to show size difference. Also I omitted the back fullness in the blue sweater - new diapers are so thin that I didn't think it necessary.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan and Woolbur

2008-05-19T17:50:00.004-04:00

Thought I would make a Baby Surprize Jacket but decided it was time to knit up the Autumn House Farm Finnean's Rainbow in colorway Fox Grape. This is wool with rayon seed and it is very stretchy. The recommended needle size is a 7 but it knit up very holey. I swatched several times and gauge was good with a size 4 in the garter rib and in stockinette stitch, but I wasn't liking the way it looked and switched to a size three mid-way through the rib. I also added a steek because I was having trouble ribbing on the wrong side - imagine screwing up k2p2 - well I was. Now all the knitting is being done on the right side and I won't have to purl. I'll return to knitting back and forth when I start increasing for the cables. I read most of the suggestions on Ravelry for this pattern and they terrified me. So I will enlarge the cable chart, color-code the cables, and hope for the best!

Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski and illustrated by Lee Harper is a sweet book about a little lamb's need to be himself, even though it means being different from the other sheep. He runs with dogs, likes his fleece long, and cards his wool on his body. He has fun spinning on the spinning wheel, weaving his forelocks, and making a mess with dye. When Woolbur is told by his mother to do whatever the other sheep do, he promptly teaches the other sheep to play his way.

Syrian Shoulder Shawl in Kidsilk Haze

2008-05-10T18:15:00.006-04:00

I really loved knitting this shawl until I didn't love knitting it any longer. Does that make any sense?!!! I loathe double joins, and suck at them. I think they turned out ok, though. I should have blocked this a bit more severely but I really don't have the room to do so. I'm going to have to figure something out before the next shawl project. The bottom line is that I really love this shawl in Kidsilk. Anyway I packed it up and it is on its way to the beautiful bride for whom it is intended. I've made a knitting decision: no more gift knitting. I want to focus on improving my knitting techniques and want to knit things that I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm going to try some Zimmermann projects starting with BSJ.

Memoir in 6 Words

2008-04-09T17:15:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged by Tiara Purl for a Memoir in 6 words. So here it goes JJ:

Never underestimate the power of change.

Here are the rules:

Write your own 6 word memoir:

Post it in your blog. Include a picture if you want to.

Link back to the person that tagged you and the post they tagged you in.

Tag 5 more people with links.

THE Harlot in Manhatten

2008-04-06T08:41:00.006-04:00

We arrived at Borders in the Time Warner Center @ 5:15. We bought books, and went to check out the venue area before getting a bite - the event started at 7. Well the first thing I thought was, "these Borders people have no idea what they are getting themselves into!" There was a relatively small space and most of the seats were already full! So we sat and chatted awhile, and I sent Mary and Eileen off to eat because I wasn't leaving those seats unattended - coats or no coats. It was a good call. If I said, "these seats are taken and the people are here just getting something to eat" once I said it 30 times. It was getting scary. If I didn't have 2 PhD candidates sitting in front of me as witnesses my friends would never have believed me. Knitters can be very scary, especially when they have worked all day in the City or traveled from the outer boroughs and want a seat!

Well, it was worth the stress, Stephanie was brilliant. She is so down to earth and hilariously funny. Some of my group were unfamiliar with her and had no idea what to expect. We were crying laughing. Stephanie was so on-the-money with her observations about knitters especially when she said that if it weren't for knitting we wouldn't be caught dead with half the people in the room. We are a varied bunch, and it was a great time. It was so cool to see so many men in attendance. It was a real shame that I left my sock in the car, but we took a picture with her anyway. Attention Borders people: give your employees lessons on taking digital pictures at book-signings!

Syrian Shawl for a Syrian Bride

2008-03-30T09:41:00.008-04:00

This is my favorite knit of all time. Working with Kidsilk Haze (shade 634) is like knitting with a strand of an angel's hair. It is so light that it is like holding air. This shawl was given to the bride and I brought it back home to finish up the Cypress border. The bride loved the gift and so did the guests. Some times you just don't know how a hand-made gift will be received. When Amanda put the shawl on it looked like gossamer - really lovely even unblocked and unfinished. I hope to finish it up this week and post a completed photo.

Hand Knitting + Machine Embroidery

2008-03-26T16:26:00.007-04:00

Boy Wears Hat

Back - darn those jogs.

Front

This hat was made in memory of Randy's frat buddy Mags. I hope it brings some comfort to the boys who wear it.

You Have Got to Love Knitterly Humor!

2008-03-20T17:12:00.001-04:00

I do not know who these people are. This photo was sent in an email and I had to share it with my friends. Enjoy!

Hemlock Ring Throw - Finished!

2008-02-18T13:01:00.003-05:00

I really loved watching this flower unfurl. Once I got past the initial knit, frog bit and was able to "see" the pattern in my minds eye, it was a breeze. It gets pretty heavy towards the end. Knitting the edging / casting off is not difficult, but it gets cumbersome flipping the thing back and forth to work the edging. I imagine it would be easier using a 10.5' DP, which I didn't have so I suffered with the huge circulars flapping around. The edging is lovely, but a crocheted edge would be just as nice and quicker to work.

I didn't use pins or wires to block it I just pulled and arranged the edging with my fingers and it looks great. When I make the next one I'll use three skeins of the cocoa. Even though it gets heavy to work I want it larger, more of a blanket than a throw. As is it will look gorgeous as a topper on an accent table, or thrown on the back of a sofa. The texture is really unbelievable and the wool has a nice polish.

Hemlock Ring Throw

2008-02-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

I began this throw on January 11, 2008 at my knitting retreat. I just about completed the center medallion but the retreat was interfering with my concentration and I started making mistakes, so I put it down and worked on a prayer shawl for a while. Anyway, I have been working on the throw non-stop since January - knitting and ripping - I was making good progress - so I thought - until the pattern would no longer work because I made a serious mistake in the rows just after the medallion, so I ripped out an entire skein of Cascade Ecological - 478 yards worth - to fix my error. All of the knit bloggers working on this project made it seem so easy. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who couldn't do it. But after the massive frogging, I studied Brooklyntweed's photos and followed his chart, and it has made all the difference. Right now I have in excess of 300 stitches on 40" circs and I have an entire ball of wool to go, but now that I have it figured out it is a great knit. I love the way the feather and fan spreads out - it is so graceful.

I'm also working on a hat for my son Randy in his Delta Nu Fraternity colors. Thanks to Janette, I was able to work out a pattern that he will wear.

Last night I went to dinner and saw NUNSENSE in Spring Lake, NJ with my knitting group. It was so much fun, especially because we were with 5 "plain-clothes" nuns who are great fun. My daughter almost won a Pope on a Rope for answering a "Quiz" question correctly, but instead got a St. Christopher card from Sr. Mary Amnesia. The Little Sisters of Hoboken got them on sale because Christopher is no longer a saint. The show was hilarious and the company was the best! Can you spot the plain-clothes nuns?

Recipe

2008-01-26T19:57:00.000-05:00

The Recipe For Marie

3 parts Flirtation

2 parts Flair

1 part Vigor

Splash of Ambition

Chug!

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Finished Projects in 2007

2008-01-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

3 Prayer shawls
1 pair socks
1 Manos throw
6 Manos scarves, 3 Punta del Este scarves
1 Noro Poncho and hat
1 syrian shawl
1 dune wrap
2 caps

The scarves and hats were the most fun; the Syian shawl and the Manos throw the most challenging.

Unfinished - 1 baby blanket, 1 pair socks

Projected Projects - Hemlock ring throw, and a sweater with Autumn House Farm Finnean's rainbow.

Snow and Knitting - a perfect combination

2007-12-02T09:16:00.001-05:00

I have been having a problem knitting these days. I have been reading ABOUT knitting and Christmas shopping online and have not been doing much knitting. I am hoping that in the long run, the online shopping will ultimately lead to more time for knitting.

This morning as I walked downstairs and tripped over the boxes of Christmas decorations that have to be emptied to let Leo out - there was the most beautiful sight waiting for me - SNOW! Snow is one of my favorite things in the world. So I ignored the boxes, put on a pot of coffee, fed Leo and sat down to knit. Is there anything better than knitting when it is snowing?

I have fallen in love with knitting hats. I'm going to try to knit one for each of my kids, the husband, and see about the nieces and nephews. I started working on the Koolhaas Hat pattern by Brooklyn Tweed found in the Holiday issue of Knits magazine. And here is the challenge - I have to follow a chart. OK not bad except I can't figure out what to do with the little sideways triangle that fills the part of the cable chart where the cable is twisted. Hmmmmm. I think it doesn't mean anything so I'm going to try it and see what happens. If I can't, I'm going to knit The Simplest Cap of All, a great pattern that I found on Knitting Pattern Central. It is a children's pattern but fit my 19 year old daughter. So with a few added on cast ons and another inch or so of the body, it should fit the men in my life.

3 FO's and no photos to show for it!

2007-11-21T19:42:00.000-05:00

I finished the Noro poncho and made an adorable matching hat. I am now addicted to making hats. They're fun, fast, and oh- so cute! My little neice Ava was trying on a hat that I was making while it was still on the needles. I found a 10" size 8 circular needle in my needle cache and it worked perfectly!

Where has the time gone?

2007-10-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

The past month has been busy to say the least. After a summer at home, the return to school never ceases to amaze me - where does the time go? I wake up on Monday morning and then before I know it it's Friday at 3! I have had a party to go to every weekend since September. There hasn't been as much free time available for knitting as I'd like. I started a poncho using Noro Kureyon inspired by the fabulous one created by my partner in crime - mine won't be as great because I don't have those perfect mother of pearl buttons. I also started another pair of socks with a yarn in the colorway called "The Great Pumpkin" it is so delicious, bought at Stitches. Speaking of Stitches....

Stitches East was great. We took three classes that built skill upon skill - it wasn't planned that way but worked out great. Pattern reading with JC Briar was excellent. I never asked her how to work from multiple patterns though... The full day of embraceable lace with Galina was a trip. Orenburg lace/gossamer webs = lace with no purling - knit, knit, knit! She has it all - humor, smarts, moxie (LOTS of moxie), and unbelievable technique. Russian Continental with Galina was the icing on the cake; Jan and I ditched steeks to spend another morning with the queen. I wish I had tape recorded her voice - everytime I think of it I smile. I can't believe that she lives in Colorado - she needs to live in New York!

Before Stitches I envisioned that our knitting Guru's had this glamorous knitting life; since then I realized how hard their lives are - traveling with merchandise and husbands in tow from show to show, coast to coast, class to class, store to store, and booksignings all over the place. I admire them for their passion for this craft, but I wouldn't last a month - scratch that - 2 weeks (especially with a husband in tow) they can't be getting rich from this. The Marketplace was HUGE! I saw the largest pair of knitting needles on earth. A woman was demonstrating how to knit drapes with them - no joke - the needles went from the floor to her waist! There was knitting jewelry, t-shirts, gadgets, miles of WOOL, Alpaca, Cashmere, too much to mention. We started out with a plan; shop take notes, decide what we can't live without and then go back and make our purchases. I started out ok and then I saw the sock yarn. Sock yarn doesn't count as a purchase - so after that nothing else did either!

And on a more serious note - this video is a must watch for everyone.

SOX

2007-09-18T18:09:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed knitting these simple socks and they are so comfortable. The Jitterbug was nice to work with - I ended up quite a bit left over.

I have two hanks of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in bittersweet @225 yds each. I was thinking of making a mini version of the Syrian Shawl for my 11 year-old goddaughter...hmmmm....

Book Quiz

2007-09-17T20:17:00.000-04:00

You're Siddhartha!

by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try
anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent
some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in.
This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It's
time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in
ferries.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Ramblings of a Knitting Slump

2007-09-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

I was in such a knitting slump this week. Maybe it had something to do with going back to work after summer vacation? I lost a DP that I was using to make my socks - I searched high and low and found it in the sock book - I must have been using it as a book mark. THEN I was searching high and low for the only darning needle in the house so I could kitchener the toe - and accidentally found it in the case with my new scissors - go figure. Senile dementia. THEN I ripped the sweater that I was working on with the wool from KTKE - it was coming out too holey - that wool has some serious stretch to it. So it is in a ball. I want to make a sweater for my godchild Elise for her birthday - but I don't know her size. And my three project rule is binding me up in knots because I have two projects on the needles and I want to start a prayer shawl and a sweater and that would mean four projects - I think I have to go lie down!

Sock Notes: I have narrow feet and a high arch so I did a modification on a plain sock pattern to pull in the sagging that happens when I wear hand-knit socks. I did a panel of 2x2 ribbing on the rows immediately after the gussett on the instep stitches of the sock, 6 purl ribs, 5 knit ribs. This did a really nice job of making the sock fit snugly. It also added a bit of interest to the plain knit - although this color really doesn't need any help. These socks will be so cute with a pair of Mary Janes

Collinette Jitterbug Jay Socks

2007-09-01T17:02:00.001-04:00

I am so crazy about this yarn and the color. The only drawback is that it doesn't have enough yardage to do anything fun.

New Project on the Needles

2007-09-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

This sweater pattern - cozy v neck with deep ribbing - is from fitted knits by stefanie japel. I've had my eye on it for a while. It is top down knit in the round. I think I might play around with the pattern and turn it into a cardi knit in the round with steeks. I'm feeling adventurous. I was going to try my hand at the Eris cardigan but the 40 pattern pages have caused me to quake - no I'm not exaggerating. Numbers and charts still give me the shakes. I don't have enough ink in my printer to print out the pattern and really look at it. Maybe after taking the chart reading class at Stitches East I'll be bettter equipped to try that one out.

Syrian Shawl Blocked

2007-08-25T13:34:00.000-04:00

Well, this was certainly an adventure and a challenge. The initial frustration made way for a pleasant, lightweight summer project. The shawl border was not difficult. I did not go down one size needle for the border - because I didn't reread the directions before doing the border- but I wanted it wider than shown in Victorian Lace Today so it worked out well. My dining room table is the largest area on which I have to block but it isn't quite large enough. It's a good thing I didn't try to block the Manos throw there - I'll have to think of someplace else to do it. The Filatura di Crosa Multicolor yarn grew larger than I expected for mohair - I am very pleased with the size. This yarn also bled considerably, which I was not expecting. I can't wait to wear this shawl with a black turtleneck sweater at Stitches East!

Gauge Swatch

2007-08-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

I'm loving this yarn. It has a nice stretch and body, and a pretty polish.

Wool Binge

2007-08-13T19:14:00.000-04:00

This is Autumn House Farm Finnean's Rainbow in the Fox Grape colorway. I have been eyeing this yarn at Knitting to Know Ewe in Penns Park, PA for months now and I finally decided to buy it. It is so lovely - a blend of wool and rayon seed; it reminds me of ermine. I have become a fan of purple lately and this yarn combines beautiful browns and perfect shades of grape. I want to knit a jacket for myself and I want to do it in the round. I have a pattern in mind but I don't want it to look home-made. My cousin Patrice gave me the name of a woman here on SI that is a fiber arts expert who teaches knitting, spinning, etc. and will help create a pattern just for me. I'm very excited about this - my very own EZ - well you know what I mean.

Syrian Shawl Lace Edge

2007-08-13T18:50:00.001-04:00

This part of the project hasn't been as traumatic as I thought it would be - I am actually enjoying it. The best part has been watching how the yarn behaves. The body of the shawl has a rainbow effect but the edging is knitting up with a graduated color effect - it is really pretty. (click on photo for close-up) I did not master the double join - I kind of fudged it, and it took me a while to figure out how best to work the edge stitches into the k2bl, but I'm happy with how it all worked out. 2.75 sides to go, I cant wait to see it blocked.

Prayer Shawl

2007-08-04T16:22:00.000-04:00

I recently finished this shawl it is for a friend who lost a child. Adding the fringe was heart wrenching because as I was tying the fringe I realized that I would have to present the shawl to a person who has experienced unimaginable loss. I want to present it soon; I have to pray for the courage to do so.

The Sorting Hat says.... Grrriffindor!

2007-07-27T18:12:00.000-04:00

The sorting hat says that I belong in Gryffindor!

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name."

Students of Gryffindor are typically brave, daring, and chivalrous.
Famous members include Harry, Ron, Hermione, Albus Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts), and Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor).

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

Beach Knits

2007-07-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

The Syrian shawl is progressing well. According to the pattern I have about three more repeats before I attempt the knit-on lace edge... uh, yeah, that will be interesting. LBI was great. Rest, sit on the beach, knit, eat, repeat. I wish that I didn't waste those few beach days when I just could not sit another minute - but I really could not sit another minute. We visited Linda Kelly's Island Knits on one of those days. She runs a very friendly little shop on LBI Blvd. The day this pic was taken the store was hopping with knitters. One learns a lot about a place when knitters gather. I was trying to get 3.5 stitches to the inch with a yarn that has 10 WPI - obviously that wasn't happening, so that wool is going to be used for another project. I started a pair of plain socks with a delicious shade of Collinette Jitterbug called Jay. That it is it on the dashboard. I was knitting on a sock while two of my three children were suspended 500 feet over the Atlantic Ocean.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-07-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

The other aspect of the Web and how it is connecting us in ways we never inagined.

Syrian Shawl for a Syrian Girl

2007-07-05T20:01:00.000-04:00

This shawl pattern is from Victorian Lace Today and is being knitted in Filatura di Crosa Multicolor - 60% mohair 40% acrylic - on size 8 needles. This colorway is beautiful pinks and purples with a bit of blue and yellow. I love this yarn - the photo does not do it justice. Here is what I've learned while knitting this lace:

1. In order to have this pattern work you must be able to count to 4. 3 is NOT 4, and 5 is NOT 4.
2. If you end up with an extra stitch at the end of the row, something is wrong.
3. If you forget to do a YO at the beginning of each row, you are screwed.
4. If you forget to knit the even rows, same as #3.
5. If you forget to count the number of center stitches and end up with 15 center stitches, same as #3 & 4.
6. If you start thinking about something else while you are supposed to be counting to 4 be prepared to rip.
7. It is not good to knit this pattern while riding in a truck and bouncing all over the SI Distress Way on the 4th o' July.
8. It is not fun having an 18-year-old constantly say - "Can I JUST do it for you!!!!" Although she did manage to fix it for me,
I ended up ripping it out because it was unrecognizable.
9. Ripping feels good when the knitting has so many misplaced YO's that it looks like you are knitting a garment for a
squid.
10. I CAN eventually memorize a pattern; this one only took a week.

Manos Throw Assembled

2007-06-28T22:33:00.000-04:00

Unblocked...hmmmm - not bad. Not quite as lopsided as I thought it would be, but could be a bit larger.

And We Have Spiderweb!

2007-06-27T10:29:00.001-04:00

The journey to this completed block was not pleasant. I knit and I ripped, I knit and I ripped, I knit in the car, I ripped in the car, I knit on the beach, I ripped on the beach, I knit in the hotel room... well you get it. My knittingly gifted 18-year-old daughter begged me to let her do it for me. Pride would not allow it. "What is the problem?" she asked. I kept on losing stitches along the way - why I do not know - although I think it had something to do with purling the yarn overs. Her reply to me was "Just add more stitches - I do it all the time." But spiderweb wouldn't tolerate randomly picked up stitches. So last night I went to sleep after four days of knitting this #$%* block. I woke up this morning and for no apparent reason (a Valerie phrase) I was able to complete the final pattern repeat with no trouble whatsoever AND without mysteriously losing any stitches. So here it is in all of its Manos glory. The last block will be the mindless Wave block.

Not the Manos Throw

2007-06-21T18:35:00.000-04:00

Here are two projects that I have been working on. The first is a baby prayer blanket using Patons Classic Merino in Winter White - a really nice wool - and Filatura Di Crosa Baby Bon Bon in the green, yellow, white, and blue colorway. I cast on 129 stitches with size 6 circulars and knit 5 garter rows with the Bon Bon, then 20 rows of K3 P3 (beginning and ending each row with K3), with the Merino, followed by 5 garter rows of Bon Bon - well you get the picture. Besides the sweet, dreamy colors the best thing about this blanket is that it is completely reversible - which is something that cannot be said for the Manos throw.

The second project is a prayer shawl using the K3 P3 and not-so-fun-to-knit-with Lion Brand Wool-Ease. I wish Lion Brand would:

1. make sure that there are no knots in their skeins - this makes me crazy.
2. figure out a way to prevent the skeins from falling apart into a tangled mess.

I will work on the throw this weekend, I will work on the throw this weekend... maybe if I say it often enough!

Spiderweb

2007-06-06T17:27:00.000-04:00

Doing the spiderweb block again. I have to have my head examined. Ripped it out 3 times last night. And I think that I'll be able to knit lace??????

First Blog Post Ever: Manos Four Seasons Throw

2007-06-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

Here she is in her almost finished glory. I love the wool and after suffering many serious frustrations have managed to work 10 block designs. The zig zag is certainly not a zig zag. I hoped that at some point it would start zigging but it did not because I screwed up several places along the line. I DON'T CARE. I love the variegated brown color and no one but I - and knitting people - will know the difference. It is so liberating to say that and that being said, I have not been able to tolerate mistakes with the other patterns, the spider web took me THREE weeks to get right - no exaggeration - and almost put me over the edge. Here are some thoughts about the pattern: It could be strips of five blocks not four, we are tall people and this throw will only manage to be a lap blanket for my crew. I feel it will look more balanced with the five blocks. It is a drag working the last block and flipping the heavy work, so maybe next time I'll work it a block at a time; I don't mind the finishing work. AND I really think that the next time that I make one - and I will - (I have a serious stash of Manos from Beauty Yarns in Uruguay found on e-bay ) I will do it in one light color to show off the pattern work. Only 2.5 squares to go!