Archive for August, 2009
Another little shawl (Daybreak)
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
OK, so, I’ve moved on from Ishbels, but now we are in negotiations on the house! The inspector went through and found several things to be fixed, and we’ve turned in our “waivers and objections” and are waiting to hear what they agree to do. STRESS. I’m trying to funnel the stress into miles and miles of stockinette stitch.
So…I started on another zoomy little scarf / shawl. This one is Daybreak by Barry Manilow. I mean, Stephen West. I’m just barely old enough to remember this song, but I can’t stop singing it while I’m knitting this darn thing! 
So far, I’m just in the first, solid-colored section. One set of increases is done “halfway to the marker” which was a pain to count out every time at first. BUT…if I can remember that I just knit 3 stitches past the point that I did the increase four rows ago, I’m good. (You can’t use a marker for the increase because you increase either end of each row, so the number of sts on either side of the marker change every time.)
HINT: Write down the number of stitches you knit before the last midpoint increase if you put the shawl down (or are pregnant and have no memory.)
I also had to work a little bit on the muscle memory for the M1L and M1R / M1L(purl) and M1R(purl) increases. Now that I’ve done about 100 of them, I’m good.
One problem that I have is that I’m used to slipping the first stitch of every row. I do this when knitting garments because it provides a nice stable edge for necklines, cardigan fronts, etc. When shawl knitting, you WANT a wiggly edge, so that you can block the heck out of it and get a nice taut fabric. So I’m having to consciously remind myself every row to KNIT not SLIP.
All in all a very fast knit (so far) with lots of stockinette in between increase rows.
I’m using a variegated hot pink / tan yarn (Schaefer Yarns: Anne) for the “sun” and a nice semisolid green (The Fiber Denn SW, N Quasi-Solido sock yarn) for the grassy fields over which day is breaking. (Too cheesey? I’m pregnant, jerks! I get to be cheesey if I want to!) 
Posted in Patterns | 2 Comments »
Please don’t think I’m crazy, BUT…(ishbel 2)
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
I finished another one of these addictive little shawl / scarf things. For some reason, I can’t get myself to say “Shawlette,” which is how I keep seeing them described.
Don’t worry, publisher, I’m still writing, too. I work on these after everyone’s asleep and my brain is fried. I’ve also been, late at night after everyone’s asleep, working my way through “Six Feet Under: Season 1″ and “Dead Like Me” Season 2″ Sounds morbid when I type it out…but neither show is really that morbid.
Any way…
Here’s a closeup of my as yet unblocked Ishbel 2. I used up all of the rusty-yellow yarns and then needed a contrast for the final stitch pattern…what will be the points of the edging. For that, I used a little bit of Rowan 4-ply Soft in shade 372 (dark charcoal). I think it’s the *perfect* contrast. And…when it’s blocked, I can post it to Grellow!
I worked each new color in gradually, alternating every two rows. Then I worked a few (5 or 6) rows of the new color, then started adding in the next one. (Except for the edging, which is just solid gray.)
LOVEIT! But. I really need to move on. No time to get into a REAL obsession here. I know myself, and if I let myself, I’ll knit and knit this same thing in infinite variations until I have like 30 of them.
Posted in Patterns, just chit chat | 3 Comments »
New New New (and an Ishbel.)
Monday, August 10th, 2009
Oh, You Guys!
I am feeling so blessed by the Universe these last few weeks!
I’m getting a new website, we’re buying a new house, and the most important, wonderful thing of all…
WE’RE HAVING A NEW BABY!
I just passed the 12-week point, and have been just bursting to tell you all.
Needless to say, with all of this going on, I’ve just been in a frenzy. TONS of new ideas, my writing (on the mysterious third book I keep alluding to) is flowing so well, and my knitting needles are on fire!
BUT…you know how it is when you’ve got SO MUCH energy, and so much of it being NERVOUS energy…you need a project that you can just ZOOM through, to keep those fingers moving and those nerves calm.
My “zoomer” of choice over the weekend was Ysolda’s Ishbel. I ordered it on Friday, thinking that it would be a great distraction from everything I’ve got in the works. And it was!
I finished the blue one above (Mazie has lost the yarn ball band, but it had a sheep or a llama on it) on Sunday, and started this pretty rusty-colored one (Fearless Fibers Merino in Rust, Golden yellow, and an off-white that I overdyed.)
I used Wilton’s cake dye, and just put the yarn, water, and colors in the measuring cup with a glug of vinegar and microwaved it for 8 minutes. The color came out a little bright, but it’s fine. A shot of bright in this Earthy shawl will be PERFECT.
It’s going to be mostly the rusty color, and then I’ll go through my self-dyed little hank, and then the yellow…so…color progression dark to light.
I really like the Ishbel pattern and have found it to be quite thought-provoking. The center line of increases is worked in one of my favorite raglan seam increases, and I like the idea of starting with a simple stockinette body and then imposing repeats of a simple, small-stitch count lace pattern on top. It’s similar in idea / theory to the way that I structured the Trapeze Jacket in Glam knits:
…the body is a typical stockinette TDR, with a simple lace at sleeves and hem.
It’s interesting to see all of the knitting situations in which the same theory applies (simple stockinette base, with a simple stitch pattern on top to make a striking, easy but difficult-looking FO.) I use it a lot on sweaters, but now I’m noticing it in shawls, stoles, socks, etc.
Sometimes it’s good to knit other peoples’ patterns, and to knit outside what I would usually consider my “comfort zone” (garments.)
Wheels are turning…look out!
Posted in Patterns | 23 Comments »
Mommy needs to use her name again!
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
You know how, when you were younger (or maybe you do this now if you are younger and / or have no kids) you heard moms call themSELVES “Mommy” and it sounded so lame?
Makes you think, “why are you talking about yourself in the third person? Is your child an idiot? Of course they know you’re the mom. You don’t have to CALL yourself Mommy.”
Well. Now I’m doing it.
I read that little babies don’t understand pronouns like he, she, her, him, etc, you should use the person’s name so that they catch on to who you’re talking about. And so you call yourself Mommy and your husband Daddy and your mom Grandma.
And it’s a hard habit to break!
Even though Mazie’s a year and a half old, I’m still calling myself Mommy. “Mommy’s not going to give you the lipstick. If you want lipstick on, Mommy has to do it.” “That’s Mommy’s good brush, Harvey (our dandruffy 17-year old cat) has his own brush.”
Yesterday, I heard myselff asking Nathan, “Do you like the bread Mommy made?” And I about died.
Mommy needs to use her name again! Mommy needs to stop talking about herself in the third person!
Mazie is growing so fast, and she’s really smart! AND…you can tell from the photo above…really, really stylish! She loves her hats and her jewelry, and her purse and her shades, and she wants me to do her hair and to wear lipstick and blush on. (And I oblige and pretend to do her makeup!)
This has been such a fun adventure! I’m just so amazed every single day by my little LadyBaby.