Walnut Cheeks

Hello out there?

I know, I know.  I've been a really, really, REALLY bad blogger.  You know what it was?  The winter.  No sun,no light, and consequently no opportunities for fun photography.  Without good pictures to share, what fun is it to blog?  

So, I survived the long winter, my first back in Minnesota in four years and spring is here.  I'd forgotten just how fantastic spring feels after a long winter - and how quickly everything starts to green up again.  It's been just wonderful to take the dog on walks, open the windows, sit out on the porch....

Like my chairs?  Another great dumpster rescue mission!

Chris and I have been dreaming about a house of our own lately and have started the enormous process to make that dream a reality.  Nothing really to report at this time other than the anticipation of an eventful summer ahead.

It seems high time for a peek into my knitting bag - I toted all of my new yarns and projects out on to the porch for a little photo session this morning and I just love how complimentary everything is together:

Unfortunately, wearing this many handknits together might be a tad overwhelming.

These yarns are destined to become three future projects: that bright pink tweed in the bottom of the frame was purchased with Kat Coyle's Ardent Jacket in mind.  I'm really excited about this yarn - it's Jo Sharp Silkroad DK tweed, and I've been lusting after it for ages - this color in particular.  It's a bit washed out in this picture, but I've noticed lately that it is the exact same shade as a crabapple tree in bloom - that wonderfully rich, deep fuchsia.

The gold yarn came from the sale loft at Depth of Field Yarn in Minneapolis - it's Gems Pearl, and it was one heckuva bargain (see how quickly the Minnesotan in me comes back!?) - I had an idea for it when I bought it, realized that it wouldn't work well, and now I've got no specific plans.  It probably wants to be lace, and something like a shawl, but I'm not sure yet - I've got lots of it, this could be really fun.

And the purple hand-painted yarn, came from the Shepherd's Harvest Sheep and Wool Festival a few weeks ago.  No real plans for this yet either, but my pal, Kim bought the other two pretty skeins that this vendor had and we're thinking about a knit-along of some sort.  Some other highlights from the Wool Fest:

Learning to use a drop spindle to make yarn - fun, but I wasn't hooked.  (thanks Michael for the photo!)

Cashmere goats - where it all begins....

These guys were LOUD!

And finally, a peek at what's on the needles.  I've got a few finished projects from the winter that I need to photograph and post - good stuff all around (but I'm enjoying a lazy week off and I still have bed head - so, no modeling for me just yet).  

Aprés Surf Hoodie, coming along.

I surprised myself with this choice a little - it's not something I'd normally knit, but Ravelry convinced me - everyone who makes it looks fantastic in it, which cannot be said for all patterns, and, I love knitting lace, so it had to be done.  Check out the finished look on the Interweave Knits Preview.  I was really clipping along and the numbers for the shaping were all spot on and then something inexplicable happened and now they're off.  I'm trying to decide if I care - if it's off, it's only going to be by about a half of a centimeter, so it's not THAT big of a deal.  (So, I probably don't care.)

And, the Kiri Shawl has re-emerged:

Kiri, squashed up.

I thought I'd screwed up the stitch pattern on this and in a fit of frustration, I stuffed it into this Walker bag and forgot about it all winter.  Then, I was looking for something easy to knit on and pulled it out again to see how bad my error was.  Turns out, nothing was off at all - it looked great, so I figured out where I'd left off and started up again.  I love the steely grey and though it looks like a mess now, when this is blocked, it's going to be fantastic:

Kiri, about halfway there.

So, that's the latest.  I'm going to grab a homemade granola bar (yes, it really is worth it to make your own) and head back out to the porch to see what project speaks to me today.

NaKniSweMoDo...Oh no!

Sooooo... I'm not off to a great start on my sweater-a-month goal.  I suspected that my knitting speed wasn't quite at this level, but I thought maybe it could be.  Oh well.  How about an amended goal?  What if I make it my aim to finish a project each month?  I like finishing things - almost as much as I like starting them!  For example, I started and finished these mittens for Chris in January:

A knitter's sweetie simply should not have have to walk around with cold hands!  I whipped these up one weekend when I realized that I hadn't made anything more than a pair of socks for Chris and that he didn't have a good toasty pair of mittens.  Now he does.  And now we can hold hands when we go for walks because his hands aren't in his pockets anymore.  So satisfying in so many ways.

My Kaino vest is coming along - I've got the back and one side finished.  I'm hoping I can make some good progress on the other side this weekend and have it all wrapped up before we get too far into February because my next project is waiting in the wings:

I was out doing a little vintage treasure-hunting this week and I'm pretty sure I squealed with glee when I found this goody stuffed in the bottom of of a bookcase displaying an impressive collection of old perm rods (I'm sure there's a blog out there somewhere where that find will be worthy of its own squeals...).  Anyway, I figured the odds of finding a complete kit like this - un-knit and featuring not only a super cute pattern, but real wool yarn for $10.00 - is a one-in-a-million kind of thing.  There was a second kit, but the pattern was so dated, and the yarn was SO acrylic, that I pretended not to see it.  

I weighed the yarn when I got home and I don't think the original knitter even knit a swatch - it's all here:

I will be very interested to compare what knits up from the instructions to the sketched sweaters - reading through, it looks like a good match, but you never know, this isn't charted, so it's a bit of a challenge to visualize.  I like the idea of the cardigan, but I'm not convinced that the front cabled edge won't curl like mad and look terrible (oh, how I wish it wouldn't, that scalloped edge is so charming) so I figure I'll start with the back or a sleeve and see how it all comes together and decide on the front later.  

If you've got any ideas about when this might have been sold, let me know - I'm guessing mid-60s based on the sketches, but there aren't any dates and Bernat's website is all contemporary - no vintage info.  A BIG hint about age can be found here in the size chart; which is also a fascinating reminder of how very far retailers have taken vanity sizing over the years, oh my:

Off to a good start!

The back of the Kaino vest is coming along quickly and I'm loving how the recycled yarn is looking.  It's very nearly untwisted, but made up of maybe a dozen two-ply twisted strands.  Every now and then, one is broken (perhaps I was too vigorous in my unraveling...) but knit up, it's hardly noticeable.  

This is coming along so quickly that it's given me an idea about how to strategize a year's worth of sweaters - I'm thinking that alternating something easy with something challenging will be the way to go - if I finish up with this quickly enough, I can buy myself some time on February's project - for example.

Joe-Joe thinks this is smart.  Or maybe he just wants to help - hard to tell:

Well hello 2009!

Last night some friends came over for a low-key New Year's Eve - we ate curry, played games and chatted up the last few hours of 2008.  After we toasted the new year, we started talking about resolutions and I casually mentioned the NaKniSweMoDo (or National Knit a Sweater a Month Dodecathon) - this:

 

Everyone said - oooh, aaah, what a challenge - 12 sweaters!  And though I was half joking, I started to wonder if I could do it?  I thought, you know, I bet I could.  I've got a bit of yarn in my stash that's been wanting to get knit up and there are a few projects that I've been lusting after....  And I like this idea of thinking about a sweater for each month.  Yup, I'm in!  Let's go!

For my January sweater, I'm going to knit Norah Gaughan's Kaino vest (Ravelry Link) : 

I'm picturing this worn with a slouchy-collared t-neck and a wide belt.  Mine will be a heathery green - remember the Land's End sweater that I unraveled?  I think it's perfect.

So, check back for updates - I'm hoping that participating in NaKniSweMoDo will help me with my other resolution: to blog more, I know I've been lazy.  

Time to cast on!  Happy knitting everyone!

Tangled Yoke Cardigan!

Finally finished!  I love it - this is perhaps my most favorite knit yet!  The fit on this is perfect - not too tight anywhere, no gaping between the buttons, the sleeves are just right in every way.  The only modification I made was to add 11 buttons instead of 9, otherwise it's Eunny Jang's perfect pattern through and through.  She's brilliant and I'm really happy to have her watching over Interweave Knits, but I really do miss her original blog.  She's got such a talent for wearable, flattering details and her instructions are crystal clear and spot on - it was a pleasure to knit such a well-written pattern. 

Look at that cable - I'm so proud of it!  Knitting it was like watching magic happen - every other row, a new loop or criss-cross seemed to appear out of nowhere.  I didn't think I liked knitting cables - my hands get really sore when I work them - but this was different and I'm looking at cabled sweaters with a new enthusiasm.  I think going back to a cabling needle made all the difference - as cool as it is to knit cables without it, I think all the pinching to switch the stitches around was too much for my hands. 

And how do you like my back-door self portraits?  Chris came out to snap a few shots of me about ten minutes after I took these by myself and the daylight was absolutely gone.  Ah, winter: cozy sweaters & dark afternoons. 

So, with the tangled yoke cardi all finished up, I have empty needles again!  I have two Dale of Norway projects queued up, but I'm thinking something a little smaller might be in order before another big project (and one with scary parts- like steeking!)  Maybe some fair isle mittens to get my colorwork up to snuff for the Dales, and definitely a new winter hat!

Hello again!

Hi there - please accept my apologies for the little un-announced blogging sabbatical.  I hadn't planned to take so long between posts, but, well, you know: time gets away from you.  I think part of my reluctance to blog lately has been Minnesota weather - we have less and less sunlight and half the fun of blogging when I was a Houstonian, was taking pictures in all the wonderful, warm natural light.  I suppose it's just a new artistic challenge.

So, here's what I've been up to:

First, the tangled yoke cardigan is an evening away from being finished (though, lately half of my evenings are taken up with preparing for classes the next day...so maybe two evenings).  And, I got buttons - see how pretty!
I finally mastered the cable - my yarn shop has clinic hours and I spent a lot of the afternoon counting, handing it off to another knitter, watching her count, and lining up stitch markers.  I don't know why I never thought of using stitch markers myself, but it made all the difference in the world.  You'll see - when I have it all done, I'll get some good daylight shots - it's going to be beautiful.

And, I learned to weave on a rigid heddle loom:
Weaving made me look at yarn in a whole new way, and I'm dreaming of owning a loom of my own.  The rigid heddle was good for learning, but it only took about 10 minutes to realize that weaving could be a LOT more fun than the rigid heddle allows.  I'm currently lusting after this lovely:

It's the Mimi table loom made by Woolhouse Tools.  I've done a lot of online loom browsing lately, and this one is my favorite for so many reasons.  Feel free to make a contribution to my Mimi fund if you're feeling generous!

And, finally, the kitties, enjoying one of the last warm afternoons that I expect we'll see for a few months:

More scrambled than tangled....

Remember my Tangled Yoke Cardigan?  This knit started life in Houston and has come a long way over my travels this summer.  I've got the sleeves joined to the body and I've worked all the way up to where the beautiful cable that circles the shoulders gets knit in (take a look here to see the cable).  I've started the cable twice now and run into troubles both times - one time I had one stitch left over at the end, and the next time, after careful counting, I had two.  Oops. 

The thing is, it's not a tough cable if you think of it row by row - I can totally do this.  The thing that gets me is that it happens over a ka-trillion stitches!  Somehow, I'm losing my place.  And I reeeeeally want to conquer this cable because I reeeeeeally want to wear this lovely knit!  So close, I'm SO CLOSE! 

My new plan: row by row, day by day.  I'm going to challenge myself to do a row a day until I make it past the tangle and then it will be smooth sailing.  Tonight, I'm going to start with some serious re-counting to make sure that this isn't something that happened a row or two down - and then (deep breath)...row one.  Wish me luck.

Sending my love south...

I've been watching the Hurricane Ike coverage, as my home for four years has been pummeled by rain and wind.  My family keeps saying how glad they are that we are here in Minnesota now.  And yes, I'm grateful to be here and safe, but my heart hurts for all of the good friends I have who are right there in the thick of it.  I hope that the night they spent sitting behind boarded up windows and listening to what must have been some scary noises outside keeps them safe and sound.  

Its a little hard to be sitting here in St. Paul with no ways to help, so I'll be keeping my ears open for anything I can do from a distance, and definitely sending my love and my thoughts south.  Keep me posted guys, and be safe.

Greetings from Saint Paul!

Hello from Minnesota!  The first couple of weeks here have been WONDERFUL!  If only I could import all of my favorite Houstonians, this place would be heaven.  

Our first night here was a Thursday and we discovered that there is a little Fridays-only Farmer's Market around the corner from us.  Yes, Friday night we ate well - all week we ate well.  We've been dining al fresco and luxuriously bug-free on the screened-in porch and loving it.  

The inside of our apartment is coming along - slowly but surely the boxes are disappearing and the things that make up our home are re-appearing.  Give me another week before I share the interior, but in the meantime, enjoy some exterior views:  Here are a few scenes from my neighborhood, all taken on my lovely and leisurely dog walks....

At my brother and new sister-in-law's house.  If you don't know who Al Franken is, here's a little reminder: he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggonit, people like him.  Yup, same guy.

Stern with a smile: Minnesota Nice.

Summit Avenue - a block away from us and home to dedicated bike lanes, a running path in the boulevard, the Govenor's mansion, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald House.  Very cool.  

I wish I knew what this is all about, but I don't.  It's a teepee, a beautiful, giant teepee and it lives on the lawn of an enormous place around the corner from us.  One of these days I hope to bump into someone coming or going from this place and ask about it.  I'll let you know what I find out.

Home.  You can imagine me sitting out on the porch on this cool, shady Saturday morning writing this and finishing up a cup of coffee.  Wendy is watching for squirrels.  Neighbors are biking and strolling by.  And it's time for me to get out and join them!

From the desk of Wendy...

Manda put a star sticker on my head yesterday. I wore it all afternoon. Cause I'm cool like that. (And you guys, Joey was sooooooooooooo jealous!)