Notes on sanity

It has been an incredibly busy couple months, semester, year, etc. The last two weeks have been particularly insane at school, with state assessments, standardized tests, arranging student teaching placements, and big projects due left and right. When I get this busy I tend to pull in, be more introspective, and sadly, I stop doing things that keep me sane! So here I am, tests looming, writing on the blog again, looking for my sanity. If you find it, do let me know.

There has been some knitting. Not much knitting, but some. I am almost done with my on-the-bus socks, a gift for my MIL. I am on the second repeat of the second chart on my Aestlight Shawl, in DIC Starry. I must echo the Yarn Harlot's thoughts on the Starry, its lovely, but not quite as silvery as one would hope. Yet, I love it, and want more of it! Kristina recently introduced me to the Dizzy Sheep, which features one yarn for sale per day at bargain basement pricing, and I have since been checking every day, hoping for more Starry.

Knitting is one of those things that keeps me sane, but the time in which to do it evaporates in the face of other tasks. I can see why doctors prescribed knitting as a cure to anxiety to housewives in the old days. As I knit each stitch, I can feel my mind sifting, processing, and clicking things into place. I am always glad when I sneak some time to knit a few rows. Most of my knitting is 6:30 am bus knitting at the moment, and I won't lie-- I have nodded off once or twice!

In good news, Thanksgiving and Christmas are nearly upon us, which for me means vacation and knitting time! In preparation, I ordered some yarn for my first sweater! I bought Valley Yarns on Webs, my first time buying their in-house brand, in a chunky weight, dark blue heather. They were offering a sale for knitting daily subscribers, so I hopped on it. I got enough yarn for a sweater plus a free pattern for 25 bucks. I am planning to knit the sweater featured in the latest Berroco newsletter, Nimbus. Its more of a sweater coat, which comforts me since I won't have to be too worried about a precise, tailored fit.

Some photo documentation of my last few busy months:

Married!

Central CA Mini-Honeymoon aka Mini Moon: Hearst Castle

Mini-Moon: Castoro Cellars Vineyard

Mini-Moon: Castoro Cellars Vineyard

Mini-Moon: Sculpture Garden at Clautiere Winery

I'm not dead yet...

(Five points to whoever got the Monty Python reference.)

Although my blog posts have been few and far between (almost none, in fact) I've been doing just as much knitting as ever. I just had to take a time-out from school to post what may have been my most important FO of the year.

FO: Rose's Wedding Shawl
Pattern: Aeolian Shawl by Elizabeth Freeman
Yarn: Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb
Needles: US 4 circ's
Other odds-n-ends: used a crap-load of mauve beads, size 8/0
Started: 08/05/09, Completed 08/20/09 ...technically ends were woven in on 10/03/09.

With only two months of notice, I worked on this night and day so I would be sure to finish in time. It actually only took two weeks of non-stop knitting and beading. I think I lost about fifty beads in my couch.

I am always so surprised and pleased after blocking. I swear, it is black magic.


Finally, here is a picture of the whole thing, with my fiance (!) for scale. (Don't mind the empty bookshelves in the background; we were in the middle of moving.)

FO: Silk Wool Spiral Cowl

Do the joys of Malabrigo ever cease? I think not. I love the feel of Malabrigo on my needles, and on my skin. Knowing this, my mom bought me some of Malabrigo's Silky Merino for my birthday. It is glorious. Its soft, light and warm, like the worsted merino, but has the most beautiful silky sheen.

FO: Silky Wool Cowl
Pattern: Spiral Cowl by Keri McKiernan of Knitty Gritty Thoughts (free pattern!)
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino
Needles: US 6/ 4.0 MM knit picks options nickel plated fixed circs
Mods: I omitted the button, as the cowl was not loose enough to warrant it. I would make it again, a bit bigger, just so I could use the cute button accent.

This was a fun, easy knit, mostly completed in the car. I ordered the knit picks nickel plated needles for this project and the Aestlight Shawl (by the Shetland Trader) which I am knitting up with Dream in Color Starry. I like the needles-- light weight and fast. I always am a bit slower with circs-- no matter how smooth the join, it slows me down. For me, these were much faster than the bamboo needles they replaced.

A fun, useful knit with fall around the corner. Its time to break out shawls, scarves, and cowls to ward of the morning frost!



Pictures taken at Clautiere Winery, in Paso Robles, CA on my mini-honeymoon :)

FO: The Nantucket Purse

My friend recently sent me a picture of a FO I gifted her in action, and I realized I had never shared it on the blog.

FO: Nantucket Purse
Pattern: DROPS Cable Bag (free pattern!)
Yarn: Peru Naturtex Partners Pakucho Organic Cotton (mine was cheap on elann.com)
Needles: US 10.5 Bamboo Circulars

I named this purse the Nantucket Purse for my friend Amelia who spends some time every summer in Nantucket. Here she is on her way from Nantucket to Boston, with the purse in action.

I love this pattern and this bag! My friend Jess added the handles and the sewn in lining. I did not like this yarn, it had almost no twist, and was splitty like crazy. I prefer cottons with a strong twist like Rowan cotton rope. The cotton was not fun, but I did love the outcome. Very slouchy and cool.

Night at the Museum

Assumptions. When I was a kid we said assumptions make an a$$ out of you and me.

When I started the Ring of Fire socks, I assumed the pattern was written for 3 DPNs because that is what I use. I cast on as instructed, without thinking much, 34 stitches per needle. I joined, then knit a row, again, not thinking at all. I looked down at a massive beast of a knitted circle. I looked at the directions, confirming I cast on correctly. Yup, 34 on each needle. Yet, I seemed to have a third more stitches than I needed! I reread the pattern again, finally actually reading the beginning instructions. The pattern was written for 2 circulars, not the 3 DPNs I was using. I frogged my giant, 112 stitch sock, and adapted for 3 needles, scaling back to the more normal 68 stitches :)

I saw King Tut at the De Young last night. It was a lovely exhibit, really well put together. Much improved from the version I saw 5 years ago in LA. The sky was crazy last night, unusual high clouds (we usually only get low fog) made for a dramatic sky behind the modern towers of the De Young.

Sock in Progress

Kristina visited San Francisco this past weekend. We had an awesome time scoping out cool places to live in the Bay Area, playing cards excessively, knitting, eating delicious Burmese food and sushi, and walking about.

Kristina slumbers peacefully with a cake of DIC Smooshy Yarn in Pansy Go Lightly

Kristina brought me the most amazing gift ever. She knitted me an amazing wedding shawl, using Knitty's newish Aeolian Shawl in a gorgeous chocolatey brown, and with beads! It is both perfect and totally awesome. She is such an amazing knitter, and friend. I am so grateful to have her :) Thanks, friend.


Some sock in progress shots! The pattern is a freebie, Ring of Fire, by Kristin Kapur. This will be a Christmas gift for N's mom. Her foot is a bit larger than mine (about 4 sizes!) so I lengthened the heel flap quite a bit and am making a longer foot.

FO: Pomatomus Socks

Cookie A is such a fun designer. I love her wacky, innovative sock patterns, they are so much fun. Pomatomus is no exception.

FO: Sunset Pomatomus
Pattern: Pomatomus, by cookie A. (free pattern!)
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare - Peruvian Highland Wool Fingering Weight hand dyed by Kristina and myself. A fun, but very smelly project ;)
Needles: Knit Picks metal DPNs. I loved working with these. I switched mid-project after snapping a bamboo needle in twain.
I started these socks back in March, and they have served as my go-to project between projects, and often got cast aside for other things. I waited a while between finishing the first sock, and casting on the second. Between this and the needle change, the second sock is a bit snugger than the first, but both fit just fine. I knit a lot more quickly and tightly on the metal needles than on the bamboo.
On the second sock I played around with the number of stitches grafted on the toe. In the above picture, the right sock is knit precisely as the pattern specifies. This makes for a very point sock. I have very block like non-pointy feeties. Only my big toe fits into the toe point, which sort of makes the whole sock twist a bit on my foot. So, on the second sock, I decreased less on the toe, and grafted more stitches. The sock is much comfier in the toe area as a result. In the picture above, my left foot is closer to the camera than the right, its not actually noticeably more giant than the right in person.

I had fun knitting this pattern. I think I would do it again, in a sock weight yarn. The fingering weight is enough smaller that the scales (which look like fans to me) have less pop and 3d texture than the ones I have seen on ravelry knit in sock weight yarn. I like using fingering weight because it produces a tighter, less slouchy sock, and slouchy socks are a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I might try the adaptation of this pattern to fingerless gloves, because I love the definition of the twisted rib in the sock weight yarn. In fact.... I have some new Dream in Color Starry that would be perfect for it.


Have a happy weekend!