The blues and the bees

October 29, 2009 by Kristen

Ugh.  Seasonal changes and we all have minor colds.  I’m grateful that it’s not flu, believe me, but I’m still a little tired of feeling under the weather.  On the other hand, my classes are going pretty well, Entrechat is well on its way to release, and I have something of a jump on holiday gifts because I was smart enough to start knitting them over the summer.  My hat production continues, with Gabriel the next victim recipient.  Actually, he really needs a new hat, since he loses every single one I ever make for him almost as soon as he receives it (grr!) but I’m hoping for better luck this time.  He’s had his eye on the lovely Jitterbug I got from Mai’s blog contest some time back, and so I held the yarn doubled to make Stephen West’s new hat pattern, Windschief.

Not the most flattering picture of the boyo, but he looks adorable in it.  And I love the way the yarn knit up.  Jitterbug has really grown on me.  Some of the colorways are really spectacular.  I love how this one gives an overall impression of blue, but still has strong greens and reds in it.  The hat is ready just in time for hat weather, so yay!

Here’s a sneak peek at a Christmas present project, about which I shall say little. I’m just so happy with the color (Malabrigo Sock in Cote d’Azure) that I had to share.

I’m on a blue kick, as you see.  I don’t really wear blue, but I love it, and am very happy to have other people in my life who can be provided with blue things.  The above blue makes me think strongly of Japanese indigo dyed fabrics, and I am enjoying it immensely.  I’ve actually had my eye on the skein for months now, and I was lucky because no one bought it before I could get to it.  It was one of only two skeins of Sock left at the store!  How no one else came along and snapped up this beauty I will never know, but I’m very happy that I’m the one who got it.

We’ve been very busy with planting the winter garden and starting to get ourselves ready for the upcoming holidays.  I love working in the garden, even if I’m only a half-competent gardener.  There is nothing more rewarding than cooking with food you’ve grown for yourself.  Yesterday, in service of the cold Mr. Kninja and I are sharing, I made a tortilla and albondigas soup using the last of the heirloom tomatoes, and celery, cilantro, and oregano from the garden.  We have two varieties of oregano right now, as I accidentally purchased hot and spicy oregano on my first time out.  It’s very tasty, but the kids want nothing to do with it, so I had to get a second plant of the more traditional Italian variety.

I made pickles with the baby green tomatoes we harvested, but now no one wants to eat them.  They taste marvelous at first bite, but have an odd aftertaste that makes us unhappy.  I’m disappointed, especially as I finally perfected my pickle brine recipe.  (Hint: lots of vinegar.   Most kosher dill recipes I’ve found just don’t have enough for a truly sour pickle.)  However, I’m very thrilled with the plant that produced the tomatoes, and know for sure that it’s a variety I want to repeat.  They were Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, and holy moo, but that plant made some amazing fruits.  They were about the sweetest tomatoes I’ve ever had, and they came in profusion.  The color was marvelous too – a yellow that bordered on orange and sometimes crossed over.  So if you happen to be on the lookout for a good tomato variety, I’m going to put my word in for the Sun Gold.

We’re lucky that our climate supports a winter garden.  It’s not as profuse as summer, of course, but we’re putting in a lot of lettuces, spinach, and arugula, plus the aforementioned celery, herbs of all sorts, onions, peas, and I need to pick up a few more plants.  The artichokes have begun to replenish themselves (they are plants that love abuse – after a growing season you hack them to bits and then they rise, phoenix-like, from the debris) and the fennel is working overtime to take over the yard.  Our strawberries are an alpine variety, so they’re happily still at work, trying to produce autumn berries, and sending out runners every which way.  And then there’s my tree.

I was on a walk with Nora this summer when I saw a sign, “Free apple tree” and not being a person to look a gift apple tree in the mouth, I managed to half carry, half drag a wee potted apple tree home with me.  It was in a rather sad condition, but after some weeding and watering, it perked up pretty well.  We’ve yet to plant it, so it remains in its pot, looking small and withered, but cheerful.  It went so far as to blossom, even, though that was clearly a premature attempt at adulthood.  So there’s that, too.  The yard remains a rather sorry looking place, but I’m proud of all the work we’ve done so far.  It’s solely in our care, which is quite a privilege for apartment dwelling renters, and I truly think we’ve fixed it up considerably from the time we moved in.  It’s slow going, and we’re not the best at it, but it’s such a pleasure.

Posted in Color, Hats, In progress, Knitting, Miscellany | 1 Comment »

Onward!

October 20, 2009 by Kristen

Entrechat is finally out for test knitting and tech editing, so a big old woot! on that one!  I know it’s not when I’d hoped to have it released, but it will be out soon.

I finished the February baby sweater in Wool Candy.  I love the yarn very much – it blocked out nicely, the color is marvelous, and it is so, so soft.  Perfect baby yarn.  I have enough leftover for a bonnet and booties, so I’m going to make a full set.

I need to get a close up on the buttons.  They’re very pretty.  I originally bought them for Maude Louise the first, but they were far too small, and I had to change them out.  I’m glad to finally put them to use, and especially on a garment I’d hoped to make very special.

There’s not a lot to be said about the pattern that hasn’t already been said.  This is my second February baby sweater, so I was more ready to change things to suit me.  And I remembered to start the button holes early on, rather than waiting for the pattern to tell me to.  It’s important to read through the whole thing before you start, so that you won’t be surprised when you realize you’re several inches in and haven’t placed a button hole.  At least it is if you happen to be me.

I don’t have a current picture, but I’m also working on a fun test knit for Stephen over at Westknits.  These are mitts with a cool stripe and lattice pattern called the Diamondback mitts, and they are so quick, and such a great stashbuster.  I’m using leftover RYC Soft Lux together with Kool Aid dyed Rowanspun held double with Shibuiknits Sock.  I love how they look like crazy candy canes!  The first mitt is done and Mr. Kninja surprised me by asking for a pair – two pair, actually.  He loves the way the lattice looks like architectural struts, holding up the striped material.  He’s planning on rooting through my stash later to find the perfect colors.

Here’s what it looked like when I was just getting started and also could not focus my camera.  Because I am awesome that way.

I think these will match my coat, which is very, very red.  Plus they are festive and warm and wonderful.  The pattern will be released very soon, so keep your eye on the pattern page at Ravelry.

Posted in Entrechat, Kidswear, Knitting, Mitts, Shrugs | 5 Comments »

Entrechat shoot

October 13, 2009 by Kristen

I’m very far behind schedule on the Entrechat pattern, but we’re getting close to the finish line now.  Mr. Kninja and the kids and I went down to the beach this morning to shoot pictures for the pattern.  I felt pretty silly wandering around Albany beach in a flowing white dress, but I wanted something that would contrast with the teal nicely.  Here are some of the pictures.  You can click through to see the rest!

Lesson of the day: hair that stays relatively flat at home is not necessarily going to lie flat on a windy beach!

Posted in Design, Entrechat, Knitting, Original Pattern, Shrugs | 12 Comments »

Verb

October 11, 2009 by Kristen

When I say that I have a wonderful husband, I mean this: I have the sort of husband who calls me from work to say, “Honey, I passed a sign on my way to work that said, ‘Yarn and Fiber’, so I stopped off to see what it was, and it’s the store for A Verb for Keeping Warm!  You’ll love it – I’ll take you on Friday!”

So on Friday, we took a pilgrimage to the land of beautiful natural dyed fibers and got to poke about and see all the lovely colors all in one spot.  This, by the way is a very cool thing.  It’s one thing to see some of the yarn on its own, but when you see it in the shop, all stacked and painted and beautiful, it’s amazing.  We also got to talk to the owner, Kristine, who is just the nicest person, and who is supremely talented in the ways of fiber and color.  (Also, though this is not appropos of much, Verb has my favorite logo of any yarn company.  I am a sucker for good typography.)

It’s cozy in there, as one might expect, and the yarns…oh my.  Kristine told us a little about the various conditions that affect naturally dyed yarns, which is just fascinating.  Whether the water is alkaline or not can affect the colors that the dyes produce.  You can read more about her process and ideas on the About Us page at Verb.  The dedication to the natural dyes pays off when you see the beautiful and almost antique appearance of the yarns and fibers.

It’s not just the dyes, either.  Verb sells yarns spun from undyed wool from sheep raised in Oregon.  The Farm Series includes a favorite fiber of mine, Jacob wool, which I have to admit is not one I’ve actually used.  I still claim it as a favorite, though, because the Jacob sheep is about the coolest looking sheep on the block (having anywhere from 2 to 6 horns), and the fiber feels amazing.  And someday I will knit with it, dagnabit.

Of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed.  I went with something specific in mind.  I won’t be starting for a bit yet, but I have a shawl idea floating around in my head in two sizes, one in lace weight and one in fingering weight yarn.  I have the lace weight, so I went looking for fingering weight, preferably in a light, antiqued shade.  I got a skein of Creating sock yarn in Elephanta, a lovely pink/grey yarn that fit the bill perfectly.  You are probably aware that pink is not usually one of the colors I’m drawn to, but the image of this shawl has always had one version in pink in my head.

I’m hoping to get around to more local dyers and yarnies soon!  This was great fun, and I’m so excited to have a skein of something unique to this area to work with for a new design.

Posted in A Verb for Keeping Warm, Local yarn, Yarn | 9 Comments »

Corner, turned

October 7, 2009 by Kristen

My back, it is better.  Thank goodness – that was rather scary.  I am walking as normally as ever I do, and I have a lot more energy now that I’m not in constant pain and worry.

I turned a corner with the Entrechat pattern as well.  I’m far behind my own schedule on that one, but while my back was messed up, I simply could not concentrate well. I finally finished the first draft today, and now it’s more downhill than up to get it finished.  So, um, yay!

In the meantime, I’m working on Liam’s stocking cap, Gabriel’s languishing sweater, and a February baby sweater for a January baby.  Liam’s stocking cap won’t photograph well for some reason.  I’m using deep red and medium violet Cascade 220, and my camera is rebelling against it.  All the pictures have come out too bright and adjusting the color in Photoshop isn’t really helping.  So no pictures of that.

This is the baby sweater as it was yesterday.  I’m using Wool Candy Meringue in Silver Sage, and I really love the yarn.  Soft and squishy and washable, and the color is lovely, though there are some upsetting dark blue spots in a few places.  I’m going to chalk that up to the risks of handpainted yarn, though and move on.  I love the fact that this actually looks like the colors of a sage plant.

Posted in In progress, Knitting, Sweaters | 2 Comments »

What a drag

October 1, 2009 by Kristen

Literally.  The reason for the radio silence is that while I was holding her arm, Eleanor dropped suddenly to the ground, jerking me off balance and yanking something badly out of place in my lower back.  This has gotten progressively less painful over the week, but sitting up for any length of time is hard, and then, to cap it, if I stand up straight my sciatic nerve must be pinched.  There’s no pain associated with it, but my left leg dangles uselessly and I have to drag it along when I walk.  When I bend forward or sit or lie down, the pressure must be taken off the nerve, because the leg then can bend again, and most of the tingling in my foot disappears.  It’s bizarre, and thoroughly unpleasant, but will hopefully be at an end soon.  I have an appointment with a chiropractor tomorrow and I’m hoping he can prod things into place and get me back on track.

I’m feeling again like the weak one in the herd – the one who would, and should, be left behind at the first sign of danger.  Thank goodness humans are not prey animals, I suppose.  Anyway, it’s left me rather sulky and down this week, so in addition to being unable to sit up too long, I just didn’t have much to write that wasn’t ridiculously self pitying.

But, to quote Pollyanna, there’s always something to be glad about, and while I can’t hope to emulate that urchin’s chipper and sunny outlook, she’s kind of right.  (I hope this does not affect my standing as a registered curmudgeon.)  So yeah, OK, my leg is dragging, but I have an appointment to get it fixed and it’s a gorgeous autumn day.  One of my best friends and my brother are coming to visit, and I’ve gotten some knitting done.

I’m on a hat kick.  I love hats.  Love, love, love hats.  I love how in old movies, everyone is wearing a hat, and I love the variety thereof.  I think it’s a darn shame that Jack Kennedy’s giant head (note: Kennedy actually means large, mishapen head) put an end to the days of hat wearing in America.  (This is what my husband tells me anyway.  He says that Jack Kennedy’s head was so large that it was hard to find hats that fit him, and his brazen bareheaded ways changed the fashion in the States.   Since Mr. Kninja is the only person I know who has actually worked in a hat shop, I am taking his word for it.)

So I’ve been making hats.  I test knit a second hat for Nina Machlin Dayton, and it is awesome sauce.

(I didn’t realize it until I took this picture, but I think all Urban Outfitters catalog shoots may take place in my bathroom.  The lighting is really weird and retro in there.)

The name of this hat is Medici, and you can see why.  It’s got this cool, Renaissance look about it that is very appealing, and, I think, very flattering to many a head.  I made this one for my friend Christine, using Trekking held together with mohair unraveled from a sweater I found at Goodwill in order to make a worsted weight yarn.  The result, as Liam put it, is “Sophisticated, but somewhat itchy.”  Actually, the itch is pretty much nil, but I thought that was a hilarious way to describe mohair.

The Medici pattern is awesome.  Terribly, terribly clever, with lots of short row shaping, brilliant photo instructions, and a wonderful result that only becomes clear at the very end.

The color’s a lot more accurate in this picture.  I love the way the stockinette forms a circle at the back.  Genius.

I also knit Ysolda’s Ripley, my first knit from Whimsical Little Knits 2.

This one’s for me.  Unfortunately, while I love it passionately, I do not love it with my current hair.  This picture is better than it looks in general, but it decidedly needs hair peeking out beneath it to look good.  It’s hard to make my hair peek out right now, so I am going to save this for when my hair grows out a bit and I have a bob.  It was great fun to knit, though, and of course, the pattern was brilliant.  My favorite details were some gorgeous illustrations (!) that really made the pleating technique clear.

Which pleating, by the way, is very fun to do.  This hat is knit with worsted weight yarn on size 10 needles, so it goes very fast indeed.

It’s been nice to have these to work on when I’ve been somewhat prone.  I somehow lost my size 6 and 7 circulars (the 16 inch ones) in the midst of all this, so I can’t get started on the next hat yet.  Liam wants a red and purple striped long stocking cap for his winter hat, and I have the yarn, but not the needles.  But things are going to get better, by gum, so soon I’m going to have a working leg and my needles!

Posted in Hats, Knitting, Setbacks | 4 Comments »

On head size

September 24, 2009 by Kristen

Today I happened to have a tape measure in my pocket as I was out walking with the kids.  On a whim, and to keep them entertained, I whipped it out and offered to measure their heads.  We are, for reference, Eleanor, 4, Liam, almost 8, Gabriel, 10, and me, 30.  And we all have almost the same size head.  In fact, of the lot of us, Liam has the biggest head at 21 inches plus a little.  Eleanor has the smallest, at 20 inches, but the largest proportionally.  Gabriel and I both have about a 21 inch head.  No wonder hat size is such a wonky prospect!  And it also explains why I can wear Eleanor’s new hat.  (No pictures of me in a toddler sized hat, I’m afraid.  I didn’t think to take any when I tried it on.)

This is Nora’s new hat, a test knit of a new pattern from Nina Machlin Dayton.  This is a very cool pattern – simple, but well written and clever.  The long brim is stylish, warm, and helps the hat stay on.  I love how the purl rows give the hat a totally different look than the usual plain toque!  Nora needed a new hat for winter, and I was so excited to have an opportunity to test knit this pattern. I don’t have a ton of time for extra curricular knitting these days, but hats are fast, and as I say, I loved this pattern.

The yarn I used is some Patons Worsted Merino that I had in the stash.  It’s a yarn that’s long been troubling me.  I like the look of it in the skein, but it tends to pool badly when knit up, as it did in this case.  However, I overdyed it with some food coloring that I had in the cupboard, and I think it’s quite nice now.  This is what it looked like prior to its red dye and vinegar bath:

Blotchy, no?  I mean, you can see the cute hat structure under there, but the pooling looks like a skin condition.  It’s too bad, really, as I think the colors are very striking.  Girly, but without being typical, and they’re a little more sophisticated than the usual red and pink combos.  Oh well.  At least it was fixable!  And the timing was excellent, as Nora really did need a new hat.  It’s starting to get cooler in the mornings here, and since we walk to school, our ears are especially vulnerable.  I try to have warm caps for all the kids come winter, and this is a great start to hat season!

Posted in Hats, Knitting | 3 Comments »

Still kicking

September 12, 2009 by Kristen

Whew.  Surfacing for a moment.  This semester is just crazy for me.  I’m taking Spanish and Statistics, which, if you’re a full time student means you’re sitting there thinking, “And?”  The and for me is that I’m just not that organized.  A mythological SuperMom would be able to parent three children effortless while simultaneously attending school full time and keeping her house spotlessly clean, her mate happy, and herself fulfilled, but I’m unfortunately a terribly human human, and this is just a lot for me.  I can simultaneously attend school part time, keep the kids fed, clean up when the mess becomes especially egregious, have clean clothes ready to wear well over half of the time, and work on my knitting when there’s a spare moment, so I’m going to count myself largely successful.  I’ve become more and more impressed over time with the women I read about who manage somehow to foster marvelously intellectual and brilliant careers at the same time as they are the primary caregivers to small people.  I’m just not made of their stern stuff.

Enough of that, though: I don’t need to feel very sorry for myself, as I’m actually enjoying myself greatly.  Statistics is math that I can really love, so far.  It makes sense, it connects with a tangible, and at the same time, there’s so much of the abstract.  There’s enough room for personal style and decision making to allow for different solutions to the same problem.  Heaven help me, but I’m considering taking more classes in this subject once I’m through with this semester.

The boys are back in school and that’s going very well for them.  While I love spending time with all the kids, the summer becomes pretty stifling after a time when we have all five of us crammed into our small apartment.  Two parents who work from home and three kids in a small space equals the makings of crazytimes.  Having a little space apart is good for the soul, I think.  So the boys are back in school and Eleanor started ballet, which makes her very happy.  Seeing a mess of three to five year olds learning to dance makes me happy.  They’re so babyish still, but also so serious about the dancing.  It’s ridiculously cute.

I’m working on the Entrechat pattern, but with my homework and the boys’ homework, I haven’t yet found as much time as I’d like, so the release date may be moved back a little from early to mid October.  I’m determined to get it out in enough time for people to start knitting before the weather gets very cold, though.

I finished the lovely Herbivore pattern a little while back.  It’s such a fun pattern, and I highly encourage people to give it a shot!  I love how the Trekking looks with the twisted stitch rib.

We’re getting into prime knitting season here, and it’s come upon us all of a sudden.  Today was actually pretty chilly for a long while.  Well, chilly as in Bay Area chilly.  I don’t wish to lay claim to more chill than I have a right to.

There has been such a spate of gorgeous patterns that have been released in the last few months and weeks.  I’m overwhelmed with the desire to knit a whole heckuva lot of them all at once, knowing, of course, that my knitting time is already severely curtailed.  I’ll get to them, though!  In time.

Oh, a last quick thing.  I’ve noticed a jump in interest in Maude Louise in the last couple of days (due, as Ravelry informs me, to a very minor resemblance between Maude and a lovely pattern in the new Knitty) and I wanted to invite people interested in knitting Maude to join the Dangerous With Pointy Sticks group, where there is an ongoing Maude Louise thread for people who want a knitalong.  I’ll be following the thread and jumping in to help out if folks want or need help, and, of course, it’s always nice to knit along with others, since they can offer their own suggestions and modifications.  I’ve started a thread for Clothilde as well, since the Fiber Fix KAL has ended.   If you’re knitting any of my other patterns and want a little help or guidance, or just to share, please go ahead and start a new thread!  I love seeing what people are working on.

Posted in Clothilde, Knitalongs, Knitting, Maude Louise, Miscellany, Ravelry | 4 Comments »

Thank you!

September 1, 2009 by Kristen

Your wealth of suggestions for the name of my shrug was a great help!  I ended up choosing Marin’s suggestion of Entrechat after watching this video on Youtube.  I felt like the leg movements described the cables very beautifully in the way they crossed over each other repeatedly.  I actually spent a fair amount of time looking up the various suggestions, and there were some beautifully nuanced ideas presented here!  I am very lucky to have such literary and creative people about to make suggestions.

The random number generator found here (apparently for use in “psychic science”) helped me pick out three more folks to win a copy of Clothilde.  They are marinade, Amanda, and mick.  Congratulations, and thank you so much for all of your wonderful suggestions.

Posted in Miscellany | 2 Comments »

Plugging away

September 1, 2009 by Kristen

Oh, urgh, ugh.  I’m in the knitting doldrums.  I’m plugging away at the shrug pattern, which is all very well and good, but is not exactly knitting.  My Herbivore is nearly done, but as I’m close to the end, I’m getting the “hurry up and finish” eagerness that makes me less into the actual knitting and more into wanting to see the end of it.  I still haven’t finished Gabriel’s sweater, and I am so so sick of that yarn that it makes me want to scream.   I’ve got a new pattern in mind and on the needles, but I don’t feel like working on it right now.

No, what I really want is to cast on for something new, something that I didn’t design and that hits that sweet spot where it keeps you interested, but you don’t need to concentrate super hard either.  I’ve got all these patterns I really want to knit and I’m just not there yet.  Herbivore actually fits that description to a tee – it’s just that I’m almost done with that.  (Oh, and hey, the pattern’s out now, so go get it!  It’s a very fun knit, and the finished object works equally well for a lady or a very dapper gentleman.)

Right now I want to use my Tosh Lace to cast on for a Footlights Cardigan, but that will have to wait.  No new sweater for me until Gabriel has a sweater, unless it’s the new pattern I’m working on.  (Stern warning to self here.)

Also, long overdue picture!  Remember that sample I was making for Malabrigo?  I actually finished a while back, but I took ages to find buttons that satisfied me.  So, in all its glory, Salto:

Tomorrow I ship it off.  It’s very warm, and I really enjoyed knitting it.  It’s very, very simple – just garter and stockinette with short rows – but it adds up to something a little different from a typical cowl.  I will mention, though, that I needed a little more than the one skein of Gruesa called for in the book.  I don’t know if this was my issue, or if I had a skein that was a little short, or if the pattern’s just a little bit off, but I figured I’d mention it in case anyone else wanted to knit this pattern.

If you haven’t, be sure to offer a name for my shrug pattern if you haven’t!  Tomorrow I will draw three people to win a copy of the Clothilde pattern.  Good luck!

Posted in Cowls, Finished Projects, Future Projects, Inspiration, Knitting | 2 Comments »

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