novamade

one...big happy

So I am in Chicago right now.  But I wanted to take a moment to say thank you.  Truly.

It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog, mostly to keep track of what I was doing and to let family and friends know what I was up to.  Well, very few of my friends and even fewer family types read my knit blog these days, and that's okay because I have found all of you like-minded people (and I have gotten a few of my friends to pick up knitting, bonus).  It's been great.  Those of you who read and comment spur me on with your ideas, support and general feedback.  Those of who blog, thanks for the inspiration and motivation (the lively banter is always fun too).  Those of you who like to lurk, well, lurk on (I am a lurker sometimes too, and really, there is nothing wrong with that at all--thanks for stopping in).

It's been a great first year, I have knit a goodly amount of items.  I have made friends; and, the fun, it amounts to a barrel of monkeys...no, two barrels of monkeys!  So yes, thank you.

And you are probably wondering about that Wollmeise....

Thank you all for the suggestions.  There were a lot of good things to consider.  I was surprised to see how many suggestions were made for things I have already knit...like the Chevron Scarf or the Swallowtail Shawl.  Or things that I am "in the process" of knitting, like Pomatomus.  I felt like I was totally ahead of the curve, this is a rare thing for me.  Thanks!

There were many shawl patterns, all very good ideas; and the gloves were sheer genius, Ashley.  But that would be purely for process...I would have no where to wear them (unless I knit them in white...I guess I could then wear them to work in the archives...but that might be overkill...just a little).  In the end, I thought that socks of the tall variety seemed intriguing.  Being a process knitter of sorts, I think I would enjoy the experience of knitting knee-his, if not actually wearing them.  And who knows, I might even like wearing them, I'll have to knit them to see. 

The pattern I decided to go with?  The Spiral Boot Socks in the Summer 2007 IK.  It was suggested by Stacey, Christy and Melissa.  I didn't even stop to look at the pattern in the magazine because the modeled pair was pink.  Yeah, it's all about styling and color choice sometimes, isn't it?

So the winner:

Because the winner was Christy, I felt compelled to throw in some orange and red in my little drawing (I have been watching more Miami Ink and LA Ink than is healthy, does it show?).  Christy, go here and choose your colors and intensity and let me know what you'd like. (If you didn't win, you should still go and shop for your own Wollmeise (should you be so inclined), the service is great and well, it's Wollmeise).

Thank you all for your suggestions, well wishes, comments and reading.  I hope the last year has been as fun for you as it's been for me.  Thanks.  Smoochie boochies.  Mwah!

i'm not vegan; but, my shoes are

While in Hawaii, I bought a new pair of shoes.  They are "Earth Shoes," I love them.  Besides being vegan, they are also ergonomically correct for my walking and standing comfort.   The shoes also look fabulous with my new socks, don't you think?

So, let's talk more about the socks, since I knitted them and this is a knitting blog...as opposed to a shoe blog (there really is a blog for every interest, isn't there?).  These socks are simple stockinette socks knit toe up.  No big deal, right?

Wrong.  Oh, so wrong.  These socks are incredible.  Wendy is a genius (this is not news to anyone, I am sure.  It's like saying "Oh, yeah, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, she likes to knit.")  Her toe-up pattern is my new go-to pattern for simple stockinette socks. 

These socks fit perfectly.  The toe-up sock is great and all, you can try it on as you go, you can use up all of your delicious sock yarn.  Yes, all of that good stuff.  But Wendy gives you options for casting on the toes.  I love the toes (second option in the pattern).  No holes, and it was easy.  Easy as pie (yes, apple pie)!

And the heel, well the heel is perfection itself.

Perfection.  This shot also happens to be the truest representation of the colorway of the yarn, by the way.  Shibui sock yarn is my new favorite sock yarn.  There are not as many colorways as, say, Koigu... but the colors that are available are all gorgeous.  And this stuff knits up like a dream.  These won't be my last pair of Wendy's toe up socks with Shibui sock yarn.

Little Sir seems to want a pair of his very own...now, to size down that pattern...

Toe-Up Stockinette Socks

Pattern: Wendy's Fingering Weight Toe-up Socks with Gusset Heel

Yarn: Shibui Sock Yarn, Earth colorway (purchased here), 2 skeins

Needles: US 1

Modifications: Just the needles

The knitted fabric is pretty dense, but the sock is super comfortable and a great edition to my fall wardrobe.

Back to pondering the fate of the Wollmeise yarn now.  So many great suggestions but only one skein of yarn...

fiberlicious friday :: apple pie

Claudia's Handpainted in Butter Pecan.  I think it's more like apple pie (a la mode).  Made from scratch.  Recipe from Joy of Cooking (pate sucree crust, apple pie recipe I).  Yum.

Still taking suggestions for the wee blogiversary contest, keep those suggestions rolling in!

Have a great weekend everyone! 

sharing is caring

So here's the thing, my sources (and by sources, I mean this blog) tell me that I have a blogiversary coming up.  This is a nice something to think about and celebrate in the midst of my efforts to teach Little Sir the merits of sharing.  Right now his favorite word is "mine,"  thank you day care.  My feelings about Little Sir's possessiveness aside, here's something else to consider:

During a "it's my birthday and I'm worth it" buying frenzy last May, I bought myself some Wollmeise sock yarn (the green skein is pretty fantastic too).  This colorway is Poison No. 5 (dark).  Usually when I buy yarn I have a project in mind (I know it's hard to believe, but it's true).  When I saw this yarn, I just liked it.  Yes, I know there is some pink in here; and no I just don't care.  I loved this yarn when I saw it on screen and I love it more now (never discount the "pet" factor--the sniff factor is pretty high too.  I am not sure what she uses to wash the yarn after dyeing, but it's pretty yummy as wool washes go). 

The problem is this:  I have no idea what to do with this yarn.  It wants to become something magnificent.  It wants to become something where the colors and the artistry that is the dyeing can be showcased.  It wants to be a finished object of very little pooling (no pooling at all would be good, but let's be practical).  It wants to be used in a project with a minimum amount of waste (there's 574 yards of fingering-weight knitting to be had here).

I have a few ideas, but nothing definite.  So here it is, what do you think I should do with this yarn and why?

If I go with your idea/suggestion and line of reasoning, I will treat you to your very own skein of Wollmeise Sockenwolle.  Any colorway and intensity you like (picking out the colors is part of the fun, after all).

If I don't use a suggestion offered,  a name from the suggestions most relevant will be drawn by Little Sir.  If I go with something that many of you suggest, Little Sir will pick a name from the pool of relevant suggesters (no, I don't think it's a word either) out of a hat/box/bag or what have you (my kid will learn the concept of sharing yet, and it's kind of fun that you can help in this endeavor). 

So how is that?  You share an idea, and Little Sir and I just might share some yarn with you (I am sure other things will likely find their way into the box as well, it is a celebration after all).  Offer your suggestion (one per person please, let's not be greedy--the lesson here is sharing, ahem) in the comments of this post by Tuesday, August 28th, 11:59 p.m. EST.  I will announce the winner on my blogiversary at the end of the month.

in style

A good classic vest never goes out of style.  This is what some of the arbiters of style are saying (there are a lot of vests in many fall lines, I guess).   I am not one who tends to follow fashion to be honest.  My criteria for clothing usually follows this priority list of questions: 1) Is it in season (you never can tell given the piles that my clothes live in); and, 2) is it clean?    The purchase of said clothes usually follows this inquiring criteria: 1) Does it fit; and, 2) Does is cost less than a (cheap) bicycle?  Yeah, that is pretty much it. I should probably care more about, if not fashion, the way I look in the clothes I am wearing.  But frankly, that requires a lot more thinking than I am capable of most mornings, so I just stick with basics that can be swapped out endlessly.  I think most people favor the "fill your closet with basics" philosophy, but what do I know?

This vest started off as a Seda Vest (see Heidi's, it looks fab) for my mom (the maternal unit loves vests); but, it just wasn't working.  I knew I liked the look of the Leftovers Vest, and when I say look, I mean the structure.  I like stripey goodness as much as the next person, but there was just too much of it going on in the modeled pictures on Knitty for me, though I like the idea of using up your leftover bits and bobs on a project.  After thinking about it some more, I realized that there was no reason that I couldn't knit the vest in one color, so that is what I did.

There is nothing leftover about this vest at all.  And I guess you could say that it was (technically) a stash buster.  It's also a piece that can mix and matched with alot of other clothes.

I was going for something that could be worn with many things, and that would give the recipient a little warmth.  But mostly, I wanted to knit something I knew my friend would like.  You see, this is a Christmas present.  If I am going to knit a Christmas gift for someone, I need to make sure that it is something that the recipient is going to want and enjoy.  Our time is valuable kids, don't knit for ingrates.

This knit is for a "girl" in her 30s who has decided to further her education by going back to school.  For some reason, solid v-neck vests make me think of libraries and books (the students, they spend loads of time in libraries...or, at least, they are supposed to), what about you?

I like the way the vest came out, I think it looks great (if I do say so myself, and I do), I hope my friend does too.  She is probably reading this post, actually.  Hey, friend, come Christmas, just be suprised, 'kay?

(Not so) Leftovers Vest
Pattern:  Leftovers by Alison Hansel on Knitty
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Black Cherry Heather, 6.3 Skeins
Needles: Bamboo Circs & DPNs, US 6,7 & 8
Modifications: Yarns sub, went with the monochromatic variation

This is an easy pattern to knit, it's a vest and not a sweater, afterall.  I shouldn't downplay the vest so much, it's a sleeveless sweater, really.  But this vest was pretty easy.  Knit in the round until you hit the armholes and then knit back and forth, culminating in the knitting of the v-neck before some shoulder joins, easy peasy.  There is also some shaping to be curve friendly, because not everyone likes wearing a box.  I really like the look of the neck.

Doubling up on the yarn for the ribbing in the bottom of the vest and in the neck is brilliance itself.  It gives the vest a little weight and bulk (but not too much), and also scores high on the aesthetics-meter (well, mine anyway).

I can be a little critical of Knit Picks yarn sometimes, but I think the Wool of the Andes line is pretty fantastic (and really, the price is pretty awesome too).  I have knit a few things with it and have never had any problems (it's 100% wool, I think it's hard to mess that up, right?). I knit Special K's Seamless Hybrid out of the WotA and he wears it when it's cold (we live in New England, so that's a lot) and it looks like it did right after I blocked it, so it may be at least one line that I will buy if the occasion presents itself.

This was a fun little modeling of an FO shoot, my friend JJ got to see how ridiculous I am about pictures, thank J!  File this knit away in the done file, time to move on to the next knit or two on hiatus.

fiberlicious friday, strawberry ice cream

I was going to do an FO post, but then I "found" this ball of yarn in my stash last night and it reminded me of a little "photo shoot" that I did with Little Sir about a month ago (I didn't love the pictures so I never posted them, but whatever).  The memory made me smile, so I thought I'd share it.

When I bought the yarn, it made me think of strawberry ice cream (obviously, it would have had to been a food thing...it is pink, afterall).  I bought it in Hawaii during my vacation.  It is a Japanese yarn, the yarn shop owner and I "think" it's wool.  I thought it was scrumptious.  Obviously so did Little Sir (I am sure the cone helped in the convincing as well).

And then he realized it was not ice cream.  It was in fact, "just a ball of yarn."

Well, I think it's scrumptious.

mail call

I love receiving mail.  I think my love more getting real mail (as opposed to "fake" mail...bills don't count) is part of what fuels my fondness for letter writing.  That said, I like getting packages in the mail.  Especially when the packages hold things like knitted socks.

My Sockapalooza 4 socks arrived while I was in St. Louis, they are perfect.  Perfect, I say!  Thanks so much Teej!  She used a great colorway (reds!!) and an absolutely gorgeous pattern.  I was considering knitting the pattern (in red) for myself at some point; but, now I can just count myself lucky to already own a pair.  I love them.  Teej also sent over some great gifts to keep the socks company on their voyage from her to me.  All goodies will be used, loved, appreciated quite a bit...particularly the Nutella (I think some crepes may be in my future).

I was also a winner in Beth's recent mystery sock contest.  She selected and sent me some really grogeous greeny goodness from her stash.  The yardage in this hank is no joke.

I also received a huge shipment from Webs.  I will spare you the gorey details.  Here is a representation of what America's Yarn Store sent to me:

sweet and innocent looking, isn't it.  Yeah, these two guys are representative  of four sweaters' worth of yarn (different colors, of course).  What can I say?  The sale was just too good to pass up.  And I do want to knit some sweaters with the yarn, afterall.  Eventually.  Some day (I am totally owning up to my shortcomings and my slowness as a knitter.  We can't all knit as fast as Tiennie...but a girl can dream, right?).

And then there was my Hello Yarn order from Adrian.  I think Mandy said it best, Adrian has some "stupid good colors."  I used a gift certificate that Special K gave me for our wedding anniversary back in May.  He said to "buy wool."  So that is what I did.

At first, I thought this yarn would make good man socks...but no, I think they will make good me socks.

And then of course there was this fibery goodness that I could not pass up...

This gorgeousness really begs for answers for some questions that I have been thinking about lately*, chief of which:  any suggestions for a good beginner's wheel (and when I say "beginner" I mean a wheel that will likely be my main wheel for a really, really, really long time)?  My research has led me to suspect that a Lendrum double treadle would be best for my needs (wants, desires, whatever), though I like the aesthetics of the Kromski Minstrel (ooh, dark mahogany!) more.  But I am going for function here.  Thoughts?

My next blog post isn't just going to be about knitting, it'll be a finished object.  I know, right?!

*No Elli, you are not the only one.  I am thinking about Christmas too....

meet me in st. louis

We had a great time in St. Louis, despite the weather (heat wave, yay).  The groom is still in Germany recovering from surgery, the wedding has been postponed, everyone is smiling...life is good. 

And maybe it will be cooler when the wedding happens.  Because, like I said, it is hot in St. Louis right now.

We didn't spend a whole lot of time outdoors, which is just as well because there is tons of fun to be had indoors in the city. 

We went to a few museums (The Magic House is great for young kids, the City Museum is pretty fun for kids to adults--it's pretty crazy though, there's a lot going on in there).

And of course, there are yarn shops for those inclined to pick up souvenir yarn.  There are at least 3 major shops in St. Louis, I only visited one.

Knitorious is a fun little (actually, it is quite spacious) shop in a somewhat residential area in St. Louis.  If you are not looking for it, you probably wouldn't find it.  The shop has resided in its current location for a little over a year and has existed for around 3 years total.  The shop is well appointed.  There are lots of areas for sitting and knitting. 

They have toys for kids to keep them busy (very smart, that).  There is a large area to sit and meditate on pattern selection.

There is a huge selection of yarn.  The sock yarn gets depleted (and re-stocked) on a regular basis.  One of the offerings is a line dyed in St. Louis by someone who works in the shop. 

Rachel is the fiber artist behind Dyeabolical Yarns, she has her own etsy shop but her goods also sell at Knitorious.  Being the souvenir yarn purchaser that I am, I figured it was totally appropriate to acquire some of this yarn, in the "Knitorious" colorway no less.

I had a really great shopping experience at this fun store.  The owner (Sandy) and the staff are friendly and fun, they will chat you up, talk up ideas, make suggestions, give you assistance.  I highly recommend a trip to Knitorious if you find yourself in St. Louis.

When I returned home I was pleasantly surprised by a truck load of mail.  A Hello Yarn order (yay for wedding anniversary gift certificates!), a Webs order (their summer sale has busted my bank account, anyone else?); a skein of gorgeous yarn I won in Beth's recent contest and, best of all, my Sockapalooza Package--the whole time I was knitting for someone else, I forgot that there was someone out there knitting socks for me! 

I will share some of the happy mail (for those interested) tomorrow.  Oh, and yes, I will talk about knitting too.

the wedding that wasn't

I am in St. Louis right now (It's a really long drive from Connecticut.  Yes, we drove.  No, I have no idea why).  We came here for a wedding; but the groom is recovering from surgery in Germany at the moment...so now the wedding is a family reunion.  While I am in St. Louis (which is, by the way, very hot), there have been great goings-on.  I have been living, I have been reunion-ing, I have been to a great yarn shop, I have met a blogger who also dyes fiber, I have bought yarn, I have been knitting.

Oh, and back home, knits have been blocking. 

See you in a few days.

just one more row

wouldn't you rather play?!

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the time I devote to crafty pursuits of late.  Liz K. wrote a particularly poignant post last week that really struck a chord with me.

I tend to do a pretty good job keeping my knitting under control, not letting the time I devote to knitting crouch into time that should be spent living (i.e. the hours that Little Sir is awake, or time that Special K is not in class or working).  But when you subtract the hours that I am working and the hours that I am sleeping (which are increasing, unfortunately...gone are the days that I could function on 4 hours, sigh.), the time is pretty limited. 

I enjoy knitting, but I enjoy other things too (hey, did you know that I quilt?  Or that I used to.  And I bake too...or I used to.) and sometimes I struggle with how to fit everything in.  I know I am not alone in this endeavor.  But sometimes when I am trying to cram in knitting outside of my normally designated knitting time (at night after LS has said goodnight--or rather, "goodbye"), I wonder what unrepeatable moments I am missing for the sake of squeezing in just one more row.

This weekend, I thought a good deal about balance and realized that if I don't finish knitting projects by my own self-imposed deadlines, it's not the end of the world.  In most cases, no one cares except me.   And it's good to be flexible, flexibility helps keep one balanced and that is a good thing, right?So after coming around to this new way of thinking, I started to feel less guilty about unfinished projects like this:

and this:

I know they will get done sooner or later.  And just because they aren't done, does not mean that I can not start other things like this and this and especially this, right?

And just thinking about the colors in the last color triad for Project Spectrum has me absolutely giddy (did you know that browns are one of my favorite color families?  Followed closely by blacks/greys and reds).  But I am really intrigued by the nuances of orange lately, but I digress.

I thought long and hard about the projects that I would like to work on for the last round of Project Spectrum.  I went through the stash, put together a project list and came up with this resource pile as something somewhat feasible:

I know I am not going to finish all the projects (because, you know, there are other WIPs that want to be finished as well), but I am going to work on things and enjoy the time spent knitting and stop worrying so much about the finishing.  And maybe I will stop trying to squeeze in rows of knitting randomly where they do not want to be squeezed in (these are usually the rows that need to be ripped out later anyway).  Instead I am going to spend more time doing other things I enjoy guilt- free.  Like quilting this little bit of jazziness and baking cakes:

I did, of course, knit a few rows while the cake baked and Little Sir napped.  Like I said, it's all about balance.