knotty knitting

i've been knitting...

just not blogging!

started on a nora gaughan's asymmetrical cardigan
from her knitting nature book

the image below shows a more true representation
of the color
it's a dark, smoky gray
it's also lion brand
very inexpensive on sale at michael's
i really like this pattern on the sweater
nora says in her book that when she
designed the sweater she was
imitating the pattern on a caned
chair seat
and it's really fun to knit!
i'm shortening the sleeves a bit and have
lengthened the body to imitate the long
ribbing you see on the cuffs in the
finished version here, taken from the book:

in the meantime, i've started a cute little
hooded vest for the kid:

it's the prettiest, palest pink in a
splurged rowan yarn:
purelife-their organic cotton
really really soft!
and it has a nice spring to it
here is the completed version here
taken from rowan pipsqueaks:

and, finally, finished a couple of little things
for a very little one:

the bib is from the mason dixon book
i used peaches & cream yarn
and mother of pearl buttons
the booties are from debbie bliss' the baby knits book
also with mother of pearl buttons

it was almost 70 here today!
all this spring weather makes knitting
with cotton so enjoyable
but i've started a few woolies, too...

new stuff

i had an unfortunate hat incident...lovely yarn, but i made it too BIG.
so, instead of showing off a new hat that i've just completed, here are
a couple of new projects to get me out of that knitting disaster funk:

ggh bel air in tan
swatch for triangular shawl in rebecca magazine no.32
i think i might use a different color...

swatch for poncho with cables from rebecca magazine update no.3
i used karabella chloe...very soft!

new noro...transitions

such a big wide world of color out there...

...and this is what i chose:

and i had a black knit hat on, too.
but i wanted to try the lion brand cotton-ease for this.
i'll leave the color to the kid. pink's her favorite right now, anyway.

happy new year yarn lovers!

from the stash...

the colder weather and the realization that we are deep in the 'season'
shorter and shorter days
having one of the best thanksgivings i can remember
huge (and i mean HUGE) piles of leaves in our front yard
pulling out not only the scarves but the gloves, hats, mittens
thinking about holiday cards and what to send
wanting to just go into hardcore hibernation mode and just make soup,
tea and knit

so, these are a few of the reasons i dove into the stash the other day
not to mention that i am a little bored with what's on the needles
(which is, by the way, a scarf/vest for the little lady-will post soon)
so, into the stash i went and this is what i found:

just a little mohair
not sure what to do with it
shibori and felt?

koigu kersti
i can't believe i haven't knit with koigu yet
but i have the perfect little thing in mind

ozark handspun
enough said

and who can resist those little tiny sweaters?

however, not nearly as cool as this
oh, brooklyntweed. you've done it again...

what? november? right now?

i think it's been the unseasonably warm weather on the east coast
most of the leaves are still on the trees!
but i can't believe thanksgiving is next week...

i've been knitting quite regularly lately (yay!)
but not taking a whole lot of pictures (no...)
have joined ravelry (yay!!)~name: knottyknitting
i haven't had a chance yet to really upload all of my completed and future projects
but i am overjoyed at all the possibilities ravelry has to offer once i'm completely on board

i've never really been a huge youtube viewer but every once in a while a gem comes along:

we've also been cooking a lot
with house guests comes a lot of cooking and eating
among other things we made granola the other day
(andy's fairfield granola)

there's nothing granola with soy milk for breakfast
(a hello kitty spoon doesn't hurt, either)

also finished a scarf for my friend
she picked out the yarn (artful yarns)

i'm also about to reveal who i am for my secret pal...
i've yet to send her november package -- i haven't been very good about sending things on time, i'm afraid
but it being my very first secret pal exchange, i have to say that it's been really fun
i've enjoyed getting to know my secret pal
and i've really enjoyed putting her packages together for her
it never occurred to me until now that i should have posted the packages before i sent them
maybe next time i'll be a little more organized~

well, off to tickle those needles...

oh-
one more thing~
just got my new issue of american craft in the mail today
and what a spectacular cover it is:
check out www.stevenandwilliam.com

one of the most inspirational collections i've seen in a long time
every detail of every piece
really phenomenal

where has the month gone?

with the weather getting cooler and the days getting shorter
knitting has definitely been happening again...

finally finished the thinking dress
and now only have the button to attach

i purchased these buttons when in eugene, oregon a couple of months ago
they are hand-made ceramic buttons...aren't they cute?

also visited one of the most beautiful places in the world:

longwood gardens in pa

have been thinking about dolls lately
more specifically, knitted babes

i was never really into dolls when i was a child
but my daughter really seems to like them
she really enjoys her stuffed animals
although i won't allow 'baby-dolls' in the house
(truthfully, they kind of scare me a little...)
i have allowed barbie-just one
but these knitted babes are kind of sweet, don't you think?
the book includes patterns for lace underpants, slippers, ponchos, stoles, cowboy boots
in other words, they're kind of stylish, too!
so, an idea for a christmas present, i think

and, finally, some sweater inspirations:

mayle sweater vest
via la garconne

via the sartorialist

vanessa bruno a/w 07-08
via vanessa bruno

a.f.vandervorst fall 07
via style.com

a.f.vandervorst fall 07
vial style.com

happy knitting!

vacation's over...

it makes the trip back home seem to take that much longer when you've had a spectacular vacation.
relaxing more than you thought you could -
or, maybe you didn't even realize how uptight and stressed you were before you left.
as you sit back and enjoy an ice cold beer, perhaps a little earlier than you would have at home,
you notice your shoulders are relaxed,
you don't have those lists of things to do running through your head
and you really don't have anywhere you have to be except right where you are doing what you are doing. absolutely nothing.
so...the drive home is so much longer than you expect it to be.
especially when you suggest to the driver that he should enjoy the scenic route.
and then, as the navigator, you get turned around on the map and can't find the way back to the interstate. for a long, long time.
anyway...

montreal was where we went and it was all that we had hoped for and more.
among several places we visited were the botanical gardens:

and the museum of fine arts where we walked past this jim dine piece on the way in:

we also got a chance to see the great falls of niagara:

it was really quite awsome. you could stare at it forever ... and it almost didn't seem real.

but we all had so much fun that no one wanted the vacation to end.
and the thing is, i took four different projects with me.
i assumed since we would be in the car for hours i would have some
much needed time to work on my old (OLD) projects.
but i was so excited to be on the road i would end up just staring out
the window! i think i managed to work about 10 rows on a single project.
but at least we all came home happy and rested...

(knitting updates to follow soon...!!)

sp11 :: package no.1

just received a package from my secret pal and what a treat it is!
since my last post i've done nothing (nothing) but unpack, organize and work on the new house.
it's been fun and exhausting and exciting.
and exhausting and stressful.
and really fun.
we are all going on vacation on tuesday and i have a lot of goodies to take with me:

left: card
right: novel ~ norwegian wood by haruki murakami

left: prestat organic dark chocolate bar
right: lace pattern ~ hanami by melanie gibbons

left: addi 3.5mm lace needles
right: misti alpaca (100% baby alpaca) lace 2/ply, color 8305 (it's more of a deep green than shown)

left: beautiful river rock necklace from furtherjourneys.etsy
right: teapigs lemongrass tea

AND a wonderful cd full of fantastic music: some are old faves (cocteau twins, clash, etc.)
and some are never-heard-of-before new
AND a book for the kid: the phantom tollbooth by norton juster
how could she have possibly known that it was one of my favorite books as a child?
i would have to say that as an sp first-timer this was a completely delightful treat.
i was so pleased, in fact, that i totally looked over the initial intent of taking pictures
of my new gifts while still in their lovely packaging. i just ripped through them all~
with the help of my 3yr old assistant, of course.
thank you, secret pal. thank you thank you.
you have brightened up my week more than you know.

what a month it's been

went all the way to oregon a couple of weeks ago to attend my cousin's wedding
and was amazed at how many yarn shops there are in eugene and portland!
time only allowed visits to one in each city but, oh, that was plenty.
in eugene we went to soft horizons fibre and picked up a couple of new patterns books
including the new berroco pattern booklet of norah gaughan's designs
here are a couple of peeks:

via berroco

the scarf looks like a nice project to work on in between other projects-
a few circles here, a few there
and the beauty of it is you could put the pieces together however you wish
i recently purchased norah gaughan's knitting nature
i love the way she puts a pattern together
really lovely

in portland i visited knitknot studio

the owner of knitknot studio, elizabeth prusiewicz, is one of the most delightful yarnshop owners i've had the opportunity to meet
the atmosphere is extremely inviting and relaxed
and she has a wonderful selection of blue sky as well as some lesser known novelty yarns
really quality stuff
i could've stayed all day
my mom said we were there for an hour
or was it 2?
i'm looking forward to posting my lovely finds soon!
currently they are in a box somewhere with the rest of our things
we moved the week after (the day after, actually!) we got back from oregon
and things are still moving slowly
my amazing husband and i have been married for nine years
and during those nine years we've lived in eight different houses/apts
this isn't counting the apartment and house we lived in before we got married!
i'm hoping our new address sticks for a little while
i really like it here

...now back to unpacking...

sp11 questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love fibers with interesting texture: noro, habu, chunky/super-chunky, knubby, etc.
i’m generally drawn to natural fibers (wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere, hemp). I usually don’t use
synthetics but have definitely stepped outside the box on a few ‘novelty’ yarns that I couldn’t resist.
But as a general rule, no synthetics.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a needle roll for my circulars and I just use jars and vases for my straight needles.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was 4 or 5 but I didn’t really expand beyond the garter stitch scarf until I was in college. I studied the vogue knitting book and had the opportunity to know a wonderful, patient woman who worked at the local yarn store. I suppose I’m an intermediate knitter most of the time as I enjoy the meditative projects. But I also love cable patterns quite a bit. I haven’t done any lace and would like to experiment with that before the year is through.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No .

5. What's your favorite scent? Not a huge ‘scent’ fan. Never use perfume unless it’s a natural essence oil of some kind. I love the scent of freshly mown grass, fresh flowers, freshly baked bread, lavender, eucalyptus, cucumber… that kind of thing.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Yyyeeesss. I love to nibble on really really dark chocolate. And homemade ice cream is something very special, don’t you think?

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I suppose as far as crafts go, I enjoy sewing (I used to sew quite a bit of my own clothes), photography and I do a lot of graphic design type projects (stationary, business cards, special events cards, etc.) I’ve become obsessed with interior and furniture design in the past decade. I don’t spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) i like a lot of different kinds of music: classical, jazz, r&b, old hip-hop, some 80’s “alternative”. Yes on mp3’s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? i like all shades of black and white. I enjoy very earthy greens and deep reds, some blues (navies/denim) and rust. I tend to tread lightly when it comes to color, however. No pastel or neon, etc.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married, 1 kid, 1 cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Definitely, sometimes, yes and no.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Baby items are really fun (fast!). sweaters and scarves for myself and friends/family.

13. What are you knitting right now? Hmmm, where to begin…finishing 2 sweaters for my child, a couple of scarf requests from friends, getting started on a sweater for myself, working on list of Christmas gifts (and something for the swap?)…uh, I’m too embarrassed to complete my answer. I hate the fact that I have so many projects going at once but I really can’t help myself. I wish I could.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? I think handmade gifts are really lovely – thoughtful, personal, one-of-a-kind.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Usually circular (they seem to travel well). I love addi. I like straight needles for smaller projects. I like bamboo and inox, as well. But I prefer not to use plastic.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Mmmm…out or in storage? I have a couple right now that are about 1yr. But I know that if I looked really hard I could find one from my college era, too.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas. I love wrapping presents. And planning the gift list. The whole spirit of Christmas is very special to me.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Teacups in pairs, issey miyake sewing patterns from the 80’s and 90’s, ceramics, pyrex and fireking, and yarn.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have lots of knitting pattern books that I like. But I’ve recently become obsessed with Elizabeth Zimmerman. I’ve read knitting without tears several times and look through (and drool on) the opinionated knitter often. But I would really like to get my hands on EZ’s knitting workshop. I think I could learn a lot from it. I don’t have any subscriptions to knitting magazines but often will purchase interweave knits. And every once in a while vogue knitting. Oh, and I would love to knit a project with sundara yarn. Her aran silky merino is nice!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Oh, many! Top down sweaters, seamless sweaters, designing my own patterns…all of it!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Nope. Not really a sock person, actually.

23. When is your birthday? Pisces.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? No.