Southern California to Southern Carolina

Clapotis is steadily growing... I'll spare you the progress shots since there are probably thousands on the Internet available for ogling. I am knitting into my third ball, purchased off of eBay from Ewe Need Yarn. I am very pleased so far... I just want her to be off the needles. We are getting a bit of cold weather... It's good news for us since the peaches need plenty more winter. Yikes for the orange trees out your way, though...

I cast-on tonight for Elizabeth Zimmermann's Snail Hat from Knitting Without Tears. I purchased this book some time ago, but I never got any further than reading and giggling... I'm excited to be knitting up one of her patterns. She has A LOT to say about knitting, but her pattern is quite sparse. I'm using Fiesta Yarns' Watermark which is 60% mohair and 40% wool. The colorway is exquisite... I saw this skein for the first time when I taught my last knitting class on the 11th. I literally could not get it out of my head. The colorway is called "Painted Desert" but it reminds me more of a seashell. It is a very muted variegated yarn-- whispery silvers, fleshy pinks... but none of the colors are really their own distinct color. The results are devine. I am very excited and as soon as it's finished, I'll go proudly out into the cold. The pattern is perfect for the yarn since it has a nautilus-like swirl. I should get it finished tonight listening to the new episode of Cast-On.

Here is my skein before it was made into a ball. I photographed it on the hood of Dana's truck in the last available daylight.

One Last Project

My camera ran out of juice yesterday before I was able to post one of my other craft projects of winter break. I made this mosaic-like seashell stepping stone for my future garden. It's approximately 12 inches in diameter, and I got the cement and mold out of a kit on clearance at a cheapy craft store. I collected the seashell fragments on the beach down in Edisto. In addition to stepping stones for my future garden, I have a front door for my future house waiting patiently in storage. The house we were considering buying is no longer listed with Remax-- It may be sold, for sale by owner, or in between realty company listings. I'm starting to feel a readiness to settle in and nest-build and then maybe look for a suitable piece of acreage to have a hobby farm. Who knows, maybe we'll build one day, but in the meantime, I feel like we need to invest in something that is our own.




Last night, I was home alone and had a lively Saturday night drinking herbal tea and casting on for the Tulip Toes booties from Knitty. The construction is very unusual and at one point, I just wanted to give up and cast on for some other familiar bootie pattern. I forged ahead and have begun picking up the stitches for the heel petal. They are not without mistakes and there are some areas where I had to fudge it... So I guess when I make a second pair for my layette, they'll be a bit cleaner-looking. I think I will knit the entire sole green next time around. I'm knitting them in the same yarn and colors as pictured in the Knitty pattern. Very daring of me, I know.

While perusing the internet last night, I noticed that the Twisted Sisters Daktari yarn in Cappuccino is back in stock at The Yarn Market. I really really really want this yarn for the "Lacy Skirt With Bows" pattern from Greetings From the Knit Cafe. Dana gave me a handful of cash for Christmas, telling me to get whatever yarn I wanted. Instead, the money went to car taxes and new front tires... Then I had to shell out money for the Clapotis yarn... So, I'm thinking I deserve this as a belated Christmas present? The only thing knit-related I received for Christmas was Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Almanac. Are they trying to tell me something?

New Year's Knitting Resolutions...
Don't wash my handknit socks in the washing machine....
Knit my husband a sweater (or rather, finish knitting a sweater for my husband)
Knit up my stash yarn entirely this year. Later, I plan to include a stash inventory to detail what all this includes. I don't think these are too ambitious... Do you?

Must Knits for 2007...
Lacy Skirt with Bows
Charlotte's Web by Koigu
Rusted Root by Zephyr Style


Tomorrow is the first day of classes!!!!

December's Knits and Such

Woo-hoo, I found my camera cord! So I thought I'd write an update about what I knitted-done over my break.... Monday, January 8 is the first day of classes, so I'm in the crafty home stretch. My first goal was the finish the recycled silk easy-peasy garter stitch triangular shawl for my friend Krissy's 30th birthday/Christmas present. This is the 4th of these Mango Moon shawl's I've made for friends, family, and myself... They are very popular and easy to crank out. She is supposed to send me a picture of her wearing it but I don't have anything yet... So here's me in my own, a shawl I knitted out of yarn given to me by my mother-in-law several birthdays ago. Currently, this shawl has not yet been destroyed by my husband's evil bloodhound (and I have much more hair-- I seem to be featuring a lot of old photographs here lately.

My second goal was to finish husband's Log Cabin Socks (pattern from Handknit Holidays.) I knit these using approximately 2 skeins of Cascade 220 in a dark, heathered gray. Dana is guarding them with his life... It is nowhere near cold enough to wear them in South Carolina right now. They are long enough to use as Christmas stockings, I think. Excuse these sorry photos... Dana went up to the foothills to mountain bike so he's not around to model them properly. Good thing there are a million other pics of these socks on the internet. I want a pair for myself... It was so fulfilling to knit up a quick (once I knitted monogamously) pair of socks on #6 needles. I highly recommend this pattern.

This doesn't really qualify as a new handknit... but I'm glad to write that Swell found a home! Tiny Swell was supposed to be an adult medium.... However, I was a little tense knitting during my first attempt at colorwork. The resulting hat is a perfect fit for my little friend's head. Since he lives in Asheville, NC, he will need a wool hat more than us Southern Carolinians do. This was actually the first time I met this little guy... We had a wonderful surprise visit from some darling, long-lost friends on the day after Christmas and had a chance to meet their new little boy. I was happy to have a handknit hat stashed away to give to him.

I've also been going through my closet and throwing out clothes that I no longer wear (or never have worn for that matter.) There was a knitting milestone here... I donated my first handknit sweater to Goodwill-- This monstrosity (see Felted Pullover) that I attempted from IK Winter 2004. I decided that the Cavewoman Look was probably going out with 2006. I won't even include a picture of me in my version of the sweater, which was my first attempt at felting... I didn't read any instructions on the matter, thinking, "How hard can it be? Throw the thing in the washing machine with hot water and some soap." I even let it go through the spin cycle, which streched the sleeves out like taffy. Why would I have thought that this was a good idea? Is everyone's first sweater such a mistake?

While cleaning the closet, I found a sweater given to me last Christmas that I've never worn. It's a soft, neutral sweater that fits well and has lots of potential as a wear-with-everything cardigan. But, there were a few details that I didn't like. First was a detachable faux-fur collar that I detached and donated to Goodwill. Also there were small, non-functional breast pockets. I think decorative pockets are infuriatingly senseless. I removed these as well, nicking the fabric of the sweater and getting a chance to practice my darning skills. I know, I know, you're thinking that this is a great story so far. You're on the edge of your seat.... What I'm getting at... is that where I removed the pockets is noticeable. I've washed and dried the sweater which helped somewhat. The only idea I can think of is to tack the rows of stockinette together with some beige sewing thread? Any other ideas? Here's what we're working with... Can you see the outline of the little pockets?

I did a wee bit of sewing over the holidays. I wanted a pair of red Christmas knickers, and I was literally sewing these up while drinking red wine and wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. I was inspired to make these from a photo out of Handknit Holidays. Pretty much, it's safe to say that I want to live in the pages of that book.

Here's a quick Clapotis Under Construction shot. I ordered six balls of Noro Silk Garden off of eBay and I cannot wait for it to arrive! This pattern is pure knitting addiction. I think I'd love one in black or winter white.

Other things knitting include "Sangria" socks out of my last skein of Chasing Rainbows from Willits, CA. One down, one to go. I did finish the pair in the "Tartan" colorway, as well... I'm currently working on a scarf for my sister's boyfriend in black Cascade Pastaza, which is 50% llama, 50% wool. It's loosely based on the double cable scarf from One Skein. Since I no longer have this library book in my possession, I'm knitting from pics on the internet. You know, I've never knitted anything black? I've also remembered how much I hate knitting scarves... Back and forth, back and forth...

So did you get an yarn, fiber, or knitting books for Christmas? What's on your to-knit list for 2007?

RIP: Clapotis

Well, I never actually recovered the remains of Clapotis 2005, but after a good bit of walking (I broke in my new Minnetonka moccasins, a Christmas gift) and a fair amount of weeping... I've given up on her. Today I cast on for Clapotis 2007, and I had forgotten how fun the pattern was to knit up. I'll admit it is a little frustrating to be re-knitting a project that I already had checked off of my to-knit list when I have so many knits to look forward to making in this new year (for example, Rusted Root, Koigu's Charlotte's Web)... Not to mention, there's a cupboard full of yarn already in my possession... But Clapotis was my favorite handknit and a staple in my wardrobe.

As most of my friends and family know, I don't deal well with change.... soooo, I cast-on today using Noro Silk Garden colorway 34, a discontinued colorway out of which the original Clapotis was knit. I had about 90% of a skein left from the original, so I'm knitting away on that and searching for more on eBay. I can't recall if I used six or seven skeins, and now I'm wishing I kept better knitting notes. I always thought it was good enough to hold on to the ballbands, but now I'm wondering what needles I used, etc.

I thought I'd include a picture of Clapotis 2005, knit furiously during the week before I started nursing school. The original yarn was purchased on our first annual pilgrimmage to Arcata/Eureka in August 2005 following our move home to South Carolina in 2004. Now I have one semester left of nursing school, and I'm reknitting an identical Clapotis. Is that the opposite of coming full circle? Darling husband likes to call it "La Booty" whenever I refer to her in her fancy French name.