Archives for July 2007

I have come to the realization that I love to knit lace.  I see so many projects that I want to knit; sweaters with cables, mittens with amazing colorwork, socks with intricate patterns.  For me those things are all about the end product.  I want to make them because I like idea of the finished object.  It has occured to me though, when I am truly happy, while I knit, it is always lace that I am knitting.  I love the feel of the fine yarn, I love the rhythm of the yarn overs and the knitting two together, I love the sharp needles.  Of course there is also the joy of the finished piece.  I wear my lace shawls every chance I get.  I will continue to lust after patterns with cables and colorwork. I’m sure I will cast on a project or two.  But I think the projects most likely to be finished will be lace.

Pattern:  Adamas Shawl
Designer:  Miriam Felton for Knit Picks
Yarn: Fearless Fibers, Colorway:  Hendrix
Needles:  Addi Lace US 6
Modifications:  None
Model:  DD#2

My girls and I are home from North Carolina after a fun filled visit with my sisters, parents, nieces and nephew.  I really enjoy the Durham / Chapel Hill area.  There are wonderful hiking trails, fabulous restaurants and three yarn stores within a short drive.  We had tour of the Lemur Center (which I highly recommend if you are in the area), visited the yarn stores, bought our copies of The Deathly Hallows at midnight, ate apple pie, went to my mom’s new quilt group, celebrated my dad’s 78th birthday and mostly enjoyed one another’s company.

My seven year old nephew is a huge fan of handknits.  (He is obviously a very intelligent child!)  As soon as I arrived he started asking me to make something for him, so I set to work knitting a hat.  I found some self striping Berroco yarn in the colors of his beloved Duke Blue Devils.   He was thrilled with the results and despite the 95 degree heat, he happily wore the hat.

I didn’t feel right leaving his sisters out of the fun, so my mom and I set to work knitting three more.  Luckily the Berroco yarn comes in a variety of colors.

My mom had so much fun knitting hats that she asked me to write up the pattern so that she could knit more after I’d left.  The hat is knit top down and I did all of the decreases at the crown, then passed them off to her to knit the rest of the hat, so she needed the decrease instructions.  Since I typed the pattern up for her, I thought I would offer it here too.  It is a very basic top down hat with a rolled brim.  I’m sure there are many more out there, but here is my humble contribution.  The pattern is on Ravelry.  I’m calling it “Ben’s Blue Devil Hat” for my charming nephew.  Now he wants to know what I’m going to make for him next – socks perhaps or a scarf to match the hat.

(yeah, my sister has twins too)

Specs.
Ben’s Blue Devil Hat (pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn:  Berroco Love It Colors
Needles:  US 8/5.0mm DPN’s
Gauge:  17 stitches = 4″ /10cm.
Beautiful Models:  Ben, Abby, Emma & Hallie

Coming soon: my finished, blocked Adamas Shawl.  Much knitting can be accomplished waiting for delayed flights.

I’m off to Durham, NC tomorrow to visit my family.  My parents relocated there in May and I have really missed them.  It will be good to see everyone, my sisters both live there too.  Although we grew up in NJ, I’m the only one left in the Garden State.

I’m not sure if I will get a chance to post while I’m there.  (Or if I will produce anything "blog-worthy".)  But I will leave you with the quickie hat I knit for DD#1.  She wanted a "summer hat".  I found Marnie MacLean’s Halley’s Comet hat while playing around in Ravelry.  (Which I am spending way too much time doing these days.)  It was a quick knit without being boring.  I’ll definitely be making more of these.

Specs.

Pattern: Halley’s Comet by Marnie MacLean – a well written pattern and I love the way it turned out, I’ll be making more of these.
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, color Lime 1 skein
Needles: Knitpicks Option US 7 magic looped – that’s how I like to knit my hats!

Last week while I was in Mexico Ava and Lola of Two Black sheep nominated me as a Rockin Girl Blogger!  Yay!  I was very flattered, and think they are pretty Rockin’ too!  Thanks Ava and Lola!

I’d like to nominate a few Rockin’ Girl Bloggers too:

Nova at Archivist on the Edge – even if she didn’t have the cutest model around, her photos and projects would keep me coming back.

Carole at Carole Knits – who inspires us with her example to live as green a life as we can, charms us with her re-enactments and adorable husband and seems to crank out socks and lace shawls at inhuman speeds.

Beverly at PoMo Golightly – who was one of my very first commenters, is the master mind behind last year’s Knit Sock Kit Swap and the Knit Mitt Kit Swaps and recently knit the most beautiful shawl for her wedding.

and

Megan the Knitting Philistine – because Fiberlicious is such a fabulous idea and because I wish I could live her life, working toward my PHD in Near Eastern Archeology – oh, and she’s a pretty skilled knitter too!

When I should have been packing for our trip to Mexico last week, I dyed these.  They were still wet when we left.

It was fun to come home to them still hanging on the rack, nice and dry.

The yarn above is 1/2 lb. of wool2dye4 super sock, 100% merino.  They call it fingering weight, I think it is a little lighter.  A half a pound is about 950 yards, so there is enough for a lace shawl here.  Hmmm, what to make, what to make?  I’ve named the color "Summer Grass".

This yarn is 50/50 merino silk in a worsted weight.  If I could find a wholesale source for this stuff I would buy some and dye it to sell.  I bought these three skeins  at a LYS a few years ago.  I always planned to dye it to knit Clapotis.  The jury is still out though.  I’m open to suggestions.  I’ve named the color "Echeveria", which is the botanical name for some of my favorite little plants; Hen’s & Chicks.

DS leaves for Spain tomorrow.  He’s going to be living with a Spanish family for two and a half weeks, taking Spanish classes and documentary film making classes.  I’m really going to miss him.  We went out and bought a cheap guitar for him to take since he can’t be away from his music.   He’s hoping to find a few Spanish musicians to teach him a bit of traditional guitar. He played his new toy for me the whole drive home from the store.   I had my own private concert – a bit of Macy Gray a bit of Soul Coughing and a touch of Jill Scott.  Now he’s playing and he and DD#2 are singing.  It’s moments like this when I realize how much I love being a mom –  and how cool this dear boy, who sometimes makes me want to rip my hair out and other times makes me laugh till I cry, is.