Not Dead - Not that Interesting, Either

I'm still here - I just haven't finished any great knitting projects or taken any pictures in a while. More soon, as the Christmas knitting continues to take shape. (And probably a Finished Object Parade once I get the baton-twirlers sobered up.)

Just a Quickie

Last night I got bored with everything I was knitting, so I cast on for Thorpe. I finished it early this afternoon, and I love everything about it. I especially love the yarn, which is Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes in Chocolate. Normally I don't use many chunky yarns (the label says "worsted," but I'd say "chunky," since I was getting a nice fabric on size 10 1/2 needles) but this was calling to me. Now that I've used my one skein, I'm wishing I had enough for a sweater. Not that I need another sweater project. The contrast edging is doubled Blue Face Leicester DK, left over from my Shetland Triangle. I only had a few inches of yarn left after the braids and the weaving-in of ends. Also, I keep forgetting to mention that I published my Ilene Bag pattern as a free Ravelry download last week.
Help yourselves!

MEME

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Being 13. I was in the seventh grade at Dartmouth Middle School, and was just starting to get into art. I didn’t do too much other than hang out with friends, read, go to school, and drive my mother crazy. I did not yet have even the slightest interest in knitting.

2. What are five things on my to-do list?
Update my resume, continue reading War and Peace, knit a baby bootie to match the one I just finished, go to the bank, and clean out the fridge.

3. Where have I lived?
Brookline, Pepperell, South Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, Boston, West Roxbury, Brighton, Jamaica Plain, and Chicago (One of these things is not like the others.)

4. What would I do if I was a billionaire?
I’d pay off all my debt, and the debt of any friends/family who were interested. Then I’d quit my job and buy a nice big house to gradually fill with yarn over the course of the rest of my life, which I would spend baking and knitting when I felt like being at home, and traveling when I didn’t. I’d still have more money left than I’d know what to do with, so I’d give a lot away to charities and schools and Planned Parenthood.
(You don’t have to like Planned Parenthood, but I think they’re awesome.)

5. Who would I like to know more about?
Squeezleknits, Roman Sock, Chama, Scary's West, and The Periodic Knitter. Consider yourselves tagged!

Committed

I've purchased 18 skeins of Ultra Alpaca
for the Fitted Jacket with Embroidery

Maybe I should be committed.

How to entertain yourself without knitting

Ever wonder what it's like having a rabbit?


It's also like this:

The Answer

And the mystery fiber is:
But not just any angora.

Meet Ruth.

She came home with me today. She is scared out of her wits. She is only three.
Sorry for the blurry photo - I didn't want to shine bright light on her or use the flash, and she wouldn't follow me into the brightly-lit kitchen even when I tried to bribe her with banana chips. Apparently, rabbits really like banana chips. Who knew?

I think Kate wins the guessing game, since she said it was "handspun plied angora," which it most certainly is. Way to go, Kate, keep an eye on the mailbox.

Next up: plucking an angora.

Tempest, Treats, Tolstoy, and Test Runs

I've been knitting stripes all weekend, and I'm finished with the waist shaping for Tempest.The brown yarn (Harrisville New England Shetland) is really scratchy compared with the green (Knitpicks Shadow) so I'm really happy whenever I finish a brown stripe. I can't wait to wash and block this to soften it.

When I got home on Friday, grumpy from a hideously stressful work week, I found a birthday package containing these items:
Boy, did I cheer up quick! I changed my earrings and started blowing Miracle Bubbles in the kitchen. Who doesn't love bubbles?
I also learned something I didn't know:
Thank you, Kate!

The War and Peacealong has commenced with a vengeance. The Ravelry group is already 33 members strong, and it seems like we have a really interesting and thoughtful bunch of people. I'm looking forward to the discussions - I started reading this weekend, and I think I'm really going to enjoy this.
In addition to the reading, I'm going to undertake another colossus I've been considering for a long time: the Fitted Jacket with Embroidery from Norsk Strikkedesign. I'm going to use Berroco Ultra Alpaca, (AKA my favorite yarn ever). I just have to pick colors - not so easy with over seventy to choose from!

I'm already swatching with the multitude of scraps and odd-balls I have left from other projects. Working from the enormous chart is reminding me of Brocade, but without the horrible intarsia torture. Fair isle is SO MUCH BETTER.

The answer to the question I posed in my last post is coming very soon. Any last-minute guessers had better hurry up!

Step Right Up

First of all, can anybody guess what this is?

Here's a close-up:If anyone can tell me exactly what these photos are, I will send her (or him) some yarn. Or maybe I'll send it to whoever gets closest, since I'm not sure anyone will guess exactly. It's a new project I'm quite excited about.

What else have I been up to? Well...

I blocked my Shetland Triangle:
I have been wearing this thing almost every day. Chicago = not very warm yet.


I cast on for Tempest:Is it me, or does involving stripes make knitting stockinette seem a lot faster?

AND I designed and knit a (rather simple) market bag.
Presenting Ilene:I've written down the pattern and once I figure out how to put it on the internet neatly, I will do so. There are more photos on Ravelry.

New New New

First of all:

The weaverknits/iknityouknot miteralong has come to a close. Only, mine might not be done, since I didn't crochet a neat little edging around the two sides that don't already have a nice border (my long-tail cast on made what amounts to white piping, I love it!) Also: hanging loop?

For our next trick, we'll be co-reading War and Peace. For real. As in I already bought it.

And speaking of weaverknits, guess what this is:It's a swatch for Tempest, which is soon to be my latest WIP. I'm going to use Knitpicks Shadow, held doubled. (The swatch is single-stranded on the left, and double on the right.) The color in the swatch is Lost Lake, which I got at the Windy City Knitting Guild's yarn swap last night. The swap was pretty awesome - who doesn't like getting rid of stuff they don't want in favor of stuff they do want, and donating to charity at the same time? All-around excellent. The only problem? I need another color. Suggestions?


At the other end of the WIP spectrum is my Shetland Triangle, made of Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester DK. (DISCLAIMER: it might actually be the aran weight, I have lost the tag into the depths of my stash.) I kind of want to toss it and eat it.It just needs a good blocking, which it will receive some evening this week. Possibly Friday, since I have the day off, because it's my birthday and my union is awesome like that.

I must admit, though, I do love it unblocked as well. Maybe I need to make another just like it to block?

Lookey Here:

Boston!

This weekend Tyler and I went to Boston.

We flew out of Chicago Friday evening, at that perfect time of night:
And speaking of perfect:
This is Tyler's first and only knitting project keeping a beer warm at Penguin, where I saw all my favorite Bostonians and threw back a few UFOs, and I don't mean the one in my knitting bag:
This is a little something I'm working on, a stripey cowl made of PeachyKnits MDK in Sea of Grass and Bloody Morning, purchased on Etsy. So nice, so fresh, so easy to knit on the plane!

My knitting bag was actually populated by something else that day:

New tops and a skirt from Savers - Yay cheap work clothes! Yay hot pink! Yay lemon shirt!


Cheap books from Savers and a silly sponge from Joann's
Has anyone else ever read The House with a Clock in its Walls?


Blue and white is love.


Ann, my adventure partner for the shopping extravaganza, noticed something interesting at Joann's:
Self-striping Sugar and Cream? What?? Oh hell yes.
We each bought two balls, and are planning an immediate two-person mitered square dishcloth knitalong. This is way more exciting than it probably should be. Details to come!

Knitting Weekend

This weekend, with Tyler out of town on an expedition, I've gotten a lot of knitting done. I cast on yesterday for Dr. G's Memory Vest by Kristen Kapur. I took a few photos this morning when the light in my apartment was at its best, but I've knit much more on it since then. I love me a new project. This project supports Alzheimer's and dementia research, so I don't feel bad about starting it now, even though I have a load of WIPs waiting all around the apartment for my attention.


This is a much quicker knit than most of the other
things I've got going, especially the lace-weight number which is a secret surprise to be revealed later. (It's already on Ravelry, though.) I'm using Elsebeth Lavold's Classic AL (50/50 baby alpaca and merino) which I got on closeout from WEBS, and which I highly recommend because it is SO SMOOTH AND SOFT AND PRETTY.

I'm thinking I'll knit through this really quickly and then finish up some of the other things that have been hanging around. Maybe while wearing my new vest!

Well, here we go...

And for my first trick, a finished object!

Pattern: Le Slouch by Wendy Bernard
(free here)

Yarn: Malabrigo Angora purchased at Nina in Chicago, 2 Skeins in Cactus Flower colorway

Mods: none

I'm quite pleased with this hat, although every time I put it on I wonder whether I'm actually fooling anyone into thinking that I'm really a hot pink angora beret person. The pattern was really nice and simply written, which was good because I started it at 12:30 am when I couldn't sleep because my neighbors were having a noisy party, and stayed up until almost 5 watching The Poseidon Adventure and knitting away. I knew better than to tackle the decreases under such conditions, so I finished the top the next day.

Only time will tell whether this will actually see much wear, but I've worn it to work already and at least I know it stays on my head.

I can always use it as a pet substitue, maybe call it George?