Whatever Lola Knits

I'm Knitting, I Promise!

And I'm even knitting socks of all things! For the first time, I am kind of in love - socks usually leave me a little cold, a little bored, they are so...small. But these are squooshy and stripy and wonderful! This is the ever-popular Charade pattern in Hazelknits Ice Cream Sundae, the custom colorway developed for Hilltop Yarn. Isn't it yummy?

I was questioning the pooling a bit but it's so lovely, and you never would have guessed from the skein that it would happen:

Ah well, it's too nice to fiddle with, I like it just the way it is.

I have also been plugging away on the last big piece of my Flutter Sleeve Cardigan - the back and left front have been done for a while, now I just need to finish the right front, the seed stitch button bands, and all of the finishing. It feels like an insurmountable task, but I think I'll actually finish the right front fairly quickly, now that I've really gotten going with it. The left front was fairly speedy through the short-row shaping under the bust and only slowed when I got to the sleeve, but that's partly because I had to concentrate so hard on not screwing up the shaping. Since I've done it once, I can match the right against the left as a visual cue, hooray!

And of course, I have another baby item still waiting to be finished - my soon-to-be-born second cousin Jackson will hopefully arrive after I've done the seaming and intended embroidery on the front of his Presto Besto sweater:

I originally wanted to knit the front panel in white and then use the world's most adorable fishbowl buttons (I have the orange fishies, but the bowl is a translucent light blue color, not colorless), so that you can see them against the knitted fabric, but then I washed everything...and that Cascade 220 Superwash bled EVERYWHERE. I rinsed and soaked and rinsed and soaked and still, the bleeding dye. So I knit the panel in blue and figure that a giant J on the front will do nicely, very boyish. (and maybe I'll go ahead with the white panel anyway, my cousin will want to be able to change them out, right?)

(You may notice that I'm getting back in the swing of blogging - thank the recent shake-up at work for that. My old-new job that I had been doing for the last 30 days has been eliminated, and my new-new job that I was mapped into will likely allow for a little more breathing room...let's hope, anyway!)

2007 est fini! Or almost.

Gah! The year is almost over and I haven't finished things! That is pretty much what is going on in my knit-brain, but I'm mostly overruling it. I decided months ago that I really wasn't going to knit much for Christmas, so the dreaded things-aren't-finished feeling is more about all of the things I've started, or tried to start, or wanted to start, or finished but meant to rip out and make longer...such is the life of the knitter. If only there was more time, or more hands, or the ability to knit while I work.

Kate's year-end postspiration will have to do for now--it's time to head to Dad's for Christmas Dinner!

1. Best FO of the year - Though I'm a fan of all of my baby-knits, Owen's Sweater was easily my favorite. Great colors, adorable buttons, and significant pattern alterations all done on my own! Close second would be my Arctic Diamonds Stole, but I really wish it was longer.

2. Best FO of the year made by a blog you link to - It took me forever to figure out what this one was about--blogs don't make things! Knitbloggers do. And then I remembered that my knitblog doesn't have links in the sidebar! Bad blogger. As for other peoples' knits, I really enjoyed Macoco's Twiggy Bobble Hat & Garter-stitch Cowl, Brainylady's vertical garter-stitch baby hat, and Jared's EVERYTHING, especially the EZ Ribwarmer (more garter-stitch! Are we sensing a theme here?)

3. Best yarn tried - easily the Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo. It's squishy and sproingy and delicious!

4. Best new book/mag/pattern of 2007 - I didn't buy many knitting books this year, but I particularly enjoyed looking at Romantic Hand Knits by Annie Modesitt and Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding for inspiration. I really enjoyed almost every issue from Interweave Knits, particularly the Holiday special--lots of gorgeous and knitable stuff. Fitted Knits was also at the top of my list of books to buy, though I haven't yet started knitting anything from it.

5. Best new knitting technique or gadget you tried in 2007 - Knitting lace from a chart!

6. Top 5 inspirations--what five things inspired you the most over the past year? I don't think there are five individual things, just one big one: R A V E L R Y. It makes me a better knitter.

7. Designer who most amazed & inspired you throughout the year - Not one, three! Jared Flood, Stefanie Japel and Adrian Bizilia.

8. Knitting resolutions for 2008--what's next for you and your blog? Oh, that's easy--more knitting, more blogging. I expect you to hold me to it!

The Dreaded Knitting Slump

So now i find myself with some time on my hands, at least in terms of knitting. I've finished the daunting lace project (what a way to kick off the year, btw--nothing but charted lace on size 3 needles for two months straight. At least I've proven to myself that I've developed some patience and fortitude in my old age.), I've finished the baby sweater (and abandoned the hat for the dumbest reasons. I started with 80 stitches on size 7 circs. Got to the ribbing and realized it would be too big for a newborn. Decreased 10 or so stitches. Did the ribbing. Switched back to stockinette. Got bored, realized it was still too big for a newborn...but I was using my smallest size 7 circular needle, all of 16 inches around. And I didn't feel like knitting a whole hat on DPNs. Remind me to learn the 2-circs method one of these days.) and I'm feeling a bit of the Now-whats.

I could work on one of my WIPs (purple cardigan anyone? 17 half-pairs of socks that I've started? some of the Dulaan knits that need to be finished by June?) or move on to a new project.

You know what I've decided to do, I'm sure. The latest-greatest new project that I decided on yesterday after poring over the 73298472 knitting books in my library, after paging through printed patterns, searching Flickr for finished photos of patterns found online...I've decided on Glee, using the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool I purchased last year in that tweedy-teal color. (sidenote: when did I become a teal person? WEIRD.)

Reason one: Lolly used the same yarn (in a different color) and it looked great! I won't have to futz too much with the pattern to make that yarn work, AND I've already swatched in one of the two needle sizes so it'll be even faster once I get started. And Reason Two: Anything with hook-and-eye closures, baby. they're just a bit more foxy than buttons or zippers. Equally damnable in the eyes of the Amish, i'm sure.

Only when I paid for the pattern yesterday, I just used my Visa debit card instead of my PayPal account. Don't ask me why, it seemed like a good idea at the time...and they treat debit charges just like writing a check. Which means 3-5 business days until the payment of FIVE DOLLARS clears. Arrgh. Startitis satisfaction is delayed.

In the meantime, I've been swatching with some of the Artfibers yarn that I purchased when we were in San Francisco for our birthdays, in particular the brilliant orange Kyoto that is absolutely delicious. Another Le Slouch, anyone? I bought 3 spools of this, along with 2 balls of a hot pink cashmere-bamboo blend and 3 balls of natural cream-colored wool-silk crepe--the latter two yarns appear to have been discontinued, or perhaps they were just prototype yarns? It was hard to tell, given the mix of wacky yarns Artfibers had available. Their shop was delightful but understaffed, and I wish I'd been able to talk with a salesperson about what I was buying. Oh well! Yarn is yarn is yarn.

Gah! Holidays!

I can't even tell you how glad I am that they're over. I only knitted ONE THING for christmas, but ended up promising a few more to be delivered over the next couple of months. I've also already finished and given away my first FO of 2006! I started a plain 2x2 ribbed hat while at my parents' cabin for Christmas Day--a stray skein of KnitPicks Merino Style in Moss will make one hat that just gently hugs the ears--and finished it today, while we drove our friends Mike and Tracey to the airport following their three-day stay with us. Mike's head being clean-shaved and smaller than mine, I offered it up as a parting gift--perfect to keep his head warm during training exercises with the rest of his flight crew or whatever they're called.

I'm not quite ready to do a recap of 2006's knitting...and that's mostly because I didn't do a very good job of tracking/documenting what I was working on! Improving that is definitely one of my knitting resolutions for 2007. I've been doing a better job of swatching (and even better--labeling my swatches with needle size!) and making notes on my working copies of patterns for projects underway. Now I just need to remember to take pictures BEFORE I give things away.

I am also going to participate in Wendy's Knit From Your Stash-along! I received a ridiculous amount of yarn for Christmas (1200 grams of cream-colored worsted weight wool blend and 600 grams of the same in charcoal--a Turkish delight from my mother's travels there this year--as well as a gift certificate to Weaving Works which means HOLY LORD IN HEAVEN, my yarn storage overfloweth. I'm going to modify the rules a bit from what Wendy is planning--after all, nine months of Not Buying Yarn is a daunting task. Here's what I'm going for:

1) The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through June 30, 2007. Six months is quite enough, thank you.

2) I will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

-If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that I really and truly do not have the yarn for, I may buy yarn to knit that gift. (from CurlyPurly)

-I am allowed to give yarn as a gift, but only to a knitting-friend, and only for a special occasion, something akin to a birthday.

-If I am knitting something and run out of yarn, I may purchase enough to complete the project. Deciding after a project is started that maybe I would like to make two of that item, perhaps in a different color--that is not an acceptable interpretation of this loophole.

3) I am allowed to receive gifts of yarn. This is not to say that I will "give" a friend money and she will "give" me some yarn that I have selected in exchange. But. If you are a friend, and you know that my birthday is in 51 days, just remember. It will have been 51+ days since I last purchased yarn.

4) I get one Get Out Of Jail Free card, allowing one purchase within that period of time, ONE CHANCE to fall off the wagon if I just can't make it a day longer. But that purchase had better be extraordinary, a yarn that I've never seen before, something that inspires and amazes every knitter who sees it. Otherwise that's just being lazy.

...

Additional knitting-related resolutions include:

-Challenge myself! Maybe dip my toes in the waters of colorwork? A cabled throw? something on size US0000 needles? Beads?

-Finish more things! That purple cardigan won't knit itself.

-Give more knitted gifts! They don't have to be huge or elaborate, just from the heart and from the stash.

More on a new year of knitting later--including a photo preview of some upcoming projects!

It's A Ding-Dong Treat Knitting Socks For Little Feet

So yes, I have been busy! Some of it was knitting-related, most of it was because I've finished my third week at my new job, and I'm kind of exhausted. I've been getting in some good knitting time, but I'm finding that the new job requires much more of my brain right now, so by the time I get home from work I don't have the oomph to sputter out some blog-schlock.

Here's what's been going on in the world of knitterly things:

1) My awesome secret pal sent me a lovely package two weeks ago, and I have been terribly remiss in both publically thanking her and in taking/posting photos! She sent me lovely handspun yarn in all of my favorite fibers (merino, soy, etc.), a lovely bamboo crochet hook in a size that I didn't have yet, and my favorite of all: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac.

I feel like my world has been torn open, that the light and love of a soulful knitter (and by that, I mean someone who knits from the heart, who has knitting in her heart, who dreams and lives the Knitting Way) has poured in and my eyes are seeing knitting in an entirely new light. I've never been one to fear my knitting, but I have remained fairly hesitant and occasionally faltered--am I doing this right? What if I'm not? What if I am FAILING knitting? EZ's calm and easy way makes me feel like nothing is impossible, including the insane lace shawls (too fine and I'll never wear them) and aran sweaters (no one I know likes cables) and oddly-shaped ganomy hats.

In any event, thank you, Secret pal! What a wonderful gift.

2) My mom, aunt, and cousins went back to the family homestead--a small reservation town in Montana--to host a benefit auction and raffle. My aunt is in her fourth or fifth month of chemotherapy for her colon cancer, and while her insurance coverage as a federal employee (EPA) is fairly good, there are still a number of expenses that aren't being covered. So I donated a whole host of things that I've knitted in the last couple of months: the Rowan biggie wool hat and scarf, the one skein petal bib, the Unintentionally Patriotic hat and...Zazie's sweater. I kind of feel terrible about the last one--mostly because I've had it finished for so long and it's still not mailed to the recipient, one Baby Zazie. The reason for that is two-fold: first, Zazie's mom and dad haven't responded to my last six emails requesting their new address (RUDE) and second, she's probably bigger than the sweater now.

So let it go to this excellent cause, and hope that it raises a few dollars for my aunt. Truth be told, I think she just needs the support more than anything, more than the money. She is not one to ever ask for help, and would rather bite her on tongue off than let you know she's suffering--but she's been in terrible pain and is having an awful time with chemo lately. The outpouing of support in her hometown will hopefully buoy her spirits for this last month of treatments.

3) I finished Allison's pink mittens and decided not to do any sort of embellishment on them. They have remained unpleasantly pointy at the top when un-worn, but the point evens out with a hand in each one. I'll let her deal with that. As soon as those were done, I cast on for a pair of Fetching fingerless mittens from the summer Knitty. As I've been saying lately, Fetching is the new Clapotis! Although I must admit that I almost like Fetching better and this is why: Fetching is small and takes less than 90 yards of yarn. It might not be as chic and impressive to knit a pair of hardly-cabled fingerless mittens, but seriously: It's taken no more than 2 hours to knit each one, and that's including weaving in ends. I'm using Cascade Cloud 9, a dreamy angora/merino blend that is deliciously haloed and pretty much wonderful. I would suggest making elbow length gloves of these eventually but then I come to my senses and say NO. Finish these, and then finish what I've got going.

Which is kind of like the rest of life! Photos tomorrow, I promise.

10 Things You May Or May Not Have Known About My Knitting

1) One of my goals on 43Things is "Stop Buying Yarn Every Pay Day". Considering the fact that I've been paid weekly for the last year and a half, not adhering to that goal is a serious issue. While I'm not buying yarn EVERY payday, I buy it fairly often. At least 3-4 times a month. And I certainly don't finish 3-4 projects a month, so the imbalance of yarn vs. Finished Objects is significant. If we are being totally honest, I spend about $100 per month on yarn. Plus/minus $50. This is what I do instead of buying shoes now that I have to wear relatively sensible footwear.

2) I will probably never bother knitting a garment (sweater, etc. accessories don't count) that is knit on anything smaller than a US4 or US5 needle. I'm totally in awe of people who knit adult-sized sweaters on US1s or other ridiculously small needle sizes. I'm rather enjoying the Somewhat Cowl, knit with Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool on US5s, and that's as fine a gauge as I'll ever need. Probably.

3) My current list of Projects In Progress is overwhelming:
-the aforementioned Somewhat Cowl (5%)
-purple DB VK Fall 05 cardigan (80%)
-Cascade Fixation socks (1 down, 3 inches of the second finished)
...actually, I can't think of too many more. I've gotten much better at frogging unreasonable knits--the Noro Big Kureyon Counterpane bag from Handknit Holidays (I can't get the lace pattern correct, despite my perfect swatching efforts), the Sockotta Sock that was 47" around, the Mountain Colors sock that was turning into a Yeti Boot.

4) The list of Projects I Want To Start is WAY TOO LONG:
-Serrano
-Forecast but not in tweed and without the bobbles. I think.
-Everyday Tweed--this pattern is extremely underrated, and I'm going to make it a star
-the Siena Cardigan, which is how I will FINALLY use the 12 skeins of Cascade Pastaza that are currently devoted to the Red Sweater of Doom. Yes, the sweater still (partially) exists. Now that I have a pattern that better suits (and is even written for) the yarn, I'll have the courage to rip it.
-Simple Knitted Bodice but not in Tilli Tomas, because I'd like to be able to buy groceries and put gas in my car.
-and a Clapotis for myself. I've started and ripped the damned thing three times--the next start is going to stick!

5) Some techniques I haven't tried yet, and why:
-Fair Isle. I just don't like how it looks, is that so wrong? I can't see ever wearing a full sweater-type garment done in Fair Isle, because I am also usually too warm for that sort of thing. Nothing like sweating in shetland wool, right?
-Intarsia. It's awfully fiddly, isn't it?
-Cabling. I just don't like most of them, though I'm determined to try it on something small, like a hat or a pair of fingerless mitts.
-Steeking. I just don't think I could bring myself to cut my knitting. My heart nearly stops at the thought of it.
-Knitting backwards. This is at the top of my list because I hate purling!
-Japanese short rows. Yeah, so I don't know why this is on the list, but I like the sound of it.

6) Some techniques that I've used but still don't entirely get:
-Regular short rows. I've done it twice now but I am totally mystified by the process.
-Heel-turning remains an exciting prospect!
-Knitting while slightly intoxicated. Why does this seem like a good idea?

7) Secret confession: I truly love knitted ruffles.

8) I'll never do another group project again. The Ever Blanket taught me that much.

9) Some of my favorite yarns:
-Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride
-Reynolds Rapture
-Knitpicks Main Line
-Frog Tree Merino
-GGH Aspen
-Manos Almost-Solids
-Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed
-The inimitable Cascade 220

10) I have incurable startitis--but I'm working on contracting finishitis, too. I've been knitting since October of 2004 (yay for my knitiversary!) and I WILL finish my first sweater this month. Just you watch...