Rhinebeck 2007

I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it to Rhinebeck this year, seeing as how I had a not-quite-6-week-old baby (this was way back on Oct. 20), but we went and it was a great time! Emma came up for the weekend, and the 4 of us packed into our trusty station wagon and drove up Route 9. Rhinebeck is much closer to where we live now than when we lived in Brooklyn. We didn't get there at the crack of dawn -- it was more like 10am -- but we lucked out and got an awesome parking spot. The day was warm and sunny, full of gorgeous yarn, adorable fiber animals, and decadent food.


Emma and I are overwhelmed by all the pretty yarn...


Baby Helen loves wool; she just doesn't know it yet.


The ever patient husband


Baby Helen hides from the obsessive knitters in her pumpkin hat.

This is pumpkin hat #2. It's a tad big, which is fine because it rolls up (in theory at least) and it will probably still fit her next autumn! (Pumpkin hat #1 I sent to Helen's cousin who was born in August, but ended up fitting the 3-year-old big sister instead! Not sure if it's my own gauge issues, or if the sizing in Itty Bitty Hats is a bit off.)

In the above picture, you can also kind of see the beautiful dress that Emma knit! I have better pictures of the dress, which I will post at a later date.

And here Emma and I are enjoying some of the aforementioned decadent food:


Here are some of my Rhinebeck purchases, which were pretty under control this year:


Two skeins of Brooks Farm Solana, which I'm thinking may become an Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Sweater...


One skein of Spirit Trail Fiberworks Superwash Merino, which may be destined to become a baby hat...


Some cute buttons which would look lovely on a baby cardigan...(Getting a bit repetitive here, now that I think of it...)


And a beautiful wooden swift! (Ball winder too, but it's not as photogenic.)

And that's pretty much it, aside from a bottle of lavender Eucalan, which I didn't bother photographing.

Gotta start somewhere...

I've been gone way too long. I've got a lot to blog about, so much in fact, that I'm not sure where to start! Which is probably why I've put it off so long. So finally I've decided to just dive in.

Baby Helen Rose was born on September 10, 2007. 6 lbs., 8 oz. at birth, much bigger now! She is an absolute joy, and I love every moment I spend with her (which is a lot of moments). She keeps me very busy, another reason why I've been such a bad blogger.

Also in the past few months: I went to Rhinebeck; joined Ravelry; knitted another pair and a half of Knucks, several baby hats, tiny baby mitts, and a baby sweater; and bought a fair amount of yarn. More details and pictures to come.

Itty-bitty hats

My brother very kindly gave me the Itty-Bitty Hats book as a baby shower gift, and it really sparked the knitting resurgence I have been experiencing.

I started with the upside-down daisy hat, which I gave to the other couple in our childbirth education class. They were scheduled to have their baby Tuesday morning. I haven't heard from them yet, but I'm hoping everything went well! The hat came out really tiny. I meant to make the 0-6 month size but accidentally ended up making the "newborn" size -- silly me, thinking 0-6 months would be the smallest size! I'm hoping it will fit the baby for the first few weeks at least. I knitted the petals and did most of the finishing in the waiting room at my midwives' practice during my 3-hour gestational diabetes test, and it was a great distraction from the fasting and blood drawing. (It really wasn't that bad, and happily I passed the test!)

I used Cleckheaton Country 8-ply for most of the hat. It's a relatively inexpensive superwash wool from Australia. Not the softest yarn I've ever worked with, but it softens up quite a bit after washing. The petals are made of a velvety superwash merino also from Australia, called "Extra." For the stem I used leftover Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino from Courtney's placket sweater. It reminded me how much I loved working with that yarn. It's so soft and shiny and I love the subtle color variations that result from the kettle-dyeing. And it comes in such generous skeins! I haven't seen it anywhere but Brooklyn General, and now that I don't live in Brooklyn anymore, I'm not sure when I'll get back over there. The Tess folks won't be at Rhinebeck either, sadly. I asked the owner of my new LYS if she ever carries Tess yarns...apparently she used to, but "they make it difficult to do business with them." Not sure what that means exactly. They have a web site, but it's not a web store, and it doesn't have pictures of every colorway. At some point I may call them up and try to describe some colors I'm interested in and see what happens.


Upside-down daisy hat
Started: June 23, 2007
Finished: June 25, 2007
Pattern: From Itty-Bitty Hats
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 8-ply (purple, yellow), Extra 100% Australian Merino (white), Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino (green)
Needles: US 6 dpns


I also made this pumpkin hat, recipient to be determined. This one actually is the 0-6 month size, and it's considerably larger. The leaf really wants to curl, but otherwise it's pretty cute.


Little pumpkin hat
Started: June 25, 2007
Finished: June 28, 2007
Pattern: From Itty-Bitty Hats
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 8-ply (orange, brown), Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino (green)
Needles: US 6 Denises, US 6 dpns

Dad's hat

It seemed wrong that I hadn't knitted anything for my dad so far, and I was thinking he might wear a hand-knit hat. I found this donegal cashmere at School Products which seemed perfect for him. A few weeks ago I had some gals over for an afternoon of knitting, and I knitted up this hat. The yarn was delightful to work with. At first I tried using size 11 needles, but the fabric was coming out too loose, so I went all the way down to 8's (because I happen to have Addi Turbos in that size). I totally winged it -- didn't bother swatching, just guessed how many stitches to cast on, and how long to knit before starting the decrease rounds. I was a little worried it would be too small, but after washing, it got much bigger (and softer). This was my first time blocking cashmere, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but now I know! Dad says the hat is very warm and comfortable.

Dad's hat
Started: Feb. 3, 2007
Finished: Feb. 3, 2007
Pattern: None
Yarn: Donegal Cashmere from School Products (50 gr., 95 yds., color 10096), 1 skein
Needles: US 8 Addi Turbos

Shedir

Meet Shedir, the first project I've knitted for charity. I donated it to Support Connection, an organization that provides support services to women with breast and ovarian cancer. My mom has been volunteering there for about 12 years, and they do really amazing work.

I'm pleased with this hat, though maybe it is a bit big. When I tried it on, I had to roll up the brim so it doesn't cover my eyes. But I have a small head. It also used up more yarn than the pattern suggested. My gauge must have been a little off. (I didn't swatch!) The cables probably could have been a little neater, though blocking helped even things out. The Rowan Calmer took a little getting used to since it is so stretchy. (Swatching beforehand could have gotten me used to it!) Towards the end, the pattern involves some p2tog tbl maneuvers, and I had a lot of trouble with those, but I got through it. Shedir is a very beautiful, clever pattern, and I'm happy with how the hat came out, but I probably won't be racing to make another one of these anytime soon. I intend to make more chemo caps for Support Connection, but I'll try different patterns.


Shedir
Started: Dec. 31, 2006
Finished: Jan. 21, 2007
Pattern: Shedir from Knitty's breast cancer awareness special issue
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, 2 skeins (used very little of the second skein), shade #478, "Joy"
Needles: US 3 bamboo circ, US 3 dpns

Gimli on steroids

I finally added a lining to my Gimli hat, something I had been meaning to do since last winter. I used the Morehouse Farm Merino I bought at Brooklyn General.

Here's what I did:

Lining the earflaps
I picked up 25 stitches along the earflap seam and repeated the following two rows:
1) ssk, knit to last 2 stitches, k2tog
2) sl 1, purl to last stitch, sl 1
...until there were only 2 stitches left, which I knitted together. I sewed down the other 2 sides of the triangle to the earflap, and repeated for the other side.

Lining the rest of the hat
I picked up 110 stitches along the inside edge, joined, knitted until the lining was about 2.5 inches long, then began the decrease rounds because I had too many stitches on there. I placed markers every 10 stitches and knitted together the 2 stitches before each stitch marker. I repeated this decrease round every third round (maybe 5 times) and finally every other round, until I had 10 stitches left. I cut the yarn and pulled it through the 10 stitches and weaved in the end.

I didn't swatch or do any math, and it definitely was not a scientific process, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. Basically there is a second hat inside the original hat. And it is super warm and very soft inside! And the hat is ridiculously thick! If it sort of resembled armor before, now it practically is!

It hasn't been cold enough yet to really try it out. In fact, I'm not sure it will get cold enough in NYC this winter! But if we do get a blizzard this year, I'm prepared.

Gimli Lining
Started: Dec. 24
Finished: Dec. 26
Pattern: None
Yarn: Morehouse Farm Merino worsted, 1 skein
Needles: US 8 Denises and dpns, I think...

Odessa II

John got his hat in time for Christmas!

John's Odessa
Started: Dec. 23
Finished: Dec. 24
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina (sans beads)
Yarn: RYC CashSoft DK, 1 skein
Needles: US 4 plastic circ, US 6 Addi Turbos, US 6 dpns

Cute as a button

On the way to Pittsburgh I knitted a hat to match Courtney's placket sweater. I casted on 80 stitches, joined for knitting in the round, did k2p2 ribbing for about an inch, then placed markers every 20 stitches and alternated stockinette for 20 stitches, then seed stitch for 20 stitches, etc. I continued this until the hat was about 6 inches long, and then I bound off. I turned the hat inside out, laid it flat so that the seed stitch was in the middle and the stockinette was on the edges, and backstitched the top together. Then I made 2 tassels and attached them at the corners. Very simple, but it turned out pretty cute!

The sweater fits better than I could have hoped -- the sleeves and body are the right length, and there's a bit of growing room. She seemed to enjoy wearing both the hat and the sweater, to the extent that she repeatedly put them on herself throughout our visit!


Courtney's tassel hat
Started: Dec. 22
Finished: Dec. 24
Pattern: Inspired by "Fat Hats" pattern in Hip to Knit, also page 111 in Knitting Rules! (Scarf Rescue Hat section)
Yarn: Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino, leftovers from placket sweater (with still more remaining)
Needles: US 8 Addi Turbos

Emily's Odessa

Last night John and I exchanged holiday gifts with our dear friends Emily and Chris. They bestowed upon us a most amazing scarf. This is a scarf I had been admiring and petting while Emily was still working on it, before it had a designated recipient. How did she know it was just what I wanted? John and I have both worn it already (not at the same time) and it's around my neck as I type this. Pictures are forthcoming.

We gave Emily this Odessa hat:

I loved knitting this pattern! I didn't make any modifications. It took 121 beads and one skein of RYC CashSoft DK with just a few yards left over. Before I gave it to Emily, John agreed to model it for me:

After trying it on, John wants a hat that fits the same way, maybe even this same pattern but without the beads. I'd love to knit this again, so he'll probably get his wish!

I hope Emily enjoys wearing this hat as much as I enjoyed making it!

Emily's Odessa
Started: Dec. 15
Finished: Dec. 17
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina
Yarn: RYC CashSoft DK, 1 skein
Needles: US 4 plastic circ, US 6 Addi Turbos, US 6 dpns

Pile o' baby knits

Here's a peek at all the baby knitting I've recently completed, along with a cute sheep-featuring card we bought for one of the new babies.

Somewhat oversized baby things

This hat is for my friends' baby who's due at the end of October. It's the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'n' Bitch. I substitituted the yarn and, since my gauge was slightly different, started with 72 stitches instead of 64 and added an extra decrease row. It was a very quick, easy knit -- just what I needed!

It seems a little big for a newborn, but it's 16" like the pattern says. According to this chart, a newborn's head circumference is 13-14" and this hat would be a better fit for a 6-month-old. (I probably should have checked the chart first!) Maybe with the roll brim it will be sort of adjustable and he'll grow into it. And maybe I'll just knit another smaller one since they're so quick.

Umbilical Cord Hat
Started: Sept. 23, 2006
Finished: Sept. 23, 2006
Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'n' Bitch
Yarn: RYC CashSoft Aran in Haze, 1 ball
Needles: US 8 circ (Addi Turbos)

I wanted to make roll-top booties with i-cord ties to match the hat. I scoured the internet but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for in worsted weight yarn. This pattern looked pretty close except it had ribbing at the cuff. That seemed like an easy thing to modify. I read the pattern several times but couldn't wrap my brain around the construction, so I decided to just jump in and give it a try. My gauge was a little off, but rather than tamper with numbers I couldn't even comprehend, I wagered that a little big wouldn't be so bad, especially with a drawstring tie.



It came out 1/2 inch too long, which is probably a significant amount of extra length for a baby bootie. But more importantly, I didn't take into consideration that seams will show in a rolled cuff. I've been thinking about it, and I want to try this bootie again but in the round, and starting with slightly fewer stitches. Fortunately a bootie isn't a huge commitment, and I still have enough time to experiment. (I guess I'm in denial that less than 3 months remain for all that holiday knitting I haven't even begun!)


And this of course isn't knitting, nor a baby thing, but here's a little tea cup I painted at a paint-your-own-pottery cafe a couple weeks ago. I gave it to John. Yellow's his favorite color. Tea, however, is one of his least favorite beverages. Fortunately there's nothing to prevent one from using a tea cup to hold something besides tea.

Socktopus and odds and ends

John made a Socktopus for a friend's birthday, and every socktopus needs a hat so I knit him one. I improvised the pattern and used leftover Bernat Satin and bamboo double-pointeds (size 8, I believe). It was a very satisfying, instantly gratifying knit. I finished the hat just as John was adding the final touches to the socktopus. I have to say I really like working with that yarn -- so soft and shiny.


This is the beginning of Knitty's Branching Out with some 100% cashmere I got at School Products. I can't decide if the yarn is too lightweight for this pattern. It might be fingering weight but I'm not sure -- the tag doesn't give much information. Maybe it would look better with a smaller needle size rather than the US 8 which the pattern suggests (if that's even what I'm using -- to be honest, I can't recall), but then it would be super skinny. I'll have to do a few more pattern repeats and see if it shapes up. The Silky Wool suggested in the pattern sounds lovely and is surprisingly inexpensive -- I may order some online since I can't seem to find it in stores. I'm sure I can come up with something to do with the cashmere if Branching Out isn't the answer. The trick is I only have about 250 yards.

I've also made some more progress on the Koigu sock (hopefully someday to belong to a pair), my ongoing portable project. The heel flap is almost done. Over the weekend I borrowed the needles I've been using for the sock to make a pair of angora baby booties from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my landlord's baby. Those are complete; pictures to come.

While watching the SuperBowl and the L Word last night, I finally seamed up the Fairly Easy Fair Isle's underarms and sleeves. The fit doesn't appear to be too bad -- the sleeves are snug and longish, just how I like them. The jury's still out on the body -- might be a tad looser than I'd like -- but today I bought buttons at M & J Trimming so soon we shall see. There are also a gazillion ends that need to be weaved in.

Socktopus hat
Started: Feb. 3
Finished: Feb. 3
Yarn: Bernat Satin leftovers in sapphire
Needles: US 8 bamboo straights

Holidays are for knitting

My long weekend in Pittsburgh was a great opportunity to get some knitting done. First I worked on the Griffindor scarf until I ran out of yarn. I've still got a few more stripes to go, especially now that I've found out that Andrew wants to wear it doubled up and looped through. (Is there a name for that method of scarf wearing?) We're talking about a guy who's never even had a scarf before. But apparently law students spend a lot of time discussing things such as how scarves ought to be worn.

Then I finished up John's double-knit ski cap. My purls must be looser than my knits, as the yellow side came out significantly bigger than the gray side. I'm hoping blocking will fix it. The stripes also didn't land where I wanted them. I had envisioned the hat being long enough to fold the edge up, so I started the stripes later, made them thicker, and added some extra rows before beginning the decreases. It still ended up being just long enough to cover John's ears without folding up the edge. And the stripes are very close to the top of the hat. Oh well -- live and learn. John says he's happy with it. Still, I know he'd prefer to wear it with the gray side out, but as it is right now, the extra fabric on the yellow side gets all wadded up inside so it isn't comfortable. The good news is, the reason I haven't had a chance to block it is that John has been wearing it every day!


While in Pittsburgh I got to see Courtney wearing her Kittyville hat. It fits her perfectly, and her parents like it because it covers her ears. One potential danger is that the pom-poms are just the right size to fit in her mouth. I probably should have made them bigger. During our stay I learned that she needs a pair of mittens, so the night I got back to Brooklyn, I found a pattern and made a pair from the same yarn I used for the kitty hat (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted). The thumbs came out very long even though I made them shorter than the pattern suggested. I don't think it's something I can fix with blocking, so I'm planning to try and redo them. It's going to be tricky since I already seamed up the thumbs and weaved in the ends. Once I get a measurement from her mom, I will also make an I-cord to connect the mittens.


I also started trying to make gauge for Grandma's vest. It calls for size 8 needles, but I know my stitches tend to be tight, plus the yarn I bought (Lion's Brand Wool-Ease) is on the lighter side of worsted, so I started with US size 9. My stitches came out way too tiny. I didn't have any larger needles, so when I got home I bought some cheap 10's and 10.5's. (I was hoping to come across a Denise interchangeable set, but couldn't find it in stores so I bought it on eBay.) Last night I started a new gauge swatch, following the method outlined in Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, which I have out from the library. With US size 10's I was still way off. With 10.5's I'm getting closer, but I'm wondering if 11's might be better. At this point I'm not going to purchase any more needles, but will wait for the Denise set to arrive. (I'm so excited!)

The Christmas scarves seemed to go over well. Turns out Amy had her eye on a cashmere cable-knit scarf from L.L. Bean, so the Irish hiking scarf worked out nicely. Though now I wish I had used cashmere instead of acrylic! Derek seemed pleased with the Broncos scarf. Apparently the blue I used is their "old" blue, and one of the patches is their old logo, which seemed to be plusses.

Last night I tried to attend the local Stitch 'n Bitch group for the first time, but when I got to the designated coffee shop, I couldn't find any other knitters. I bought some tea, settled down on a couch and started knitting, waiting to see if anyone else would show up, but nobody did! I guess a lot of people are out of town the week between Christmas and New Year's.

John's double-knit ski cap
Started: Nov. 30
Finished: Dec. 26
Yarn: Tolegno Lana Gatto Luxor, 1 skein yellow, 1 skein dark gray
Needles: metal circular size 6, bamboo dpns size 6

Holiday crunch time

The gifts are almost ready! I just have to add some fringe to the Denver scarf. And maybe sew on patches if they arrive. And perhaps try to redo the bind-off on the Irish hiking scarf. And possibly block both scarves. And finish John's hat. And, oh, knit a Griffindor scarf for my brother. And a vest for my grandma! Fortunately Hanukkah's late this year -- we're celebrating on Jan. 1 -- and at least I'm in pretty good shape with the Christmas gifts! I'll have lots of knitting time when we drive to Pittsburgh on Friday.

Over the weekend Mom took me clothes shopping at the Danbury Mall. I kept getting distracted by all the knitwear. Instead of looking for things to buy, I kept thinking, "I bet that wouldn't be hard to make!"

I also stopped at JoAnn Fabrics and bought some alpine fleece to sew inside my Gimli hat for extra warmth and softness. That will of course have to wait till after the holidays. I'll also try and fix the tassels which are coming apart strand by strand.

John's double-knit ski cap

A couple weeks ago I started this hat for John, but it's on hold while I churn out some X-mas presents. It's the double-knit ski cap from the blue blog. I wanted to make John a hat to match his scarf, but he said the Manos would be a bit too scratchy on his ears. Also, I've been spending way too much money on fancy yarns. So I went to School Products and found this 100% acrylic yarn called Luxor by Tolegno Lana Gatto in a very similar yellow and a lovely dark gray.

I did a real gauge swatch for this one, and it came out perfect for the pattern. So far the hat seems to be exactly the right size. Maybe my stitches aren't as ridiculously tight anymore.

Double knitting sure is time-consuming! I can't wait to get to the stripes.

Started: Nov. 30
Finished: not yet!
Yarn: Tolegno Lana Gatto Luxor, 1 skein yellow, 1 skein dark gray
Needles: metal circular size 6

Gimli hat

I made this hat for myself using some Fantasy Alpaka yarn ("100% Alpaka") I found at A.C. Moore. I believe it's real alpaca, but the spelling and the low price do make me wonder. At any rate, it was fun to knit. I didn't follow a pattern -- pretty much made it up as I went along. I quadrupled the yarn so I could use US size 15 needles. I think it sort of looks like chain mail. Emily says I look like Gimli from Lord of the Rings when I wear it.


Started: Nov. 23
Finished: Nov. 28 (added tassels Dec. 3)
Yarn: Fantasy Alpaka (2 skeins dark gray, 2 skeins light gray but there's lots left over)
Needles: metal circular size 15, bamboo dpns size 15

Courtney's kitty hat

This is a modified Kittyville hat from Stitch 'n Bitch I made for John's niece's first birthday. I checked the gauge first, but somehow it still came out extra tiny. Courtney is small for her age, but maybe not that small. At any rate, everyone seems to agree that it's very cute! Maybe it will fit one of her dolls or something.

I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Blackberry. It's a superwash, and so soft! I probably only used half a skein.

It only took me a few days to complete due to my obsessiveness and insomnia, but I came upon lots of challenges with this project. I had trouble with the invisible cast-on (which I later realized wasn't even necessary). I tried a cable cast-on, but finally gave up on that in favor of a crochet chain cast-on. The trouble is, I'd never crocheted, so that was a real struggle. Also, I think I knitted a whole round before I joined, so there's a weird uneven spot in the back. Later I got confused when it came to decreasing in the seed stitch, so it came out a little funky but apparently no one else can tell.

I chose not to sew up the outer edges of the ears, because I thought it looked neat open like that.

Started: Nov. 16
Finished: Nov. 20
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Blackberry (1 skein)
Needles: metal circular size 8, bamboo dpns size 8

Grandma's baby cable hat

This Baby Cable Ribbed Cap was done in 4 days. It goes with the ribbed scarf I knitted for Grandma the week before. She's been in and out of the hospital for the past few months, and she's always cold, so I wanted to make her things that would both cheer and warm her up. And make me feel useful. It was something to do while I awaited news from her doctors.


Started: Nov. 8
Finished: Nov. 12
Yarn: Rowan CashSoft Aran, Oat (2 skeins), and Mole (leftover from scarf)
Needles: metal circular size 8, bamboo dpns size 8