Tilted Duster, Calmer Koolhaas, kooky cats, and more!

Hey everyone! I hope the new year is treating you well.

I am, as usual, a bit behind on my blog reading, but at least I got some knitting done : )


FOs

I did a bit of swatching a while ago:



And I got gauge for one of my projects right away... so I cast on and, like magic, it appeared (or rather, that's how it seems - due to my lack of in-progress blogging - doh!).






Tilted Duster (Interweave Knits, Fall 2007)
Berroco Peruvia, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (174 yards / 100 g per skein), color 7180 "Alcaparrones," ~5.5 skeins
US 8 Knitpicks Options circular needle (32")

I made the 32" size, pretty much as written. I used the suggested yarn in a colorway (7180) that until recently didn't seem to exist except at Webs (where I bought it several months ago). Now Berroco's website has the color listed and it's called "Alcaparrones," the Spanish name for caperberries. (Cool! Now my Tilted Duster reminds me of capers - I can totally see that!) By the way, the yarn was really nice to work with... very soft, and I do love the (caper!) color. The gauge it's knit at produces a sturdy yet fluid fabric which looks great now, and hopefully won't pill too badly in the future.

Norah Gaughan's design is an interesting one - the two fronts are knit on the bias, then joined to the upper back piece before the "skirt" is picked up and knit downward. There are four buttons (two of which are visible) that close the deep, ribbed collar.





It's always a little challenging to pick up the correct number of stitches and seam the sleeves in neatly, however, the only real "excitement" (by which I mean, moment of terror) I had with this knit, was when I was pinning it out to block after washing. That's when I noticed that something had gone amiss during my bind-off, and one of the edge stitches had dropped a few rows. It didn't end up being a big deal - I let the sweater dry completely, rescued the dropped stitch with a crochet hook, and used a length of yarn to correct the situation - but it sure did give me a start when I first noticed it! Eeek! I guess I need to be more careful with my bind-off in the future : )

I don't usually go for super long (butt-covering) sweaters. They make me feel weird, as if they're emphasizing something they shouldn't be... however, I really like this design. It's definitely got a jacket/coat feel to it, and is very warm and comfortable to boot!




(inside out)
Koolhaas Hat (Interweave Knits, Holiday Gifts 2007)
Rowan Calmer, 75% cotton, 25% acrylic/microfibre (175 yards / 50 g per ball), color "Garnet," ~1 ball
US 5 Denise circular needle (~16")
US 7 Denise circular needle (~16") and dpns

I knit the womens size pretty much as written, but when I'd finished, I thought the hat wasn't deep enough. I debated frogging back the top decreases and adding another repeat, but I decided upon picking up stitches along the brim and knitting downward to make a fold up brim. I think it worked out pretty well.



I used a ball of Calmer that was leftover from my Fifi sweater, as the friend I made the Koolhaas Hat for has a wool allergy. It was a good substitution, I think : )


WIP

Two of the swatches shown in the first photo above (the light blue and "mulled wine" swatches) were attempts to get gauge for the Seeded Cables Cardigan by Sarah Heiniger from Sensual Knits, the lovely new book put together by Yahaira Ferreira. I just love this design! All the beautiful cables have me drooling...

I'm using Patons Classic Merino Wool in "Worn Denim" (that I got on sale at a craft store a while ago) and so far I'm liking the yarn quite a bit.



I was able to get stitch gauge with the Classic Merino, but not row gauge, so I decided to start with a sleeve in an effort to make a big gauge swatch (gauge is given in stockinette in the book, but I want to see how my gauge responds to all the cables before I start changing things up):




I've run into some issues with the instructions, some of which have now been added to the errata page, and some of which I'm waiting to hear back about - so this project is on hold for a bit.


Prize Yarn!

Cattywampus had a great challenge going in December to encourage people to donate to Heifer International. Her summary post about it is here - $4185 was raised!

By the luck of the draw, I won this gorgeous yarn donated by the very generous Ronni:



She even included a candy cane! Thanks Cattywampus & Ronni!


Knitting Accomplishments & Resolutions

Anphoe tagged me for a knitting accomplishments/resolutions meme, so here we go (Anphoe, you will notice I have a few things in common with you!):

In 2007 I accomplished the following (not necessarily in order):

1. I started my blog! (and subjected my cats to public knitwear humiliation)
2. I met some fellow knit bloggers in person.
3. I had great time at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck (related to #2) : )
4. I learned how to knit a sweater from the top down.
5. I learned to knit socks.
6. I joined my first mystery group (Mystery Stole 3).
7. I knitted my first lace weight project.
8. I made my first toys, one of which I designed myself (Octopus).
9. I did my first "model knitting."
10. I joined Ravelry.
11. I learned (well, started learning) to spin with a drop spindle.

On to 2008, and some KNITTING RESOLUTIONS for the new year:

1. I will try to knit from stash as much as possible.
2. I will learn to knit continental style.
3. I will try the magic loop method.
4. I will try out entrelac.
5. I will make more socks.
6. I will knit a bunch of colorwork projects and try steeking.
7. I will design and knit my husband a really cool (I hope!) cabled sweater.
8. I will try to design more of what I knit (which is hard, because there are already so many lovely patterns out there that I really want to knit!).
9. I will learn to spin on a spinning wheel (and maybe get one for myself) : )

Feel free to take this meme and run with it, if you'd like.


Gratuitous Kitty Photos : )

In my last post, I mentioned that Wendy of Catknits had included a cat toy in the wonderful package she sent me.



As you can see, the feathers are detachable, but the cats love the feathers on, hee, hee!

Here are a few shots of Moana giving it a little workout (every time she batted it onto the floor, I tossed it back in her cat bed - otherwise she would have been scooting around the house willy nilly, flinging the toy into the air and batting it crazily, far away from this well-lit corner of the couch).












P.S. Bug wouldn't participate in the photoshoot, but he was watching : ) He likes to pretend he's too dignified to play with it, but he'll occasionally stage a walk-by (you know, "I'm just walking along, minding my own business... and I absolutely do not see that fluffy, feathered toy laying there in my peripheral vision. And even if I do see it, which I don't, I really couldn't give a hoot. Do de do de do... do de do de do...) that is interrupted by a sudden, mad flailing attack on the unsuspecting toy. Yes, he's very dignified, indeed ; )

Nothing sketchy about it...

PENCIL SKETCH CAMISOLE (Iris G)
Filatura Di Crosa Adhoc Pepe (viscose/linen), #11 (110 yards per ball) 3.5 balls
Debbie Bliss Cathay (cotton/viscose/silk), #12006 (109 yards per ball) 2/3 ball
Rowan Handknit Cotton (cotton), #309 (93 yards per ball) 1/4 ball
US 4, 24" and 16" bamboo circular needles

I really enjoyed making the Pencil Sketch Camisole -- thanks Iris! Overall, the pattern was very easy to follow, and it produced a wonderful end product. The fabric is drapey and slightly shiny, thanks to the lovely Pepe and Cathay yarns. I think it came out great!



There were a few instructions I found ambiguous or slightly confusing, but I think I figured everything out (I'll be sure to tell Iris where I was confused, so she can address this if need be). In one place, I got myself into trouble because I had added stitch markers on either side of the lace panel stitches in addition to the 2 markers (at left and right sides) Iris suggested in the pattern. The instructions told me to "knit to marker" and I accidentally stopped at the first marker I came to (which was one of mine) -- oops! I figured it out, though.



Modifications:
Although I initially thought I was getting stitch gauge with my swatch, I realized before casting on that I really wasn't, so I decided to cast on 150 stitches (instead of the 162 in the pattern). I also had to adjust for my row gauge, which was too tight, by knitting extra rows.



My trim yarn (Rowan Handknit Cotton) was thicker and stiffer than might be desirable, but I had it in my stash, so I went ahead and used it. If you make this top, I would definitely suggest using something more delicate, like the silk tape Iris used to trim her original Pencil Sketch. I would have used the leftover Pepe or Cathay, except I really liked the idea of a paler trim.



I only used the trim color on the neck and sleeve openings (Iris also uses it along the bottom of the camisole). Because my trim yarn was a little more robust, after picking up stitches for the sleeve trim, I knit only 2 rounds in stockinette stitch, then did one round of k1p1 rib before binding off in k1p1 rib. Likewise, after picking up stitches for the neck trim, I worked only one round in stockinette stitch before binding off in picot trim. Iris used a random combination of 2, 3, or 4 stitches between picots, but I ended up using 3 stitches between each of my picots.



I did start working on Mystery Stole 3 last week. (Woo, hoo!) I'm actually farther along than the picture shows (I'm halfway through Clue 2 now), however, reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" this weekend took a large chunk out of my knitting time (but I'm OK with that -- I really enjoyed the book!) : )

Amazon had given me a UPS tracking number (that appeared to work!), but my book ended up coming via the US Postal Service at my regular mail time (around 5 pm, grrrrrrr....) on Saturday, so I didn't get to start reading until late in the day. My husband and I switched off reading the book Saturday evening and Sunday morning, but I was a total hog on Sunday afternoon, so I had finished the book by dinner time.

Moana doesn't really get lace...


and she's totally not into wearing a babushka.

Moana-Monkey mind meld?

What's really going on here?


I'll get to that, but first things first... my very first sock is finished! Yay! You must see all parts of it. Here's a side view:


Here's an oblique view of the bottom and the heel:




Here's the toe:




...and here it is flat:


And I don't even have second sock syndrome. However, since I need to make my Sockapalooza 4 pal some killer socks, I decided to start on those (and make my second sock later). I chose the Monkey pattern from Knitty that so many people have made with such success and this lovely yarn:



It's "Phoenix" handpainted superwash sock yarn from Sunshine Yarns. My sock pal loves wild color combinations, so I think this yarn will hit the spot. I did about 3 and a half repeats of the lace pattern, and it's looking great, if I do say so myself.



There's just one problem.



Can you guess what it is?....No?... I'll give you another hint:



My flat gauge swatching (in stockinette) didn't help me make the right choice of needle size (US 0). I can't get the sock over my heel. Now this might not be terrible if my sock pal had teensy little feet, but she's a size 10 US. I'm a size 8 and a half and I can't get it on. Oh, my! I think I'll go up to a size 2 and swatch in the round, and I may just trade the lovely twisted 1x1 rib for a 2x2 rib (it should be stretchier, no?).

Or.... or.... maybe my sock pal doesn't really want a pair of socks... maybe she could do with a pair of foot warmers. See, if I just turn the sock upside-down and switch to bigger needles....



Oh, come on, you know it's a good idea!

Ahem.

My distress over the impending ripping of the Monkey sock led to a barrage of photos (as you may have noticed already). Here are a few more:

Prickly sock needle shadows:


Why is she leaving her sock here?




I don't know, but those pointy parts are sure interesting... if only I had opposable thumbs.


Verdict: The Moana-Monkey mind meld was unsuccessful due to incomplete sock-brain contact. The procedure will have to be performed again at a later date with a larger Monkey (or a smaller Moana brain).


For those of you who think my kitties are the most cooperative critters in the world (!!), I leave you with this:

...this is what it looks like most of the time during our cat-knitwear photoshoots!