Jofrog is Knitfrog!
September 30 2004
This was too great of a deal to not pass on to all of the knitters I know. Go check out Inspirations Yarn. They are having a grand opening sale where for every three skeins of the same yarn you buy, you get one free! What a great deal. They are all hand spun, hand painted yarns, and they are beautiful! On top of that, their prices are low and they claim to ship fast. The only catch is that you have to order by today, Sept 30th. So go, now! ...well, you can finish here first, and then go. One other neat thing that they are doing is they have a "Mystery Project" that you can order. You get the pattern and the yarn for who knows what! Because it's a surprise they are selling it at an even lower price than their regularly low retail! In their words "Feeling adventurous? Like surprises? Need a gift for a Secret Pal? Have we got something for you!" They will even send it to your secret pal for you anonomously! I'm sure that many of you are on the Knitty email list and got Amy's most recent email about the release of her book. Did you see on her website that as part of her limited tour schedule she'll be at Circles in Jamaica Plain! She'll be there Tuesday October 12th at 6PM. I'll be there, will you?All the Yarn Worth Spinning
In Boston Knitting News...
September 29 2004
My LYS doesn't have enough Rowanspun Aran to make my sweater! After thinking, and looking, and thinking, and looking some more, I decided that I want to use Rowanspun Aran in color #962 "Caviar" to make the Phildar Jacket on my "Future Projects" list. I got so set on it and then found out that there are only three of them in the store and they would rather not order more! Oh no! Of course, there are other projects I could be working on. Of course, I have yarn to start two other sweaters, and there is Mike's Weatherby sweater just languishing in a bag waiting for attention, but I really want to know that someday I can make my Phildar jacket out of the perfect color and beautiful yarn. THis is where YOU come in. Do you have some Rowanspun Aran in color #962 languishing in your stash? I only need five in total. I'm perfectly happy to get the three from my LYS and trade YOU for the other two or take five of yours. What do you say? What were you going to do with them anyways? No plans you say? Don't you want them to find a good home? What do you want in return? No reasonable offers will be refused!Major Trauma
September 28 2004
Months ago, probably mid-last winter, Mike asked me to make him a scarf. Mike, like many other men out there, never requests knitted items, so of course, I jumped on it and started that evening, right? ...wrong! I looked to buy him a nice scarf for Christmas, I thought about making him at some point, but it never happened. Sometime between the initial request and now a skein of Cascade's Ecological Yarn was given to me. It has tons of yardage, it's a bulky gauge, but not too huge, and it's soft. Pefect for Mike's scarf. Enter months of thinking and planning (this is a scarf here!) and I finally cast on Friday night. I designed a complex cable pattern, because I couldn't find the right one in a book. I put traveling ribs on the outside to accentuate it, and then I ripped it all out! Maybe one large cable isn't quite right for this scarf. So... after months of deliberation I scrapped my idea and five minutes later I found inspiration in this book. I chose the Irish Moss Diamond Stitch for the scarf. I cast on again at Knitsmiths on Sunday and this is where I've gotten so far. Click here for a close up of the pattern stitch. Good news is Mike is loving it and he will certainly be warm this winter. In knitalong news, I'm so happy to see so many people signed up to glove/mitten along with us! I organized everyone last night and color coded for progress. Look at how many people have started. I've done some of the froggy mittens, but I think I'll be starting on my own felted mittens soon! I just have to wind the yarn first. If anyone else wants to join we'd love to have you!My Newest Project
My mom gave me this book when I first started knitting. It's been in her collection for years, and was obviously well loved. It has tons of reference information in the front, including translations of knitting terms into foreign languages.
September 27 2004
I have two reasons why I didn't knit this weekend. I call them Saturday, and Sunday. We went hiking in the Blue Hills on Saturday, and then up to witchy Salem on Sunday. How wonderful it was to have two days off in a row and get to spend them with Mike and Naomi. I did get to end my Sunday at knitsmiths, and I did start on a new project, but that will have to wait for further progress and picture worthyness. For now. Happy Trails! A Weekend Off!
...or why I didn't knit this weekend.
September 24 2004
About a week ago we took two new members into our family. I've owned gerbils since my second year in college and I love having one around. It's great to have little fuzzy things in your life. Over two years ago we brought our dog, Naomi, into our lives, but still had our gerb Thor. Unfortunately, about a week after we got back from our honeymoon he died from old age. We were all very sad, including Naomi, who shared her room with him. Last week I came across these two gerbils who were in need of a home, and off they went into the car and home with us. It's great to watch them interact with each other, there is definitely a special bond between the two of them. These animals are definitely living in deluxe conditions. How many gerbils can call this home? Please, help me welcome Piaget and Mendel into our family.New Family Members
September 22 2004
There has been very little knitting going on here. I don't mean that I haven't been knitting, I just mean that what I have been knitting has been very little. I did one more frog mitten (little), I've been working on socks(little), and I made this the other night. You may be saying, but sweaters aren't little. Well, look at how little it really is. Once again I'll be teaching knitting at one of the local elementary schools this fall, and this is what my advanced class will be doing. It's sized to fit an American Girl doll, and Jeffery is a bit larger than that, but we squeezed him into it for a modeling shoot. Those top models can teach him a thing or two about dieting I think!Very Little Knitting
September 18 2004
I got my favorite magazine, The Bark, last week. Hey, I know it's a dog magazine, but don't knock it until you try it. It is known as "the New Yorker of dog magazines". It's good stuff. This issue they had an article about spinning your dog's hair into yarn called, "Putting on the Dog"! As you know, I'm learning to spin now, and how great would it be to make something little out of my dog's hair! Now, Naomi is little, and her hair is short, but maybe next shedding season I'll save some and try. This sweater and scarf set were made from Chow and Samoyed fur! It took three years of Chow fur, and one brushing of the Samoyed to make this set. Will the knitting and spinning wonders never cease! There was also a small column on The Critter Knitters Coalition. Kudos to all that knit for this worthy cause. If you don't know about it you can find out more at www.critterknitters.org.Magazines Part I
September 16 2004
The new Rebecca is out! ...and it's being published in english. No english insert, just really in english! There are no articles, just lots of patterns. Many are nice, but the only two that I am thinking of making are these two. Both are made in GGH Soft Kid. Jo Sharp's Rare Comfort would work great if I can find it, or maybe not do them in mohair at all... I've never worked in mohair though, and they do look so nice and light. Has anyone else seen this magazine yet? Anything you like?Magazines Part I
September 15 2004
Yesterday was Massachusettes' state primary. There was only one person on the republican ballot, none on the Libertarian or Green-Rainbow ballots, and only two contested races on the Democratic ballot. Do people show up for an election that they (a) probably don't know about, and (b) probably don't care about? If you said probably not, you'd be right! There was a 3% turnout at our precinct! This means lots and lots of sitting and knitting time. The last election (in May) was slow as well, I knit a poncho then. Yesterday I knit a sleeve! Here is a close-up of the lace edging. There are two rows of this lace on the yoke. It looks so much prettier in real life than in the old black and white pattern. Julia described this color as "Ashes of Roses". I love it! No longer is it the "pink cardi" in my mind, now it's the "Ashes of Roses Cardigan". It's so special it gets capitalized! Election Day Knitting
September 14 2004
After the Knit-out on Sunday I brought my little spinning wheel over to Knitsmiths to meet up with June. We played with the wheel for a bit, but couldn't quite get it spinning. She did, however, get me started on a drop spindle. Look at my first yarn! It's made from a fleece that June washed and dyed herself. Isn't she incredible! Better than that, she'sgoing to start selling her handspun yarn soon. Yesterday I went over to Claudia's where she took a look at the wheel also. We identified the problem (the flyer doesn't fly) and found an almost identical picture of a " South German Wheel" in The Alden Amos Big Book of Spinning, which will definitely be an addition to my book case in the near future.Sunday, Monday, Spin spin spin
September 13 2004
By Popular Demand
Well, you asked for it, here is a close up on the closure that I made for my yellow cardigan. I didn't like the ties that were pictured in the cardigan. I started by making I-cords, but didn't like that either so I turned one I-cord into a loop, and the other into a knot. See.
In other news...
Naomi and I went to the knit out yesterday on the Boston common, it wasn't too much, so don't feel bad if you missed it, but it was great to sit and knit with my favorite knitters and bloggers!
September 11 2004
Lydia has joined me for the Glove/Mitten-along! Who else is in? I'm sure that other people are planning on making gloves and mittens out there! Are you? Enjoy your weekend. Bostonians, see you at the Knit-out tomorrow!Gloves Anyone?
September 9 2004
Finally, you've all been so patient, Mike came home and took this picture of my yellow cardi, and the computer gods finally let me post it. What do you think? I really love this cardigan, I've been wearing it every day! It's nice that it's finally cooling off. I'm all ready to wear my next cardigan, the Candide pattern, but I think that at the smaller gauge (6 st/inch) it might take a bit longer. I'm almost up to the armholes on the back. After a lot of debate, I decided to make it out of Silky Wool. I loved working with it on the Gyrid tank, and jumped at the chance to work with it again. Also, it comes in exactly the color that I'd envisioned this sweater being! What luck. I actually had some wool in my stash that would have worked perfectly, it was the right color, but I don't have enough of it! Doh! Oh well, the silky wool will be SO MUCH nicer anyways. The pattern says to knit the front panels straight (no button holes) then single crochet one row up the edge. Afte this is done, a grosgrain ribbon is sewed to the inside and button holes are machine stitched in. Any suggestions? I do have a buttonholer for my sewing machine, but I'm a much better knitter than I am a sewer, and I'm worried that I may not do the best job if I machine sew it. My thought is to do the six or so edge stitches in the same rib I did the bottom in and make button holes in it. Will the ribbing keep it from roling? I can do the crocheted edge if I have to. I just don't love the look. Is there a reason to pick up and knit this edge instead of knitting it on? If I knit it on the ribbing will match up with the bottom. The only problem may be the lace yoke. Please, any and all suggestions are welcome! Thanks in advance! Talk to you tomorrow!I Just Can't Stop!
September 8 2004
I can't wait to start spinning on Grosmutter's spinning wheel! It's just sitting in my bedroom taunting me to try it out. Kerstin also gave me this: to test out the wheel with. I think that I understand the mechanics of it now, but I'm being patient until I get my private one on one lesson from the spinning extrordinare Claudia! I can't wait to show Grosmutter the yarn that I spin from her little wheel, it will be the best birthday present I could give her. She's so excited that I knit and crochet, learning to spin will just set her over the edge! **In true computer fashion I was all set to post a completed pic of my yellow cardi, and something is corrupted in the picture file, can you wait until tomorrow?**Can I Start Now!
September 7 2004
After I finished my yellow cardi (pics tomorrow), I had nothing to knit! I couldn't decide which sweater to start next, I didn't have the yarn for the old candide pattern, so I started on Holiday gifts! I'm going to make three pairs of these (one with embroidered eyes for a real little one). Here's the first pair, the second pair is half done, and the third pair will be done soon. This is a prelude into my newest knit along. You all know that I'm in love and got married just over a month ago, but did you know that I'm in GLOVE as well. Well, really I'm in mitten, but I'm in Glove just sounds so much better! Is anyone else out there planning on making gloves or mittens for themselves or loved ones for this winter? If so, join the knitalong and spread the glove! Leave a comment or email me and I'll add you to the list. Also, of course, there's a button! Please take it, save it on your server, and display it proudly!Ribbit, not Rip-it!
September 4 2004
How do you Shoulder the Load?
The yellow cardigan pattern said to bind off the shoulder stitches on each piece and seam them together later. I always choose to put those stitches on a holder to do a three needle bind off later (especially when there is no shoulder shaping, like in this pattern.) I finished the left front and did a three needle bind off, but while I was knitting the second front I thought, why not graft them together instead. It's certainly no harder than a three needle bind off and looks even better. Don't you think?
I unseamed the left shoulder and kitchnered it together as well. Oooh the seamless shoulders, ooh!
As this project winds down I find myself in need of a new one. The two sweaters that I really want to do now are, of course, not the ones that I have the yarn for. :-( However, Mike has been asking for a scarf for this winter so I thought, why not start on it now. I had a skein of Cascade's Ecological Wool that I was going to use. I realized that it was a big skein, but not quite this big! Check it out! I should have fun lugging that around. I thought that scarves were supposed to be small, portable objects... not this one! None of that will matter once he has it around his neck!
September 1 2004
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the types of items people knit... especially about fad knitting. If someone buys the yarn to make a hot and trendy sewater byt the time that they take to make it it may be out of style or maybe they won't be able to wear it again next season. And then there are patterns like this one, that I found yesterday. Unfortunately there is no copyright date on it, but it certainly is old. Maybe we should learn by these constantly stylish patterns. The evidence is in Supurlflous's Vintage Knits Along, or in Rowans new book Vintage Style. This is certainly not to say that I do, or will, strictly stick to basic, beautiful, timeless designs, but maybe I will knit more of them!Classic Elegance and Beauty
