Who Doesn't Love a Quickie on Their Lunch Break?

Holy shit, it's been a long time! I like to be self-denigrating and tell people that I have no life but I just realized today that I do, in fact, possess a life. Can you believe it? But here's the deal, I am an archivist at the Library of Virginia, a reference librarian at the Henrico County Library, am doing some library research with an old professor, am a writer for a few different publications, am currently hurtling toward a book deadline, am the founder and leader of our philosophy and literature group, am a founder and participant in another book group, am learning Spanish and beadwork, am sewing my spring wardrobe, volunteer for every First Friday Artwalk and I just love to travel on the weekends! Okay, you might point out that 95% of that is work-related but I'd just tell you to go screw yourself. It's a life, damn it.

But I occasionally find the time to knit as well (read "I knit while waiting in lines, on my lunch break or while pissing") Since my last entry of October 17, here is what I have been doing with my lunch breaks...



I made Meret by Wooly Wormhead for a friend's daughter who will rock the shit out of this hat. Seriously, she's just about the coolest kid I know if I don't count myself. And she's way prettier....The pattern is fabulously easy and ridiculously quick. I knit this up in a day using leftover Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Lullaby.

Another great option for super-fast gift knitting is Susie's Reading Mitts by Janelle Masters.



I've already had three requests for these bad boys and they are so much fun to knit that I think I'll make an assload of them for gifts next Christmas.

And what do you knit for the baby that is two weeks early? Why, these adorable Mary Jane booties, of course!



I AM actually working on a big project as well, though. I'm constantly cold so I decided that I needed to knit something big and warm and utilitarian but still cool enough to be seen with. I found the perfect fit in this bomb-ass hoodie I feel so sorry for everyone who won't have one of these when the snow starts to fall. I mean, just look at the sizing! It is absolutely perfect to wear as a coat over lots of layers if you're an idiot like me and don't often wear a real coat and therefore layering is your only option. Woot! I started this bad boy way back in November and, given my usual fibery enthusiasm, it should've taken me about a week or two. I raced through the ribbing, the pocket and the front and back sections but something happened when I got to the hood - I just couldn't do it. It wasn't difficult by any means, I just couldn't bring myself to knit more than two rows a day, if even that. I finally finished the f---ing hood about a week ago and am now working on the sleeves in between doing some Christmas knitting. I'm going to finish it in the next week though because I really want to wear it when my buddy Peggy comes to visit for Christmas and we go traipsing through Colonial Williamsburg, daring each other to give melvins to Thomas Jefferson. Cause that's how we roll. We give melvins to underpaid historic interpreters on Christmas.

Ah, Christmas...it's going to be great though, isn't it? I'm so looking forward to hanging out with Peg and showing her how to successfully knit a hat. It's going to rock. But there is so much knitting to get done between now and then, both big and small projects so I'd best get back to it.

Check Out My Hot Self

I finished the Garter Yoke Cardigan just in time. The weather here has finally started to feel a bit more chilly though my husband just informed me that we're going back to 75 stupid degrees next week. Well, fuck that. I'm going to wear my new cardigan to work on Monday anyway. Besides, I work the archival reference desk on Mondays and it is always cold down there. And anyway, isn't it freakin' cute? This is unusual for me since "cardigan" and "cute" DO NOT usually go together in my lexicon.

I've been up to all kinds of knitterly things since last I posted, one of which was attending the Fall Fiber Festival in Orange, Virginia on October 3rd. It was awesome! There were tents and tents just stuffed with yarn of all kinds and people doing loads of demos and there were, of course, a whole lotta animals.





All in all, it was pretty tight. There were even sheepdog trials. I spent most of my time wandering the vendors, looking for loot and not buying anything except a $2.00 button in the end. It's my cheap-ass side. I just couldn't justify buying a yard of wool for eight hundred dollars when I could get skeins at Knitpicks for $1.99. But it was nice to look at all of it and besides, I did get a nifty little Ravelry pin.




Plus, I got to pose for a photo that could best be described as pornography in central Virginia...




In other news, my shitastic handbag has been finished and is now on display at the Visual Art Studio in Richmond, Virginia. It didn't turn out the way I intended it to and I thought it was total crap but it got two bids already by the first night. Let's see what happens. In the meantime, never expect to see a photo of it on this blog.

Well, at least it has inspired me to branch out. From henceforth, my line of felted handbags will have some beading incorporated in them. Also, I've got a confession. Prior to about a month ago, most of you knew me as a firm circular knitting partisan. But I finally decided to give the DPN's a more than cursory try and I have to admit that I'm now using them quite a bit. I used them for the last bits on grandma's Catherine socks.



I'm still not ready to give up circular needles, especially as I don't use straights at all and use the circs to do all my straight knitting but at least I can finally start doing some gloves.

I apologize again for being so sporadic on the blogging thing. I have recently been commissioned by several people to do some knitting for them which makes me happy. I think the best deal so far was my exchanging knits for spanish lessons.

Now I have to go and clean the caja de gato before I get back to knitting and watching reruns of Veronica Mars.

Hip-Ass Hat

Have you guys seen this cool hat? I really, REALLY love it. I made mine with Dale of Norway Baby Ull, doubled stranded and in my fave color which is ----ORANGE! That makes this the single coolest hat I own. Now I just have to wait for the stupid summer to go away so that I can wear it! Is anyone else eagerly awaiting fall weather?

I have a huge queue of fall/winter knits planned that includes the Garter Yoke Cardigan and Greengable Hoodie, though this last will be done in any yarn OTHER than Wool-Ease and in any color OTHER than neon and garish. But I'm not just going to knit myself fall cardigans and winter sweaters. I also have planned a nice round of thigh-high Bellocq. They'll look great at any time of the year when paired with one of my many skirts! I don't know how your queue goes but I reset mine each season and always have fifteen items ready. I'm certainly a product knitter!!!

So, back to the subject of knitting in the round, I'm usually a magic circle kind of girl but I have used DPN's this last year just to finish something off when the circulars have become impossible. I just find DPN's to be too slow. Maybe I'm using them wrong? I guess I'll need to find a youtube demo video or something. Does anyone have a favorite? I'd really LOVE to make loads of stockings just like Bellocq but I really hate the way the DPN's slow me down. Needless to say, I NEVER use straight needles, even to knit straight pieces.

At the moment, I'm working mostly on a pair of Catherine for my grandma's birthday. I'm working them in Knitpicks Essentials in a color that is called Lantana but which is really a dusty plum. Grandma likes purple and she likes socks. It started when I made my first pair for her in 2007. I made some ridiculously warm, terribly plain, double stranded merino wool socks that seemed just the perfect thing for an elderly woman whose circulation is not quite what it was. I have made her an identical pair since then and she loves to say that, "they're not the prettiest socks in the world but I love them!" Ah, good old honest grandma...well, anyway, the Catherine socks are pretty but understated and grandma should like them. I just can't wait to finish them so that I can make Amused for my mom's birthday next month and start on my list of selfish knits and begin enjoying the cold weather...

Don't Call It a Comeback...I've Been Here For Years

Forgive the L.L. lyrics but they have not only been in my head all day (can't think why, I haven't heard that song in years) but they also express my feelings today. I have not actually abandoned any readers who may be unfortunate enough to subscribe to this blog - I've actually been posting quite regularly. The problem is that Blogger has issues...I can write an entire posting, add photos, spice it up with some wit and if I push "publish post" and the damn thing doesn't post...well, then I can't really do anything about that. So, with that said, there is SO MUCH to tell you, my .5 reader.



Last month I began to feel the love of handbags. I own a few different handbags, usually to coordinate with a favorite outfit, but I've never been all that hip on knitting one. I just don't like the look of most knit handbags. However, a friend and coworker recently crocheted herself a beautiful handbag and I found myself thinking of what a nice change it would be if I were to make one too. So, you see above my take on Pam Allen's Falling Leaves Felted Bag. I really love the idea of a felted tote and was pleased at the way it turned out. The funniest thing was that I was using leftover wool and that I had to use a slightly different color for the middle section of the bag. However, I don't think it looks half bad. I also love to do embroidery and the more primitive, the better so the leaves were my favorite part. As I said, I'm pleased with the look but I am working on my own design at the moment for a gallery show in September. It will be a tote like this one but with a different construction (I know, how different can you make a square?) and no embroidery but some funky, abstract colorwork. Rest assured that shitty or no, I will post photos here even before showtime.

I've been doing a lot of little work too, such as this DROPS headband.



I used up the one skein I had of nameless worsted weight alpaca for this. It a gift for my best friend Seema's birthday which was so long ago that I will just stop there. I'll get to the post office one of these days.

And now I'd like to introduce you to some of my good friends here in Richmond, Virginia, the Arts on Five group.



I can only take partial credit for the existence of Arts on Five as it is really the resurrection of an old knitting group that once existed here at the Library of Virginia, long before my time. I managed to get these beautiful and talented women together again and we formed a more inclusive group that includes not only knitters but beaders, paper artists and a whole host of other fantastic mediums. We meet every Thursday in our fifth floor lounge to do our worst...actually, I hope it is really our best. I really need to give a shout out to these ladies (sadly, we have no men yet) because they have all really inspired me to try new things (I made earrings this weekend!) and have also introduced me to a lot of the local art scene.

And I just HAVE to post a photo of my handbag makin' friend, Rachel since she got me started on Falling Leaves and is subsequently responsible for my new "line" of handbags.



Hi, Rachel!

Okay, So, I've introduced you to my good friends and I've updated you on my latest projects. Now it only remains to tell you about what I am currently working on and that is the Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fetig. I unraveled a Nordstrom sweater I had no love for anymore and am using the lovely lace-weight nylon/wool mix to create this feathery soft beauty. I have needed a cardigan for the LONGEST time.

Well, Autumn is almost here (my favorite season!) and I'm gearing up for the Fall Fiber Festival in Montpelier, Virginia on October 3rd and 4th. I'm so excited! I'm going to be hoarding some serious cash to spend on lovely, lovely wool and alpaca and all sorts of fibery goodness. And where does this cash windfall come from? It comes from the fact that I am no longer a nasty-ass smoker. That's right. I have successfully been on the patch for 18 days now.

Woot! Think of all that extra yarn I'm no longer smoking away...

Pretty in Teal

Yay! I actually had no hope for this pattern. It is not terribly well-written and I changed a lot of it to suit my tastes, arms and boobs. I didn't think it would turn out right at all but I think it turned out rather well after many changes.

The pattern is Pretty in Pink by Amanda Reed. I used plain old Sugar and Cream cotton in Soft Teal to complement my flaming red hair (which you cannot see well in these photos but oh well). The pattern is, as I mentioned, not well written but you can get a basic outline and it is easy for more experienced knitters to modify. The cotton is meant to stretch so that a bust size of 32-34 is an extra-small according to the pattern. I found that to be spot on as I am between a 33 and 34 and my tank fits perfectly! One change I would suggest everyone make is to use a three-needle bind-off for the straps rather than sewing them to the back so that you have extra strength. Also, I might suggest to everyone to modify the straps and armholes a bit to move the straps closer to the chest. Strap placement was a common complaint among knitters using this pattern. For my own taste, I decreased along the neckline until I had five rather than nine stitches for the strap width as well.

All in all, this was a rather successful summer knit!

Also, I have some fabulous news! I was visiting a local gallery today to see an exhibition of paintings and the owner and I got into conversation. It ended with her asking me to knit some things for sale in her gallery! I'd better get to work!

Bamboo is HOT!

So, bamboo is hot but the problem with Thalia is that it fits badly. Okay, I'm sure this is all my fault since I was substituting yarn and also since I made some size modifications and ALSO since I think I had slightly different gauge on the top half but still, I am disappointed. I was really looking forward to being hot shit with this one but oh well.

So, here's the lowdown: this pattern is fantastically written, with suggestions for size modification, etc. Also, the designer provides full support for all her patterns. In fact, Elizabeth Thomas was so helpful that she saw on Ravelry that I was knitting this one and immediately contacted me to talk about the yarn substitution and size mods I had planned on making. Helpful, eh? I have a feeling that it is difficult to go wrong knitting one of her patterns but sadly, I did. Again, this must have been my own fault. Actually, at first it seemed to be okay and I wore it for a BBQ but afterwards I noticed that it just wasn't fitted enough and I worried that I was showing my boobs to random people (this is the first time I've actually worried about who I'm showing my boobs to). Also, the armholes are so deep as to show the sides of my bra. This might just be a difference between the pattern measurements and the height of my shoulders. For this pattern, I used Elann.com's Pure Bamboo in black and size 4 needles.

Normally, in this situation and being what is known as a "product knitter", I would immediately frog this one and try again but I have to admit that I'm a bit daunted this time, mainly because the arrow rib pattern on the bottom portion seemed to take forever and I don't know if I want to do that again...We'll see. I am, as I stated, a product knitter and I really want this product! I am considering buying a tiny black cami to wear under it to deal with the fit but I really adore fitted clothing and I may just want to redo this one. Plus, it would give me the chance to get my husband to take a better photo of Thalia so that you can all see the detail.

In other knitting news, I have also finished Calorimetry.




This one has been a big hit. As soon as I posted the photos on Facebook I had a bunch of requests. For myself, this pattern is fabulous but I do have a tiny head so I know now to make it a wee bit smaller next time. For my version I used some leftover Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Mist and size 5 needles.

And so, now what? I'm still working on creating a pattern for ankle socks, mainly because I'm poor and I can make more socks for less this way. I am also looking to start some Fathers Day socks and a few sweaters for my nieces and nephews.

What is everyone else out there knitting?

Ahhhh, Will I Never Learn?

I've been amused to see how many of the blogs I read are suffering the same fate as my own...we none of us seem to have found the time to keep up with posting in the way we used to. I wonder...how much of this is a symptom of ego overload? Not that I am suggesting that any of us have huge egos but really, when you're forced to find something to say about yourself and your knitting or other hobbies, it can run a bit dry, can't it? We have so many websites today that encourage us to focus on ourselves and we, in turn, have to decide on which of these sites to focus. I don't know about you but blogging sometimes takes a backseat to Facebook. Well, I'm going to try to make a concentrated effort to talk about myself on only two sites and the other site only because continued contact with my long-distance friends requires it.

With that out of the way, let's talk about knitting! What is everyone knitting these days? I am in the midst of "gift knitting". My best friend, besides having a birthday this summer, is also having her first baby. Wooohooo! So, I knit a few things for "Little Seema" which include The One Skein Hooded Baby Sweater and the Fair Summer Isle Baby Dress.






Don't you just think that dress pattern is adorable? I changed it a bit by leaving out the divided back and button and by knitting the arm and neckhole borders instead of crocheting. I can't wait to get a photo of Little Seema wearing my knits!

I was also busy with knitting a gift for mum for Mother's Day. As usual, I forgot that British Mothers Day is about two months earlier than our American version but oh well...the Windermere wrap is all finished and ready to be delivered just in time for American Mothers Day.



I really wish the photo did justice to the funky awesome blue. I did not take a full photo of this wrap mainly because I f-d up the grafting just a bit and one side is a little puckered. But oh well. This knit was a funny one. It was my first real lace project and, as such, made for very bad television knitting. The result was that I only worked on it on my day off from work when the husband was away. I later got more used to following a lace pattern with minor distractions and now find that I rather enjoy lace work. Of course, it is also a bonus that lace-weight yarn goes a long way and is relatively cheap!

For now, I persevere with Thalia. It isn't that I dislike knitting it so much as I am getting a little bored with the arrow rib pattern repeats. However, I am a mere fifteen or so rows away from the stockinette portion and really, the arrow rib is a very attractive pattern. I'm doing this one with bamboo, which is a first, and am anxious to see how that will look and feel in the finished product.

In other knitting news, I have made a convert! My upstairs neighbor finished her first scarf and is ready to begin the Alligator Scarf for her little niece. I am already working on my second convert; a very sweet lady who showed up to one of our barbecues and who took my bet that knitting is so easy that I could show her how to do it in five minutes. It has never failed me yet!

Well, I suppose I ought to get back to my work this evening - I am designing a pattern for ankle socks. They are so much faster to make for Christmas gifts!!!

Cheers to you all!