A Finished Sweater for Valentines

I wore my lovely new Fitted Sweater on Valentines Day, thinking it would be a very romantic and very red sweater.  Also, we were going out and I was hoping to get some nice pictures of it in nice places. That and a romantic picnic (which, sadly, didn’t happen as I had hoped).

At the Petrified Forest in Sonoma County

 

It is a little gappy in the bust, I wish I had done ribbon reinforcement behind both plackets instead of just the button side. It is a beautiful sweater, however, the buttons are really heave and flop about when the sweater is unbuttoned. Switching to lighter buttons would help.

I also made my boyfriend several different valentines cards at a girls night. He got two of them. The third I kept.

A map of the paths our lives took before we met, illustrated on actual maps from AAA.

I was surprised to learn later on that some friends of our actually got engaged on Valentines Day. Wow.

Almost Finished, or Why Buttons are the Hardest Part

Below the pictures is my writing about suicide and grief, above the second picture is all about knitting, just so you know which part you are looking for.

Buttons add so much character to your sweater. If I choose moose buttons my sweater looks like it came from Montana (or somewhere else with moose in my much geographically challenged mind). If I choose plain buttons then they need to match the beautiful red-burgundy of the sweater, the color of rich red roses rather than cheap boxes of Valentines candy. Going to the craft store involved combing through a whole aisle of buttons, glass, plastic, polymer, metal, and many, many more plastic buttons. I looked at green ones, brass ones, pewter ones, wood ones. After much consideration and back and forth I chose these claddagh buttons, likely because I was feeling romantic and thinking about our summer plans to go to the United Kingdom.

Claddagh Buttons

I also am sewing ribbon onto the placket so that there is more stability in the button band. I haven’t done this before and now know that I should have bought the ribbon first so that it would be the same size as the button band. It is slightly thinner and as such may show a bit on top but now that I am basting it on much more loosely it looks much better. This will also help ensure that my buttons are secure. I read a tip on the Berroco site saying that the best thread for sewing on buttons is embroidery floss but I keep all mine at work (art teacher) and will just use red thread for now.

Button band

Today is a mental health day for me. I thought it was a vacation day and scheduled some appointments to meet with different mental health professionals today. Since it wasn’t actually a vacation day and I had appointments at the doctor and dental offices I chose to take a sick day rather than reschedule all three appointments. I’m telling you, dear reader, all this because I lost a brother to suicide 4 years ago and have finally decided to start dealing with all the grief and anxiety that comes with that. It is not easy to talk to people about this. Nor is it easy to find people who support people like myself. I don’t like to burden other people with my problems and so I tuck it away. The person i spoke with this morning says I need to talk to people about it and wanted to know if I have grieved properly.

What exactly is grieving properly? Can anyone do it? I have always felt like (and have even had people tell me) that I should be better by now and that it’s time to move on. No one can tell when it is time for anyone to be “finished” grieving and I think that when you lose someone to suicide that the grieving never really stops.  Attached to my grief is the loss of my stepmom and the guy I was engaged to leaving me, and all of it in 9 months. It makes me afraid that all that can happen again, at any time.

Now, I have a really great life. Or, to rephrase, I have a really great life now. But letting go of what’s happened in my past to my family has become a huge way of how I identify myself. It is beyond time I let that go. I’ve found a local group for people who have lost family to suicide and I even called and left a message and may go to a meeting because going to a regular grief or loss group they may not understand the tangled web that is loss to suicide.

It feels good to finally put my foot down and take steps to heal. I don’t know if anyone who ready my blog has ever been in this position but if so, I hope that you have already taken steps to heal or in reading this maybe I can encourage you to do what has taken me so long to begin to do.

Year-End knitting

The end of 2010 was so busy that knitting time was limited. Bill’s sister-in-law’s sister-in law (I know, a convoluted explanation of someone not related to me) had a baby just after Thanksgiving and upon realizing I would be seeing them over Christmas I knew I had, absolutely had, to knit their new baby girl something.

With less than 48 hours and absolutely no trips to the yarn store or time for poring over patterns, I pulled out something I love. I made little ladybug booties.

These booties are designed by Lucie Sinkler and can be found here or on Ravelry as Mary Jane Booties.

After finishing these and discovering I didn’t have any ladybug buttons for them (I had super-cute ones last time) I went back to the same craft store to get more only to discover that, gasp, they didn’t carry them any more. Now, for any knitter trying to finish a project 2 days before Christmas, this is a tragedy. However, a helpful lady came along. She was scouring the button racks for fish and while looking for my ladybugs I started looking for fish buttons for her as well. Neither of us being successful in our hunt we went our separate ways when I heard her call “Miss?” She had found different ladybug buttons over in the tie-dye and puff paint section!

Now, Christmas wasn’t the magical sparkly time I expected it to be, but I did enjoy it. I got to see family I had not seen in a couple years, drove a couple hundred miles, learned more of my family history and even got a real live tree. I did not get to meet the new little baby who so needed lady bug booties but I am hoping to see her some time this year.

My first project of the new year is the same project I have been working on since fall break in early October. Originally designed by Wendy Bernard in her book “Fitted Knits”, my version is really a heavily modified Wicked made into a cardigan.  I love the MIssion Falls 1824 wool and am disappointed to learn it has been discontinued.

My concern at the moment is that the ball you see in the picture is the second to last one. I don’t ‘know if I will have enough for sleeves, also, without the placket the sweater is very tight. I know it is supposed to be very snug, but I’m slightly concerned. I suspect that my 4 month investment may take a turn into the frog pond and then be reknit into something on slightly larger needles so it’s a little more drapey. Actually purchasing Ms. Bernard’s book may be in order, she has really beautiful stuff. Also, then I won’t run out of wool before sleeves are made any more.

In order for the new year, I have a personal goal that I don’t want to share but really want to share. Anyway, I’ve been dating the same sweet fella for 2 years and after a year a girl my age starts thinking seriously about things. After a year and a half a girl my age starts looking in windows at white dresses. At two years I started looking seriously at the calendar. At two and half years maybe it’s time to start looking at shotguns. If that isn’t a hint I don’t know what is.  My other goal is to use up the fabulous bulky alpaca yarn my sister sent me. I have 880 yards of it and high hope that will be enough to make a sweater before all the cold weather leaves for the year. Another goal for the year (since I’m sharing) is to lose 10 more lbs. Last summer I (with dr. support) lost 25 lbs or so and am thrilled at my fab new physique. But I also have hips that pop and a teensy bit of arthritis creeping into my 31 year old bones, so my goal is to take more weight off my hips so I can keep them for as long as possible. I don’t yet know why my hips like to pop out of socket, they have done it for 10 years but I am doing exercises to help hold them in place and am looking in to why they do it.

Hopefully next time there will be more knitting content. I hope you all enjoy the link to the Mary Jane Booties, as they are a free pattern!

Thanksgiving

Things I am thankful for.

A handsome, sweet, hard working boyfriend.

A mom who is happy to sit and knit (or crochet) with me.

My puppy.

Art classes

Granite Circle Scarf

Granite Circle Scarf

While at the mall with my friend Robin watching her admire the scarves for sale I said “I can do that.” How many times have you done that, my knitterly friend? Having said that, she then said that her birthday was coming up that very month, the next week even.

With a mission in mind I headed home and raided my stash and stitch pattern book. 3 days later I had a foot of lacy scarf and no more yarn.

Having lost time knitting something that couldn’t possible work I started again, this time with 3 skeins of Bernat Roving and size 10 1/2 needles. 2 days later, I was ripping it out again.

With all this drama on and off my needles again and again I returned to the mall to check out the scarf competition again and I saw the most beautiful, smooshy, delightful, gray (my most favorite non-color) thing. It was at Gap and it was a cowl or a circle scarf or just amazing.

I apologize for taking someone else’s picture, so I cropped it to hide her.

I want one just looking at it. I examined it in the store, took measurement guesses, examined the stitch (most likely just a moss stitch) and said “I can do this.”

Granite Circle Scarf

Materials

approx 360 yards of Bulky yarn (I used Bernat Roving,almost 3 skeins)

10 1/2 needles straight or a circular at least 18″ long

needle

Pattern

Row 1: k1, p1 across

Row 2: p1, k1 across

Row 3: p1, k1 across

Row 4: k1, p1 across

Gauge:

Gauge isn’t hugely important, but I got about 3 1/3 stitches to the inch.

This scarf comes out to be 12 inches wide and 4 feet long before it is sewn together.

Instructions

Cast on 40 stitches (or any even number of stitches around that). Follow  pattern as listed above until scarf is about 4 feet in length. Bind off. Fold scarf in half and sew the ends together (meaning the cast on end and the cast off end. Otherwise you would look like you were trying to put a giant straw on your head). Wear gloriously.

About sewing the edges together, I looked online for the best method of sewing the ends together and finally, just kinda sewed it up.

Praying for rain, sorta.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Knitting and a Baby Bear

It has been so long since I have blogged on here that it’s almost like starting over. I am still knitting, albeit slowly. Darby does not have any new sweaters, she uses only 1 that I’ve made and I have lost many of the rest.

Currently on the needles I have a sweater inspired by Wendy Bernard‘s Favorite Cardigan. Rather than buying her book I thought I could do the sweater without using a pattern. Naturally, I was completely wrong. Upon realizing that I needed help in figuring out how to make a sweater, again, I went though the patterns that I do have and settled upon the Wicked pattern by Rachel Bishop.  I started with a smaller size than I normally would because the Plymouth 1824 wool I am using is a teensy bit thicker. Also, because I have lost some weight and have gone down a size or two. I cast on the number of stitches required and did the ribbing for the neck , turning and going back rather than connecting and knitting around. For the cables, I picked up a stitch dictionary and picked something that looked nice. I also elected to not add the cables on the arms because, well, I didn’t want the arms to be tight and look like sausages.

Here it is thus far. I am planning on doing some waist shaping at some point, maybe in the next inch or so. I’m petite, so the torso on most patterns needs to be shortened.

I have also been working on a scarf for a friend. We were out shopping and she was looking at scarves and I said something along the lines of  “I could make one of those.” Thanks to my big mouth, I am making her a scarf, but really, it’s because I love her and she is a great friend. I have so so so much yarn I didn’t want to go out and purchase more so I went through the various bits of  my stash squirreled away in various cubbies of my itty bitty apartment and found some nice smooshy yarn left over from a baby sweater. I figured a ball and a half would be nice. I started with a cabled design from my head but quickly realized the scarf would be the size of a handkerchief, so it was back to ravelry to find something quick, easy, and lacy to make a scarf as long as possible with less than 200 yards of yarn.

I chose the Diagonal Handspun Lace Scarf because it was a simple repeating pattern and could really stretch the use of the yarn. I’ve been working on it daily since Saturday and am pleased at how quickly it progresses. I worked on it at Bible Study, for which I should be ashamed but it helps me loosen up and participate more.

The yarn, Samoa, it delightfully smooshy and doesn’t seem to pill either. If this scarf turns out too short, which I suspect it might, it will be back to the stash to find something else. Sadly, the yarn shop in my town has closed so I would have to go to one of the chain stores to find yarn unless I want to go out of town to find nice yarn.

One of my coworkers brought me a bag of yarn and needles from a deceased relative, the yarn is all different acrylics, which is great for the kids, but better yet, were all the needles, a great big handful of 8’s, 9’s and 10’s. There are enough there to teach at least 10 kids to knit.

I went to Lake Tahoe with my newly wed friend Jen over the fall break. I have been to Tahoe a couple times since moving to Northern California but had never seen a bear there. Finally, on this trip I got to see a mother bear and her cub feasting on spawning salmon.

We also baited a trap to catch crawdads, which are amazing little things. I imagine them to be miniature little lobsters.

Darby came with, she stayed in her little pupsack when we were hiking and roamed the cabin and next to the lake when she could.

The End of Summer…It Must be Autumn

I spent the first half of summer vacation at home and the last half anywhere but home. Bill and I went to Lake Tahoe, drove to Washington, cruised to Alaska, drove back and left the next day to go camping some more. It was super busy.

I didn’t pack any knitting for any of my trips, figuring that I would be sooo busy the whole time. It turned out that on the cruise we spent most of our time in the library reading or on the top deck, reading some more, that I could have easily finished and worn a sweater with all that free time.

Alaska was awesome, the cruise was fabulous, the driving 2000 miles was horrible, as was camping off of service roads. Camping after we got back was also great, except for mosquitos, of which we saw none whilst in Alaska.

Picture time!

Caving in California

Checking out the Oregon Coast

Seattle tour with Talented photojournalist friend (not pictured) who takes artsy photos and amazing portraits

Fourth of July Parade, Alaska Style

Hiking in Mendelhall Glacier Park (I got us lost)

Hiking to Smugglers Cove in Skagway (I got us lost again, but found us too).

Checking out the glacier at Tracy Arm. There were too many icebergs, so we had to turn the boat around.

Yarn Shop in Victoria, BC.

Fancy captains dinner and my chocolate espresso souffle. The couple behind me got engaged while we were in Victoria, congratulations to them, they were the nicest people.

Here is the boat, I guess that's pretty important.

Here is what we did most on the boat (Also, I thought he looked really sweet, asleep like that)

That sums up our trip. Next time I’ll have some knitting content for everyone. School has been in session for 3 and a half weeks (we started in July) and I’ve been out of grad school since June (doesn’t mean I’ve graduated, just that I am done for now, and have enough units that I should have graduated, had my new school accepted any of my units from the previous school).

Halfway Done

My summer vacation is nearly half way over. I am surprised, since I spent the first week of it in my new classroom trying to get things unpacked. I just haven’t noticed where the time has gone.

There has been some knitting. I made some lovely booties for a fellow art teacher, but now am unable to get in touch with her to give them to her before they outgrow the child. I’m not sure what to do with them if that happens, since they took a good amount of time to make in between work and night school. Anyway, they continue to sit in an adorable polka dot bag waiting for someone.  The pattern is Converse Booties by hillsmel, with some minor variations so there were less ends to sew in. You can Ravel it here Converse Booties.

Converse All Star Baby Booties, also called Chuck Taylors.

The best part is definately the hand stitching around the star.

A coworker is having her baby in July and her baby shower was last weekend. Naturally, I was absolutely excited to make her something and with vacation, time was on my side. Somehow it still ended up being a struggle to finish the sweater before the shower, blocking it that morning and putting it on the dashboard with the heater on to dry it as I drove. I hadn’t made a yoked sweater before, so I learned something new, and did stranded color work and intarsia in it (for the sheep), which makes 2 new skills learned in the making of this sweater. The sweater is called Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan and is by Jennifer Little of Looking Glass Knits. You can also find it on Ravelry under Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan (Ravelry link).

Sheep Yoke Cardigan

The real problem with knitting Jennifer’s baby clothes is that they do not want to know the gender of the baby until it is born.  So, all knitting had to be gender neutral, which is really hard to do when you actually start doing it. I’ve decided it’s a boy and at the baby shower you could see who had decided if it was a boy, a girl, or weren’t sure, by the gifts they gave her.

The first knit gift I gave her was a pair of baby booties (Mary Jane Booties) knit with some Debbie Bliss Yarn my sister sent up. It was the first gift she had gotten since becoming pregnant and heck if she didn’t cry out there at morning line-up, while the students were listening to morning announcements. It was so sweet, she took a picture and sent it to her husband right away.

Mary Jane Booties

Now, I wanted to use the same yarn for the sweater to give to her but I only had one ball of this yarn and wasn’t about to go out and buy more yarn, having already bought some baby yarn at the WEBS convention that I decided wasn’t gender neutral enough to use. So the Sheep Yoke Sweater was made using left over yarn and a cone of lightweight grey yarn I had bought at a thrift store held double. If I had more time I would have made her matching booties and a hat to go with the sweater, but there wasn’t any time left, so I tossed in a sweater I had made while vacationing in Mexico the previous year.

Jennifer gets another sweater.

That sweater was made using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Percentage system, a very easy thing to do if you have the instructions, and can be made in any size. Now, this sweater is 100% wool, so I had to warn her. Obviously, despite my only living in Washington for 5 months, I have a great affection for wool.

It is still summer, really, only the 3rd day of summer, so I have a month still to knit myself something lovely will all the yarn I purchased at WEBS this year. I purchased some bright pink yarn, some dark blue yarn, and my sister sent me a ton of a dusty heathered blue, thick and soft, with which to make myself something fabulous, so I have much to do!

A Finished February Fitted Sweater After a Long Absence.

Wow, it’s been a while.

I’m sorry dear blog and readers for neglecting you both, but there is something new in my life, making itself a complete time suck for me.  Grad School.

Now, I’ve been to lots of school (as you can tell by that wonderfully constructed statement) but the one class I’ve taken so far has proven to take a lot more time than I remember school taking.  Lots and lots of time.  Since I’ve been working superhard to keep ahead of my assignments and reading for the week I have day to devote to all my favorite things, like facebook, blogging, knitting, and walking the puppy.

I made a sweater, I finished it over spring break.  It is awesome.  It is the February Fitted Sweater, by Amy Herzog and I knit it in Dream in Color in a beautiful green colorway that reminds me of irish moss and rolling hills.

Finishing my sweater I took the first opportunity I could to wear it.  So, the next day I was off to Monterey Bay Aquarium in my fancy new February.

On the way we stopped at Casa De Fruta for some hanging out at the casa’s (casa de candy, casa de vino, casa de fruta, casa de banos (hee))

I try to look frightenend for the "Haunted Tunnel"

Then it was off to the aquarium!!!

I love the kelp forest windows.

The Whale really, really wantes to be in the picture. Photobomb much?

Also, there were very knitterly things that I would not mind knitting at all.

A knitty blowfish!!!

Stitches West 2010

Our knitting group went to Stitches West this year.  I got there absolutely stoked only to be told almost immediately that no photographs were allowed.

No pictures.

Now, I’m going to go on a bit of a tear about this because how am I supposed to show all you fabulous people pictures from it, favorite vendors, and generally encourage you to visit next year without showing you awesome pictures?

So, since I can’t show pictures of anything worthwhile from Stitches West despite the fact that I paid for entry, which is a bit like going to Disneyland and being told you can’t take pictures because the images and ideas are all copyrighted, which they are, I present to you…

THE SHEEP OF STITCHES WEST

No actual sheep were harmed in the taking of these images.  Also, I very politely asked each sheep before I took it’s picture.