pi shawl - my first lace knitting project!

Amazingly, I decided to do this at Thanksgiving and had it done a week before Christmas. Yes! This is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi Shawl from the Knitter's Almanac. I have wanted to try this for years now, and I was prompted to finally do it when I found a cone of 100% virgin wool at a local thrift store - for fifty cents!!!

With lace I don't know how much the needle size matters. I did not use her recommendation (which is always loose anyway), I just used what I had on hand - number 5 (?) circular needles. The following picture was taken just after a great deal of cursing and perhaps a couple of tears.

I dropped a stitch and kept going without knowing it (curse you lace!!) only to discover the error when the diamonds were not lining up. Yes. I had to examine every stitch in a 200+ stitch area to discover this issue. I really really thought about trying to cover it up. But taking the high and painful road I decided the frogging was the best course. And Pipsqueak was there to comfort me. And to try and play with my fragile frogged lace.

This is when I finally started on the lace edging - that was exciting! Incidentally the rest of the project was error free. Wowzers.

And juuuuust as soon as it was off the needles...

Boy does he love wool. My next big project has got to be a Pipsqueak blanket. Here is the unblocked shawl sans Pipsqueak:

I really liked it all ruffly and unblocked. I was almost tempted to leave it like that :( I am glad I blocked it though since it was a super special gift for my mum-in-law. And holy schmanoly did I have to use a bunch of pins. I literally had to use every pin I owned - even had to take some out of projects I was working on.

See how preeeetty? I was so pleased with how this came out. The wool was a bit rough and scratchy, plus I'm sure it had a germ or two from the thrift store (the store WAS called the litter box). I googled how to soften wool and found a neat tip - right after washing it with woolite, soak it in hair conditioner dissolved in water! I would not have thought this up on my own, but it actually does make sense - and it works! I used a lot of conditioner though - I could definitely tell a difference, but it doesn't turn it into merino wool or anything.

I would totally do this project again...with a tad bit more caution knowing how invisible dropped stitches are in lace. And here is the happy recipient modeling it at Christmas!

We were at the Bilmore House and it was freezing. This certainly came in handy, and someone even commented how nice it was! Next I need to show you the other last minute knitted gift I made for Craig - I whipped up a hat that I had wanted to knit for a long time...turns out it was just the right gift because he had forgotten his normal hat and was panicking. It really was freezing! That is a beautiful house though - if you have a chance to see it I do recommend it.

goats milk soap & organic cotton cloths

I have no idea why I've taken such a long break from my blog - I have had fun though! The best Thanksgiving ever (despite losing my granddad), tons of crafting, sewing and knitting, tons of cooking, and Christmas tree decorating and hanging out with Craig and Pipsqueak :) I am way behind in sharing my creations, so here goes!

My eldest sister got married this year (happy dances!), so for their wedding present I decided to knit up some organic cotton washcloths and pair them with homemade goats milk soap.


The cloths were very relaxing to knit - easy and elegant. Blocking is the real trick to get them to look neat and tidy.

I wrapped the soap in tissue paper and topped them with some stickers I had been saving since I was a teenager (yes I save stickers).

I also wanted to give her a little something sexy and special for her bridal shower, so I whipped up a lacy thong from some wonderfully soft and washable green merino wool from Knit Picks. I definitely want to try knitting that pattern with silk to see what a difference it makes.

I tucked the knitted goodies, and a few other good smelling goodies, into a patchwork drawstring lingerie bag. Note about this - use thin fabric! While the patchwork looks nice, the fabric is a bit too thick to gather nicely for this size bag. Next time I'll use some very thin cotton or silk.

More to come soon! This past weekend was so very fun - I made monster cookies (several dozen!), baked bread (awsome recipe here - more on this soon), cooked up some bolognese sauce (13 cups worth - my freezer is stocked with cookies and sauce!), and worked on a very special knitting project for my mum-in-law. Altogether relaxing and wonderful. This holiday season is shaping up nicely!

Two Knitted Hats

I bought this brown wool/mohair yarn in 2004 when I first moved to NYC. I was thinking of knitting a hat for my sister. FIVE years later I finally get around to it! I really kinda made up this pattern - I call it the February Beret.

I cast on (long tail) and ribbed for a few rounds. I used EZ's gull pattern from the February baby sweater pattern (Knitter's Almanac) to knit the next 10 rounds or so until I needed to start decreasing. At this point, I began stockinette - the decreases left a lovely star pattern on the top.

It looks awfully dramatic in front of the painting doesn't it? I look like an "artist" - hehe.

This next hat is for my sister's husband. I remembered that he liked the fishtrap pattern from my mom's sweater, so I figured I'd try a fishtrap hat. This is made from my freebie yarn, which honestly I value more than paid for yarn. Go figure. This yarn is so soft and lovely - I do need to add an inch or two as a border since that hat falls a little short. Gotta keep them ears toasty!

I worked on this hat in the car all day long in Columbia when H was doing his mediation training.

It was alternately cozy/nice and cramped/frustrating. Anyway, I hope I won't be doing it again anytime soon. At least I had EZ's fishtrap pattern to keep me alive and entertained :)

More to come!

two color mittens

Believe it or not, I knitted these mittens about two years ago and never managed to get pictures until now. I'm brilliantly organized you see. This was a Christmas gift for my mother which was finished at the last minute, then quickly wrapped and stuffed under the tree. I knitted these while sitting in a New York laundromat. Ha! Those days are far behind me now, thank goodness.

I used Elizabeth Zimmermann's instructions and pattern from Knitting Around. You can see I staid true to her color choices as well - these pretty well match the ones on the cover of the book.

I used the leftover yarn from my first knitted hat, which H happened to lose. Ahem.

The green i-cord cuff trimming is possibly my favorite detail - this was leftover from my first baby sweater. Incidentally, I'm just realizing I haven't posted any pictures of those projects. brilliantly organized I say.

I am particularly proud of these mittens. I love the scandinavian style, the soft flowing pattern, and the gentle colors. If I ever move back north, I definitely need some of these to stay alive.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to share pictures of the Christmas presents I prepared for this year (and actually took pictures of).

In the meantime...Merry Christmas :)

Lost and Found Yarn

I was thrilled to find this collection of yarn mixed in with my college books in my mom's storage. This dates back to my lap loom days. Most of this is from Hearth Song kits, but a few came from random early crochet projects (most of which did not end well).


Imagine my surprise to find this motley knitting sampler - unless my memory fails me, this is my very first effort at knitting (along with my two older sisters). My mom began the sampler with nice neat garter stitch - you can see it on the right side of the picture below. Then you can see sections where my sisters tried stockinette, ribbing, and moss stitches. Then on the far left you can see what I believe was my first attempt at knitting.


I have always been more ambitious than patient. 'nuff said.


That is really funny though! I laughed out loud when I saw it. I think I would have trouble recreating those mistakes! I'm glad I took some photos of this piece of crafting history - I plan to unravel it and use the yarn for something else. Perhaps something with a moss stitch - isn't that part pretty?


As a Christmas update, I have just completed my parents' present (if they are not completely stoked I will be sorely disappointed). I've also finished a couple of purses for H's cousins. Still work to be done on two sisters' presents, brother and his wife's present, and mom-in-law's. Gettin' there!

yarn harvest

I harvested yarn for the first time! I had an old red cotton sweater just begging to be taken apart and made into something new and wonderful :) It was a surprisingly rewarding experience - I am definitely excited to go thrifting to find more sweaters to recycle. Yarn for cheaps!

And embroidery thread for cheaps - this was from the sweater's seams. I already have some projects in mind for this.

While this was fun, I had a not-so-fun unraveling to do. This was a beaded beret (pascale hat from Rowan 37). Sadly, the gauge didn't turn out perfectly, the beads were slightly too big and too heavy (curses to Michaels and Walmart - neigther place carries size 8 beads!), and I didn't love how the clear glass beads looked against the dark brown wool.

:(


I must try this project again under better circumstances. Oh well - I'll recycle this yarn too :)

Benjamin Bear

May I introduce Benjamin Bear, a soon-to-be baby gift, commissioned by my mom. Benjamin is a very distinguished fellow, as you can see by his proper nose and mouth, and no-nonsense eyes. He is the contemplative sort - a bit of an amateur philosopher, really.

Pattern: Knitted Toys from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Sublime 100% merino wool, DK weight

Needles: US5 Circulars (16" and 24" - helpful to have the two different lengths to distinguish the beginning of the round without a marker)

Modifications: I used DK weight yarn instead of sport weight, so I didn't hold the yarn double. Also, I noticed an error in the pattern when you get to the shoulder reductions - if you follow the instructions, the bear would have a shoulder sticking out the back and front. I must have read it 50 times and I declare it doesn't make sense the way it's written. I also totally winged it on the ears. The placement of the markers (and lack of extremely clear instructions for how to run the yarn inside the bear), left me eyeballing where the ears should be and how to weave the yarn so it would cinch up properly. Lastly, as you see he is wearing the kerchief rather than the recommended scarf. I simply didn't have yarn thin enough to make a nicely draping scarf. The kerchief pattern was also more exciting and fun :)

I used regular cotton thread for the eyes and nose/mouth, which I think finished him off nicely. The polyfil (fakey fake - but actually quite soft and spongey) turned out well, but does show through a bit.

I think Benjamin is excited to gaze out of new windows soon :) I sent him off with my parents yesterday after their first ever stay with H and I. We had a thrilling, sweet and wonderful weekend celebrating my dad's birthday. Great times. I want more!

Oh, and our local windowsill frog would like to say "hullo!"

Sneak Peak

I'm pretty happy about this yarn. This beautiful stuff is Sublime 100% merino wool, DK weight. Supple and soft - perfect for a teddy bear baby gift!

I looked for a lighter brown, but on short notice, this dark chocolate brown is the best I could find. It might have a wonderful effect when it's all done - I can't wait to embellish the face :) I snagged a great deal on this stuff - $5 a skein at my local yarn store. The lady there is so nice - she gave me the sale price even though it wasn't on sale. She also was kind enough to give me a big bag of stuffing for free! She was using it for a small project and had a bunch left over. Perfect.

I think since this gift is for a little boy, I will knit up a little scarf using the bit of leftover yarn from my g'ma's blue hat. I've done most of the knitting on the bear's body, now I'm just trying to figure out the directions for the ears. Then I've got to get stuffing and weaving in ends.

Seven Year Pouch

This past month, H and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary!

We always use the chalice we used in our wedding ceremony, a Japanese tablecloth from my grandfather, and a couple of brass candlesticks from my sister that go very well with our chalice. We always give each other "traditional" gifts - this year it was wool. H decided to form an association called PAW (people against wool). He has had one too many scratchy sweaters in his life, and generally despises winter. I'm slowly introducing him to this luscious blend of cashmere, silk and merino wool however...


Pattern: Soft Drawstring Pouch from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (smallest of the three sizes)

Yarn: Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK, leftover from these baby booties (I used every last inch of the leftover yarn!)

Needles: US 1 double pointed

He was terrified that his present was a pair of socks. Ha! This pouch was perfect - he doesn't have to wear it, and it will be useful for lots of things. In particular, as a travel pouch for his rolled up ties.

H gave me a beautiful creme wool beret which came in the mail a day or two after our celebration. In the meantime, he gave me the card you see in the second picture - incredibly sweet and meaningful to us. Soon I'll post pictures of my latest knitting project. Stay tuned...