Itty Bitty!

I promised you something supercute; I hope these will not disappoint!

Pattern: Miriam's Infant to Toddler Socks (free pattern available here), infant size
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (80% superwash wool, 20% nylon), colorway Cool, left over from these socks
Needles: US 0 dpns
Mods: none

These were a quick and satisfying knit (they probably only took a few hours altogether, but I did them in fits and starts in the past week). This morning I gave them to one of my managers at the store, who recently found out she's expecting. She loved them, even though she didn't even realize at first that they were hand knit. She was even more excited about them when that fact came out -- and the father-to-be is happy that they're blue, as he's hoping for a boy.

In other news, Sizzle was finished Thursday night (it fits!), but unfortunately it's still wet. Man, this cotton holds on to water! Once it's finally dry there will be a photo shoot and, of course, the full recap. I'm planning on using some of the leftovers to knit up a swatch to be tested in the washing machine. I really can't imagine waiting this long for the thing to dry after each time I wash it.

One for the Thumb -- and Two for the Feet

Pattern: Madder Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Bee Stripe
Needles: US 1 Addi Turbo circs
Mods: Quite a few! After knitting this pattern for my future MIL, I knew that it'd come out a tad narrow for my legs/feet, so I added an extra pattern repeat. I cast on 72 instead of 60 and decreased two stitches in the last row of ribbing for 70 stitches for the pattern. I also substituted a modified wide toe for the star toe, modified because I grafted the final 14 stitches horizontally across the toe (instead of the final 12 vertically or perpendicular to the toes).

I'm quite pleased with how the striping worked out on these. I'd seen another pair of socks knitted in this colorway and noticed that it pooled a little, but I was quite lucky. The second sock (the one in the foreground in the shot above) had a tiny bit of pooling on the instep, but that was it. Want to see the striping in action? Of course you do!

Pretty stripes!

And the heels in action, with their purled "seam" down the back.

Meanwhile, progress continues on Sizzle. After last night's post, I seamed the sides and tried it on -- it fits like a glove! Huzzah! I've picked up the stitches for the neck and have another row or two to knit on that, and then all that's left are the seed stitch borders on the arms and weaving in all the ends.

Cooler Heads

While knitting away at multiple projects in the past week, I've also been doing a lot of thinking and have a made a couple big decisions. The first is that I've withdrawn from Sock Wars. I was looking forward to participating (and likely being killed off in the first round), but after looking at the calendar I realized the Wars would be starting at a most inconvenient time, not to mention that it all starts on J's birthday, and I didn't think he'd appreciate my spending the whole day knitting.

The second big decision was to resign from my part-time job; this weekend will be my last two shifts at the store. Not working weekends will allow me much more time to knit, er, I mean, plan my wedding.

Here's the latest progress shot of the front of Sizzle (I've got about two inches left to knit before it's time to graft the front and back together at the shoulders). I'm hoping to be able to finish this up this week in time to wear it to one of my two last shifts at work this weekend.


I've also started the toe on the second of my Steelers socks, so I should have a finished pair to show you in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, as I've been making good progress on these projects and casting on for a couple of others (you'll have to wait to hear about those), I've been feeling the pull of yarn. I've placed two Knit Picks orders in, oh, three days. The first order started innocently enough -- I ordered some needles and some spare skeins of sock yarn, as well as some stuff to send to my Sockret Pal. Then, the next morning, in addition to the order confirmation, there was also an e-mail from Knit Picks about a sale on summer yarns in my inbox. So I ordered some more Shine Sport and enough Shine Worsted to make another Sizzle. When is pay day again? (and thank goodness for free shipping!)

Coming up in the next couple of days: something supercute.

Blogging -- Now with 100% More Photos!

As promised, here's a picture!


This is the back of Sizzle, completed over the weekend. The front isn't much to look at in its present state (I'm only a couple of stockinette rows past the seed stitch border). The good news is that it looks like it's the right size! J held this up to my back and took a gander at it, and he proclaimed it good. I am hoping to make some good progress on the front tonight, while watching some junky TV and doing not much else (the short post-holiday-weekend week is turning out to be brutally long, and I just don't have the mental capacity to do anything intellectual).

I've pretty much given up on getting my Steelers socks done for tomorrow's season opener, but they'll definitely be done in time for the playoffs, if not before.

Have you seen this picture? (If you've watched any national news program in the last 24 hours, chances are you have):

She's cute, but frankly I didn't think either of her parents was Asian. At least we know she got her father's hair genes -- someone get that baby some product!

That's all I can manage. More when I have actual knitting content and can be a little more witty.

Back to the Grind

How is it that I always manage waste a good chunk of my holiday weekend sleeping? J and I got almost 11 hours on Saturday night and almost 10 hours on Sunday night. No wonder it was hard getting up and getting back on schedule this morning.

Thank you for all of your kind comments on Seraphim. I was really just so pleased with how it turned out, and while that's enough for me, it's nice to know that others are admiring it as well. In the future I want to try knitting this pattern in lace weight yarn to see how it looks, but for now the next shawl in my queue is Icarus (yes, another Miriam design). I have about 1,300 yards of bright red merino just calling my name.

I am making moderately good progress on my Sizzle, although I've slowed down somewhat in my drive to finish it since the weather is no longer amenable to my actually wearing it. I did finish the back and make a good start on the front over the weekend, but at the moment I've shifted my attention over to my current socks (sock #1 complete, sock #2 approaching the heel flap).

In truth, I did not get much knitting done this weekend, in part because I spent so much time sleeping, but also because I watched a lot of local news coverage. You may heard the sad news that our beloved mayor, Bob O'Connor, passed away Friday night. I didn't really know him, although you may remember that he helped me out in a moment of need back in February. The thing about Bob was that you didn't have to know him, you just felt like you did -- he was Pittsburgh. He loved this city so much and had such great plans for it; he was Pittsburgh's biggest champion. He will be greatly missed.

Tomorrow: a less depressing post -- with pictures!

Seraphim, Complete

Pattern: Seraphim Shawl by Miriam Felton
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss (70% merino, 30% silk, 220 yards/hank) in colorway Dusk, less than four hanks total
Needles: Addi Turbo US 5 24" circs
Dimensions: 72" wide, 34" deep at center
Mods: none
Started/Completed: August 13/August 30 (makes me wish I'd picked this as my Knitting Olympics project!)

The Verdict: A winner! This yarn was a dream to work with -- soft and silky, with enough wool content to do felted joins when I started a new skein. I estimate that I used somewhere in the range of 750 to 800 yards, leaving me enough (nearly 1 1/2 skeins) to make myself a pair of ankle socks with the remainder. This yarn is so soft that my Lorna's Laces felt rough in comparison when I picked up my current sock-in-progress. My one gripe about this yarn is that it isn't superwash!

As for the pattern, it's very clearly and logically written, as all of Miriam's designs seem to be. I did make a number of mistakes, one of which was a very large one that required me to frog back to the second or third line of the first lace chart, several of which were fixed on wrong-side rows, and a few of which no doubt are still in there. I had no issues with the pattern (my mistakes were entirely the result of not paying attention), and I would definitely knit this one again.

Knitting this shawl in fingering weight (rather than lace weight) yarn is an interesting and enjoyable experience, and as a result the finished product is much more substantial -- and therefore warmer -- than a typical lace shawl. I'd be interested to see how this pattern knits up in lace weight yarn (a lightweight Seraphim?).

I'm sorry for not having a nicer picture to show you. I wanted to do a photo shoot outside and get some natural lighting, but alas, the Western Pennsylvania weather is not cooperating (and now Ernesto is coming our way, grrr).

While Seraphim was blocking last night, I finally got started on this:

Yup, that's the beginning of my Sizzle, about an hour's worth of work that I managed to get in last night. I spent part of my knitting time working on my Steelers socks last night; I've just started the toe on the first sock, and the season opener is next Thursday. You know what that means -- Speed Sock Knitting this weekend! I guess I know how I'll be spending my Labor Day ...

It's Done!

I finished binding off Seraphim this morning (I was too tired to do it all last night) and it is now blocking on the third floor. Here's a peek:

Unfortunately with the artsy-fartsy photo quality I managed to get here, the color is way off, but you've seen shots before and know what the color is supposed to be. I will do my full write up tomorrow, once the shawl is dry and J is home (he's in Cleveland until tomorrow) and I can do a proper photo shoot.

In the meantime, here's some new eye candy:

This would be my Knit Picks order from last week. Here are (left to right) four hanks of Shadow in the Sunset and Vineyard colorways (two hanks of each), three skeins of Essential Tweed in Flint, and two hanks of Gossamer in the Carribean colorway. If you look closely, you'll also see two 32" US 1 Knit Picks circular needles in the back and a set of US 1 Knit Picks dpns in front.

On tap for tonight: watch the latest Netflix selection and finally start my Sizzle!

Knitting on the Road

We are back from our weekend trip to Ann Arbor, which was fun, but exhausting. The latter especially so for J, who was feeling kind of sick-ish and achy before we left and wasn't helped by all the hours in the car. (Don't worry, as soon as we got back I made him take some Advil, get out the heating pad, and relax while I cooked him a yummy dinner. I heard no complaints about any of my orders.)

Perhaps I should backtrack and explain the reason behind the trip. The original purpose was to accompany my baby brother (probably a misnomer since he's 19, but as he's a good eight inches taller I can't really call him my little brother anymore) up to Ann Arbor, where he's starting college next week. Brother had the idea for the family reunion part of the trip. You see, my aunt and uncle and cousins all live in the Chicago area, which really isn't all that far away, but they all lead incredibly busy lives and as a result we never see them except for when someone gets married or dies. (The one exception in recent years was the trip for the surprise birthday party in February.) Brother decided that was simply unacceptable, so he has been pushing us to arrange a family reunion. As it turned out, everyone was free this particular weekend, and Ann Arbor, being equidistant from both Chicago and Pittsburgh, was an incredibly convenient location.

I took both my Seraphim shawl and my Steelers sock with me on the trip, and worked on Seraphim in the car in in the hotel room while J was napping. The sock came out while sitting around the hotel waiting for family members or in the car going to and from dinner or sightseeing excursions, and my cousin Lara was especially enchanted by it. Don't believe me?

She just had to try it on and see if it would work well as a sock puppet. Here she is mugging it up with my cousin Adam. (And yes, we were wearing matching t-shirts. J designed them, and they had all the family last names on the back. They were done in maize and blue for the occasion, for obvious reasons. Let it be known that we were not the only family reunion at our hotel this weekend, and the other family was much larger and louder -- and they had matching t-shirts as well! Clearly we were not the only dorky family in town.)

Here's a shot of me and my sweetie in front of Zingerman's, an absolutely incredible deli/bakery/eatery in greater Ann Arbor. The general manager of the place saw our t-shirts and insisted that we take a big group shot in front of the store -- he even took the photo for us!

(Would you believe that I carried my camera around with me the entire weekend and only took these two shots? I blame Brother, who was already too horribly embarrassed by the family to let me take any pictures of the sock in action. I didn't even get to stop at either of the two LYSs I scoped out before we left!)

Seraphim is coming along nicely, and as of this morning I had four rows of Chart 3 plus the edging chart (#4) left to do -- that's only 14 rows! Here's the latest progress shot:

I plan finishing it up this week, then starting on Sizzle. Many, many thanks to Wendy, who pointed out that my gauge issue might work to my advantage. (This was just another example of how my warped brain deals with math. Silly me, I was thinking that somehow having less stitches in my gauge swatch than I was supposed to meant that my sweater would come out smaller; in fact it's just the opposite.)

I'm awaiting my Knit Picks order this week (tomorrow I hope!), containing some of their new needles. I'll be sure to offer up my two cents on them, as I know the reviews have been mixed.

Money I'd Rather Spend on Yarn

Sigh. Money can go so quickly with one little swipe of the credit card. Case in point:

My new tire. Apparently it wasn't possible to patch the hole in the old tire, as I had driven on it just enough that the side of the tire was (as the service center guy put it in all his eloquence) "busted." So, nearly four Knit Picks free shipping orders later, we are set for the road trip. I suppose it's also fortunate that I placed another Knit Picks order last night, before paying for my new treads.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on what I should bring for my car knitting. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a consensus, and I'm indecisive enough that I'm going to take the easy way out. I'm just going to take the two projects I already have in progress -- Seraphim and my Steelers socks -- plus the yarn for the second sock. We'll see how far I get. Of course I've already scoped out the Ann Arbor-area yarn stores on the Internets, so perhaps a visit to one of them will inspire a new project. I will wait until we return to start Sizzle, which I think should be my next project since I'd like to be able to wear it this year.

And here's where I ask for you help again -- especially those of you who are good with gauge and the maths (because I'm not). Here's the situation: the Sizzle pattern jumps in its sizing from 34 to 38, and I'm a 36. Ordinarily I'd just do the smaller size, but there is a gauge issue as well. I'm substituting Knit Picks Main Line, and I'm getting 19 stitches over four inches, while the pattern gauge is 20 sts/4 in. Also, Holly found that her Sizzle turned out much larger than she expected. So, what do I do? Please share your wisdom!

My final bit of knitting news for the day is that I've signed up for Sock-ret Pal, which seems to be a new thing and is sort of a mix between Secret Pal and Sockapalooza. You send packages to your pal bimonthly, for a total of three packages, one of which is to include a pair of hand-knit socks.

We are off to Ann Arbor in the morning. Stay tuned for a report on Sunday or Monday, depending on what time we get back. Happy weekend, everyone!

What next?

I have had A Day. First, there was the ridiculous quantity of work on my desk. Then, just as I was preparing to leave work to meet a friend for a drink before dinner with her, J, and another friend, I began getting a migraine. For me, the first stage of a migraine -- before the excruciating pain -- is going temporarily blind. Not exactly convenient when I've driven to work. Fortunately, J was in the neighborhood and was able to pick up my mother to have an extra driver. They figured they'd take my car over to my parents', I'd lie down for a bit to see if I felt better, and J and I would either go to dinner and pick up my car afterwards or I'd just nap there while he went to dinner.

Oh no, that was not to be. Of course, because I was already feeling like complete crap, The Powers That Be had to throw another log on the fire: when my mother and I walked over to my car, don't you know it has a flat tire? I've been driving for almost a decade and never gotten a flat tire, and of all days it happens when I'm feeling sick as a dog and just need to go home and crawl into bed. It took an hour and a half for AAA to come, but luckily my mom and J were there to keep me company and J let me relax in his car with the air conditioning on. Needless to say, we did not make it to dinner. Ironically, we were going to go to a place that we've never successfully gotten in to (every time we try to go, they're either closed or so packed we'd wait for hours to get in); J thinks this was just another sign that we're not meant to eat there.

If there was an upside to this day, it's that at least by the time I got home this evening, the migraine was manageable (thank you, Excedrin!) and I can actually relax for a couple of hours rather than climbing immediately out of bed. This means more time with J, who leaves early tomorrow morning for a two-day work trip. I also got to use my brand-new "Josie" sock bag, courtesy of trek. It arrived in the mail yesterday, and my first Steelers sock has already moved in. This is a such a great improvement over the ziplock bag that I was using to hold my sock-in-progress in my purse. Trek calls this fabric pattern Josie because it reminded her of Josie and the Pussycats -- think pink leopard print. I love it, and just take a look at the cute coordinating fabrics inside:

(Sorry about the picture quality. I guess my head was feeling better but my hands were still a bit shaky.) I don't think my head is feeling quite up to lace charts yet, so I'll work on this tonight.

I still haven't decided just what project to take in the car with me this weekend, so I'm going to take a little poll (and lurkers, please participate!). I probably have about 12 hours in the car, and of course these socks will come with since they're my travel project, but I need something else. Here are the options:

• I could finally start my Sizzle, assuming I finally decide which size to do (I may ask your opinion/help on that as well);

• I could finally start Forecast, for which the yarn has been waiting for at least a couple months;

• I could start my second French Market Bag with the yarn I purchased at Yarns By Design last week;

• I could use the Cascade Fixation I bought last week to make another pair of Jaywalkers; or

• I could just take my Seraphim shawl and hope for the best with the charts in the car.

So, dear readers, what do you think? Which project gets to make the trip to Ann Arbor? Voting ends at 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, August 24.

Mata Haris

They're done!

Pattern: Mata Hari, stitch pattern by Craftoholic Steph
Yarn: cotton/lycra blend, hand-dyed, from Greenwood Fiberworks, in colorway Strawberry Milkshake, one skein
Needles: US 1 bamboo dpns (short-row toes) and Addi Turbo circs
Mods: The original stitch pattern had a 10-stitch repeat. I modified this to be an eight-stitch repeat to work with my total number of stitches (64).

I knit these toe-up, with short row toes and heels. They were finished with a 1 1/2" cuff in 3x1 rib and a sewn bind-off (much stretchier than a traditional BO, but you can see that as a result the tops roll a bit). I had just enough yarn to finish these up. Take a look:

This is all that's left of the original skein for repairs. It looks like more than it is, since the yarn is very fluffy; I estimate it's between 10 and 20 yards.

These socks are soooo comfy and fit me just perfectly (as well they should). The yarn is rather nubby, so it probably doesn't show off the stitch pattern as something with better stitch definition, but I like the texture of it. Here's a closeup shot:

Now that these are off the needles, my Steelers socks will be my on-the-go project. I'm still working on Seraphim at home and am about two-thirds of the way through the first lace chart. We're headed to my future in-laws' place this afternoon (J is helping his father rip up the carpet) and I'll be taking it along with me. Look for prettier progress shots this week!

2 Ktogs

It's been quite a knitting week -- two knitting nights in a row! Thrilling, but also tough on the hands (I've had some hand cramping, and that never happens, so I must be knitting a lot).

Most of the knitting this week has been on Seraphim, and I've even joined the Seraphim KAL. At the moment I have two more rows to knit and then I get to start the lace charts, which I'm anxious to do (my eyes, however, aren't very happy about my progress). Here's the obligatory progress shot, although there's not much to see other than some YOs amidst two spans of stockinette:

Seraphim's first public outing was to knit night at my new LYS, Yarns By Design in Oakmont. It took me quite a while to find the shop, as it's rather out of the way (for anyone planning on making a visit, it's in a small business park off an alley behind Hoffstot's restaurant). It's an adorable little shop with a good start on its yarn selection (lots of Cascade and Debbie Bliss, a decent baby yarn section). There ended up being a pretty big crowd of lovely ladies there to knit. Jen made me wear my Adamas shawl the whole time I was there, and I got quite a few compliments. Of course, I could not leave the store empty handed, especially as the prices were so reasonable. Here's a shot of the haul:

Here are three skeins of Cascade 220, two in a heathered emerald shade and one in a deep charcoal gray. These are destined to be another French Market Bag, which I will probably start next week to take on our road trip to Ann Arbor next weeks. I also decided to try some Cascade Fixation; although I haven't picked out a pattern for this yarn yet, I'm already calling them my Jailbird socks (look at the colorway and you'll see why -- I have a feeling they'll wind up being black and white stripes). I was also gifted with a sample of Eucalan and a fun measuring tape, the type that zaps back into the case when you press the button in the center.

Last night was the regular third-Wednesday-of-the-month knit night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. The usual suspects were there (myself included), but we were also joined by Marsha, a prolific lace shawl knitter who we hope will bring some show-and-tell next month! Our record of spotting, well, characters, let's say, at this meeting spot stands for another month. We not only saw our favorite 40-toting superhero fan, who arrived right on schedule, we actually spotted a man walking a pig. Yes, you read that correctly, A MAN WALKING A PIG. Don't believe me? See the pictures. I kid you not. All the more reason to come out and join us next month!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

As promised, here's a quick recap of Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park yesterday.

J and I arrived plenty early and made our way over to the Southwest Flight Deck to pick up our goodie bags. J didn't really want his (are you shocked?) so I got twice the goodies. I'll direct you over to Holly's blog for a better picture of the goods.

We settled in to our upgraded seats (one section up behind the Pirates' dugout) just in time for all the pregame festivities, including a chance to get a glimpse of a local celebrity:
No, I don't mean the Pirate Parrot (although he's pretty well known around these parts, too). I'm referring to that guy in the blue suit, David Newell, better known to most Western Pennsylvanians -- and most Americans of a certain age, for that matter -- as Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Our seats were fantastic for the game (a 7-0 shutout!), but not particularly conducive to knitting. Aside from the fact that I brought wool socks, I didn't want to sweat on the fabric and risk felting or just plain dirtiness/smelliness. I managed to get just a few rows done:
These will be my game-day socks for Steelers season, but the black and gold worked just fine for the Buccos, too. You can see from this picture just what a great view we had for the game, but you can also see just how sunny it was. Let me assure you, it was hot. I was sweaty and gross. I got right in the shower when we got home.

Here's a shot of the two of us during the seventh inning stretch, taken by a very friendly Pirate fan sitting behind us (obviously a talented photographer -- look at how nicely she framed the shot!):
(Note to self: must find a cute Pirates tank top or other cool clothing to complete game-day apparel.)

In knitting news, I did indeed start Seraphim last night and made pretty good progress. I won't show you a picture because there's not much to see at this point; I have roughly 66 rows still to knit before I start the lace charts (right now I'm just increasing by yarning over at the edges and around the center stitch on right-side rows). I'm using the new Gloss from Knit Picks for this, and I'm really enjoying it. The knitting goes much faster with fingering weight (as opposed to lace weight) yarn, for one thing, but the silk content also gives the yarn a beautiful sheen to it. I just know this'll be a gorgeous shawl when it's done.

This is going to be a big knitting week. Tomorrow evening I am going to try to meet up with Jen at Yarns by Design for their knit night (6-8 p.m.), and then Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. The usual crew will be there; will you?

Finis.

Pattern: Adamas Shawl by Miriam
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in colorway Lost Lake
Needles: Addi Turbo 24" circular, US 5
Started/Finished: late June?/August 11
Mods: none

I am so pleased with the way this shawl turned out. This was my first attempt at lace almost a year ago, but I had to rip it out twice because I kept having issues with stitch count. As it turns out, the culprit was incorrect yarn overs, which I learned to do correctly for my mom's shawl. Once I restarted this shawl (sometime before I moved; I can't pinpoint an exact date) it was all smooth sailing.

This is a great pattern. Miriam is not only a very talented designer, she's also super friendly and helpful if you have problems. I have patterns for two more of her shawls, and I'll be starting Seraphim next, likely tonight (I wound my yarn for it last night).

Today was Stitch 'n Pitch at PNC Park and was it ever a perfect day. We upgraded our seats -- my parents had two tickets behind the Pirates' dugout -- so we had a great view, and we got all sorts of goodies. Plus, I think it was the first game I'd been to in a couple years where I got to see the Buccos actually win! And completing a sweep, no less! But more details on that tomorrow. Tonight, I have some more lace shots for you to admire (and please excuse the casual duds. They're what we wear around here when we come home all sweaty from the ball game and have to shower off.)

Play Ball!

We finally received our Stitch 'n Pitch tickets on Tuesday, which is a lucky thing for the Pirates, let me tell you. Little do they know that I was planning on calling them up first thing yesterday morning to harass them until they told me where my tickets were and what was taking them so gosh-darn long to cash my check!

(The funny thing is, yesterday afternoon I checked the mail and found an envelope from the Buccos. I couldn't imagine what else they were sending me. Would you believe they're doing a wedding expo along with a game later this month? Oy.)

Is anyone else planning on going to the game on Sunday for the Stitch 'n Pitch festivities? I will be pulling out my Lorna's Laces Bee Stripe (purchased on the trip to D.C. in April) to get started on my black and gold socks, the goal being to have them done in time for football season.

I am so close to being done with Adamas that it's killing me. I have five more rows to knit -- five more, people! I am going to try to get them done tonight. Blocking party this weekend!

Sorry no pictures. Not much to show you right now anyway. I promise something better over the weekend.

Seduced by cotton?

I made very little progress on Adamas this weekend (a measly seven rows), in part because it was an incredibly hectic weekend and I was barely at home, but also because (and I blame trek for this) I found myself compelled to knit one of these:

Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth by Dave
Yarn: Sugar & Cream, one ball
Needles: US 7 straights
Started/Completed: August 5/August 6
Mods: none

I am not a huge fan of knitting with cotton, mostly because it's so tough on my hands, but this was a quick, nearly instant gratification project. This was my first foray into entrelac of any kind, which also helps explain the appeal. I found it to be very easy to pick up and I'm eager to try traditional (i.e., stockinette) entrelac.

My new, more realistic goal for Adamas is to finish it by the end of the week (doable, I think, as I have only 15 rows plus the bind off left) and have it blocked by the end of the weekend. I hope to have the FO to show you soon!

Oh, and before I leave you, check out the booty awaiting me at home this evening:


(In retrospect, the black couch probably wasn't the most ideal background for this shot, but too late now.) Here are three skeins of Essential (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon) for socks for my future FIL, six skeins of Shine (60% Pima cotton, 40% Modal), and five hanks of the new Gloss (70% merino, 30% silk). Must. Finish. Adamas.

Quick Update

Happy Friday morning. Lord, do I wish it were the weekend. Ever have one of those weeks that seem a day longer than usual? I'm having one of those.

Last night I finally got in a solid knitting night of the type I used to have when I lived alone (I love living with J, but darn it if he isn't cute and distracting!). He was busy working on his computer most of the evening, so I got about three hours of time in on Adamas. Somehow I managed to get in an entire pattern repeat, 10 whole rows! That means I have one more body chart repeat to get through, followed by the 12 edging rows and the bind off. I'm hoping to have time to get it done this weekend.

Why am I so anxious to finish the shawl? Well for one thing, I feel like I've been working on it forever -- those of you who've been reading this blog for a while will remember that I started this shawl twice before (as in, before I learned how to YO correctly). For another, my Sizzle pattern finally arrived yesterday afternoon, so I'm anxious to get started on that, hoping that by the time I finish it, it will have cooled off enough to actually wear it. Plus, I was reminded by all the commercials on TV last night that football season is coming up, so I'll need to get started on my Steelers socks.

If you're looking for something to do today/this weekend, go check out the Weekly Photo Scavenger Hunt, and please vote on your favorite photo once they've all been posted and the poll is up!

It must be the heat.

Why else would I be ordering more yarn? Yes, that's right, even though my last Knit Picks order hasn't fully been completed (my blocking wires seem to have finally left Leetsdale but aren't expected to be delivered until tomorrow), I placed yet another order today. (Shhh, don't tell J!) In my defense, everything I ordered was for a specific project: some Essential sock yarn for socks for J's stepfather; hanks of the new merino/silk blend sock yarn, Gloss, for my Seraphim; and some Shine Sport to finally make a Picovoli. And I ordered just enough to get the free shipping. See? I'm being economical!

Meanwhile, progress continues slowly on Adamas. Last night I finished a whopping six rows while watching Mad Hot Ballroom. Granted, I may have been a tad bit distracted by how cute the kids were, but I'm also at the point where the rows are so long that they each take me roughly 15 minutes to complete. (I'm starting to see the appeal in shawl patterns that start at the outside edge and work their way up and in.) I'm now two rows into my 12th pattern repeat, which means 28 more rows of the body to go. Since she's expressed so much interest, here's a little peek/progress shot just for Donna (foot again provided for scale):

We're still waiting for our Pirates tickets for Stitch 'n Pitch, and I'm starting to get a little nervous since it's coming up next weekend. The last time I looked they hadn't cashed my check yet. I'm giving them a few more days.

I am so looking forward to this weekend. We have dinner plans Friday night and I'm working Saturday, but other than that I am planning on being as much of a couch potato as I possibly can. I feel like I haven't had a real weekend in a month, and let me tell you, I could use the sleep, not to mention the knitting time. Perhaps I'll start some new socks ...

*Edited to add: Hooray, my blocking wires are here! Now I just need to finish the darn shawl so I can test 'em out and give you my full review.

Weekend Wrap-up

It was another busy weekend chez J/SJ, but at least this weekend had some knitting-related content to it. To start off with, when I got home from work on Saturday afternoon, I found a box on the front stoop that was finally what I was expecting:

Well, at least half of what I was expecting. This is the yarn for my Sizzle, which I'll be able to get started on once my e-check clears and I get the pattern (PayPal tells me that will be Wednesday). Unfortunately my package didn't contain my blocking wires. The Knit Picks site says that the wires were shipped separately, but on the same day as the yarn, and now they're inexplicably stopped in Leetsdale. I guess someone there had a shawl ready for blocking. No real emergency, since I'm still four body repeats, the edging chart, and a bind off away from blocking on Adamas.

Last night J's parents came over for dinner and to see the place with all the furniture in, and I was finally able to give J's mom her Mother's Day gift. As you can see, she was very excited to get them, so much so that she put them on right away.

How perfectly do these fit? And I was right about the cast on not being too tight on her skinny little legs.

As long as they were here, I took the opportunity to measure J's stepfather's feet for Socks to Be Named Later. He amused all of us when, upon being asked his color preferences for socks, he announced he really likes a nice heathered blue. (I might add that the man is a big Land's End fan, so I assume that's where he's learning his shades and hues.)

Finally last night, during Entourage, I finished Mata Hari #1:

Okay, I'm stretching the truth a little. This isn't officially done. I still need to weave in ends and sew up a poorly placed yarn over on the side of the heel. I cast on for the second sock during my lunch today, but tonight's knitting is all Adamas.

What's that they say about Fridays?

I am so glad that today is Friday; it's been a ridiculously busy week. I actually woke up yesterday convinced that it was Friday, only to be rudely awakened to the fact that it was only Thursday when I hit the shower and really woke up. I have to wake up moderately early tomorrow morning to go to work, but I am putting a ban on the alarm clock on Sunday morning. I need to sleep in.

As tired as I am, I found a reward for getting out of bed in my e-mail inbox this morning: my MimKnits patterns! I am simply itching to start one of the shawls, but I'm forcing myself to finish Adamas first (I'm through 10 repeats of the body chart -- four more to go! -- and the rows are starting to get really long). I also placed my order this morning for Knit and Tonic Wendy's Sizzle, for which I've already order yarn I hope will work from Knit Picks.

Last night I got home from work and saw a package on the front stoop. I got all excited, thinking that my Knit Picks shipment had arrived in record time. Unfortunately, it was not my yarn, but it was a very nice surprise: a professional series blender! J's uncle works for Waring, and this was what we'd requested as an engagement present. I'll have to get to the market this weekend to get smoothie ingredients to try it out.

Well, folks, I did it. I caved and signed up for Sock Wars. I have no doubt that I'll be "assassinated" very early on, which is just fine with me. I'll get just enough of a challenge to be exciting without having to knit socks for people all over the world (as the ultimate champion of the competition will have to). As I'm in a joining mood, I'm also contemplating joining Knit the Classics, which is basically a book club with a knitting element (all the members read the same book each month and complete a knitting project that goes along with the book at the same time). I'm especially tempted because the August selection is Lolita, which I've always wanted to read but never gotten around to. I'm a tad bit concerned I might be over-extending myself. Your thoughts?

I'm off to spend the rest of my lunch hour working on Mata Hari #1 (it's nearing completion). Have a great weekend, all!

In a galaxy far, far away ...

Have you heard about Sock Wars? I'm so there. (I'll probably be eliminated right away, but at least I'll get a pair of socks out of the deal!)

All back to normal

Tonight J and I had our first "official" dinner at home (we were out at a charity event last night), so I decided to finally break out my big, heavy Le Creuset pot that I got from my aunt and uncle in December to make a home-cooked meal.

I call this Country French Chicken, my own concoction with Coq au Vin as an inspiration. Very simple "recipe": I browned boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a little bit of olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, then added two coarsely chopped Spanish onions, a small can of tomato paste, some red wine, chopped carrots and celery, two cans of diced tomatoes, and some haricots verts (known in this country as green beans). Just let it simmer for about 25-30 minutes, then served over some plain couscous. I thought it was a little lacking in flavor/seasoning, but J really liked it and practically cleaned his plate -- something he never, ever does. The best compliment, if you ask me!

Although there was not too much done over the weekend, for obvious reasons, there has been some knitting progress here at our house. My first Mata Hari has rounded the heel and is into the leg portion. Here's the obligatory progess shot:

The color's not quite right here; it looks more purple than the pale pink it actually is. The colorway of the yarn is called Strawberry Milkshake, and that's pretty much what it looks like.

At home, I've been making steady progress on my Adamas shawl; I'm now well into my ninth repeat of the body chart. I'm hoping to be able to put in some good blocks of time on it this week, and I put in a Knit Picks order yesterday for some lace blocking wires for when it's done.

Speaking of Adamas, I think that the Yarn Harlot may be copying me. Did you see today's post? Did you happen to notice what she's knitting? (second picture) She's not only knitting the same shawl, she's using the same yarn, Knit Picks Shadow! Don't you just hate it when famous knitters are always doing the same thing as you?

Of course, the Yarn Harlot isn't copying me, she's just as taken with Miriam's patterns as I am. Mim happens to be having a little sale on her patterns over on her blog. Today I purchased the patterns for her Seraphim and Mountain Peaks shawls and her Eleanora socks, and I can hardly wait to start them. If you haven't seen any of her patterns before, Mim is a really talented designer, and she's super friendly and helpful if you have problems or questions.

Finally, did you see those pretty new thumbnails, over there in the sidebar? J did those for me Sunday night. It had been a while -- the last time he updated them was sometime in March, I think. I appreciated it so much that I decided to buy him a ticket to Stitch 'n Pitch (we'll be there at PNC Park on 8/13).

Home Sweet Home!

Well, I am officially moved in to our house. The movers showed up promptly yesterday morning, started moving at 7:30 a.m., and were done by around 10 a.m. (which means I officially made it under the four hour minimum, hooray!). I was pretty much unpacked and settled by about 4:30 or so, in plenty of time to take a shower and go out to dinner with my parents and brother. J and I did a quick trip to the market on the way home and then passed out before 10:30. It was a long day, but highly successful, and truly much less stressful than I had thought it would be (especially after being woken up at 5:30 by a thunderstorm!).

Today we went back to my apartment to do a final cleaning, and now all that's left to be done is drop off the keys.

Now that the stash is settled, I'll probably be starting up some additional projects soon. I think my first priority is probably the mate to my original Pomatomus; I think I'll hold off on starting Forecast until it cools down a bit, since the stash lives on the third floor of the house and it gets really hot up there most days.

Is it Friday yet?

Nope, still Thursday. Oh well.

Last night I met up with Jen and Jenn at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble for our monthly knitting night. It was just the three of us for the second month in a row and although we were a tad disappointed that no other knitters showed up, we had a fantabulous time. I'll direct you over to Jen's blog for more details on the fun.

Believe it or not, I still have only two (yes, TWO) WIPs right now. My Mata Haris are coming along very slowly, since I've only been working on them a few rows at a time during lunch a few days at work (unfortunately, although I like driving to work, I am missing out on the bus knitting time I used to have). At home I've been making better progress on my Adamas shawl. Take a look:

I've included my freshly pedicured foot for scale here, but keep in mind it's all scrunched up. Want a detail shot of the lace? Sure you do!

Yep, looks a lot better than the last time I tried to knit this shawl. It's amazing what a proper yarn over can do.

This weekend is the final stage of the move: the furniture comes! The movers are supposed to be at the apartment between 7 and 8 on Saturday morning, so I'm hoping everything will be in and done by early afternoon. Then it's just a matter of putting everything away (but if you ask me, that's a heck of a lot easier than packing it up!) Perhaps if we're really productive, I'll finally break down and start a third project.

In the meantime, off to work on the shawl...

Stash Relocation and Other Adventures in Moving

Well, I am officially moved into J's place -- only now I can call it our place. Need proof? Here's the stash, resting comfortably in its new home:

This may not be exactly its final resting place, since the furniture has yet to be moved in (that's coming this weekend), but you get the general idea. I think that J has gotten used to having the stash around; notice he's made his own addition of golf balls (or perhaps that's just a not-so-subtle hint that he'd like some hand-knit golf club covers?)

Very little knitting was accomplished this weekend, what with all moving and sweating and showering four times in two days. I completed about a repeat and a half on my lace shawl, and I did manage to finish this little item up earlier this evening:

I think blue was the right choice. Can't wait to see little Finn in it!

I'll end this post with a short public service announcement/reminder: this Wednesday is knitting night at the Waterworks Barnes & Noble. I'll find some interesting project to show and tell. Hope to see some new faces there (and of course some familiar faces as well)!

Block(ing) Party

Last night we had a little blocking party chez Knit/Wit, amid a flurry of packing, throwing stuff out, and watching Capote. (Pardon all the crap in the background. I'm moving, you know what it's like. This is one of the tidier spots in the apartment, believe it or not.) Here are my future MIL's socks and the baby sweater for Finn, after finally getting themselves a good bath and a good spot to lie out.

(See, I told you there'd be FO pictures!)
















Granted, the sweater isn't officially finished, but rest assured the buttons will be sewn on and it will be nicely wrapped up this weekend. We may actually hand deliver it to baby Finn in the next week, so I'll see if I can manage an action shot of him wearing it (weather permitting, of course. I'm not going to force a baby into a sweater in 90 degree heat with no air conditioning present.)

Now for the run-down on the socks (I know it's just what you've all been waiting for).
Pattern: Madder Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks (Nancy Bush)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, in colorway Cool
Needles: US 1 Addi Turbo circs (with the assistance of a dpn for the heels) and dpns for the toes
Mods: none

These were a quick and enjoyable knit, and I really didn't have an issue with Second Sock Syndrome with this pair. The simple rib went really quickly on my two circs and was essentially mindless (we're ignoring, of course, the incident during the screening of Superman Returns, during which the purl stitches kept messing me up). I would definitely knit this pattern again, although I'd also like the try the other ribs in the book.

These socks are a little snug on me (don't worry, I did wash them after I tried them on!) but should fit my future MIL just fine, as she is an itty-bitty thing and doesn't have the largish mid-legs/calves that I do.

To update the other WIPs, my Mata Haris are coming along nicely, and I've completed two repeats of the main chart on my Adamas shawl. It occurred to me that I should probably also cast on for my second Pomatomus (i.e., the second one of the original pair, the one I said I'd do when I signed up for the Pomatomus KAL way back when) so that I can finally have that pair completed. Plus, I'd really like to get back to Forecast, but I may let that wait until the weather cools off a bit -- nothing like a lapful of wool on a hot, humid day in Western Pennsylvania, eh?

This weekend I am working and also hopefully moving in the rest of my stuff (at least the stuff I'm moving on my own) to J's. The "official" move -- of furniture and heavy stuff -- is next Saturday, but the plan is for me to be in and relatively settled by Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if we're able to fit all of our stuff in J's townhouse. (Lord help us when the wedding gifts start coming in!)

Anyone else interested in going to Stitch & Pitch? I think I can manage to convince J to come, for those who want to meet him, although he'll be sans stitching.

The votes are in

And the winner is (drumroll, please) .... BLUE! Seems most of you liked the monochromatic look. To be perfectly honest, I was torn between the blue and the gray, so I've let you make the tough decision for me. Thanks for voicing your opinions!

Unfortunately, last night I realized that I'd already moved my sewing basket to J's place, so I will have to wait until this weekend to sew on the button and take a final shot for all of you to see.

Last night, after registering for wedding gifts at William-Sonoma with J (who was such a good sport), I managed to finish up my future MIL's socks. (Yes, I will have to take a picture of those tonight and post them tomorrow.) Suddenly I found myself with only two WIPs! Shocking, I know. So now my cotton/lycra Mata Haris are my travel sock project and my Adamas shawl will be my home/couch project. Or at least until the entire stash is moved to J's and is at my fingertips ...

FO pictures tomorrow, I promise.

ALMOST Done

Pattern: Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft (sport weight)
Needles: Addi Turbo US 7 circs
Mods: I omitted the decorative stitches around the bottom of the sweater and the wrist of the sleeves. I also did paired decreases down the arm to create a more tapered sleeve.

This is almost done. It just needs to be blocked and (here's where you come in) it needs buttons. Here are the options (turns out I had more than I remembered):

Apologies for the fact that this photo is upside down; for some reason I can't get it to flip. So here are the choices, top to bottom: dark gray, dark blue, pearly white, pearly white with hole in back. Which one gets your vote?

Sweater Update

By now I should really know better than to predict when I'll finish a project, because inevitably I wind up making little or no progress at all after making such a prediction. Here is Finn's baby sweater, and as you can see, it's not finished. In fact, this is the sweater after only about a half-hour's worth of knitting time since I finished the first sleeve. I only managed to pick it up at about 10 p.m. last night, after I spent all weekend working, moving stuff to J's place, and visiting with my parents. I am hoping to spend some sustained time on it this evening, once my bathroom is clean and laundry is done (don't I have just the most exciting Monday night planned?!).

Now here is where I need your advice, dear Readers. I am unsure what buttons to use once this is done (if ever it is). I have two options that I've narrowed it down to (and my apologies for not having taken pictures; if there's enough demand for it I'll take a shot of both with the sweater this evening): one is a pearlized white button, the other is a somewhat pearly dark blue. Both are very plain, round, four-hole buttons, very similar to each other, in fact. Because of the stitch pattern on the yoke of the sweater, I wanted to keep the buttons relatively simple so that the sweater as a whole doesn't get too fussy. Your thoughts? White or blue -- or something else entirely?

Oh, and by the way, I'm doing the sleeves using the magic loop method, my first time using it, and I can't say I absolutely love it. Maybe it has to do with the cord of my Addis, which I normally love for being so sturdy, but here seems to fight with me when I try to "bend" it to work the loop.

New Knitty

It's up and, okay, so maybe it's not that exciting. But you know me, I'm nuts for the socks. And oh drool, must immediately knit up Cookie's latest design!

Just one question, though: what exactly does one do with knitted angel wings?

I took the day off of work yesterday and did a lot of knitting on Finn's baby sweater. The body and one sleeve are done. I should be able to finish the rest of the knitting by the end of the weekend, and then I'll need your opinion on buttons. Pictures to come!

More Pomatomi

Here' s another set:

Now before you go and start thinking, "Man, that SJ is one fast knitter, she already finished another pair of Pomatomi!" let me stop you right there. These two socks may appear to be a pair, but except for the fact that they're the same yarn, they're really not. These two were my prototype socks for my pattern reversal work. The one on the left was the original; the one on the right was knit using the mods I published in my last post. For some unknown reason, the sock on the left is also significantly longer and taller (well, the leg is longer) than the one on the right. Like my artistic posing to hide this fact? I never really intended this to be a functional pair, and with one sock visibly shorter than the other I'm not sure that it will ever be one.

Since I finished these up a few days ago I've been working pretty much exclusively on a pair of socks for my future mother-in-law. I'm doing the Madder Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, in a really pretty Lorna's Laces colorway with shades of blue (she specifically requested something that would look good with jeans). I thought I had finished one of the socks:

But, alas, this picture is also misleading. Shortly after I finished weaving in the ends I realized that I had completely screwed up the toe (due to my apparent inability to correctly read directions!), so this morning I snipped off the end of the toe and frogged back to the beginning of the toe decreases. Now I think I've read the directions correctly, so we are a go for socks that will be long enough!

Still on the needles: baby sweater for baby Finn, Adamas shawl, and toe-up Mata Haris

Currently reading: The Knot Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World (are you surprised?)

Oh, and by the way, according to Jenn, I am now officially Queen of the Popos. Thanks, Jenn, I've always dreamed of being Sock Royalty!

SUMOTAMOP (That's Pomatomus Reversed)

Drumroll, please! Here is the long-awaited Pomatomus Reversal!


Before you begin, you will need to:
1) Print out a copy of the pattern.
2) Get some graph paper.
3) Reverse the two charts for the pattern. The order of the rows will be the same, but you will essentially be knitting from the last stitch to the first stitch in each row. (If you have trouble keeping track of the stitches, an easy way to do this is to print out an extra copy of the two charts, hold the chart up to a window with the printed side facing away from you, and trace the chart as it shows through the paper.)

The following are the modifications I made to the pattern to reverse it. So as not to reproduce the entire pattern (and thereby probably infringe on its copyright!), I am only outlining the parts of the pattern that need to be changed from the original. You will want to keep a copy of the pattern with you so you will know when to plug in the modifications.

Every effort has been made to make sure that these mods are correct (I've test knit the reversed sock twice), but if you do find an error, please let me know so I can correct it. Also, please feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have questions!

Note: All the symbols in the charts are the same as for the original EXCEPT for the symbol that stands for K2tog tbl. In the reversed pattern, this symbol will stand for K2tog (as normal; not through back loop).

DIRECTIONS
Cuff
CO 72 sts and divide as directed.
Round 1: [K1 tbl, P1] to end.
Repeat this round 9 times more.

Leg
Set-up Round: [(K1 tbl, P1) five times, K2tog, YO] to end of round
Work Rounds 2-22 of Chart A.

After each chart has been worked, rearrange stitches as follows:
Move last stitch from each needle to the beginning of the next needle.

You will begin Row 1 of Chart A at the second stitch, since you have already knit the new first stitch you just transferred from needle 3.

Work Chart A a total of 3 times, rearranging stitches after Row 22 each time.

Heel Flap
Transfer 12 stitches from needle 2 to needle 1. You will have 36 stitches on needle 1, which will be worked back and forth for the heel flap. Hold the remaining 36 stitches on one or two other needles.
Row 1: (K1 tbl, P1) across to end
Row 2: Sl 1, (P1 tbl, K1) across to last stitch, P1 tbl
Row 3: Sl 1, P1, (K1 tbl, P1) across to end (*you may need to reorient the K sts for them to twist correctly)
Row 4: Sl 1, (P1 tbl, K1) across to last stitch, P1 tbl
Repeat rows 3 and 4 twelve times more.

Turn Heel
Follow directions as given in pattern.

Gussets
Follow directions as given, except for patterning on instep stitches. Instead, work Row 1 of reversed Chart B. Note that on this first repeat of the chart, you will K2 tog at the end of the row; on subsequent repeats of this chart, you will K3 tog.

Foot/Toe
Follow directions as given in pattern.