The other one

This Sunday was The Other Team's day. Four high school teams, a beautiful sunny day, with just enough of a hint of a breeze to promise the storms which hit last night. Unfortunately, my two favorite players had spent the week being very sick, and weren't up to their very best. They still did the frisbee trifecta of run, catch, throw, and it was a wonderful day. Good games, good parents to hang out with, and I even got some knitting done.

The kid runs fast, even when sick.

Nice bid, but not everything is completed:


The next trip down was more like it:



So cool she is.

I'm not going to be cool until this sweater gets much bigger. So far, I think the other knitting project looks like an alien chest protector:


Mix of bamboo and silk handspun (the green) and two colors of Cascade EcoWool. The body and sleeves will be chocolate, with something else along the cuffs and bottom. Some echoey pattern, probably. Anyhow, almost instant gratificaton, unlike the mitten project, which received a couple of rows' work last night.

I went to Italy and all I got. . .

Was four skeins of yarn, badly photographed. A Rav friend in Lucca directed me to the best yarn shop, Lovilana, and the rest is history. Each skein is approximately 1400 yards of teensy weight yarn. I thought the gray and white would make dynamite colorwork gloves or mittens, and the pumpkin and yellow would be lovely lace work. Or sweaters. Or something -- I couldn't go all that way and not get something, even with a generalized yarn diet.


And what did I do with my five travel weeks? Well, I saw things, I met far-flung family (a real highlight of the trip! I think everyone should have wonderful Sicilian relatives), and I knit for future family.

Lucky me, I am getting a niece!

And she is getting a little dress/tunic, knit from Elsebeth Lavold Cable Cotton. I hope it's the kind of size that will go from too big to just right to slightly short, and therefore move from dress to top and be worn for a long long time. Although I used my standard Incredible Custom Fit Raglan ideas, I was aiming for a Debbie Bliss-ish feeling. Just before I was done, my sister said, in passing to me, "I just love picot edges," and the finishing was determined in that instant.

I just didn't have time to block it before the party:


One part that I enjoyed was figuring out how to make a facing as I knit the top, to make a shoulder opening for big toddler head. I knit to the increase point, increased, then purled a turning stitch, and five knit stitches (on each side), then tacked it down when I was done. Crochet-loops and sewn on buttons made the closure.



I can hardly wait to see it modeled!

Now to get to the projects I did not finish, on the trip or after.

Getting ready for the new crop

Family and friends are having babies, what seems like a lot of babies, lately. So I've taken it as an opportunity to try out some little things. And Mother's Day seems like a good time to get them posted.

Debbie Bliss' "Kaftan" pattern, which looked a whole lot nicer in the pattern (to me) than this version, knit in Jo Sharp's SoHo Summer, in a lovely light grey. The yarn gave me a different gauge, so I had to do some fiddling, and I think it's workable, but it's nowhere near what I'd hoped. Oh well, it was done, and done and sent before babykins showed up, so it's a mark in the "win" column.



A closeup of the neck. I'd like to see someone else's version and see how they dealt with the opening. Just splitting it (as the pattern indicates) can make a stretched stitch at the bottom.


A total labor of love, this set is in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Jungle Stripe." Made up hat pattern with seed stitch ear covers and borders, and a generous pom pom, plus generic ribbed baby socks.


I live close enough to this crew to see the moms and baby -- when he or she shows up! I can hardly wait. And that's one pleasure that the moms who were done having babies didn't convey strongly enough to me -- how much fun it is to be around other people's babies when you don't want any more.

When I finish the sweater for baby Violet, which is lacking a zipper, I'll post that one too. Three for three before the babies was probably too much to expect.

Running around

After my injury hiatus followed by enthusiastic holiday reading, training starting at the beginning seemed like a good idea. Now I'm at the end of the beginner 5k training, and doing okay. I'm not setting any land speed records, but since the real prize I'm heading for is "middle aged discipline," I'm doing great.

Next, speed work! Sprint until you want to throw up! So. Much. Fun.

Something else that came from discipline (and redoing until it was right)? That's right!! The ribbed sweater is done, done, done.


I got to indulge in Extreme Blocking (which should so seriously be a spectator sport). The teeny tube of ribbing that was this:


Had a date with some water, soap, and pins:


And opened up to fit quite well:


It's an "Action Sweater" (apologies to Mr. Izzard) -- I can run the obstacle course that's the yard:


I like how curvy it looks from the back. All in all, I'm really satisfied.

Finally done

So, four weeks after the baby, the sweater is done and gifted:

Back:


Lazy Daisy detail:

The yarn, Mission Falls Superwash, seemed splitty and a little fussy to work with. That reminds me -- I had better tell the (understandably sleepy) new mom that it can be washed. I hope it still fits -- it seems quite wee when I look at it. I'll start the Christmas knitting now, after the camping trip this weekend when I intend to make great strides on my gray sweater. Inspired by Denise, I'm contemplating bell sleeves. . .

All done and off

The cardigan's finished, as of last night, and it's sitting (damply) on a judging table at the fairgrounds.


I was really unhappy with the arms -- both the sleeves and armscyes just stink. Partly my skills (I kept thinking about all the advice about poor finishing ruining a good knitting job) and partly because the sleeves were too big at the top. Too big for a good fit either on me or into the arm holes.

I may get out the sewing machine after the fair and have a go at it. It's already cut; I don't see that I can ruin it any more. But I'll ask a more experienced finisher for advice first.

It sure is pretty, though.

It's done and so am I

Thing 2 suggested that she needed a new sweater, despite inheriting the stripy hoody from her brother and wearing it. Fortunately I had a bag of Lion Brand big yarn that had been gifted to me at a knit day. I thought it might knit up into something fairly quickly, and it did.

This is an off-the-cuff top down raglan. I wish I'd made it smaller in diameter, but I was measuring the raglan seams off of another sweater. It's sort of a 1960's silhouette, and kind of a shrug. Anyhow, it keeps her warm around the house in the mornings.

And, of course, I have whatever is richocheting around the house. If my throat looked like it felt, I'd have a tennis ball-sized lump under there. Just sick. I know it will pass, but it's not a lot of fun to go through. And weirdly, about half of us have sick eyes -- red, swollen underneath, and goopy. Talk about fun times.

Thing 3 is walking normally, but really sick, Thing 4 is really sick but that isn't stopping her from waking me very early in the morning and crying because she's hungry. I think I like it when the fever makes them sleep all day!

Photographic evidence

Back from camping, and evidence that Cobblestone is done, blocked and used:

Posing on a huge eucalyptus log (site of many campground games)


And in action, with my sister being Running Woman:






The camping trip was great, although my most apparent souvenir is a walloping head cold. Cold or no cold, laundry goes on -- camping trips seem to about quadruple the amount produced. Fortunately it's a lovely day here to hang out lots of wet clothing.

It's good to be home.

Specs: Cobblestone, by Jared Flood
12 balls of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed in color 06
size 7 needles
Mods: went down a needle size on cuffs; added waist decreases

I'd go down an additional 10-15% in the sleeves and perhaps the body as well -- it's definitely a guy's sweater, and she's thin enough that it's a big sweater to wear over other shirts. Good for camping!

Close Enough

It's been cold here lately -- cold for us, that is. And since we don't have anything as quaint as insulation, or tight-fitting windows and doors, or even central heat, it's also cold in our house. Mornings and evenings are about 50f. I'm especially concerned that Thing 4 stay warm as she's close to the floor, small, and while quite verbal -- last night, she said, "More tortellini" rather clearly, probably isn't up to "I'm feeling unusually chilly -- can I have a hat?"

That's one reason she got the first sweater of the year. The fact that she's fairly small has nothing to do with it. (Well, maybe a little.) I haven't purchased buttons yet, but I just got every pesky end woven in and have decided that ignoring my mistakes while vowing to become a much more careful knitter in the future was the way of wisdom, while balling it up in a corner and weeping wasn't. When I realized that I had burned the beans I was cooking because I was overfocused on end-weaving, the corner/weeping option seemed a little more attractive.

Some day I'll work out collars and bands to my satisfaction. Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan Sweater, tweaked to a small size, KnitPicks Merino Style in Honey, Cornflower, Iris, Vanilla, and Asparagus.


I'm having to fight temptation to cast on for an earflap hat that matches -- she might wear it and be warmer -- and remember that I have eleven more beauties to go. I may just do that hat tonight, though, because the yarn for Thing 3's sweater (he's next -- same top-down raglan, but a pullover this time) is outside drying on the line. Maybe it will freeze first, because it's heading back down tonight around 28f. Freezing is drying too, right?


His yarn is also KnitPicks Merino Style, but overdyed with lots of orange KoolAid. I do not like KP's "Crocus" colorway at all. It's pretty nice now, looking something like my very favorite yarn in the world. The red skein was a natural aran-weight I had lying around, just waiting for "Fruit Punch" KoolAid. It will make a sweet hat for Thing 2 (when I'm done with those 11 sweaters, the afghan, and her quilt, that is). Anyhow, winding and dyeing the yarn kept those middle Things happy while the baby napped and so what if dinner burned while I was weaving in ends?

There's always take-out.

Since I'm still luxuriating in the accomplishment of the finished sweater, here's details. I literally have to order Thing 1 to take it off, which makes me even more sad that I was so worried about the amount of yarn I had and needed to make it so slim. She won't hear of me ripping out the bottom to extend it, and so I'm just going to have to plan to make her another sweater later this summer to wear next winter. Hey! it's a good thing that it's so rainy, I guess. She'll have more cool weather to wear this before she outgrows it. That should happen in about a week, given her age and past history.

Folks have mentioned that the other kids can wear it, but I'm not sure Thing 1 will be able to handle that. It might just go into the cedar chest I've commissioned from Eric (heee) for future grandchildren, years and years ahead.

Since typing that has made me woozy, without further ado, here's sweater closeups:

Front shot. Bonus points if you can spot the error that is going to make me rip out a seam and redo it. For those of you who wonder at my sanity, I'm leaving some "cabling on the wrong row" errors on the sleeve saddles and one mis-done seed stitch. So there. I'm not nuts.


The sleeve cap fudging (I made them much shallower than the saddle-shoulder pattern I was referencing suggested) worked well. I started the decreasing, and then just kept laying the sleeve caps (on the needles) up against the fronts and backs until it looked about right. Apparently that kind of "improv within structure" knitting works best for me, since I'm mostly incapable of following instructions.

Here's the back. Nice bit of trash on the floor, no? I swear, I ask them to pick up. . .


And a closeup of the folded collar. This was a new technique for me, and I love the stretchy feel of it. I'm not certain that a purl folding row works in 1x1 rib, but it's what I've got. And no, my fingers are not purple, although it's cold in here. They're. . . finger colored.


And that's that. I have a new design for a hat on the needles, and if it works as well as I hope, I'll post a pattern when I'm done. Meanwhile, I have to re-do the seam on this sweater, deal with sick children AGAIN, and get the house back under control.

The DI team didn't place, so we don't have to stress about not having enough money to travel to the next level. I still think they were marvelous, but some technical difficulties during their performance lowered their scores. C'est la vie, and I don't think they're too traumatized. I'm loving the idea of having our time back from rehearsals!

And, I think that Suzee needs to make up her own non-fiction book meme. Can it count as tagging if I just command her to do it? Consider it done.

Under Duress

Thing 3 is leaping around on my bed, jostling his sister who is trying to use the digital camera to take pictures of her origami whale (displayed on her bedroom door with lots of superflous glue around it. Yippee). All this while I attempt to type and load pictures. It's not always this bad, but this is not an unusually bizarre day.

Despite the pressures under which I work, I managed to turn this:


Into this:



Which finally became this, modeled unblocked by the intended wearer, Thing 2.*



I am quite unhappy with my short rows, despite nona's fabulous tutorial. Clearly I must practice. One of the underarm grafts looks a little bit like the results of enthusiastic but decidedly amateur plastic surgery. I'm going to rely on the inherent cuteness of my kid and the frenetic pace at which she generally moves to disguise the lumpiness.

Or else I'll do a lot of nagging at her to put her arm down, for Pete's sake!

The baby Thing apparently heard my teeth-gnashing and has put in a couple of nights of "consecutive hours in a row" kind of sleep, my spouse is doing laundry in addition to working hard so I have time and money to knit, I've managed to knit an entire repeat of "Dainty Bess" without muffing it up, and things are looking up.

Oh, and the tree is mostly out of the back yard, leaving more room for island excavation. I think the Phillipines are going in next.

*Project specs: Solid yarn is BaaBaaJoe's Woolpak 10 ply #34, Royal Blue, and the kind of flashy/pooly vareigated is Manukau Yarns "Charisma" 8 ply double knit, color 0958. Main part knit on 8s, loosely based on the round yoke sweater from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. I modified randomly as I went, but really, how much can you do to a classsic sweater shape?