What we did for Thanksgiving

I'm capturing the hat here for posterity before I rip it all out and start again...

Big-Headed Man Hat: Part I
I have been knitting a lot this year, which necessarily means that Moxie's time of full, undivided attention is encroached upon. Naturally, this does not go unnoticed by him. This fall he has hinted (not too subtly) that it might be time for me to design and knit something for him again, and that the thing I might design and knit for him is a very plain black hat. So I did. (Knitting time and Moxie time all in one - who can beat that?) And the lovely cap you see pictured above is just that. In knitting this hat, I took care to write down the details so that I could offer a little freebie to you,* and did all my normal goofy hat things, like taking the obligatory cell phone pics of Moxie at the point where I switched to DPNs:

Moxie: "Happy Because My New Hat is Almost Finished" and "Concentrating, Because One Can Only Pose With DPNs On One's Head for So Long."

Unfortunately, the yarn that I used, Karabella Aurora 8, has absolutely unreal stitch definition, so despite the fact that it is 100% warm cozy merino it doesn't have the fuzziness needed to fill in the holes between the stitches of the hat and keep the brisk winter air out. DC had some chilly, windy weather on Friday (practically Chicago-esque to those of us who have been living in the southwestern desert for the last few years) and we got to do a full wind test. To my irritation and embarassment (I take great pride in these things), the hat did not pass muster.

So back to the drawing board. Originally, I went with a k1 p1 rib on needles 2 sizes smaller than recommended. This time I am going with a slip stitch pattern that creates an incredibly dense, cloudlike fabric while appearing to be k1 p1 rib. I'm going 3 sizes down in needles. I've already knit a swatch and washed it, hoping that it would bloom magnificently and fill in the gaps. It blooms a little, but nothing spectactular. (I suppose I could attempt some light "felting" by hand, but I'm not that interested!) The stitch pattern appears to be a possible solution, however, so I'm going to give it a try. I am (stubbornly) not changing yarns.**

The Turkey:
I only wish that I had a picture of the beautiful bird that I cooked using this recipe. All I have to say is that I have made many a good turkey in my time, but I will never, ever make one without brining it first again. Had I known the joys of the brine earlier, I would have taken a completely different view of turkey season. I did not even really like turkey prior to this. Alton Brown has transformed a somewhat dry, obligatory meal into manna from heaven. Believe me. You must make it for Christmas. I may make it every month.

The Festivities:
Moxie and I have a very basic (read: cheap!) idea of what "entertainment" means. In California we would hike with our dogs in Griffith Park on Saturday mornings and go to Santa Monica Beach to run and hit the market on Sunday mornings. With these bouts of morning exercise under our belts, we would feel free to spend the rest of the weekend cooking, watching football and movies and knitting, and generally being slothful. Naturally, we have found places to continue these traditions in our new abode, and I figured I'd share in case any of you will be in the DC area and desire to spend some time in nature. I grew up about an hour and a half away from this city and somehow failed to notice that it has a huge, accessible, beautiful swath of park right in it's midst. For your viewing pleasure, pictures of us hanging out in Rock Creek:

Caia, frollicking in the leaves. Not bad for a twelve year old pup...
Click the pic to zoom out.

More Pics of Us Blocking the Scenery:

A Gentle Reminder: Copyright and Hotlinking

VERY IMPORTANT ADDENDUM!
Regarding what I wrote about pattern notes and copyright. Pattern notes, in general, are something that any and everyone should feel free to post on their sites. I would love to be able to google a pattern and find out the knitty gritty on it before I start making it, and the more of us who do this, the better, in my opinion. What I meant by that, and apparently did not state well, is that you shouldn't take an exact format for somthing from anyone's site, particularly if it is obviously individualized rather than generic. With something like pattern notes, a lot of elements would have to be identical before a post could be identified as a copyright violation, so it's not the best example - it's just what came to mind. I hope that clears things up - I really didn't intend to come across as the pattern notes Nazi!

HERE'S THE ORIGINAL POST:
I have had a couple of incidents lately that have reminded me that it is important to share information on both of these topics so that the newer bloggers out there are aware of these violations and don't accidentally commit them. Most of these incidents are not really a big deal. Someone innocently links (hotlinks, that is) to a button directly from my page when they join a knit-along and doesn't realize that they are stealing bandwidth. When I realize it has happened, I send a nice little note explaining what has occurred and instructing them to download the button to their own server. The nice new blogger does this, writes a sweet, apologetic note, and that's the end of the story. While it can be annoying to have to try to track down hotlinks like this, it's a common newbie mistake, and it doesn't really bother me.

What does get my goat is a good copyright violation. My main page clearly states that all text and photographs are copywritten and may not be taken from this site without express permission from me. Additionally, many of my pictures have either my or Moxie's initials and the copyright symbol stamped directly on them. Likewise with my original patterns. I don't think you can get less subtle than that. That said, even in the case of a fairly serious copyright violation, my first assumption is that the person is somehow, miraculously (and not in the good sense) unaware that what they are doing is wrong. I nicely explain and expect the situation to be remedied - immediately. If it is, no problem, no grudge. If it isn't? Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that.

At this point I have several small hotlinking violations occuring and one big whopping copyright/hotlinking violation going on. Since there is not enough time in the day to write each and every individual a nice personal note explaining these violations, this is my letter to everyone. I am very sincere in the sentiment that I forgive and forget completely when these matters are properly taken care of. In fact, one of my very very favorite bloggers originally hotlinked to me, and she's still on my bloglines shortlist. If you just didn't know better, it won't be a problem.

COPYRIGHT
Being a lawyer, I should probably work up a super-duper airtight all-encompassing definition for you, but again, there is the time factor. Instead, I will tell you what it means for me (and probably a lot of other people):

1. Don't put my patterns on your site, link to them instead using the permalink.* (This goes for free patterns on Knitty and MagKnits as well - they are copywritten and for personal use only.)

2. Don't put my photos (or Moxie's!) on your site, link to the entry instead using the permalink.*

3. Don't put my text on your site, link to the entry instead using the permalink.*

4. If you revise one of my patterns and want to make it available to others, don't re-print my instructions with your revisions. I write about my pattern revisions all the time, but I don't describe the original patterns in such a way that you could duplicate them without buying the originals. This is in respect of copyright. Please do the same. If you write me to ask beforehand, I will probably say yes. I may even put you in a gallery.

5. Don't use my patterns in a knitting class without permission (you'll need to talk to me and the publisher). I always grant permission for this, and so far my publishers have, too, but it is crucial to ask!

6. Don't use my formats for entries (like pattern notes) as if they were your own. Be original! Think of something else!

With all of the above, and anything else, you can always e-mail me if you have questions. (A link to my e-mail is on the sidebar.) I am always happy to accomodate people who have an interest in my stuff. I'm just opposed to theft. *Smile.*

HOTLINKING

This is a tougher issue to spot as wrong, and therefore a more common violation among new bloggers. Hotlinking is taking an image like a knit-along button directly from another person's site. You know you are hotlinking to me if your sourcecode shows my address in the button's code rather than yours. As I understand it, every time that someone views your site, the image has to be pulled up from my site, utilizing my bandwidth rather than yours. This costs me money, and I end up helping to pay for your site. Not really fair, is it?

To avoid hotlinking: When you want to put an image, such as a button, on your site, place your mouse over it and right-click. Choose "download image to disk" and save it on your hard drive. To use the button, upload it to your server, just as you would with your own images. Voila! You are no longer hotlinking or using my bandwidth.

To avoid hotlinkers: change the names of images (such as buttons) regularly. A change in the name of the button breaks the link from your site to theirs and stops the link and the bandwidth theft. I just changed my Anouk and Charlotte button names, so if they show as broken on your site, you were inadvertently hotlinking. To re-establish the link, follow my instructions above. No hard feelings, I promise!

That concludes my letter/public service announcement. Hopefully, this will take care of all my current violations. More likely, I will have to write a personal note or two. Here's hoping!

*There is an important difference between buttons, which I encourage you to take from my site, and other images and text. With a button for a site or a knit-along, it is expected that you will download the material to your server. For other text and images, it is proper to link to the entire entry through the permalink so that readers get the context and know who is responsible for the text or photo. Many blogs have the word "permalink" following each blog entry. You can simply click on the link to get the http address to link to. Other blogs, like mine, have the permalink where the entry is time stamped at the bottom. Click on the time for the permalink.

Knitting Recipe

Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with cooking or Thanksgiving, but it will make your knitting experience with certain circulars a lot more fun. Given the choice, I will always turn to my Addi Turbos first. They have a smooth join and they never get kinked. However, occasionally I need to use bamboo instead or I find myself without the appropriate length Addi. We all know that those other needles kink in a really annoying manner. Simmering your needles will solve the problem. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer (in this case, simmer means that little bubles have collected around the edges - there is no popping of the bubbles involved.) Turn off the heat and toss in your needles. Wait two to three minutes and then put on a pair of kitchen mitts and fish your needles out with some tongs. With your mitts on (the needles will be hot), stretch the needles out straight. Allow to rest and cool for a few minutes and then use. Voila! No kinks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Knit Cafe Baby Binky

I've gotten a lot of finishing done this past week. Well, a lot for my new, slower-paced knitting life. I have finished the knitting portion of my Knit Cafe Baby Binky, and am now considering putting some sort of fabric backing on it. More on that below, but if any of the sewers out there have suggestions, I'll be happy to take them in the comments. (Ecstatic, in fact!) I also ripped out the collar on my Rowan Peace Cardigan for the third time and re-knit it to my satisfaction. It's now pretty and perky, rather than looking like a floppy mess. I achieved this superior look by 1) knitting the first row of picked-up stitches rather than doing it in seed stitch; 2) reducing the number of picked up stitches by six; 3) knitting really tightly; and 4) casting off in stockinette rather than seed stitch. I also considered using a sewn bind-off, but it didn't turn out to be necessary. Enough on that, though. Here's my finished Binky, with project notes:

If only you could feel how soft it is... Click for a close-up or a super close-up

Knit Cafe, Free Pattern,
designed by The Collaborative Process of Many Fabulous Knitters
Knit with 4 skeins (88 yards/skein) of GGH Esprit (100% Nylon), one skein each in Pomegranate (02), Merlot (19), Grape (21) or Purple (23) (can't remember which - I'll correct this later!), and Navy(12) on Addi Turbo brass-plated circulars in size US 8 (5.0 mm), length 24", at a guage of roughly 3.75 sts per inch.
Finished dimensions: 19"x23.5"

Pattern Notes:
This pattern evolved through watching many an advanced beginner at the Knit Cafe progress from basic cotton yarns to something fun (and slightly more challenging) in the novelty section. Several of our Thursday night knitters made baby blankets from Esprit, because it is so soft and cuddly, and some of them even made blankets with stripes, which I thought was particularly lovely, since Esprit comes in so many beautiful compatible colors. Even store owner Suzan got caught up in the craze and knit up a beautiful, massive version for her new house. I only wish I had a picture to show you. At some point I ran out of store yarn to play around with (shocking, yes?) and decided to give in and buy some Esprit. My little cousin was expecting her first baby and I thought it would be a nice, quick gift project.

My version was different from the others that I had seen in that it involved a series of randomly striped panels that were sewn together after the fact. My goal was to create a binky that had the flavor of a quilt, only soft, squooshy, and knitted. I could have achieved the same effect by doing the binky all in one piece and using the intarsia method, but that would have involved a lot of tangling and untangling. (It also would have involved intarsia!) Additionally, I think it would have had the effect of making things less random, and more planned, which I wanted to avoid. I have a wonderful friend who is an amazing quilter, and if there is anything she has imparted to me (besides my rather meager sewing skills), it is that in this type of project, randomness is key.

With that in mind, here is the pattern: Cast on 15 stitches and knit random stripes until the piece reaches a length of 24". Repeat once. Cast on 20 stitches and do the same. Repeat once. Stitch the four pieces together with the two narrower pieces on the outside edge and the two larger pieces in the center. Choose one of the yarns and make a single crochet edge to finish.

Like Kay, I am a die-hard matress-stitcher. I considered doing an edge-to-edge seam so that the binky wouldn't have pronounced seams, but decided that with this incredibly fuzzy yarn, that was just too much of a hassle. (I'm not a whip-stitcher by nature, but it's possible I will have to adjust - please feel free to tell me if you think I need to!) As a result, I ended up with this on the reverse side. Not the worst situation I've ever seen, but not gorgeous, either. When I went to the fabric store, I found a lovely cotton flannel that went well with the blanket to back it with, but when I got to the sales person I learned that it would not stretch and would consequently make the blanket (which does stretch) look misshapen. I'm no expert in this area, but that makes sense to me, and when a veteran seamstress speaks, I listen. She suggested stretch velvet. I'm not against this in concept, but in practice I'm not sure if I'm ready to make the velvet leap. It may be a little too loungey for me. Opinions? Suggestions? Anyone think stretch velvet is wave of the future?

Simple and random as it is, backing or not, I really like the way this pattern turned out. Shockingly, Moxie does, too. (This is the man who said of Birch, "I don't understand the holes." Yes, that's right. And it was my wedding shawl. Miraculously, we are still married.) He wants me to consider making a really big version for our bed. (This is no small task - our bed is custom-sized and technically larger than a California King. Still, I'm considering it. I have some great ideas for further funkifying this pattern, and any interest in my knitting on his part is more than an impetus for action.)

Impressions of GGH Esprit:
Esprit would be on my Desert Island list if someone else would knit it up for me! The effect is great, I just don't like the hand. It's basically a thread, surrounded by lots of fluff, and when you knit you continually feel the thread. In my book, it's like working with fine mohair. The effect is amazing, but it's not my favorite process. This is the reason that it's taken me nearly eight months to finish the blanket. (Luckily, although I'm late for the baby's birth, I'm still early for Christmas!) I think many people out there will like this yarn, regardless of the hand, and honestly, if I've got a cool enough project to work on, it's well worth using.

Possible substitute yarns:
Berroco Plush and Trendsetter Blossom are possible substitutes for this yarn. The Plush comes in pastels and variegateds, and the Blossom has funky flecks that look like feathers scattered throughout it. The Esprit is my favorite because it's the most plush and has the best color palette (well, in my opinion), but I also have some Plush (which comes in a very pale almost white pink) in my stash for baby projects and the feather-thing that Blossom has going on can be fun. If you're dying to try the Esprit and can't find it at your LYS, give the Knit Cafe a holler. It's a staple yarn there, and they will soon (if not already) be moving into the mail order business.

Tips for Others Making the Knit Cafe Baby Binky:
Esprit is a fluffy yarn. If you're new to knitting it's easy to lose stitches, so graduate to it only when you're ready, and be prepared to exercise some patience!

Maniacal Harlot Poncho

Modeled on "Long Island" in Lake George with my beloved girl Caia

Maniacal Harlot Poncho, Yarn Harlot Free Pattern,
designed by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
Knit with 7 skeins (120 yards/skein) of Berroco Suede (100% Nylon) in Zorro! (Black - 3729) on Clover bamboo circulars in size US 10 (6.0 mm), 24" and 32" and Addi Turbo brass-plated circulars in size US8 (5.0 mm), 16", at a guage of 4 sts per inch.

Pattern Notes:
This fun little knit is available for free on the Yarn Harlot's site. If you haven't come across it yet, you must live under a rock! Nonetheless, here's the link.

My poncho is a little different from the original - different yarn, different guage, and slightly different neckline. If you want to do the poncho in Suede, or another yarn that gets the same guage, cast on 100 stitches and follow the Harlot's pattern for 92 rows. For the neckline, I simply picked up and knit 100 stitches on needles two sizes smaller than those used for the body and used paired decreases with a knit stitch in between them at the front and back V's. Voila! This would have been a very simple and quick project if I hadn't taken a little detour. I had fun anyway. I was on vacation and had plenty of time to experiment. But for this detour, I was going to dub it the traveling harlot poncho - it was knit in 8 states - California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, New York and Vermont. I'm pretty sure that's a record for me. I've crossed the country five times, but I've always driven, so it takes effort to wrack up the knitting states. On this trip, I made use of lunch breaks. In the end, the poncho became maniacal, despite the traveling, for obvious reasons.

The Harlot Poncho is a great pattern. Easy, fun, flowing. Maniacal is optional. I wear the poncho a lot. In Suede, it's more of a fall/spring piece than a winter one, but the slinkiness of the suede transcends the season. On hot days in Lake George (hard to believe those were 6 weeks ago), I wore it as a cover-up on the boat, and I'm guessing if I put a hardy enough sweater on under it, I can take it into most of the winter. It models particuarly well in an enchanted forest on a magical lake island. It's also an excellent housecoat. Not, perhaps, the most attractive thing in the world - sweats, bunny slippers, hair in a bun, glasses, and poncho - but ooooh! comfy! My own traveling fort. Who says I can't camp in my living room?

Impressions of Berroco Suede:
Love it! (I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately. Do I choose well or do I just frog it if the yarn isn't smokin'?) If my desert island needs a nylon yarn, this is it. Springy, squooshy, fun to use. If you are looking for a soft yarn with loft and stretchiness, look no further. Light and luscious describes Suede perfectly. To get a very suedey effect, one of the other heathery colors is a better bet, but I liked the black just fine. That's the other great thing about this yarn. The colors have wonderful names. Black is Zorro! Blue is Wrangler! Green is Maverick! Get me my boots!

Possible substitute yarns:
GGH makes a suede called "Velour". 100% nylon, also. The yardage is substantially less (around 60 yards, I think) and the yarn isn't as squooshy. It should work just fine as a substitute, but for most things I'd prefer the Berroco. (I say this despite never having worked with the Velour, it's merely a gut reaction.) Try the Velour if you want a finer knit.

Tips for Others Making the Harlot Poncho:
There's not too much to say in the way of tips as this should be a pretty fool-proof pattern. (It is not maniac proof!) Check out Stephanie's extra help post if you're confused by the yarnovers. Avoid seams, steeks and inserts at all costs! Have fun.

More cool photos...

On the boat...

In the forest with the Pup and the Kiddo...(the sister-in-law's kiddo)

What's in a Link?

As you may have noticed, I recently took on the gargantuan task (okay, I'm exaggerating, but it was a pain) of updating my links and *gasp!* alphabetizing them. (I still have to do the Pretty Posies section, but that will just have to wait.)

Updating my links is something I avoid like the plague. In part, this is because it's a little fiddly and takes some effort, but mostly because I am concerned about what my links may mean to you.

I have always admired bloggers who have very short lists of links that are connected exclusively to sites that they read regularly and wholeheartedly endorse. I find these links interesting because they give me a little more insight into the blogger who's linking - their likes and dislikes and what they think is really worth reading. It's kind of like knowing who your favorite songwriter's influences were, and it's an extra glimpse into each blogger's personality. It's also enticingly tidy, which really appeals to me. I am happiest when I am organized, so I think of myself as an organized person. In reality, I am a semi-organized person who occasionally goes berserk and gets really organized, in between long bouts of semi-slovenliness. (Case in point - I've been blogging for nine months now and just set up my comments to go to my site e-mail. Pretty stinking lazy.) These two aspects of the short list really appeal to me, and I've considered cutting my list down to just the twenty or so blogs that I read weekly. There are two problems with this. One, is that I like to have the long list for those days that I want to check in on everyone to see what 's up. Two, is that I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by dropping their name from the list.

When I was a new blogger I would regularly check the blogs I read to see if someone had linked to me. I was always so excited when they did. Since then, I've realized that most people don't update their links regularly (I think this was my second big update in nine months), and that most of us read more blogs than we link to. I could no longer tell you who links to me and who doesn't. I don't pay attention because I realize that it doesn't matter. There will be people who link to me who don't read my blog regularly, and people who haven't added me to their links that read my every post. Still, I remember what it was like to care, so I will never cut anyone from my list due to a temporary lack of interest on my part.

So, what's in a link? Mine now have two purposes. The first is to have a fairly good representation of the knitting blogs that I read, or have read at one time, for myself, so that when I'm not exclusively using bloglines (which is where I keep my short list), I can have a full array of blogs to check out. Except for a few staples, I rotate what I read every few months, so it's nice to have a reminder of what my choices for the next rotation will be.

The second serves as a resource to you. When I first discovered knitblogs about a year ago, I found most of them through links rather than surfing the ring. (I'm not sure why - maybe because I thought of links as recommendations.) My favorite link lists were the really long ones - so much possibility!

In both capacities, my ultimate goal is to have as long a list as I have the tolerance to create. (I know it's still pretty short, but I have a low threshold for such endeavors - I could be knitting!) To achieve this, I follow a very random method. When I have a lot of time on my hands, I think of as many knitblogs as I can and I link to them. Inevitably, as soon as I'm done I remember at least five blogs that I've failed to link to. I feel crappy that I've forgotten those people, but there are usually enough of them that I'm deterred from adding more. Generally, if someone is in my knit-alongs I don't bother to add them to my links list, because honestly, I think that's overkill - they're on the page, you can find them. (Though one of my favorite things about knit-alongs is the exposure I get to new bloggers. I'm lazy and end up going to the same sites over and over. Knit-alongs force me to go to new places, and that is kind of fun.) Occasionally, if someone has sent me several nice comments or designed or written about something really neat, I will be driven to add a single link, but that's pretty rare. For the most part, it's a slow process for me. Eventually, I will have a very long list, which I will probably keep on another page. Until that day, if you visit me and don't see your name, please do not take it personally. It doesn't mean that I don't read you. I'm just very slow. *smile.*

Anyhoo...that's what's in a link for me. What's in it for you? Any thoughts on link etiquette?

What Do You Wear?

I took Audrey for a stroll a few weeks ago for the first time (other than the LA photoshoot, which doesn't really count), and found to my surprise that I love the sweater and that it has a pretty darn good temperature range. I've ended up wearing Audrey at least three times in the past couple of weeks. Here's Audrey in my "backyard" on that first lovely fall day:

Liking Audrey so much was a surprise simply because the sweater just isn't my natural style. I'm kind of a no fuss, big weekend cable sweater girl - not really suited to lace. I got sucked into the vortex of the Audrey-Along almost against my will. I just couldn't resist those beautiful sweaters that everyone was making, plus the fun of doing the collar was enticing. Audrey was also a terribly fun knit. I used one of my favorite yarns - Jaeger Extrafine Merino DK - and it just felt good. I am pleasantly surprised out how much I've enjoyed wearing the sweater over the past few weeks (I think it has something to do with the merino, though I hear calmer is nice...*wink*).

Which brings me to my topic du jour. What do you wear? As the year is coming to a close I'm looking at the things I've made and doing a mental evaluation of what worked out, what I love and wear a lot, what should be frogged, etc. Since it's pretty easy to make knitted garments look lovely for a single photoshoot, it's really hard to tell if an FO is one that will be worn or shelved. Plus, we write about things at the time that we finish, but we don't always go back after a few months and say "This was a great pattern - I wear it all the time!" or "I enjoyed making this and thought it would work, but I really don't use it, because..." Time is the true test. I'd love to know what people think of their projects after the fact, so if you have things you really like, or things that would have worked better if you had done one little thing differently (this might be even more enlightening), please share! I'd love to see the comments full of thoughts and links to pictures from you.

Here's my short list. (I'll do a more extensive "year in review" sometime in January.) My great loves of the year (for my own personal use - no baby things or gifts included) are Audrey, my second version of Honeymoon (and yes I will publish the pattern for you guys, I promise!), the Chevron Tank (though it could be just a little smaller), the Maniacal Harlot Poncho, and Birch. (I'll give you the full reasoning behind these picks in January).

What about you?

Works in Progress

The past month has been my slowest knitting month this year, yet I am strangely content. Rather than starting new projects, I have been slowly plowing away at the things I've already started and crossing finished knits off my list one by one. Instead of maniacally racing to the finish on each FO (as is my normal MO), I've been taking my time and really scrutinizing all the details. I've been ripping back when things aren't perfect and adding little touches that I might not otherwise have bothered with. When I'm sick of what I'm working on, I put it away and pick up something else. Some nights, I don't even knit. *Gasp!*

Here are the two projects that have been the objects of most of my attention recently:

The Knit Cafe Baby Binky and my Rowan Cotton Glace Peace Cardigan.

Click on the pics to zoom out.

I started the binky last spring while I was working at the Knit Cafe. We had gotten in some beautiful colors of GGH Esprit, and despite the fact that there is not a bit of natural fiber in the stuff, I had covetted it for a while, so I finally gave in and bought some. Almost everyone in the store was making a binky from Esprit, so I decided to hop on the bandwagon, with a little twist - I'd make mine out of several strips of randomly striped fabric that I would then sew together - kind of like a quilt. The fiber is very soft and the colors are beautiful, but I don't find Esprit to be particularly fun to work with, so I've dragged my feet on this project. There is also the matter of all the ends that have to be woven in.

So far, I have completed three of the four panels and I've woven in the corresponding ends. Now I just have to do the fourth panel, sew in those ends, sew the binky up and put some sort of border on it. If I were driven, I could easily do it in two evenings. If I were maniacal, I could finish tonight. Most likely, you'll see it finished sometime later this month.

The Peace Cardigan (aptly named), was my Presidential debate knitting in Lake George. I started it the morning of the first debate and was on schedule to finish it by the last debate, but for lack of yarn. That was maniacal vacation knitting as I have never before experienced it. We're talking cotton glace stockinette on US2's and 3's. Mind-numbing miles of plain stitching broken only by the occasional (blessed) dart-shaping. I probably would never have finished it if we hadn't been at the lake house, so it was the perfect project for the time. Even running out of yarn didn't really slow me down. I posted a plea for help which was generously answered, and had the needed cotton glace delivered to my doorstep within a week. (Blogland can be blindingly impressive at times.) Despite the impressive start, I've truly puttered around with the finishing on this one, and am still mucking about with it to date.

The remaining issues include the collar, which despite being knit twice is still not cooperating and continues to flare out in an annoying manner. The first time I knit to specs, as Ms. Hargreaves generally knows best. The second time, I cast off in stockinette rather than in seed stitch pattern, as I find this tightens things up. It helped, but not enough. I'm going to give it a go again, this time reducing the number of stitches by four. (Don't ask how I arrived at this number - there's very little hard science involved!). I'm confident that it will work, but if it doesn't I may start to lose my happy-go-lucky attitude about the finishing process.

There's also the left shoulder seam, which just looks wonky when I wear it. I find this particular issue to be extremely odd, since the left side is set in correctly and looks like crap, while the right side, which was slightly off, is nicely seated. Who would have guessed? I don't think there's any grand seaming wisdom to be gained here (though please speak up if you find anything). Rather, it appears to be a quirk of the sweater, or perhaps the knitter. Anyway, I'm going to take the seam apart and incorrectly re-seat and re-seam it. It's going to be a little bit of a pain, because in order to access the shoulder seam properly, I feel that I need to rip both the side and sleeve seams out, too. I've played around with the idea of just taking out the shoulder seam, and I may do that, but my inner voice has been saying that if I want it done right all the seams on that side have to go. (Sometimes I hate that inner voice!) Has anyone out there re-seated the sleeve while leaving the sleeve and side seams intact? In the spirit of the intrepid ponchoista I just may try. I'll let you know how it goes.

My final issue on the cardigan is that I've decided that in order to look truly finished it may require grossgrain ribbon on the underside of the plackets. This would mask the area where the tabs and buttons were sewn on and make for a crisper cardi. (Isn't the button band cute? I'd like it to stay that way!) No doubt this final feature will greatly delay the finish of the cardigan, as it will require that I find the appropriate ribbon and that I sew it in, which will probably involve a sewing machine. (I don't own one, but I do have a friend in the area who does.) This will also be my first ribbon experience and my first sewing machine meets knitted garment experience. (Which is why I have to do it - the mountain is there - it must be climbed!) Luckily, I have no doubt that somewhere among her tutorials the lovely Bonne Marie, Mistress of Details, will have some bit of wisdom to guide my way.

Stay tuned!

Your Own Traveling Fort

Ruminations on the Poncho

I think there's a rule somewhere that if you have a knitting blog there will inevitably come a day when you have to weigh in on the poncho. There is a sharp line dividing poncho-knitters from non-poncho knitters and eventually you have to declare what side of that line you are on.

Recently, one of my favorite local knitter/bloggers posted a link to this article on the poncho. I'm not sure if it's yesterday's news by now, but if you haven't read it, you should. It's a very funny commentary on the rise of the poncho and the downsides that have accompanied it. There are a lot of very witty phrases in the article including a description of the poncho as "your own traveling fort". Hence the name of this post. Unlike the author of the article, I like the idea of having my own traveling fort and of appearing to be an "impenetrable edifice". But perhaps that's just me? Anyway, it's great writing and an entertaining little read on the fashion scene.

Back to the controversy. I have a theory about why everyone is either blindly poncho-crazy or so full of hatred for the traveling fort that they feel they must spew forth with great venom. Now, a poncho is just a poncho. You can wear one or not, make one or not, but in the end it doesn't really matter because all of us will have forgotten about this current fashion trend completely in a few years and will remember it only when it rears its ugly?/fashionable? head again in 2025. What everyone is up in arms about is what the poncho symbolizes. The poncho is the close cousin of the scarf (even worse, the fuzzy *gasp* scarf!) and therefore signifies the dumbing down of knitting and the eventual devolution and death of our craft.

I gotta tell ya, folks, I know this is what you're thinking and I'm here to tell you it just ain't so. This trend brings a new type of knitter to the craft and expands what it means to be a knitter. The poncho is a traveling fort, not a black hole!

It's not that I haven't been caught up in the poncho dilemna myself. As someone who has worked in a yarn store, I have to be honest and say that I do get much more excited when one of our fledgling knitters embarks on a sweater (or anything with shaping) rather than her fifth scarf or poncho. I think that this is mostly a selfish impulse, however. I love trying out new techniques in knitting and playing around with alternate methods and construction, so each new knitter that forays into the world of shaping is a potential fellow traveler - someone to whom I can impart some added expertise and from whom I may soon learn new things. It's as if by moving into the world of shaped garments that person is beginning the initiation into another level of knitting - one where I will do more sharing than teaching. In my heart of hearts, my softest spot is for this type of knitter.

Because I have such a strong feeling for the knitter who seeks out the more complex designs, it took me a while to come around and see the strengths of her unsung sister, the poncho knitter. This knitter is unfamiliar to most of us old school "process" types and we often underestimate her abilities because she stays with unshaped garments. If you look closely, though, she has a lot to offer.

All knitters have preferences. Natural fibers vs. easily washable synthetics, cables vs. fair isle, and in this case advanced technique vs. clean shape and excellent color composition. (I generally fall into the first of those three categories, but I'm learning to cross the divide.) The poncho knitters of the world bring to the process knitters of the world two things that we sorely lack - simplicity and harmonious composition.

Now I know that you won't find this in every poncho or scarf out there. Most people start with these projects, so the majority of the scarves and ponchos are made by those who are just plain new to the craft. They may be disharmonious and full of holes (so were your first projects - give them some slack!). But, observing those who persist in making unshaped garments I have noticed that they often have an eye for color, fabric, and texture combinations that far surpases my own. These are people who see the bigger picture and have less interest in the details (decrease? what decrease?), and there's room for them at the knitting table, too.

The other strength they have is the power of simplicity. One of my favorite designers, Erica Knight, uses almost mind-numbing simplicity to great advantage in her work. I think if we're open to it, process knitters have a great deal to learn from the ponchoistas of the world. Although it's great to know all of these fancy techniques it's not always preferable to use them in the same garment. (How many combination aran-fair isle ensembles have you seen that you really liked, rather than merely found *interesting*?) Sometimes simpler, is quite simply, better. (See my post below if you want to hear how I was recently reminded of this the hard way.) I think that the ability to see the big picture - clean lines, good balance - is just as important as having a load of techniques at your fingertips, and it's a skill I'm still struggling to hone.

Oh, yeah! And one more thing. The ponchoistas have brought us one final bit of bounty that we should be thankful for: a little dose of fun. So, lighten up and enjoy the knit, be it simple or complex. You know where I stand on this: I'll be off knitting entrelac breeches in my own traveling fort.