Favorite Fall Things

First a HUGE thank you to my knit pal Jo. Jo made El Hatto Negro for her El Husbando and enjoyed it so much that she sent me a set of hand made stitch markers - all the way from Australia. Personally, seeing my patterns knit up and enjoyed is all the thanks that I need, so this was a big bonus:

The best part? They're orange and blue, just like Clementine - so thoughtful.

Now, on to Fall Favorites:

This is in response to Tiffany's Contest for which the prize is the most gorgeous handpainted sock yarn (I originally got this wrong!) I've ever seen. (I never win anything. Please, please knitting gods, let me win this! Though I wouldn't be sad if I got Margene's gauntlets, either!):

1. Favorite Fall Book to Read

Easy. The Lord of the Rings. Give me a huge honking epic, with tales of valour, full of beautiful and strange creatures, so that I can curl up by a fire and read all night. (Well, at least until 10:30 when I fall asleep in my chair.) My upcoming "Lord of the Rings" is Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It's not quite chilly enough here yet!

2. Favorite Fall Stew to Eat

Brunswick stew. This is a southern thing and hearkens back to my upbringing in Virginia. Nothing is so yummy as Brunswick Stew. Surprisingly, none of the recipes in this link are exactly what I'm talking about. I'll have to get my mother's recipe. And yes, it can be made with squirrel. And yes, I have eaten it with squirrel. Tastes like chicken. (You will not find me hunting squirrel in order to make it, however!)

3. Favorite Fall Soup to Eat

Cooking Light's Tomato & Chickpea Soup. It's fast, easy, healthy and yummy:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. water
16 oz. chicken broth
16 oz. can chickpeas drained
16 oz can diced tomotoes undrained
1/2 c. uncooked teeny tiny pasta - riso or smaller
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
(Optional) freshly grated parmesean (a Julia ingredient, not endorsed by cooking light - Julia also uses salt!)

Saute the onions in the olive oil. When they're soft, add in the spices and stir briefly. Add all other ingredients except pasta and parsley and bring to a healthy simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Boil, add in pasta and cook until al dente. Add parsley, stir in and turn off heat. Serve. If you want a little fat, garnish with freshly grated parmesean.

(I made this last night with the intention of photographing it, but it was dark, and I was hungry!)

4. Favorite Healthy Muffin Recipe

I didn't know there was such a thing. A muffin, called by it's real name, is simply a breakfast cake. I'm not a muffin person for the most part, but I did find this wonderful recipe for Butternut Squash Muffins over at 101 Cookbooks, which is just a great site overall. I'm planning on trying them soon, and have no doubt that they'll be my favorite breakfast cake.

5. Favorite Fall Tree

The American Maple. I'm from Virginia where they are rampant and bright red, yellow and orange at this time of year.

6. Favorite Fall Knit

Cabled sweaters, like this one:

You remember the story, right? Fall of 1998.

7. BONUS: Favorite Fall Flowers

Pasadena roses.

How's that for RED, Cara? :0

Thanks for the great contest, Tiffany - I hope the knitting gods will smile down upon me tomorrow!

*** The knitting gods smiled upon me and I won! I won! I won! ****

Classic "Cashmere" Booties Pattern Notes

It has been all baby, all the time at MindofWinter this month. Here's round one:

Boooteeelishous!

Classic Cashmere Booties
Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, by Erica Knight
Knit with about half a skein (123 yards/113 meters/skein) of Rowan Wool Cotton (50% Merino/50%Cotton) in Rich (red) (911) with accents of Ship Shape (blue) (955) on Clover Bamboo DPNs in size US4 (3.5mm), in a gauge of about 6.5 sts per inch in Stst.

Finished Dimensions: Tiny! Size 0-3 months.

The Pattern:
This is a wonderful pattern. It's simple to follow, with good illustrations that help those who might be new to knitting these types of fiddly little projects on DPNs. Although I would not rate it as a beginner pattern, due the shaping and fiddling that you have to do, I think it's a good advanced beginner pattern, and certainly a good bootie pattern. I found it much simpler than the Dainty Booties, also designed by Erica Knight, though I like both booties in their finished form. There is a bootie for every occasion, no?

As an aside, I think Simple Knits for Cherished Babies is a wonderful resource for all your baby needs. Although I cannot yet speak for the editing, as this is the first pattern I've tried, the pieces are beautiful. I'm considering making the Mabel Dress for my new niece who is due in February.

Modifications:
The only modification that I made was the addition of the free-form sewn hearts at the end. I thought they added punch and a homemade look to the booties.

Impressions of Rowan's Wool Cotton:
This is a great yarn, and one that I've had occasion to work with several times recently. It beats the pants off of Debbie Bliss' Wool Cotton (now discontinued, I believe), and rivals my all time favorite Jaeger's Extra Fine Merino DK. I would actually go with the wool cotton over the EFMDK for booties, simply because that cotton content gives it a little more structure. Additionally, and importantly, since we're talking about babies here, wool cotton is machine washable. We all know that those two words are glorious music to the ears of new mothers.

Note:** Esteemed reader Rachel adds that Koigu's KPPM used doubled also works well with this pattern.

Possible substitute yarns:
Either the original cashmere called for in the pattern or Jaeger's Extra Fine Merino DK would be a good substitute. The booties will not "stand up" as much in those yarns because they have more drape, and they will also be more delicate and require hand washing. The trade-off is softness and luxury, though I assure you wool cotton is very soft!

**Added Later: My esteemed reader Rachel adds that Koigu's KPPPM works well for this pattern doubled.

Tips for Making Classic Booties:
The only tip I have it to use a needle size that makes the stitches a bit tighter than you'd normally knit. I think this helps keep the shape and make the booties more durable. This pattern is so well-written that there's no trouble-shooting involved.

We've Hit Toe!

Just a few decreases and we're on to sock #2:

I'm knitting slowly so that everyone has time to give a little.

Where there is a Shirley, there is a Laverne. As in "Laverne & Shirley" or "Sultry & Silly" as I like to call them:

You can guess who is who.

Ode to a bootie

If socks are the short stories of knitting, booties are the poetry:

Possibly even the hiaku.

For those of you who like cats, or simply photography, here's a series that I took of my little foster kitty Shirley last night, which I call "Shirley Sleeps". I love to play around with photography, and though I'm not yet as good as some people, I can take a decent shot.

Shirley's pretty frickin' cute, isn't she?

And a good time was had by all

When I was contemplating the photoshoot for Clementine, I had the wacky idea that I should try something a little Rebecca-esque and fun. So I recruited Marnie and we set out for the beach:

Wir sind deutsche M�dchen! Wir sind so gl�cklich!* We are German girls! We are so happy!

Passen Sie auf! Ich werde Sie erhalten! Watch out! I'm going to get you!

Nein wirklich! Ich bin!! No really! I am!!!

Das Monstermash!!!

M�dchen mit gro�en Kolben machen die schaukelnde Weltdrehung! Fat bottomed girls they make the rocking world go round!

The wonderful thing about LA is that not only are there a gazillion wonderful places to do such a photoshoot, and superb weather to do it in, but in addition, no one pays any attention when you don a wool sweater in 80 degree weather, roll your hair up in donuts and dance maniacally in front of a camera on self-timer. Everyone assumes that you are just another indie film-maker. Fabulous!

We took full advantage of this bizarre anonymity.

We swapped clothes. And boogied down. (Auf Deutsch: Boogied hinunter)

Took action shots. Das hair toss!

Some of us even managed to look pretty.

I got the shot I wanted for my Clementine release.

And then we skipped off into the sunset.

*Translations by FreeTranslation.com. Brilliant idea to mock Rebecca by using kitschy German subtitles by Mary Heather.

So this is why they call it Crack-Silk

I am a woman of strange talents, and one of the talents that I have is the ability to see connections between things that other people might not notice. (Or aguably, connections that may not really be there.)

Today I've been knitting cracksilk haze and pondering the similarlities between knitting lace in a fine-gauge mohair after a long hiatus and, say, mountain biking up a steep trail after a similar lapse.

Kidsilk in the window on a fall morning. Looks benign.

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away in The Time Before Moxie*, I had a boyfriend who was a kick-ass cyclist. We met while I was training for my very first sprint distance triathlon, and to this day I credit my ability to complete that race to this boyfriend, who was surprisingly sweet and patient in the face of myriad newbie triathlon problems, such as how to get one's full-length wetsuit off fast enough to race into the port-a-potty without losing considerable amounts of time and how to pretend to be a competitor while dog-paddling in the swim portion of the race, etc.

This boyfriend ("The Cyclist") raced mountain bikes and road bikes, and it was inevitable, especially given that I was presumably training for a triathlon, that we should start riding together. Soon, one of our favorite places was Kettle Moraine in Wisconsin, where there are some wonderful single-track trails on rolling hills through the woods, with lots of fun trees, rocks and other woodland obstacles to hop over as you race along. During the year that I dated The Cyclist we went out riding almost every weekend, and after a while I became a respectable mountain biker (for a girl), if not a good one.

The thing about mountain biking the very first time, or any time after you've had a bit of a break, is that it is SCARY AS HELL and REALLY SUCKS. For some reason I forget this, and am seduced back by its siren call every once in a while only to remember when I am in the midst of careening down a mountainside at top speed saying to myself:

"FeatherthebreaksFeatherthebreaksFeatherthebreaksForChissake!!!!"

If I can make it past the phase of total and complete fear of death and get back out on the trail a few more weekends in a row (which I also spend careening down a mountainside at top speed saying to myself "FeatherthebreaksFeatherthebreaksFeatherthebreaksForChissake!!!!"), I can actually do alright and get to the point where I am not thinking of my immanent death at every moment and maybe even manage to have some fun.

So, too, kidsilk.

The River, she prefers not to be photographed in bed. It does not suit her.

Just as there is a beautiful Jamis mountian bike in my basement collecting dust, there is a pile of gorgeous mohair in my yarn closet that grows every day without hope of being knit. I am seduced by its gorgeous colors and lovely halo even though I know that if I am honest with myself I will admit that I hate working with it.

And yet. It's there, right? And it's beautiful. So I must. And after at least a year has passed and I have forgotten the last round of trauma, I do. And so the farce that is Julia Knitting Mohair (very similar to the farce that is Julia Mountain Biking) begins.

The black background, it is classic. It better shows what the first repeat of the River, it should look like.

Inevitably, I boff. Boff, for those of you who do not know, is a technical term that describes a very complicated manuever on a mountain bike, which entails falling uphill and is usually the result of a combination of large boulders and tight toe clips (those wonderful contraptions that secure you to your pedals so completely that it can be impossible to free yourself from them as you topple from the highest heights over the roughest terrain. Thou shalt not be seperated from thine bike, even in the falling). The knitting equivalent of the boff is the yarnover or yo! (as in "Yo! you forgot to put me in again!)**

It usually takes a couple weeks of boffing, yo!ing, tinking, frogging, ripping, cursing, knitting? (yes, occasionally there is knitting), boffing, yo!ing, tinking, frogging, ripping, cursing, and knitting (yes! knitting!) before the light appears at the end of the tunnel, and I can begin to think to myself (quietly, in a whisper): I might just be able to do this again.

Then slowly after more weeks of knitting, still tinking here and there with the occasional boff, but mostly knitting, I think to myself (louder this time): Well, damn, I think I am doing this.

And then finally, finally I shout (often in the middle of the night, just to give those crazy f*ckers who call themselves "neighbors" a dose of their own looney):
YeeFrickin'Haw! Wooooooo! Hooooooo! We're riding in the Big Ring boys! We have a Repeat!

And it becomes a little addictive. And I find myself thinking: I AM HAVING FUN. I LOVE THIS. I WILL DO THIS ALL THE TIME. MOHAIR IS GREAT.

The fresh air of the window, it is best.

Until I look down and I notice that the downhill, it is very very steep. I have one repeat. It took me four weeks to make the one repeat. The pattern has twelve.

And that, folks, is why knitting lace is like mountain biking, with the notable exception that lace-knitting, unlike mountain biking, can be performed from the safety of one's bed while having a morning cup of tea, which is why I did not find myself on the single-track today.

*When I was a virgin.

*And, yes, I know you can pick up a yarnover on the purl row that follows it, so please don't give me any great advice on how to fix things on the next row. My problems always occur several rows down!

The Sock Progresses

Slowly but surely....

So keep giving

Clementine's Collar: Take 2

Last week I ripped out Clementine's first collar and settled on a second version, which I think is more in keeping with the rest of the sweater:

I know, a lone collar is not very exciting. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

With Marnie's fabulous ribbed neckline solution in mind, I tried out a couple of different treatments for the "corners" where the raglan decreases run. My first attempt looked like this:

We'll call these the "knit base" decreases

My second attempt looked like this:

We'll call these the "purl base" decreases

I thought I would like the purl-based ones better on paper, but in person I like the knit-based ones. Due to poor planning and a refusal to re-do the collar again, my sweater has both kinds. Knit-based on the back raglan corners and purl-based on the front.

I think of it as a sampler. *smile*

The final version will have purl-based decreases all-around. Neither version looks like Marnie's decreases as I remember them (Marnie's were truly elegant), but both are cute, and I like the final result. I also used the sewn bind-off for 2x2 ribbing found in Vogue: The Ulitmate Knitting Guide again, and I can assure you that once you have done it a few times it really does get easier.

Now you may be thinking to yourself: "Self, Julia finished this sweater almost two weeks ago. She also photographed the collar in natural light, which means she could have done a final photoshoot for us. What gives?"

What gives is that like everyone else out there in blogland I have had the not-so-hidden desire to design, publish, and perhaps even occasionally cover my costs in doing so by selling my patterns on my site. Clementine is my maiden voyage.* As such, I have a special photoshoot scheduled for her this weekend, which I hope that you will all enjoy sometime near the start of next week.

As for the sale of the pattern, I will be offering it on my site for $7, with 50% of the proceeds to go to the Dream Center, a local Los Angeles shelter that has taken in numerous refugees from Hurricane Katrina.

Please DO NOT purchase the pattern simply because you want to give to the cause. I think it's really important that all of the money that we have earmarked for charity at this time go directly to the people who need it, and I want to reiterate my support for the cause of curbing our own spending habits and giving to others here. However, if you are in the market for new patterns and find that this one suits you, know that 50% of your purchase will go directly to a great organization that is helping people in need.

That's all on Clementine for now - she'll see you again next week!

*For those of you who dig the freebies - don't worry. I'll continue to offer those and publish in the free mags as well.

The River........WHY?!?!?

If you're in the River Knit-Along, you may have noticed (and if you're Jodi, you may have mentioned) that my River Stole has been a little camera shy. Here's why:

WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!

I just wasn't loving River on size 10 needles. And honestly, it wasn't loving me. I had gotten to the point you see pictured above twice and ripped out the whole thing due to irritation with sloppiness and mistakes, despite the fact that, as lace goes, it's a pretty easy project. There's just something about the combination of those huge yarnovers and the fine, fuzzy mohair that sends things awry for me. I was not a happy camper.

I really should have known better. Because I only knit with fine mohair about once a year at the most, it is always a struggle for me.* It's inevitable that I will rip back the first couple repeats numerous times before settling into the pattern, and that I will end up tinking here and there along the way when I get cocky and inevitably screw up. I had the same experience with Birch, the last mohair lace I knit, so I should have been a little more mentally prepared going into the battle.

I wasn't, so progress stalled for a few weeks, but then this weekend I went to Michael Levine's in downtown LA with Mary Heather, and I stumbled across a wonderful motivator - Bryspun circular needles. I am a long-time afficionado of Bryspun straight needles, and acquired an entire set the first time we lived in LA while I was working at the Knit Cafe. I recommend these needles for beginners because they have just the right amount of grip (not too much, not too little), are easy on the hands (not too heavy) and are extremely well-priced. Every time I teach a class or help a new friend to knit, these are the needles I pull out. Bryspuns are also my needle of choice for mohair lace. Again, they have just the right amount of grip - not too much, not too little.

Despite my devotion to these needles for two great purposes (and I believe there is a different needle for each purpose, which might explain why I have so darned many), I had never encountered Bryspun circular needles in person. There has been some talk about them in the River Along, so my interest has recently been peaked. When I discovered them at Michael Levine's, I knew that I had to try them. So, in keeping with my thought that the 10's were making this lace look too big and sloppy, I picked up a pair of 8's in 29-inch length.

I have found them to be most lovely:

Ah, that's better.....

And my crack-silk haze seems to be liking them, too.** The addictiveness is starting to kick in as well. I don't know if it is because I went down in needle size or because I have knit this segment to the point that I finally have it memorized, but the tinking and ripping is easing up and I'm finally able to enjoy the lacy confection which is the River Stole in Candy Girl Kidsilk. Oooh, loverly.

The interesting thing that I'm noticing now, is that although the two versions are very different in person, they may not be so evidently different in the pictures above. (Can you guys tell the difference?) In fact, the lace on 10's is much more in the spirit of the original River. And the second time around, I may very well make it on 10's. I think the sloppiness may be what gives it that gossamer appearance that we all love in the photograph. Blocking does a lot for a fine lace piece, and it's probable that the original is brought to life through blocking. For now, I like the tidy neatness of my River on 8's, however, and I am finding it much more manageable to knit.***

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't add in a word about the Bryspun circulars. They're great for this project and I really love them. They're slick and sleek and have a very nice join. The Cracksilk does snag on them, but honestly it's so fine that it will snag on anything - trim your hangnails before use! - so you really can't blame the needles. I'll be picking up more on my next trip downtown.

*Mohair lace and cotton intarsia are the Achilles heels of my knitting. You are unlikely to see much cotton intarsia on this blog, as I have little use for cotton intarsia knits for the most part, but the mohair is in the stash, and it must be knit!

**Although some people may disagree, I think the name crack-silk haze is aptly applied, because at least at the beginning stages, you need to be on crack, or at least really jonesing for a lace hit to knit with the damned stuff. Please refrain from flaming me for this belief. Sometimes *heresy* is true!

***Yes, another footnote! To make up for the loss of width due to the change in needle size, I'm adding a fourth repeat. It's something to consider if you decide to monkey around with the gauge, but want to keep River stolische in appearance.

I think I'll let Marnie Explain....

Give her some time - it's a long story.

Clementine's Collar: Take One

Here is Clementine's first collar, and by saying first I do mean to imply that there will be a second.

Click here to zoom out a little

It's cute enough, but I think the body of the sweater itself is fabulous in all other ways, so cute enough really doesn't cut it for me.

Here are the things I don't like about it:

The ribbing pulls the collar in too much. I bound off early on the body and sleeves to insure that the collar would sit lower on the neck. The ribbing undoes that effect. Blocking might help. Separating the neck join early would probably help. Ripping it out will definitely help - so that's where I'm going!

The ribbing isn't long enough to flow back over the sweater the way I envisioned. I could add more ribbing, but then I think we'd be getting into bulky territory. This sweater is more delicate. If I added ribbing at the collar, I'd have to add it at the hem and sleeves, too. I'll stick with delicate.

See? Not very flowy.

The break in the neck is a little sloppy along the edges. Someone could have done a slip-stitch edging. Someone will next time.

Things I like:

These button holes.

Aren't they cute? To make them I just stopped knitting with the working yarn three stitches from the end. I picked up a new bit of yarn, finished the row, and knit the next three stitches of the next row. I dropped the scrap of yarn, then picked up the working yarn and finished the row. On the next row I re-joined the last three stitches with the working yarn. Very cute, right? Unfortunately, it has to go with the rest of the collar. At least I have a picture.

The very cool sewn bind-off for 2x2 rib that took forever to do. This technique can be found in Vogue: The Ultimate Knitting Guide. It can be very hard to do if you don't sit in utter silence with Vogue: The Ultimate Knitting Guide spread out before you. It can be very hard to do even in utter silence with Vogue: The Ultimate Knitting Guide spread out in front of you. It took me about two hours with Vogue: The Ultimate Knitting Guide spread out in front of me. It will probably take even longer to take out. At least I know that it is worth the effort. It gives a very nice resilient edge that doesn't pull in or flare out. I *heart* sewn bind-offs. (The regular one is much easier than this one, just FYI.)

What's next? I'm thinking a square-ish short ribbed collar. Marnie showed me a very cute one last weekend that I may have to copy shamelessly.

Katrina Aftermath: Two Ways to Help

Margene and Susan have kindly started a running tally for knitters donating to the Red Cross. There will be prizes along the way. Personally, I've decided to donate the socks I wrote about earlier today in the entry below. They're the most beautiful socks I've made to date in a lovely yarn, so I hope that will be some wee incentive to you. Click the button below for details on how to participate.

Additionally, I just got this news on my e-mail system at work. It sounds like a great way to make your money go even further toward the relief effort:

If any of you are considering making a donation to the Red Cross for hurricane relief efforts, you may be interested to know that most of the major airlines are providing air mile bonuses of 500 miles for donations of $50 or more when you fax them your receipt. These air miles can then be donated back to the Red Cross as well (some airlines require a minimum 1000-mile donation), which uses them to provide travel assistance due to medical or personal emergencies that arise during the course of disaster relief. Some airlines offer a choice of organizations to which you can donate.

Even if you can't donate $50, remember that every little bit counts!

Socks are the short stories of knitting

Alternately Titled: Why I Am Not Really A Sock Knitter

The cutest short row heel ever

My knitting life closely parallels my reading life (and, for that matter, the rest of my life, but that's another post). My favorite kind of fiction is epic in scope - a huge honking tome of a book (or even better, series of books) that you can really get lost in. There is nothing that makes me happier than a book that takes a really long time to read and makes me feel empty afterward because I miss the world that it has created. The Lord of the Rings trilogy springs to mind. So does John Hersey's The Wall. (That's why I'm waiting with such anticipation for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell to come out in paperback next month.)

The knitting equivalent of these books is an Alice Starmore sweater, a really complicated lace, or anything a bit clever that I have to work out for myself. These are my absolute favorite knits. And when they're done, even if they turn out wonderfully (so wonderfully that I have to get up in the middle of the night and look to make sure they're really as fabulous as I imagine), I miss them when they're over. Because honestly, after a knit like that, where is there to go?

However, there are large swathes of time, "seasons" as I refer to them, when no matter how much I would like to, I just can't manage a book (or knit) of this scope.

I have, mmmm..... completion issues.

Sound familiar?

At that point I usually have to turn to a short story to get me through. I love short stories, but at heart, I'm a girl who reads novels. The short stories just allow me to keep reading when the little brain is feeling littler, and can only concentrate on small chunks.*

For me, socks have come to serve the same function. They keep me entertained and generally interested in the medium. They are complex and satisfying in a very contained way. I've knit a lot of socks this year. This is my fifth pair. Still, they'll never be novels for me.

Which is why I'm not a sock-knitter.**

Though I do knit socks.

*I just finished Vintage Murakami - it's a wonderful series of short pieces that will launch you right back into novels again. Murakami novels in particular.

**Real sock-knitters are those people like my comments buddy Mary. These stalwart devotees never leave a knit shop without a skein or two of sock yarn, continually have multiple socks on the needles in various states of completion, and can happily knit socks for years without so much as a glance at a sweater. This, despite the fact that many of the intricate stockings they produce contain as many stitches as an afghan. Now that's a sock-knitter!