Salve Bellas! Photos from Italia

Clockwise from top left: Us on the terrace in Vernazza; Horse by the Spanish Steps with a crocheted head dress; M basking in the sun in Vernazza harbor; Vernazza from above; Me & Mishka at Trevi Fountain; Me in Venice; the Colosseum; Us in the Bardini Gardens of Florence; M at Trevi Fountain; Florence's Duomo; My baby belly at Trasimeno lake in Umbria; Vernazza Harbor; Stoic Cats in the Bardini Gardens.
Most photos are clickable, but the ones of Moxie aren't.

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We're back! Both tired and happy. It was a wonderful romantic trip and a great way to steal some time for ourselves before the little bundle of joy hijacks our lives. Many knits were worn, and some were photographed. The little snippet of pink in the first photo is the River Stole, Mishka made it to the Trevi Fountain and Rome, the Daktari Skirt strolled through Florence, and several sweaters kept me warm in chilly Venice.

I had originally hoped to finish the Bubble Pullover prior to our trip, thinking that at least Venice would be sweater-worthy. When that didn't happen, I realized knitting memories are created on trips even more than before, and that I would probably enjoy making the Bubble Pullover in Italy more than I would enjoy rushing through it to wear it there. I'm still not quite done. I have about five and a half inches of collar left to knit, two sleeves to seam together and buttons to sew on. I'm going to savor the process and finish when I do. I won't be able to actually wear this big alpaca sweater until late fall, regardless. It has been a lovely journey as well - my first Norah Gaughan pattern after years of admiring her work. And the Misty Alpaca yarn is heaven. I'll try to get some decent progress shots so that you can enjoy it, too.

The Bubble Pullover may well be the only knit just for me this year (gasp!). I have several projects for publication that I'm working on this summer and I'm going to sneak in some baby knits where I can before D-day. I have a feeling that the end of the year will get swallowed up by a screaming, pooping, boob-wrecking baby who has already stolen my heart.

Belly Shots Anyone?

Not exactly like your college days, huh?* I'm guessing there will be many a perverted googler seriously disappointed by these shots, but I'm finally showing, so I just have to show you:

Can you see it?

How about now?

I'm at 5 months on Tuesday - yay! - and even now I don't really show unless I'm wearing something fitted or maternity clothes. I'm having some serious belly envy, but I'm sure that I'll catch up soon. For now, the important thing is that the baby's growth is on target and the amniocentesis came back negative for the birth defects, which is a huge relief. I have a little FO to share as well, but my blogging has been so sporadic that I decided to save that for another post. I hope everyone out in blogland is doing well - I've really missed posting and reading you. Time flies when you are making life. **smile**

*I don't know what you gals did in college, but I have never done belly shots before these. I spent my college days running and knitting and going to bed at 10:30 for fun. Pretty much the same life I have now!

Everything's Coming Up Pansies

Well, not everything, but the crochet sure is. I spent a recent weekend in Portland with Marnie, and naturally was once again inspired to crochet. Ms. Marnie is one kick-ass crocheter. It was a fun, whorlwind of a time, as our weekend crafting visits always are, with plenty of things to be inspired by: the excellent Japanese bookstore, a new bright red motorcycle for Leo, and a great trek out to Abundant Yarn for Larissa's debut of Knitalong, her very first book.

To me they look like little pansy balloons, flying away..."

I'm really not sure where to start. Abundant Yarn is just that - abundant! It's an amazing store, and definitely tops my list of all-time favorite LYS's. The selection is fabulous with tons of yarn in each colorway, and the aisles go on forever. Abundant Yarn dyes its own line of yarns which are especially pretty, and they carry many of my favorite lines of yarn along with some lines that were previously unknown to me (or at least untouched!). They also have a lovely cafe and seating area, so it is a very easy place to gather and knit, or gather and watch a friend debut her book! The store catered the event (quite nicely and also abundantly) and there was a huge turnout. I haven't read Knitalong cover to cover yet, but what I have read I have really enjoyed. It's a book that has a great deal of written substance in addition to cute patterns (many by Larissa, like the fast and famous Meathead, and several by Adrian Bizilla - who wouldn't be drawn by that?). For me the writing is what is so great about it. It is definitely a book for our community and our knitting "generation" (and by that I mean the internet knitting generation of the 2000's, including knitters from all age groups). It memorializes our time in a wonderful way, and I am really looking forward to immersing myself in it. It's always great to see Larissa. We didn't try to monopolize her this time around, since she had so many other guests to attend to, but we did catch our first glimpses of Sebastian darting through the yarn in his handknit hat. What a cutie.

Other than that, the weekend was very quick and spent predominantly on the sofa in front of one of Leo's legendary fires, crafting away. I utilized every spare moment of my Marnie time to get versed in the language of crochet charts (I love charts - the universal language!), and produced a pansy and a cute little chain. I think that except for when I encounter the occasional exceptionally difficult manuever I should be alright crocheting solo for a bit. My plan is to make many of these little pansy motifs and string them together in a blanket-like fashion to make a binky for the baby. Nothing very big, as I would surely go mad from over-pansying, just something to hold on to, drag around and enjoy. I love the brightness of the cornflower and lavender colors, but to give the blanket a little sophistication I added in several duller shades as well. The dulls seem to help ground everything, but the brights sure are fun to play with.

Weekend at the Observatory

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Another wintery day in Los Angeles. Griffith Park Observatory.

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I've been itching to write for a while now, but the knitting and spinning have not been terribly interesting, because the Hoolia, she has not been terribly interesting. I've been sick as a dog for several weeks, so the only crafty thing that I've done is plug away on the baby sweater from hell (see it masquerading as a cute, fun project in the entry below), and then only when the nausea let up enough to allow me to knit. Fun! I am probably being a bit harsh on the baby sweater. It's darling, and I will be very pleased with it when the drudgery is over, but I overestimated the thrill of "honeycomb stitch". Honeycomb stitch is just lovely when completed, but it's hard to read as you're knitting it because the bulk of the action happens on the RS while you are working the WS. It's easy to f*ck up and it's about as interesting as seed stitch (but just as pretty, too!). I am only a little ashamed to say that there are at least four places where I screwed up half a row and just left it. I couldn't bring myself to rip out a row of that stuff if the error was not glaring, and my feeling is that the wee recipient, who is likely to barf on it anyway (all hail machine washable wool cotton!) will not notice. One sleeve left to go and I'll photograph it for you, mistakes and all.

Happliy, I was graced with a nausea-free weekend, just when our weather decided to go from a lovely 70 degrees to an even lovelier 80 degrees (for those feeling envy, fear not - we are sure to experience 100 degree weather in May and July-August, with a nice June Gloom sandwiched in the middle - even Angelenos get their due). We took full advantage of both the weather and my wellness for the entire weekend, and enjoyed the great outdoors.

Before the fire, Griffith Park was one of our regular weekend stops, but since then many of the trails have been closed, so we've only gone to volunteer with the recovery effort. The last tree-planting we participated in was in early December, so when we went back this weekend to help out with the planting efforts at Dante's Peak, we were pretty surprised to see that a lot has changed and many trails are now open. I was pretty pooped out from the effort of going to the planting site and back again, but Moxie, who used to run the mountain, decided that he wanted to go back for a run in the afternoon. He got in his exercise while I lazed around on the deck and ploughed away on the aforementioned baby sweater. While there, he also checked out the observatory, which we have not been to since it re-opened, mostly because we aren't big fans of crowds. M was very impressed, and insisted that we get up early on Sunday morning and beat the crowds to the observatory so that we could enjoy the morning there. It was a great idea, because no one in LA seems to be up and about at 8:00 am on a Sunday. I even had a chance to coax my esteemed photographer into doing a Mishka photo shoot....bonus!

Fire on My Mountain

The hills and observatory from our trail.It is hard to express the depth of sadness I feel at the loss of 600 acres of vegetation in Griffith Park to fire. I discovered Griffith in 1995, while visiting my best friend from college who had moved to LA to work at UCLA. I fell in love with it immediately, and when M and I moved here almost a decade later, one of my goals was to live close enough to the park that we could use it every weekend. We have. Griffith has been a sanctuary for M and I since we first moved here. In fact, I have strong memories of us walking through the park together when M lived here alone and I was still in Phoenix and would come out to visit him on weekends.

Hiking our trail; view of the city.The beauty of the park is the kind that is of such a sweepingly grand scale that it is hard to capture. I don't have a wide-angle lens on my film camera, and none of the digital snapshots I have taken have done it justice. I have some photos of Griffith in a post from way back when I started blogging (scroll down and click the text), and MH took a few pictures when we hiked there, but otherwise there are just a few photos that I can find in my recent archives. Most serve as a backdrop to Zosia, who was also raised in the park.

Zosia big and small.

The view from our deck the other night was both startling and sickening. I can't fathom how I will feel when I see the damage close up. The trail that we hike every weekend appears to have been obliterated by flames. The trees, so precious and few, are gone. I wonder about the coyote who once followed me curiously when I was hiking alone at dusk, and about all the little geckos who flitted around on the sandy canyon walls.

The night of the fire; the view from the living room as we watched the news - see the red flames filling the window above the TV; the day after.

Postcard from Yosemite

Thanks for all the sweet compliments on the After Dark Nightie. It's amazing what clever photography and a wonderful knit can do for your self-esteem. Va voom! To briefly answer some questions (more later in pattern notes): First, the linen is plenty soft to wear, and blocks and drapes beautifully - I plan to sleep in it. Second, straps are definitely necessary if I don't want it at my knees! And third, this would make a great knit for many figures, so don't sell yourselves short - you just need to know your body and how to work to accent your better parts - I do not have the gift of the gams, so I lengthened the nightie by several inches. You can easily make other adjustments to highlight your best features and swath the rest in a lovely linen. But before we get too far into nightie land, here's a little photo postcard of our trip to Yosemite last weekend:

Most photos are clickable, but some of Moxie aren't.

It occurred to me that Yosemite would be a great backdrop for a photo shoot, and I considered taking Bond with me since I owe you pattern notes. But Yosemite is still quite cold this time of year, and it's kind of a waste to take a sweater like Bond, which I get daily use out of in warmer weather, when I could instead pack Kilronin and the Lace Leaf Pullover, which were made for cold and snow. In addition to wearing Kilronin on the hike, I also made use of the opportunity to don my Reversible Cable Scarf, which had previously only been out on unseasonably cold nights here and, of course, on our trip to see the fam in Boston last Christmas. Truly not enough play for such a great scarf. The Lace Leaf Pullover never made it out of my duffel because it poured on Sunday, so we headed back early, but it gets more regular use than poor Kilronin does here, anyway. Kilronin was so warm that for the portions of the hike when we were in the sun it had to come off. It's a heck of a sweater, and easily saw me through my days in Chicago and Iowa with nothing more than a down vest over it.

Our trip was great, and had we not taken our furry friends with us, it might have been perfect. We didn't want to leave Zosh behind for a full weekend, however, and since dogs aren't allowed in many parts of Yosemite, we brought the kitties along to keep her company in our cabin for the times we hiked without her. Poor little Tuna was car sick the whole way, and poor big Moxie suffered for it. She was curled up in his lap when illness struck. Multiple times. It wasn't pretty. It was a little funny, though. (I know. I'm a bad, bad wife.)

Other than that there were hikes, movies in front of the fireplace, good meals and s'mores, so it was a lovely time, if fleeting....

Lunch Break in the Garden

For about a week and a half now, I've worked 15 to 16 hour days with very few breaks. (It's finally over! Yay!) And I've re-learned some things about myself in that time. Most importantly, that I just do not have the stamina for those hours on a sustained basis. I'm definitely not in college anymore. I've also been reminded of how wonderful my life generally is, even when I work 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Last Saturday, Moxie and Zosh stopped by my office to bring me lunch, and we went out in the garden for about 45 minutes to enjoy it. It was a wonderful break. I'm so lucky to work in the setting that I do, where it's not a problem for your husband and dog to come visit, and to have a wonderful husband and a kooshie puppy to do that visiting. I'm very spoiled.

Memories...

Okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but since it's 5:30 a.m. and I just get to post, shower and go back to work, I am waxing poetic about the "good old days" when I used to have my weekends. Like, say, last weekend. Here's a little montage from Eaton Canyon, where we did the Marseilles photo shoot on Moxie's birthday.

Pattern Notes: Marseilles Pullover

Marseilles pattern notes at last! I've been done with this sweater for two weeks and have worn it on several occasions already. At this point it feels more like an old friend than a new sweater. Sunday was Moxie's birthday, so we got up at a decent hour and immediately packed the Zosh into the car and headed over to Eaton Canyon in Pasadena for a morning hike to the waterfall. If you are ever in the area, this is a great hike if you prefer less strenuous activity and gorgeous scenery. It starts out in a sunlit wash full of wild flowers and cacti, and then moves through a wooded canyon along a stream for about half a mile to the waterfall. The most difficult aspect of the hike is navigating back and forth across the stream. It's accessible enough that a lot of families hike this trail. At the end, you can sit in the shade and enjoy the beauty of the waterfall.

Marseilles on our hiking excursion to Eaton Canyon with Zosia.

Marseilles Pullover
Designed by Kathy Zimmerman, Interweave Knits, Summer 2006
Knit with nine skeins (147 yards/skein)* of RYC Cashsoft DK (57% Merino/33% Microfiber/10% Cashmere) in Madame (fuchsia) (511), using size US 6 and US 7 Addi Turbo circulars.
Gauge: I'll check my notes soon. Promise.
Size: 38 bust. For me, the final blocked dimensions were 40" at the bust and 25" in length. Unblocked the sweater was closer to 39" at the bust and 23" in length. I made modifications that added drape, but regardless you should plan for growth. See below.

Smiling, but really cold as hell.
The waterfall is fed by a mountain stream.
The Pattern:
This was my first Kathy Zimmerman sweater, surprisingly enough (I love cables, and cables are what KZ does). It will not be my last. This pattern was extremely well-planned out, harmonious, and nicely executed. You can tell that Ms. Zimmerman either is or has an excellent tech editor - I'm guessing that the former is the case. There are no errors that I could spot in the size 38, and the only thing that I would suggest changing is the number of stitches that you reserve for the shoulders. The boat neck, as written, is not even close to workable for me, nor was it for my best friend, Laura, who made the sweater in the size 34 in RYC Cashsoft Aran. My bloggy pal Marie also made the Marseilles Pullover and followed my suggestions on the boat neck, so unfortunately I can't point to anyone I know on the internet who worked the shoulders/neckline as in the original. (Definitely check out Marie's gorgeous sweater and the awesome montage she put together for us.)

In both dk and aran weights of RYC cashsoft, the neckline was too wide for Laura and I. The instructions have you bind off the center neckline stitches and reserve the shoulder stitches on stitch holders so that you can do a three-needle bind-off of the shoulders when both the front and back are done. Since Laura warned me that the neck was too wide, I opted to keep all the stitches live until both pieces were done, and then played around to see how many stitches I needed to bind off to make the shoulders the perfect width for me. [Go to one of my previous Marseilles posts for photos of this process. Notice the two circular needles hanging from the neckline.] My definition of the perfect width is the point where the sweater is still technically a boatneck, but you can't see my bra straps hanging out. On the size 38 sweater that is twenty-four stitches per shoulder. The original pattern would have you use thirteen stitches per shoulder, so rule of thumb if you want shoulder-width like mine is to add eleven stitches to the number suggested for your size in the pattern and tweak from there. Once you've done the three-needle bind-off on the shoulders, you can simply cast-off the neckline stitches in the round.

A shot of the garter ridge that runs up the side seam.

Clever and simple.
This is not a beginner's cable pattern. There isn't any complex shaping, but the cable pattern itself is complex, particularly because some of the diamonds are filled with garter stitch. The garter creates a really pretty effect, but until you get the hang of it, working these sections is counter-intuitive, especially on the wrong side. The chart is correct. Follow it verbatim and you'll have a gorgeous sweater - I 've also included some tips of my own below.

One neat technique used in this sweater is a garter-stitch seam. It's interesting because it is very, very simple to seam, and the resulting seam is loose enough that if you leave extra-long tails on either end, you can stretch the seam after you finish it, so that it has the same resilience as the knitted portion of the sweater. It's also very pretty and decorative. Although it wouldn't work for me in every situation, here it mirrors the garter sections within the the cable diamonds nicely.

All laid out and ready for wear.Techniques:
Advanced cabling with garter filled diamonds. Minimal shaping. Cool garter-ridge seam (see above).

Modifications:
I substituted a DK weight yarn for the worsted weight Goddess Yarns Phoebe called for in the pattern, so I ended up having to make some adjustments for my row gauge. (My stitch gauge was pretty close to the pattern, surprisingly, and definitely close enough to ignore.) I added a half repeat (notice that my version ends at a different point in the cable pattern at the neckline than Laura's does), and re-worked everything to make the armscyes the correct length on the body pieces. I was able to keep the pattern exactly the same as the original for the sleeves. How's that for serendipity? Sometimes, things just work out well.

Here's a good tip: Use a crochet hook as a cable needle. This is my new thing. When you screw up the garter segments inside the cables you can just whip out the crochet end of the needle and ladder those stitches into the correct orientation.

Finishing:
Easy peasy. Those garter ridge seams go very quickly and make adjusting your seam tension a snap. I washed and blocked per usual, in tepid water in the sink with eucalan, spun the pieces in the washer to remove excess water, and laid them carefully on towels to dry. The big trick here is not to let the pieces stretch too much when you gently squeeze water from them or transport them. There is the potential to end up with a very big sweater if you're not cautious while the pieces are wet.

Enjoying the great outdoors.Impressions of RYC Cashsoft DK:
I used this yarn for my Clementine sweater in fall of 2005, and really enjoyed working with it both then and for the Marseilles Pullover. This yarn is not the one used in the pattern, and because it is a DK weight rather than a worsted, using it requires some adjustments. This substitution is entirely unnecessary, as the Goddess Yarns Phoebe used in the original is a great yarn that would work nicely without modifications. I just happened to have the Cashsoft hanging around in my stash, and wanted to use it to clear out room for future yarns. Due to the cashmere content, the RYC Cashsoft line, like the very similar Debbie Bliss Cashmerino line, will show wear almost immeadiately. If you are pill and halo averse, go with the original yarn or a nice merino instead. The Cashsoft works just fine for me, but it does not have a pristine appearance.

Possible substitute yarns:
There are about a gazillion substitutes out there for the Goddess Yarns Phoebe used by Kathy Zimmerman in the original. I personally think that if you are going to purchase yarn, sticking with the Phoebe is a fine choice. The alpaca content will give it drape and durability, and the price is good. If you substitute, I'd recommend a nice alpaca or merino worsted. My beloved Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK (a heftier DK than the Cashsoft) would be a good choice, and Karabella's Aurora 8 could also do the trick quite nicely.

Tips & Tricks: Although there really aren't any errors that I could spot in my size, I do have several suggestions for making your Marseilles Pullover successful:

She who climbs up must climb down...First, be aware that the gauge swatch you make is not going to grow to the same extent that your sweater will. On cabled sweaters this is always the case, because once your knitting reaches a certain heft, gravity is going to kick in and create added drape. This feature will not show up in your swatch because it is substantially smaller and less hefty. Additionally, the sweater has no cables in the sleeve pattern and the sleeve pattern is the pattern used to establish gauge, so the swatch will have even less drape and growth than it would if it were in the cable pattern. So, use the swatch as a guide, and be sure to wash and block it, but realize that you will very likely get an inch or two of growth in the body of the sweater. You can compensate for this by subtracting half a repeat, if you are very petite and think it necessary. Just remember to adjust the pattern so that the armscyes fall at the right place proportionately. I re-gauged the sweater to work with DK weight yarn, and also wanted more length, so I added half a repeat.

Blow up the cable chart, make several copies, and code and color the copies if it will help you. I did. The set up row is tricky, and I find that it's easiest for me to just write out the number of knit and purl stitches to work for that row across the bottom of the chart. I still had to knit each set-up row twice, but I would have had to knit them about five times if I hadn't written out the stitch counts for myself.

Use a crochet hook as a cable needle. This is my new thing. When you screw up the garter segments inside the cables you can just whip out the crochet end of the needle and ladder those stitches into the correct orientation. I made much use of this trick. The fact that the cables have garter inside in some cases makes this pattern a little challenging and unintuitive to work in the beginning. You will have to reign in your instinct to purl every time a purl stitch pops up in the row below in those sections. It's tough!

Some Parting Shots:

[Read all entries on the Marseilles Pullover.]

Postcard from Phoenix

I made a whorl-wind journey to Phoenix this past weekend to bask in the company of my friends from the law firm where I worked right after finishing school. These are my friends with whom I made the wedding quilt; now the first of them (Ellen) is very, very pregnant and a second (Julia) is pregnant as well. The last of us left the firm in the fall, and only one of us remains in private practice (she was smart enough to do transactional work, the rest of us are litigators). It's really interesting to see the changes in our lives and careers. It's also nice to see everyone happy.

I feel like each of us has found a way to make life work, which is a far cry from the stressful blur that our first few years of practice were. Phoenix was not the right city for me, but it has a place in my heart because I did so much growing there, and made so many wonderful friends. When you get out of the strip malls and move toward South Mountain or the Superstitions, there is a quiet and an alien beauty to the place that doesn't exist in my current landscape. It was nice to remember that quiet, and to enjoy seeing so many people that I care about enjoying their lives and starting their families. The weekend was filled with happiness and hope. Here are some photos of Ellen's shower, hosted by Julia, who will be having a baby shower of her own soon...

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Photos taken by Me, Jessica and Nick.

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Top to bottom, left to right: The proud father-to-be displaying his son's tiny argyles; Julia and Bert's beautiful home; Yours truly happily contemplating life from behind her Mimosa; My gifts: the soon-to-be-blogged Harvey vest and pee-pee tee-pees purchased at Edna's; Close-up of the argyles made by Ellen's mom using the intarsia method; The girls all together: Me, Julia (pregnant), Ellen (pregnant) & Jessica; The radiantly beautiful Julia with her devoted pup Chewie; Ellen's mother and Delana laughing; Ellen's darling niece; A blessedly flattering close-up of my posterior in the Daktari skirt, petting Chewie; Ellen's nephews transfixed by the presents; Homemade cupcakes from Nikki's kitchen; Ellen unfurling the "cuddle quilt" which her mother hand-stitched for her.

Edited to add: I have had a few questions on the baby argyle socks. My guess is that these are not from a formal pattern, but I will make inquiries when Ellen's mother has finished her travels. In the meantime, these very cool posts are a great place to start when making argyle socks.

Weekend with Friends

The Outer Banks, North Carolina

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I had a lovely weekend with my college girlfriends: knitting (the pink Marseilles back above is mine), quilting, drinking wine, soaking in a hot tub under the stars, goofing off in the surf. I'm so glad to have such wonderful people to surround myself with, if only once a year. Now it's back to the grind. Man, I miss that hot tub.

Crater Lake

It's hard to believe that Crater Lake is so far behind us now. It seems like a lifetime and yet only a day. I had a hard time deciding which pictures to post, since there are so many I like, so I opted for a lot. Eventually, I will put up a gallery, so that I don't have to choose. The last thing I'll say, is that we were in Crater Lake at the time that Episode 34 of Cast-on aired, which was significant to me. In that episode, Jennie Spotila spoke about her knitting, her disability, and her remembrance of Crater Lake with such eloquence and poignancy that I will never forget it. For me, it crystallized a beautiful day in my life and made it so much more. Thank you, Jennie. If it is possible to enjoy such things vicariously, I dedicate these pictures, and the spirit of our happy day to you. I am so glad that you saw Crater Lake when you could.

Jennie's essay is also posted here, but you should listen to it if you can as well.

Reversible Cable Scarf: Pattern Notes

Since the Redwoods were so incredibly beautiful, and because they were chilly enough to truly merit the wearing of cool-weather knits, we decided to do both of my FO photoshoots there. As an aside to Laura of the comments - the weather was perfect. I think the fog makes the Redwoods even more beautiful and spectactular. We would have loved to meet up with you as well, but as a matter of safety I only post my driving routes after I take them - unfortunately not everyone on the internet is a sweet knitter! - if you leave me your e-mail address I'd be happy to get in touch next time I plan to be in the area. We could have used a pal! You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I know I'll be back.

A close-up of the Reversible Cable Scarf taken by Marnie on a bridge in the Redwoods.

Reversible Cable Scarf
Designed by Mary Heather Cogar
Knit with exactly two skeins (110 yards/skein) of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (100% Superfine Baby Alpaca) in color 401 (grey) on size US10 Addi Turbo Circulars.
Gauge: varies over cable, but casting on the required number of stitches in this yarn created a cable that about 5" wide.
Size: One. Close to 7 feet in length with fringe.

The Setting:
Redwoods near Stout Grove in Northern California.

Notice the Mata Hari Socks?
Stylin'!
The Pattern
This pattern is complimetary with a yarn purchase at Knit Cafe. There is no specified yarn, it's just a general recipe that can be used with a variety of yarn choices. See the possible substitutions section for some general ideas. The cable is completely reversible, which makes it ideal for a scarf. It looks snazzy, but even beginning cablers should be able to get the hang of it.

The pattern goes quickly and is really enjoyable. All the twists in the cables help to ward off the possible ennui associated with the usual scarf project.

Techniques:
Nothing new here for me. Beginners must know how to cast on, cast off, knit and purl, and have a basic understanding of cables.

Modifications: None! Weird, huh?

Finishing:
All I did was weave in four ends and add fringe using my usual method which allows me to utilize every inch of the yarn:

Here's a tip for fringe: my standard fringe is three 12-inch strands of yarn per tassel, which means each tassel takes one yard of fiber. This makes a lush fringe and is an easy way to calculate the yardage needed for the fringe as well. In this case, I had 10 tassels at each end of the scarf, so I used a total of 20 yards of yarn, or about a fifth of a skein. Neat trick, eh?

The pattern is designed to lie flat and does not require blocking.

Also modeled with the Lush HoodieImpressions of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande:
This is the first time that I used this yarn and I really enjoyed it. Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande is a luxury fiber if ever there was one. It isn't cheap, but it is better-priced than cashmere, and will hold up longer as well. Plus it's as soft as butter, just like cashmere. Since it only takes two skeins to make a scarf (and a single skein to make a hat), it's well worth the expense. This is really one of those projects that you have to see in person to appreciate. From a distance it's a grey scarf. Tossed over your shoulder, it's a luxury item. It's just that nice a yarn.

Possible substitute yarns:
I used stash yarn for this project and knit along with my students at the Knit Cafe while they made their versions back in February. Knit Cafe doesn't carry Plymouth Yarns, but if you want your version to look exactly like mine, Suzan stocks Misti Alpaca Chunky, which is the exact same yarn with the exact same pricing. Misti Alpaca Chunky is a Knit Cafe favorite, so it is often in stock in a zillion colors. (See it in action over on Laura's blog - nice! And here is a really wacky way to use this yarn - OMG!) As with the Koigu vs. Cherry Tree Hill supersock debate, I truly don't prefer one of these yarns over the other, but instead knit whichever colorway entices me first.

The pattern, however, works for a variety of different yarns. You could do it in just about anything you can think of - wool, cotton, silk - you name it. Just stick to a chunky yarn for a scarf of average thickness, or a worsted if you want a skinny scarf. You might even want to try a DK weight to convert it into a belt - cute!

Gratuitous Behind the Scenes Photos:

All photos copyright Marnie Maclean 2006.

Mata Hari Socks: Pattern Notes

Well, I'm back from Portland. Sigh. I suppose it should be nice to be able to walk through the guest room without stepping over swatches and pattern books, but honestly it feels a little empty without my other knitting half. Marnie was safely delivered to Portland rather late on Sunday night, and then she, Leo and I spent a lovely day there before I had to catch my flight back to LA yesterday. Their new place is great, and I'm sure the only reason that Miss Marnie hasn't already posted a grand overview of our trip is because she is steadily unpacking dishes, putting up new shelves, and making runs to places like Trader Joe's. So as not to steal our collective roadtrip thunder, I'm just going to share some pictures from the Redwoods portion of our journey, where we did the Mata Hari Sock photoshoot. I'll leave it to Marnie to post a few more highlights soon, including a huge case of blue balls - more on that later...

The Mata Hari socks warming up my tootsies in the leaf litter beneath the Redwoods.

Mata Hari Socks
Designed by Craftaholic Steph,
Knit with less than two skeins (170 yards/skein) of Koigu KPPPM (100% washable Merino) in color P850 (bright blue monochromatic variegate) on size US2 Clover Bamboo DPNs.
Gauge: 14 sts per 2 inches.
Size: to fit 8" circumference at ball of foot, 9" foot length snugly.

The Setting:
Redwoods near Stout Grove in Northern California.

Stiking a pose.The Pattern
This is a free sock pattern, conveyed in an elegantly simple format by Craftaholic Steph. The pattern gives information on the stitch pattern, but does not tell you how to make a sock. If you have never made socks before, try a basic sock pattern or two and then add in the Mata Hari pattern when you understand how to create the structure. I used my standard sock formula, included in my BMG's footies pattern, and extended the sock to 7" at the cuff, which for me was 18 pattern repeats.

Techniques:
Nothing new here, but I thoroughly enjoyed the yos!

Modifications: I used my standard sock formula, since the pattern does not specify the type of sock to make. I usually do this, even if the pattern does specify the sock and not just the stitch pattern. I modified the swirls of yarnovers so that the socks mirror each other by employing a yo ssk, instead of a k2tog yo, on the second sock, and running the motif in the opposite direction. You can figure it out if you play around with it. I won't write it out here, as these are Steph's socks, and I don't want to step on her toes. Pun intended.

Eyelets!Personally, I don't need to have socks mirror one another, and would have been just fine with the originals, but after listening to Marnie and Mary Heather go on about their obsession with sock symmetry, I decided to make my Mata Haris mirrored, since those two are likely to spend a lot of time looking at them. You have to have a little compassion for the irretrievably obsessive compulsive knitters in your life. I should have probably highlighted this feature in a photo, but I think you can get the idea on the toe shot.

Finishing:
Wet-blocked in tepid water, using lavendar eucalan - my woolwash of choice. Spun briefly in the washer to remove excess water. The colors did not run even the littlest bit, despite their vibrancy. Nice job, koigu!

Heel detail.Impressions of Koigu KPPPM:
I have used Koigu KPPPM for socks many a time. Since you already know how I feel about it (or can go back to those links to find out), I'll just say a few words about how it holds up here. I have washed my KPPPM socks in the machine on a regular setting with all my other colored clothes for over a year now, and they have held up reasonably well. I think that machine washing (& drying!) is completely fine for a pair of BMG's Footies if you make them. They will tighten up in the process, which is not a bad thing after being stetched out by your foot, and they will accumulate a bit of a halo, as some minimal felting does occur. If you want to keep yours pristine, hand wash them. My Crusoes have not faired quite so well, mostly because the lovely stranding technique they employ leaves the yarn more exposed to the washing process. They are still great socks, and I continue to machine wash them, but they do appear worn. If you knit the Crusoe pattern, I'd suggest hand-washing. I intend to hand wash my Mata Haris and future fancy socks, though I will continue to launder my less fancy, more durable footies. As an aside, I think it's possible that the socks would appear less worn if turned inside out prior to washing, but I haven't tried this. If you have, let me know how it went in the comments!

Possible substitute yarns:
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock is an excellent substitute. It's basically the same thing, comes in huge hanks and has great colors. I used it when knitting the Old Rose Stockings for Katrina relief last fall and really enjoyed it. I don't prefer one of these yarns over the other, but instead knit whichever colorway entices me first.

Gratuitous Behind the Scenes Photo:
Ever concerned about my popularity ratings, Marnie determined to take a few shots detailing the sock photography process - lest I be outdone by some other January baby. Since she thought I looked vaguely like someone practicing yoga, Marnie charged me to come up with a name for my pose:

Witness "Downward facing Dork." All sock photos copyright Marnie Maclean 2006. All redwood photos copyright Julia Trice 2006. Read all entries on the Mata Hari Socks

The River Stole: Pattern Notes

River flowing over the sea, and gliding past the island of Kauaii.

River Stole
Designed by Jennie Atkinson, Rowan No. 38
Knit with two skeins (229 yards/skein) of Rowan's Kidsilk Haze (70% Kid Mohair/30% Silk) in color 606 "Candy Girl", on size US8 Bryspun Circulars.
Gauge: None.
Size: 26 inches wide by 53 inches long.

The Pattern
Sometimes to make a beautiful thing, you have to preservere. This is one of those times. Although this is one of the easier lace stole patterns out there, it takes a good three repeats to set the pattern in your mind, and by then you've knit a hundred rows. On the way to that first hundred rows is where your patience will be tested.

For those who choose the path of the River, do as I say and not as I do: take the time to put in some lifelines in the early stages. I spent as much time tinking this shawl as I did knitting it, and if I had even once used a lifeline to avert disaster rather than snaking one through in a haphazard manner later, I probably would have saved a lot of time.

That said, I had the same experience with River that I have had with many other long, rectangular projects, and somewhere in all those rows, adrenaline or madness or something kicked in and I became so attached I was almost unwilling to finish it. This was not the experience of all who knit River, but for me it became somewhat entrancing. If you are thinking of embarking on the River journey, know yourself. If some unknown force kicks in when you see piles of fabric spilling out before you and allows you to engage despite obvious repitition, go forth. If you get bored easily, go elsewhere.

As far as I could tell, there were no mistakes in the pattern, although I did not make the accompanying beaded scrunchy, so I cannot speak for that portion of the pattern. My one request to Rowan would be to start using charts for lace for pete's sake! Having to read thirty-six lines of written lace instructions does not endear me to you. That said, finished project? Gorgeous.

Techniques:
I used the Russian join to join the second skein of kidsilk on River - a technique that had piqued my interest when I saw it over on MJ's blog. It is a bitch to execute on mohair lace, as you have to use a sharp sewing needle rather than a chibi and risk the possibility of drawing some serious thumb blood. The result is great, however. I challenge you to find my ends! I would definitely use it again.

Close-ups by Moxie.*Modifications:
I used size US8 needles instead of US10, and did four horizontal repeats and 15 vertical repeats.

Finishing:
I wet-blocked River, by gently placing it in a the sink of tepid water and eucalan and allowing it to soak for 30 minutes. I then gently pressed out the excess water at the sink and put it in the washing machine on the spin cycle to get even more moisture out. The spin cycle won't harm or agitate fibers - the fiber stays flush against the wall of the washer after the initial movement and the water spins out. I then layed River out on the picnic table that we have on the side deck, on top of a stack of old towels and pinned it into scallops, with each scallop residing where a wave of the pattern crests. I did notice some bleeding of the color in the sink, and a small amount of it bled onto the towels that I used. I didn't have this with the muted color of Birch, but if you use a color like the blazing pink "Candy Girl", you can probably count on it. The bleeding did not affect the vibrancy of the color, however, and it was minimal. River dries very quickly in our dry, hot California air, so it was done blocking within an hour.

Impressions of Rowan's Kidsilk Haze:
I have talked about this yarn ad naseum on this blog. It's a bitch to use when you're new to it, and challenging even when you're not. But the rewards? Incredible. Once you finally get to the point where actual knitting is taking place it's amazing.

Possible substitute yarns:
The two best substitutes that I know of for Kidsilk Haze are K1C2's Douceur et Soie and Artfiber's Tsuki. At 515 yards/skein for $16 Tsuki is a steal, and can be ordered on line. Douceur has the same fiber content as Kidsilk, and Tsuki is close, with 10% more silk and less mohair.

Tips and Tricks:
Everything that I said about Birch applies here. If you want to add more horizontal repeats, each will take 17 sts. If you add an even number of horizontal repeats the edge pattern (little loops) will work out. If you add an odd number you will have to start with an extra st, dec 1 st after the loops, and do the opposite at the other end. No big deal, but good to think out in advance.

Farewell Kauaii.

*My esteemed photographer sometimes forgets that the knitwear is his subject. For clear shots of the lace see my previous entries.

Review: Cast On! The Podcast for Knitters

Listening to Cast On along the coast of Kauai.I originally posted this review on August 6, 2006, but subsequently changed the date to give it a little more time on the front page. Go check out Cast-On. You won't be disappointed.

We got back from Hawaii late last night. It was an awesome trip. I am already planning our return trip to Kauai, our favorite of the islands that we went to. Despite the fact that every day was action-packed, I did get a lot of knitting done - mostly on the balcony between about 4:30 - 6:30 a.m. while Moxie was asleep and I could sit and watch the sunrise while the ocean swept past below. It was very peaceful. Project MIL was completed and gifted to my mother-in-law who was thrilled beyond my expectations, the Daktari skirt is half done, and I have a nice start on the back of the Prairie tunic, which I had to rip completely and start over (the pattern is fine - it was my own silly mistake). I have a gazillion wonderful photos, including pictures of the River Stole for my project notes, and a couple cute snaps of my MIL in Project MIL, but a full 50% of the pictures were taken on my Contax 167MT, which is a film camera, so before I do any of those posts, I have to wait to get the film processed and scanned. Although the process is slower, I love taking pictures with my Contax. It's awesome, and I know the results will be, too. Anyhoo, in the meantime, I thought I would take the opportunity to do a review of Cast On! I've been meaning to start adding reviews of books, podcasts, etc. to the line-up around here, and I think that now is the perfect time.

For starters, if you don't "get" podcasting, or don't have an ipod and think that you can't join in the fun, think again. A podcast is really just an audio file that you can listen to on your computer as if you were listening to NPR in your car. If you need more info, check out No ipod required, a great site to get you started. Personally, I am long time Mac user and like to listen to my pod casts on an ipod, but there are other methods you can easily use to access this fun new media. Oh yeah, and if I didn't already mention it, podcasts are free.

And now, finally, a bit about Cast On! I think I'm going to have to start by simply gushing. I love this podcast. If I were on a desert island and could have only one audio show, this might very well be the one. The feeling it gives me to listen to Brenda Dayne's melodious voice reminds me of the way I have often felt listening to Ira Glass' This American Life - huddling in the snow in my truck in the middle of a Chicago winter so as not to miss those last few precious words. I take Cast On! with me everywhere - hiking in Griffith Park, on the BART when I go to San Fran for work, all over the Hawaiian Islands on vacation, into bed at night while knitting and falling asleep - and it transforms the landscapes within which I move, and imprints upon me a memory of where I was when I listened to one segment or another. I don't say this lightly. There are many great podcasts and NPR shows out there, and several that I will huddle in my truck for, but this one is very special.

Gushing aside, here are some of the things that make me like this podcast so much:

Music. Cast On! is a mix of knitting segments and pod-safe music to knit by. When I was listening to the very first podcast and Brenda mentioned that her plan was to combine the two, my first thought was: "Oh shit. I was so looking forward to trying this podcast out, and now I'm going to have to fast-forward through this crappy music to get to the knitting content." Not so. Now I know that we all have different musical preferences, but I can honestly say that I think the musical selection on Cast On! is as good as that of any good indie radio station that gets real play. It reminds me of a great indie music show that I used to listen to when I went to school in Iowa. At its absolute worst, I find the music listenable and have never had to fast-forward through. At best (which is far more frequent), I find myself listening to songs multiple times and sometimes even purchasing an album. I think podcasting may change the face of the music industry permanently and for the better. Cast On! has been a great entre into the world of podsafe music. Brenda includes links to the artists in the show notes on her site, so it is always easy to find the music if you decide you must have something. I give the music a thumbs up.

The Essay. This is usually the meat of the program, and can be anywhere from somber and touching to wildly, hysterically, belly-slapping funny. It almost always involves knitting and some connection between knitting and other aspects of life. Brenda sits down and writes this segment out and then builds the rest of the show around it. It is slightly different in tenor than the other