Knit One, Purl Too: A Knitlog

Without my really paying attention, I managed to complete two sleeves and almost the entire back for Lizzy, the Noro Silk Garden cardigan that I was noodling around with when we last saw each other. I had fantasies that I would be able to finish knitting the pieces for Lizzy in the month of April, and it looked likely except for one thing: the siren song of garter stitch.

Here is what I’ve learned about myself (the “knitting as a growth experience” part of the entry): the easiest project on the needles will invariably rise to the top of the working rotation. I can talk a big game about cables as easy to knit as stockinette or a lacy sock I am dying to make, but apparently there were days this month when purling was too hard, and Lizzy was cast ruthlessly aside in favor of the Better Mousetrap Socks by Debbie New from Interweave Knits Fall 2001; I would show you an FO picture, but the Internet seems to think that I’m the only person who wants to make them. It doesn’t look like much more than a strip of knitting, but simple decreases give you half a heel and toe on each side, then you graft the whole thing together, and voila - a garter stitch sock magically appears, thanks in large part to the inspiring gift of Trekking sock yarn from Theresa as a blog contest prize.

Except not. In late-breaking news of the “knitting as a growth experience” variety, I started the second set of heel decreases and got the sneaking suspicion that while the adjustments I made to ensure the foot was the right shortness (it seems wrong to say “length” here, since that’s not my problem) appear to have worked, the sock itself will turn out to be too wide side to side, with potential bagginess looming all over the place. Damn.

Part of me wants to treat this as a learning experience and figure out how to customize the second sock to fit me so I can reknit the first one in all its garter-y goodness before the Michigan/Ohio State football game in November (yes, these are my secret “M - Go Blue!” socks to be worn in Buckeye country). Another part wants to finish the sock and give the sock and yarn to someone with size 6 or 7 EEE feet - let them knit the second one! And a third part of me wants to admit that the only way God meant for us to knit socks is top down or toe up, and rededicate the yarn to that purpose. What should I do?

So I told myself that a March finishing frenzy was inspiring me to actually finish things, and indeed I have finished something: the Tidepool Socks. Except for the harrowing hunt for coordinating yarn when I thought I would run out, these were a totally relaxing, fun knit. Details: Koigu KPPM p211 on size 1 bamboo needles, 72 stitch picot hemmed cuff, 68 stitch leg, 60 stitch foot. Koigu KPPM p213 for the heels and toes purchased from the charming Merilyn at Foxyknits. The heel is Dawn Brocco’s 6-point afterthought heel, which I continue to recommend wholeheartedly. Best of all, Mom loves them, so the hunt for more Koigu was worth it.

Whether it’s an abiding wish for spring, having my iPod serve up Eydie Gorme singing Blame it on the Bossa Nova, or a deep desire to just do something else, I have succumbed to cast on fever. More specifically, lace cast-on fever. It’s time. With just one pair of socks, one aborted shawl, and hundreds of patterns bookmarked, I have surprisingly little to show product-wise for my fascination with lace. Until now. Meet the (latest) project I love unreservedly, Nancy Bush’s Wishbone Socks. Much like the Little Tent Dishcloth, this is a project I was inspired to make from the moment I first saw Cassie’s version on Ravelry.
Piecework Magazine to the rescue - the pattern was published in their March/April 2008 issue. This is Apple Laine Apple Butter in Dark Chocolate - a little somber for spring, but I am so tickled to actually be using yarn I stashed in 2004, I don’t care.
To counteract any gloominess, I’ve also swatched for Lizzy, the Noro ruffled cardigan I’ve been yammering on about for the better part of a year. Not only have I swatched, I’ve washed and blocked my swatch to check my true gauge. Properly informed, I also whipped out the better part of a sleeve in the car going back and forth to my parents’ house for Easter (total number of knots found in two skeins of Silk Garden: 2 Level of annoyance: low, because I am using Anja’s terrific “weave your ends in as you go” method). It occurs to me that I could have titled this entry “Let’s Get Ready to Ruffle!” How great would that have been?

This is the reversible cabled hat from Dove Knits; she’s knocked out a number of shockingly beautiful FOs since this pattern was posted just three weeks ago - this little number is the tip of the iceberg. Plus, it has the added bonus of looking just like Marge Simpson’s beehive while under construction.

I made just one change to the pattern - I added a cable repeat to provide a better fit for my husband’s taller/larger head. I also used a provisional cast to begin so that I could start the second hat using live stitches, rather than stitches picked up from the cast on edge. Take note: this is an excellent first cable project, and a terrific item to practice cabling without a needle, which is the way I roll. I was so tickled that the cables actually twisted both ways that it almost reignited my Cable and Rib fire - almost.

In other knitting news, I’ve been knitting a pair of Tidepool socks for my mom for what feels like forever. About a month ago, I discovered to my horror that I was going to run out of yarn, and spent hours scouring the Internet for a suitable heel and toe substitute - I looked that thousands of skeins of yarn. Apparently, I am the only person in the Western world who thinks that “hot pink” means this color - everyone else thinks that’s “shocking pink.” This is why I now have four newly-acquired skeins of Koigu in my stash - say hot pink, get some other pink. I love these socks, but I’m honestly a little bit sick of looking at pink Koigu. I know, cry me a river.

I’ve heard it said that every time a knitter weaves in an end on an FO, an angel gets his wings. Four pairs of wings later, I have the first FO of 2008, Mary Lou Egan’s terrific Malagaiter from the December 2006 Magknits - an issue I thought was so good, I wrote a fan letter to Kerrie telling her so.

So here are the details: I changed everything. Instead of Malabrigo, I used rare and beautiful handspun gifted to me by a knitting friend, about 200 yards worth. To get gauge appropriate for my big head and light worsted yarn, I changed the cast on number to 100 stitches (I probably could have gotten away with 90). Instead of brioche stitch, I used mistake rib stitch in the round. I also made a three-stitch i-cord (rather than two), because that’s the way I roll. And voila, I ended up with a hat long on cute and warm, short on boring.

Next up: a desperate attempt to actually finish a perfectly nice pair of pink Koigu socks for which I have tragically run short on yarn, and I break my vow to knit old patterns with old yarn for this clever honeycomb reversible cabled hat at the request of Knit One Purl Too’s chief early morning dogwalker (my husband). The idea of four warm layers of merino over his ears made him swoon, and who am I to say no to a handknit he really, really wants (unlike the fliptop mittens I really, really wanted to make, now sitting on his desk because they are “too nice” to wear)? Hats for everyone - at this rate, the dog will get one too.

I thought I’d take a look at my Best of 2007 because I love lists like this:

1. Your best FO of the year: I wish it were Cable and Rib, but it’s really no contest. My favorite FO was the Picot Timberline Toes socks, finished this summer. I loved the picot hem so much that it’s become a staple in my knitting repertoire, the yarn was so appealing I stashed another colorway as soon as I could get back to the shop, and the fit is great.

2. Best FO of the year made by a blog you link to: This was also easy - Jody’s St. Brigid hoodie. The color, the modifications, and the attention to detail and craft were all super-inspiring. I want to make St. Brigid right. now.

3. Best yarn you tried: ONline Supersocke was a strong contender, but I truly loved knitting with Noro Silk Garden when I made my Rebuilding Greensburg afghan square; I’m so glad I have a sweater’s worth in the stash!

4. Best new book/mag/pattern of 2007: This was very hard; I think I’d just like to note two things I saw and liked. First, there are lots of new sock patterns with gusset “decorations” - I love when the pattern highlights the foot’s shape in a neat way. Second, Berocco has really stepped up, with pretty new yarns and lovely patterns that seem light years beyond the glitz I first saw when I susbscribed to their newslettter a few years ago - yay.

5. Best new knitting technique or gadget you tried in 2007: The picot hem - I’d wanted to try it for years. It was just as easy as I suspected it might be, plus it’s a terrifically cute design element, and cuteness is a plus for me.

6. Top 5 inspirations–what five things inspired you the most over the past year? First and foremost, Ravelry has finally hit the spot for me - I love being able to see different versions of the projects that intrigue me, so I can get a clear idea of which pieces will fit and flatter. Susan and Sally Rainey are technique-driven knitters with a tremendous sense of color (that modular felted tote is now a must-knit for me) and a knack for finding challenging, beautiful projects in their knitting travels (seriously, isn’t that Damask Kauni the coolest?). Noro yarns feed my need for color; Jane Ellison’s and Lisa Shobhana Mason’s patterns let me wear them in style. The last inspiration would have to be the knitters I’ve seen make terrific mods to all sorts of patterns - from the Fake Isle Hat (I know! It’s great!) to the Monkey sock - they really made these patterns catch my eye when they hadn’t originally.

7. Designer who most amazed & inspired you throughout the year: It’s a photo finish between Anne “lace is everywhere” Hanson of Knitspot and Norah “Tweedy Aran was just the beginning” Gaughan. I’ve not knit anything from either of them, but each designer consistently inspires and intrigues me. To the queue with you both!

8. Knitting resolutions for 2008–what’s next for you and your blog? At least 14 items from patterns I already own or know about. I have the yarn for each of the items below and I can’t wait to see things pop off my needles this year.

I was really, truly afraid that Christmas was going to suck. Despite my enduring affection for cookies, carols and presents of every stripe, I was not feeling the love this Christmas. Everyone in the Knit One, Purl Too household had the stomach flu, so close to the 25th that I was sure we would have to say “no, we can’t visit - we might throw up on you” to my family. There was no tree until I bought a wee one at the grocery store on the 22nd, and Christmas shopping didn’t get finished until the 23rd. Plus, I dumped a full cup of coffee on the Knit One, Purl Too Interweb hub - I could not have soaked my laptop more throughly if I had been trying. So there’s all that. Between the creeping crud and various mishaps and holiday chores, Cable and Rib languished for a good two weeks, which was another downer.

With just a few hours left in good old 2007, I’m here to say I rallied. I won’t be done with Cable and Rib by the time the ball drops, but I have just a sleeve and a half to go. I’ll be so proud when it’s finally done, and despite feeling incomplete, it’s worth remembering that I did manage to finish 14 things this year - here’s a look back:

Yes, I know one of them’s a sewing project, but I’m not counting it, just showing off. Even without a finished Cable and Rib, I’m very happy with this year’s highest-ever FO total. Obviously, the key to more FOs is starting more small projects! I have very few knitting resolutions for 2008, except for this: For the first 14 projects of 2008, I’ll knit from patterns or books I already have or know about - so I can buy a pattern I’ve had my eye on for awhile, but new patterns or new knitting books go to the end of the line. It’s knitting from another kind of stash, and with 154 items in my Ravelry queue, I think I’m covered.

Happy New Year to you and yours - everyone at Knit One, Purl Too wishes you a germ-free, knitting filled New Year!

It is a tense time here at the house of Knit One, Purl Too. The best of intentions are meeting up with reality: a. November and December are really busy at work, and b. it takes what seems like forever to make it to the end of a sleeve if you start by picking up 168 stitches. Translation? I will probably not be done with Cable and Rib by December 31. Damn.

I did a beautiful job of picking up stitches for the sleeve, if I do say so myself - and then I lost momentum when I saw how wide it was. [It's like starting the back all over again! The sleeves are bigger than the fronts! How can that be right - is this a plot? - ed.] We’re on the downhill slope again now after seven inches of sleeve knitting, but the idea that I need to turn around and do it all again on another sleeve in 18 inches is killing me. Also, as I feared, this is no longer a portable project - and I have crossed that line after which I am pretty sure I must knit every waking moment in order to complete this sweater by the end of the year. Plus, I haven’t even started my Christmas shopping.

I’m pretty bummed about this total and utter failure to meet an arbitrary, self-imposed deadline, but I distracted myself with a little something - my first serious sewing project. This is the Jordy bag made famous on Craftster, and sewed by me - and Knit One Purl Too’s Chief Seam Wrangler (a.k.a my husband). I learned how to thread our sewing machine and I sewed the lining (peek inside), and he sewed the outside (while I made gingersnap rum balls) - we used material from the sleeves of a denim jacket, so that closure you see there is one of the cuffs. I have a bling-y button ready to top it off, which I have had stashed in one jewelry box or another since I was nine. If I can’t finish this sweater in time, at least I can sew an endless supply of sock bags now.

Bonus link: if you are a fan of Christmas music in all its forms, you will love DJ Riko’s Mixmas mixes as much as I do - just the right mix of classic and kitsch.

The body of Cable and Rib, she is done. I thought it would look more like a sweater, but the unseamed body without sleeves just looks like a postmodern ruana, with a whole bunch of ends which need weaving in. I found the bindoff more challenging than I expected; I love the cleverness of the technique, but keeping everything lined up was a challenge. Thankfully, the end result was worth it.

I’m chagrined that my next step is the picking up of 160 freaking stitches for each armhole - that doesn’t exactly make the sleeves seem smaller than the other parts of the sweater, and we all know how I feel about picking up stitches. I will do it, because I am too close to the end to stuff the sweater in a bag for another two years. But it won’t stop me from whipping out a little something knitted before Pickup-palooza 2007 begins.

This is the Little Tent Dishcloth, which holds the distinction of being the first project on Ravelry that someone else’s FO inspired me to knit. Sidebar: as someone with *cough* well over 100 projects in her Ravelry queue, I was unreasonably excited that casting on for something actually removed it from that long list. Give me a break; I haven’t started something new in awhile.

I am, however, itching to start the I Love Gansey socks, because I won some yarn (Opal!) from Brooke (check out her terrific Central Park Hoodie here) as part of her blogiversary contest which would suit them to a T. Don’t tell Beth Brown-Reinsel, but the gansey has never been my favorite type of sweater. Those socks, however, are just my cup of tea. Thank you, Brooke, for providing the yarn and the inspiration! In the meantime, I still have 1 month 22 days to finish a certain sweater.

As you read this, I have crossed the halfway mark for Cable and Rib. I have completed the right front, and right now, when I am a fair piece into the left front, I have to admit that even counting the buttonband to come, I have knit more on this project than I am going to knit. Even Knit One Purl Too’s Impartial Knitting Observer and Human Yarn Swift (aka my husband) commented on the speedy nature of my progress, but I think this is because he recognizes that “how’s my sweater coming” comments are kind of superfluous. It’s happening, baby!

I am, of course, thinking about what I will knit next* beyond finishing the lovely Step Above Socks. I suspect all of this…what do you call it…”progress” may just turn me into a project monogamist. Pretty much. I mean, there’s nothing better than starting something new, but how can you argue with the yards and yards of cabled fabric spewing forth from my needles? If you can’t be fast, be persistent. *[most likely Yarnissima's Firestarter socks, or my Silk Garden cardigan, Lizzie - ed]

Which brings me to the nerdy section of this post: I am estimating that there are about 99,000 stitches in this sweater. If I have 44,500 stitches to go, and 75 days to do it, I need to knit roughly 604 stitches a day. Eight rows on the front equals 704 stitches, or 15 percent more than my daily “quota.” [Because I cannot bring myself to do it, please insert your own joke here about my canny impersonation of child sweatshop labor. Thank you. - ed] Can you believe I figured this out? Me either, but I am so excited that my combination of excessive planning and seat-of-the-pants guesstimating is paying off, I could plotz.

This post has waited for a picture for a good five days, and sadly, while my schedule includes 8 rows a day, rain or shine, it doesn’t include a lot of quality time with natural light during daylight hours. Trust me - the left front in progress looks a little like this, this, this or this - but left front-ier. Lots of pictures next time, I promise. Why will there be lots of pictures? Because the body of the sweater will be done, and I will be getting my passport stamped for Sleeve Island.

And here I present to you the right front of Cable and Rib, worked up to (and including) the armhole shaping in a mere two weeks. You may clap now, if for no other reason than (wait for it) I am still on schedule with this crazy “finish the big sweater by the end of the year” plan. I know it’s only been two weeks, but I’m pretty proud of myself.

I made a plan, which basically boiled down to saying “I think I need to knit about 8 rows a day,” and gosh darn it if working on the same project every day didn’t yield some real progress. Even though I know “slow and steady” is an obvious philosophy, I am honestly tickled pink that it’s working.

I started this sweater when I was still a relatively new knitter, and it’s surprising to me that my technique has improved so in the last three years that things I remember being difficult for the back (a cable row worked immediately after casting on, spotting and correcting mistakes) are no longer difficult. I’m no knitting expert, but I think I’ll need to redefine my notion of “challenging” projects. In a few inches, I start the V-neck shaping; I’ll report back when I’ve reached the summit. In the meantime, here are links to a few non-knitting things I’ve been enjoying.

1. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - I had been planning to read this regardless, but a very interesting discussion over at sockbug’s prompted me to move it to the head of the line. My verdict? Even as I see that she writes from a privileged position I have an urge to plow under my backyard for a garden and learn to can. At the very least, my husband is getting a book about cheesemaking for Christmas this year.

2. The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Holy cow, this was such a pretty place to spend vacation this summer. Even the National Park Service, not known for effusiveness, called the views “spectacular”. They weren’t kidding. Also, many great local wineries nearby on the Leelanau peninsula. If you like that sort of thing.

3. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, by Stephen Greenblatt - This is the audiobook that’s seeing me through much of this sweater knitting frenzy. Honestly, and to my detriment, I am not so much for the history - but this is a fascinating look at the circumstances and events that might have influenced Shakespeare to become who he was and write what he did. It’s fantastically narrated by Peter J. Fernandez, which is obviously making all the difference for me.

Pardon me while I go knit on with confidence - see you on the left front…