|
Thursday
Confessions of a Noro addict, and other stuff
As I've stated, I'm addicted to Noro ... so much so that I've become a yarn-pusher. Sorry if you're the recipient of my yarn pushing, I just can't help sharing the high with like minded people.
Anyhow, here's more proof -- the Knot Cable Cardigan from DEBBIE BLISS NORO #2, overall an excellent pattern book. Here's one sleeve, with another sleeve, in Noro Kureyon #40.
I really don't intend to finish this until about Thanksgiving, as it will be Very Warm, even for Colorado.
In other news:
While my kids were sick, and my mother (thank goodness) swooped in to pick them up for the day, I felt so nauseous laying down that I had to sit up the whole darn day resting. What better activity to keep you still (and yet sitting) while resting than knitting?, I say. Here's the beginnings of a little baby raglan sweater, made in -- gasp! -- Caron Simply Soft. Yes, I do heed the call of cheapo, easy-care acrylic when it calls to me. I actually like Simply Soft, as it is also a no dyelot yarn, which means it can hang out in my stash forever, until I decide to knit something like this. Here it is:
And why are my photos so yellow?? Note to self: FIGURE THIS OUT!
Posted at 9/2/2004 6:22:36 pm by Jen
Permalink
Wednesday
BOOK REVIEW: Debbie Bliss BABY KNITS
And here's my first blogging BOOK REVIEW ...
TITLE: Baby Knits, The Ultimate Collection of Knitwear Designs for Newborns to 3-Year Olds.
AUTHOR: The ubiquitous Debbie Bliss
I really like this book. Not only is it jam-packed with over 30 designs, but they range from very simple and somewhat chunky (read, worsted weight) to intricate heirloom-quality pieces. Not only sweaters and cardigans, there's hats, bootees, donkey jackets, dresses, blanketS, and even a hanger cover. I intend to make many patterns from this book, especially since many of my friends are having babies now. I really love that there are so many garments made of CASHMERINO ARAN, giving the knitter the choice of that deluctable yarn or something cheaper like Wool-Ease. My only two problems with owning this book are: 1) my kids are getting too big to fit into these!; and 2) there aren't any images of what the overall design looks like (à la Interweave Knits or even Vogue), meaning tedious line by line knitting is all you have to go on to imagine the overall shape of the piece. Get over it. This is worth owning if you intend to knit for babies or toddlers! Here are some of my favorites:
I've gotta make this for my 2-yr-old!!
This is most definitely a knit-while-watching-TV-then-get-oohs-and-ahhs-at-a-shower kind of a knit. How cute is this with a garter st hat?
And for you DK-weight fans, here's the CUTEST little lamb dress with matching bootees! THIS ONE WILL definitely get you attention at a baby shower!
I'm myself starting a little raglan sweater for a friend ... photos coming soon!
I apologize if it sounds like I'm trying to sell you this book ... because I am! Go here for the discounted purchase price of $21.95 (retails for $24.95, I think), or CHECK AUCTIONS (Search, then Save Search with Email Notifications) for this coming up soon for $14.00 !
Overall, this receives a B+. Worth owning!
Posted at 9/1/2004 6:22:45 pm by Jen
Permalink
Monday
Klaralund update:
I'm deciding on what color to choose, and here are my choices:
#88 -- Sable greys, browns, a little purple and red thrown in
#73 -- DISCONTINUED, Light blues grays and greens, or
#37 -- Medium Pinks greens and blues
Here's what I think:
#88 is great for Fall colors, but I don't think that this sweater is as fall-y as it is spring-y. Thus, I'm looking for cheery colors.
#37 is a little bit too bright for my tastes.
#74 is discontinued, so THIS IS MY ONLY CHANCE to knit with it; and being sort of gray-ish and white-ish, it will look good with a gray or white or blue shirt under it. (A consideration!)
LOOKS LIKE #74 wins!
Here's a photo of the same color of Silk Garden in another project:
This is the Knot Cable Jacket from Debbie Bliss Noro Two.
What? Does this seem familiar, you say?
YES! Because --
I'm using Kureyon #40 for this sweater. I'm calling it my "winter cardigan," and it's slated for completion by Thanksgiving. One sleeve done, the other is started. Photos forthcoming, as soon as I can locate the digital camera. [Note to self ... had it with me at the zoo last week ... where the heck is it?!]
What is life without an addiction of some sort?
Posted at 8/30/2004 8:55:17 am by Jen
Permalink
Friday
Karlsro is coming along, and other projects
My Karlsro is coming along. I'm using Noro Silk Garden #84, which I call "crimson reds", and it is just so pretty. I laid it out on the bed, came back for a photo -- oh! and who is this?
It's of course Chloe, who I maybe haven't quite introduced very well yet. Chloe and Rini are my two calico cats that I adopted while I was in grad school at CSU in Ft Collins, CO. Chloe has a French name, because she speaks French, and Rini has a Spanish name (Katarina, actually), because she speaks Spanish. Or rather, I speak those languages to each of them. Hey, I have to practice, don't I?
Anyhow, Chloe is the one that we lovingly call "La buena," or the good one. She hangs out, she loves us, and she only puts on the minor whiny meow for wet food (her personal favorite). On my Karlsro, she's saying, "Why did you wake me up? Is it time for wet food?"
Rini, on the other hand, is the one that we lovingly call "La mala," or the bad one. I say lovingly, and I actually mean that I call her that lovingly ... she and my husband don't really get along very well. She's never forgiven him for moving into our house (oh, about 7 years ago), and she has a rather spiteful personality. She and Chloe are sisters, and look surprisingly alike. Many of my friends are surprised when they finally see the two of them in the same room, as they tend to think that I have only one cat. She hangs out in dark corners, and runs from everyone but me. She's rather hard to take pictures of. To prove this, I went to find her, and this was the result of my efforts -- out of about 15 shots I tried to get.
Back to Chloe... I am making a little bed for her out of double strands of "tweedy" Wool-Ease, so that she can learn to sleep with my son on his bed. I'm going to sneak some catnip into the bed to entice her. Conor loves Chloe, and I even caught him singing a lullaby to her the other day, which he says was "her favorite song." Ahhh, how sweet!
She's not crazy about her half-made kitty bed yet.
On to other topics ....
Look at what came in the mail yesterday! A little eBay fairy delivered two Barbara Walker books to me -- I must be in a BW phase, as this now makes 3 books of hers that I've bought this month.
Can't wait to delve into them.
And I have finished two squares for my son's Learn To Knit Afghan -- you remember that's my other BW book -- (which I am calling the LTKA), made of Encore Chunky. These are BIG squares and go quickly! I'm using the same red WoolEase to crochet them together. I figure that this way Chloe's kitty bed will match Conor's stuff!
Square #1 was a garter-stripe square, with two colors.
And here's Square #2, a basketweave pattern:
And just in case you think these have made me neglect my Noro obsession, here's the update on my daughter's mitered squares hat, in Kureyon #95, which I call "limeade pinks."
And a tiny Booga Bag that I made using only one skein of yarn (I think), with a little flap over it. It's in Kureyon #40, gorgeous "jewel tones".
And the over-the-shoulder view:
Sorry my camera is sort of yellowish. I need to figure that out.
Happy knitting!
Posted at 8/27/2004 2:44:31 pm by Jen
Permalink
Thursday
Klaralund and other confessions of a Noro addict
As you know, I'm a self-confessed Noro addict. I currently have two Noro sweaters in the works ...
1) my Karlsro, in Silk Garden #84, which I call "Crimson Reds," and is really reds/ rusts/ pinks/ a little green. What a great color scheme! I just love these colors so much! Photo to come, with more commentary on ERRATA that I believe I found (or else I just screwed something up and had to fix my own mistake) ... tomorrow! I MUST finish this by the end of Sept, and where there's a will there's a way.
2) my Debbie Bliss Cable Knot Cardigan Sweater ... hmmm I don't think I have talked about this yet, so I'll be off to my stash drawer later to take photos. It's in Kureyon (not Silk Garden), color #40, which I believed I call "Bright blues / greens". I have one sleeve completed, and working on the other. My goal: Finish this by Thanksgiving, as it is such a cold weather sweater ... I can't wear this in Colorado in September, after all!
[Location note for those who aren't familiar with Colorado: People often think that Colorado is cold, snowy, and mountainous ... well, it is in the mountains, but not in the metro area where it certainly snows, but we also get warm weather. I remember wearing shorts to my Dec. finals one year at the U of Colorado - Boulder, when it was almost 80 degrees!]
So ... why am I an addict?
I've signed up for Klaralund -- here's the photo:
It's from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton #2, available here, and I haven't yet decided what color to do. There's a Klaralund-along going on right now.
Ahhh.... can't wait! I'll finish this by the end of Sept, then off to finish the cable knot sweater.
What? You don't think that this is *truly* a Noro addiction? Well, then, let me throw in one more FO as proof:
This is my son Conor, wearing a hat that I designed, that I call his "Noro Mitered Squares Hat." I know, I'm so very original, aren't I? Anyhow, it quite obviously is a Noro hat with mitered squares around the rim. I'm thinking of writing up a pattern for this and seeing if it sells on eBay in my store.
Here's another photo, not the best to show off the squares, so I'll have to try for more:
Kudos for now, and as my friend Lisa says,
Cheers and sunshine from Colorado!
Posted at 8/26/2004 8:11:02 am by Jen
Permalink
Friday
Resistance is futile. I had some Mission Falls 1824, two colors of this peachy tan and one of sage green, in my stash drawer, intended for a summery floppy hat. Once I saw Fiona, I knew I'd end up making this instead ... so here's a project from July, my Fiona bag, in which I learned to cast-off using I-cord (love new skills!).
I decided to make a backpack out of my Fiona bag, instead of the little purse. I still haven't added the cell phone pocket ... we'll see if I decide to do that or not. Here's the backpack view:
I also love this little bag because we almost named my son Conor the name Fiona, had he been a girl. What a perfect Fiona he would've made, with red hair and a fiery personality!!
Speaking of my son, Conor, whenever I knit, he says to me: Is that for me? Well, there's only so much you can knit for a 4-yr-old boy, and so when I saw the frontier hat, a coonskin-style topper, I had to make it for him. I'll have to check the yarn I used, I think it was GGH something. I started and finished this hat during a one-week visit to Texas. I bought the yarn at Yarn Heaven in Arlington, near my relative's house. What fun to knit a Davey Crocket-style hat while in Texas. My Aunt P said to me, "But can't you just buy one at a souvenir shop for $4?" Well, yeah ... but that's not the point!! (If you're even reading this blog, then you know what I mean)
Here it is:
And the back view (modeled here by my 1-yr-old [almost 2!!], Lia) in front of the TV -- gotta love something that will make her sit still!
Happy knitting everyone!
Posted at 8/20/2004 8:45:38 am by Jen
Permalink
Wednesday
I joined an afghan-along, called " Afghans for Us", a yahoo! Group in which we all exchange afghan squares. I've so far enjoyed my correspondences, and am working on my next two to send off ... I'm not going too fast in moving along, but the point isn't really to get them going, but just the exchange. Anyhow, here's my first two squares that I sent to my first pal LA:
I made an A and an F, for her initials, out of the Baby Knits book by Debbie Bliss. Fun!
Posted at 8/18/2004 9:10:10 am by Jen
Permalink
Thursday
IRO FO! Yay! and other ramblings ....
Okay, I'm back with a Thursday update ...
Some FO's to report:
Yay! I finished my very own Charlotte's Web Shawl ... granted, it's not in Koigu, but rather in stunning but very very chunky NORO IRO (normally 3 st = 1"), but as a first shawl, I'm very pleased. If I wear it at all, I'll definitely consider making a real Charlotte's Web in Koigu ... but what colors to choose? Various shades of red? They would look splendid with a black dress in the summer, or maybe to a Christmas (er, holiday) party ... or bright turquoise-like summer colors? Fall browns and golds? But I digress.
Here's a shot of my Iro Shawl:
Here I am wearing my Iro, in two poses (note how clever I was to take a photo over my back ... this required about 10 practice shots before I got it right! [doh!]):
And the glorious Iro Shawl hanging from the towel rod in my bathroom -- note to self: try to find better places to do photos!.
As an aside, I did my Master's Degree in Spanish Literature at Colorado State University, with an additional graduate certificate in Women's Studies. My thesis was interdisciplinary -- I wrote a critique of two separate books written by female authors ( Realidad desde la cama, by a favorite Argentine author Luisa Valenzuela, and El cuarto de atras, by a fab Spanish author Carmen Martin Gaite) and analyzed them from the perspective of French feminist psychoanalytical theory (in part founded by Julia Kristeva and Helene Cixous, along with L Irigaray), and I specifically focused on Luce Irigaray, an amazing mind who wrote This Sex Which Is Not One. If you're interested in feminist theory, it's an amazing book which still boggles my mind. Again, however, I digress. I had always heard of and read Barbara Walker's Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. When I started knitting two years ago, I of course heard of B Walker, and thought ... what a coincidence! As you know, she went from knitting insatiably for ten years to straight into feminist theory ... sort of the opposite direction from me ... and what an amazing mind she has!!
This brings me to what I've been working on this week:
A FUN little swatch from Barbara Walker's mosaic knitting book, which I got from my library (gotta love ordering books from your library!):
I don't know what I'll do with this yet ... I was thinking of checking gauge, and then felting to see how it turned out. What would a Kureyon/Lamb's pride worsted swatch turn out like? How about a felted tote from mosaic? Hmmm ... the possibilities are out there!
And what is this? ... a trip to my LYS, Shuttles in Boulder?
Well, yes ... and what for? Since we're on the subject of Barbara Walker, here it is, a special hard-to-find edition of the Learn to Knit Afghan Book -- Yay! They had it brand-new in the store, unbelievably so because it is practically out of print, and expensive on eBay, too.
And what yarn shall I use to make my own LTKA? I decided on Plymouth Encore Chunky, mainly because it was on sale, but also because I can buy a lot of different blues for my son, and then because it is chunky, it should go quickly. Here are the first colors:
There we go for now! I have yet more yarn news in store ... update to come later!
Chloe my kitty, by the way, says: "When are you going to make me a kitty pi? Meow."
Posted at 8/12/2004 8:06:43 pm by Jen
Permalink
Sunday
What have I been working on?
Well, I'm establishing my own blog rules:
1. Blog at least once a week, more if possible.
2. One FO per week (this includes UFOs I'll be digging up to finish).
3. Strive to always include photos (always more interesting).
4. Try to update at least one past FO per blog session, and that way I'll get them done.
5. Don't forget other "interesting" stuff!
So, living up to these standards, here's my promised photo entries:
#1. Two rolled brim hats that I just finished recently, free pattern to come for these. Both are Noro Kureyon (#40, #130 respectively), and both are super easy on #7 dpns. Are you a Noro addict? 
#2. I am indeed a Noro addict, as these entries shall soon prove. Here's my start of Karlsro, a side-to-side lacy rib wrap cardigan, from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's book ONE.  Notes on this: once I got the lacy rib pattern down, this has been a pretty quick knit -- and only takes 10 skeins for the M/L size (and 8 for S/M). I think that this is definitely *the* pattern to knit in this book.
#3. In order to get the said lacy rib pattern down, I worked on this Noro Silk Garden scarf. Free pattern also forthcoming, only 1 sk necessary! 
Notes on this: it's a slightly rolled-in scarf; although it's lacy, it's all st st, which does roll.
#4. And, one more lacy rib pattern scarf. I actually like this one more, and once I do a few great stitch patterns, I'll make a pattern out of it bundled with the others to sell later. Also, a 1-sk scarf! 
#5. And, just so that you understand the depths of my Noro addiction, here's my last (for today, at least): my own very first shawl, made of Noro Iro #08 (chunky, usually 3 st = 1"). What's the pattern, you ask?? Why, it's Charlotte's Web, by Koigu. What, no sock-weight Koigu used here? No, no ... as amazingly entrancing as those yarns can be, I had to do a shawl that was a QUICK FIX. It is my first shawl after all. Maybe some day I can do a real Charlotte's Web. Anyhow, it really is easy, once you figure out how to put markers between every repeating section. It's actually mesmerizing, and in chunky yarn, it comes together so quickly ... I started this about 4 days ago. This is 2 out of 3 hanks of Iro. 
Posted at 8/8/2004 9:06:15 pm by Jen
Permalink
A - Age: 32
B - Band listening to right now: Vince Guaraldi on Charlie Brown (kids are on tv)
C - Career: French and Spanish teacher; amateur entrepreneur
D - Dad's name: Ken
E - Easiest person to talk to: my husband
F - Favorite song: songs? I have two small children, and not enough time to listen to *a* song
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: bears
H - Hometown: Lakewood, CO
I - Instruments: flute, piccolo, piano
J - Job: sometimes-foreign-language-teacher
K - Kids: Yes, 4 and almost 2, Conor and Lia
L - Longest car ride ever: Cape Cod, MA to Boulder, CO
M - Mom's name: Sandra
N - Number of people you've slept with: none of your beeswax
P - Phobia(s): none really
Q - Quote: Life is nothing if not an adventure -- Helen Keller
R - Reason to smile: I have no real complaints (though it doesn't always stop me!)
S - Song you sang last: probably either a Raffi or a Burle Ives song
T - Time you wake up: around 6:30, or later if I can fanagle it
U - Unknown fact about me: I can wiggle my eyebrows
V - Vegetable you hate: none that I hate
W - Worst habit: worrying about things that don't matter
X - X-rays you've had: spine, lots of dental
Y - Yummy food: husband's cooking (I'm so lucky)
Z - Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Posted at 8/8/2004 9:03:05 pm by Jen
Permalink
|
|
