Through the Back Loop

I've moved!

2009-03-08T15:20:00.002-03:00

Hello all - sorry for the radio silence for the last while (catastrophic computer meltdowns make it difficult to get all bloggy). But I'm back with a quick announcement - I 've made the switch to wordpress. This is my new home. I've been thinking that I needed a fresh start and maybe a new blog direction for a while now - I feel guilty about not blogging, but get frustrated when I do. I blog about knitting, but I want to branch out a little - maybe through some of my life in there, some photographs (my other favourite thing to do) and whatever stikes my fancy. So, a switch I made. I hope you'll come a long!

Come and visit!

Whoo, whoo

2009-02-12T21:48:00.005-04:00

Okay, so this "post more often" thing hasn't exactly panned out lately. But, here I am, with a new project to tell you about (and a few more waiting for their turn).

Since last we met, my needles have been furiously clickety-clacketing along and I've managed to turn out a couple of projects. The project that I'm most pleased with is my Owl sweater. When it came time to choose a calendar for 2009, I knew that this would be the year of the owl. I love owls. So, with a Great Horned Owl gazing out at me from the kitchen bulletin board, I set out to search for a new project. Then I found it, the Owl sweater. Perfect.

I love this sweater. A lot. It was a big departure for me in terms of yarn weight and needle size - I must admit, it is pretty sweet to watch a sweater just fly off the needles. This was my first go with a bulky yarn and I enjoyed it. This is a great yarn - soft, chunky, super cosy, but not heavy. The itch factor that I always associate with bulky yarns (probably unfairly) is happily absent. It also has nice stitch definition and shows off the cables well. So, a pleasant yarn and big needles, coupled with a good pattern made for a happy knitting experience.

It's the design elements of this pattern that really made me happy - I like the fit first and foremost. It's a body conscious design - close fitting, but flattering thanks to the clever use of shaping in the back and the short rows under the bust and along the neck in the back. I lengthened the body and the arms to suit my preference, other than those minor mods, I knit it as is. I'm also in love with the cabled yoke - it's like a nice parade of owls. It's a fairly straight forward cable and it may very well make an appearance in another form in the near future, so stay tuned. The fact that this sweater is knit in the round makes me love it even more. I hate seaming and cannot understand knitting anything in pieces that could be knit in the round. The only seaming necessary were the two gaps under the arms. Sweet.

To give those owls their peepers, I sewed on the buttons using embroidery thread that matched the yarn as closely as I could. I apologize for the lack of cable close-ups, but I live in a black hole and it's been gloomy around these parts lately. The sewing on of the eyes took me forever. I am not a speedy sewer by any means, and I wanted to make sure that I did a good job. It must have gone alright as none of the little guys looks noticeably bug-eyed.

In our next installment we will explore a winter necessity - the hat, both knit and sewed.

I've been hibernating

2009-01-05T14:00:00.005-04:00

Where does the time go? I swear, last time I looked, Christmas was on the horizon, holiday parties were starting to pop up and I was in the midst of gift knitting. I hope everyone had a good holiday with lots of tasty eats, family and friends. And knitting, lots of knitting.

I swore that this year I wouldn't knit for anyone - too much work, too much stress, not enough appreciation, blah, blah, blah. Then I got an email from my dad telling me how much he was looking forward to his Christmas socks and how his partner loved last year's socks so much - what's a girl to do? Knit some socks of course. Socks that I knit, wrapped and delivered without taking a single photograph. Awesome. Take my word for it, they were plain, but handsome socks - good for hiking, which is what those folks like to do. They were well received and next year I'll know better.

There was a lot of knitting this Christmas. Lots of last minute I-will-finish-this-before-the-29th-if-it-kills-me variety. You see, It all started with the Laminaria shawl that I knit for myself. My globetrotting friend was home for one of her infrequent visits and was admiring it. Would I make her one she asked, sure I said. And so it began. I started in late September and worked away on it in fits and starts, all with the intention of mailing it to her when it was finished. Then came the surprise Christmas visit and the shawl was so close, but not quite done. I was knitter obsessed. I was driven. I was sick of looking at this lacy purple beast and I wanted it gone. So I knit. I knit the full shawl version in the Fleece Artist's Suri Blue. This time around I knit it up on 4.5mm needles and was much happier with the result - slightly more open, but not too fluttery, if that makes any sense. It blocked beautifully and my friend was thrilled. Of course, I don't have any photos of it either. She has promised to take some pics for me in the foreign and exotic places she'll be travelling to in the coming year - knits on the move!

Lest you think that I spent my holidays knitting undocumented items for people who live far away, behold! Another neck warmer!

But not just any neck warmer - I knit this out of some luscious, luscious yarn that I've been hoarding for just the right project. For Christmas this year I gave myself a copy of Luxury Yarns One-Skein Wonders. What a great book. I am a collector of single skeins of yarny goodness. After a while, a girl likes to actually use those single treasures and this book has a lot of good ideas for yarns ranging from lace weight to bulky. I chose Cheryl Oberle's Yak Neck Cuff. I wasn't seduced by the name, but the picture. It just looked so soft and cozy and I decided I too must make one. I modified the pattern to knit in the round on 4mm 16inch circulars needles and had to fiddle a bit to get the knitting to match up with the project photo. And, true to the title, I used the entire skein. The entire skein. I may have had 3 inches left over after I wove in the ends, I didn't want to waste an inch.

The yarn I chose is Fibre-Isle International's Mooi- a medium weight blend of bamboo, bison and cashmere. It's pretty much like knitting with a little bit of heaven. Something this soft absolutely belongs next to the skin. There are several things that I love about this yarn - the combination of the rich colour, the sheen of the bamboo and the fuzzy halo of the bison is fabulous. It knits up into deliciously fat stitches and has a lovely drape. It also light weight and quite warm and as such I think this yarn would be best suited to projects like scarves or simple shawls. Because it's pretty fabulous on it's own, I would keep the stitch pattern uncomplicated- maybe a simple cable or something of that nature. I really can't say enough how much I enjoyed this yarn, if you can get your hands on some, do it. But don't be fooled by the picture, I'm not keeping the neck warmer, it's going to be gifted to a friend in the near future. I was thinking of her when I cast on, and am hopeful that she'll enjoy wearing it as much as I enjoyed knitting it. If not, I'll steal it back ;)

Well, Happy New Year from TBL and hopefully this year will bring all of you peace, joy and good knitting.

Winter has arrived

2008-11-25T19:42:00.002-04:00

Winter has made it's presence felt this past weekend - blowing in with 30cms of snow and some nippy temperatures. What's a knitter to do? Knit a neck warmer of course!

I decided that it was time to dip into the stash and make myself a quick and cosy project - a cowl was just the thing to help me use up some of those odds and ends. I used three strands of DK weight yarns (Fleece Artist leftovers of blue face Leicester and a kid/silk blend that I've had for ages. No really - I think it might have been one of the first skeins that I ever bought as a knitter) and an 8mm circular needle. I used seed stitch for the edges to prevent curling and plain ol' knitting for the body. I love it. It's thick, soft, drapey and a whole lot of neck-warming awesomeness.

Not content to just wear it around my apartment, I wanted to put it to the test:

Success! I now understand why people like these things so much. I can see more of these little stash busters in my future (and maybe under someone else's Christmas tree). It is one insulating cowl. It kept me cosy while I tromped through the snowy woods.

After my snowy winter hike, I think I need legwarmers to keep the ankles warm. Maybe.

Stay warm and happy knitting!

All apologies. . . .

2008-11-17T20:35:00.004-04:00

. . . I didn't intend to be away this long. Really. Just until I have something to blog about I told myself, you know, something interesting, then I'll post. Well, that didn't work out like I planned. But I am here now, with progress, even if it is the stockingette-in-the-round variety.

I mentioned in my last post, what seems like a thousand years ago, that I had a hankering for a new sweater and was soon to cast on for one. I wanted a warm, comfy, practical sort of sweater. You know the kind - just roomy enough to pull on over a long sleeved t-shirt, but not a shapeless sack, looks good with jeans, not too fancy but not so dull to knit that you want to poke yourself in the eye. You know that sweater, everyone has one. I chose Salina by Kim Hargreaves in Rowan's Vintage Knits. It's has what I'm looking for - so far. I haven't quite finished it yet - all that remains is a sleeve and some sewing, but as it's so close to the end, I figure I'll share my thoughts with you anyway.

This is my first Rowan experience both in terms of pattern and yarn. It seems like Rowan inspires a great deal of knitterly loyalty, bordering on cult status at times and I had to see what I was missing. I've checked out their patterns before and generally like the simplicity and classic quality of their garments, but hadn't knit any, for whatever reason. I like the styling of the photo layouts in Vintage Knits and the colour of the yarn for Salina (and for the record, the yarn colour is not officially Swamp Pickle as I had been calling it, but Avocado). I even used the Rowan yarn called for in the pattern (Felted Tweed) which is not something I generally do, but I figured go big or stay home.

The pattern is well written and I've followed it almost exactly as written. Almost I say because I cannot bring myself to knit flat what can easily be knit in the round. This is my one gripe with Salina. The sweater has minimal shaping which is the same for both the front and back pieces - why not knit it in the round and save yourself the hassle of all that sewing and seaming? While it may take longer to cast on and get going, it's worth it to my view as it saves me from the tediousness of the finishing. I knit it in the round to the armhole shaping, the separated for the front and the back. Easy peasy. I knit the sleeves in the round too, using a provisional cast on so as to avoid sewing the cuffs to the sleeve. It just made more sense to me to do it that way, rather than knitting the cuff separately and sewing it on. Too much extra work.

The yarn itself is nice, a nice ratio of soft to scratchy, and I like the bits of blue that show up here and there in the midst of the avocado. It knits up nicely and I do like tweediness of it, it feels very fall-ish to me. However, I feel like I must mention the knots. Knots happen. I know this, I've mostly accepted it, but when each of the 6 balls that I've used so far has had one, and sometimes more, I become less understanding. It is particularly irksome when the knotty yarn is the product of a "big name" with designer status. Perhaps I got an unlucky lot, but it doesn't make me want to buy it again, pleasing soft/scratchy ratio aside.

With my sweater almost finished, a new winter coat bought and winter on it's way, I need some snazzy new accessories! I've taken an inventory and I am sad to report that I have only 2 knit scarves - lacy silk ones at that! I need something cozy and warm to keep the chill off and I think the stuff below just might do the trick:

It's soft, bulky, green and alpaca. Perfect! Now I just need to find the right pattern . . . .

Fall - the Best Season

2008-10-29T21:06:00.003-03:00

I love fall - it is by far my favourite season. The colours, the cool, crisp air, it's an all around awesome time of year. Naysayers will point out that fall is quickly followed by winter, the longest, coldest season, but fall is where it's at. What's not to love about crinkling leaves underfoot? Wood smoke in chilly night air? Unexpectedly warm afternoons? Tasty warm beverages? It's all good according to us here at TBL. I took these photos on an afternoon hike on the Thanksgiving weekend. It was a beautiful day - gorgeous colours and warm sunshine. It was the colours that inspired me to knit these:

These are Nutkin socks by Beth LaPensee, knit up in Fleece Artist merino sock yarn that's been marinating in my stash for ages. The pattern is, as LaPensee suggests, easy to memorize and quick to knit. I enjoyed pattern/colourway combination immensely. I did make a few modifications to the pattern - I used 2.25mm dpns, substituted a flap heel for the short row heel and a round toe for the short row toe. Hmm, it seems that I wasn't feeling the short row love this time around.

I'm pretty happy with these socks, they already have good memories attached to them - I knit most of the first one at the Maritime Fall Fair while watching large horses pull large wagons while I ate some tasty, tasty fudge. A good way to spend an evening if I do say so myself. My only issue is with the fit of the sock - I have found that they tend to twist slightly on the leg. I like to have my socks stay in one place and I wonder if a ribbed cuff instead of the folded cuff would help to keep the sock in line so to speak. A minor quibble as I am pretty pleased with them.

So, it's almost Halloween, it's almost November - it must sweater season. I've got one in the works - do you?

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a WIP

2008-10-10T14:30:00.003-03:00

A small project to keep me from succumbing to lace overload. Stay tuned for the finished object.

Socks by the sea

2008-10-09T14:24:00.002-03:00

My Snappy Sweater wasn't the only knit to get some sun on my photo shoot - my Noro socks got in on the action too. I finished these sometime in late spring and they've hibernating until this week. They fit me better than the photo shows (I had just taken my shoes off and was goofing around with the settings on my camera).
What can I say about these babies? It was a simple ribbed sock, knit from the top down on 2mm dpns. Good and mindless. The colour changes kept things interesting - I love watching the colours play out, it's brilliant. The Kureyon sock yarn has the same issues that the worsted variety does - that irritating thick and thin business and off course those breaks in the yarn that mess up the colour patterning. But, we all know it and we keep going back for more. It's those colours, they sucker me in every time - this is funny because for those of you who know me (Mammals, this one's for you), you know that I'm not into "colour." I prefer monochromatic colour schemes, subtle shading, nothing too "loud." Except, it seems, in my socks.

Happy knitting!

A Snappy New Fall Sweater

2008-10-07T18:37:00.004-03:00

Here is the latest addition to my sweater wardrobe, the A-line jacket from Drops. I love this sweater! I'm a big fan of the Drops patterns, but this was the first one that I have actually worked up. I searched it out on Ravelry and read all the reviews and they were right - it is an easy knit. I will admit however that I did not strictly follow the directions. There were a few modifications - I lengthened the body by a couple of inches, did a three needle bind-off for the shoulders and knit the sleeves in the round to save myself the seaming. I also decided to omit the buttonholes. This was not some clever design element, or an attempt to improve the pattern. This was me not paying attention. I didn't even notice. I happily knit all the pieces, seamed them together and THEN noticed my mistake. Sheesh. Well, there was no way that I was going to undo everything I had just done to add buttonholes so I decided to fake it. Under those big silver buttons lurk some shiny silver snaps. Cheating? Probably, but they work and you can't notice, so good enough for me.

Harrisville Yarns Orchid with Cashmere was the yarn of choice and a new one for me. This yarn is okay - not super, not sucky, but okay. I found it almost like a pencil roving - a little weak in spots, but easily fixable with a good spit splice. I'm betting that this stuff felts really nicely. I also have a feeling that this yarn will pill (think Malabrigo), but I'm hoping not too badly. The stitch definition is nice and I really like the way the double moss stitch showed up. The sweater is lightweight and warm and I'm happy with the fit. The only changes I would have made, aside from remembering the buttonholes, would have been to knit a few rows of double moss stitch instead of the garter stitch/2x2 ribbing along the bottom edge. Minor stuff to be sure.

Ah, the hazards of the self-portrait. Me, looking pleased to at the beach in my new sweater.

What's next for Through the Back Loop you ask? Well, I've still got a major commissioned piece to start, finish and mail, but I need to knit for me too. This morning was chilly and I was reminded that I really need a new scarf and some mittens. I'm also feeling the need for some colour work, so mittens it is - easy to carry around and relatively quick to knit up. An excellent alternative to all the lace coming my way. Now the hard part - picking the pattern and choosing the colours! While I struggle with these momentous decisions - I'll wish you warm hands and happy knitting.

It's in the bag

2008-10-05T17:48:00.006-03:00

Hurray for pretty patterned napkins - they're just the right size for a project bag.

I dug out the sewing machine this week and made myself 2 zippered bags to carry my knitting around in. I modeled them after those super handy zippered pouches that sheet sets come in. Sewing is something I enjoy, but not something I do on a regular basis. It would probably be easier if I ever used a pattern, but I tend to make it up on the fly. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but I do need some practice putting in a zipper and there is a reason that there are no shots of the interior (somebody needs to work on prettifying the seams and that's all I'm going to say about that).

Then I decided that if I had fancy new knitting bags, I better have some knitting to carry around in them - my Conwy socks from Knitting on the Road were just the thing! I had admired the pattern for a while but a crazy notion that they would be too hard. I was happily proven wrong. The pattern is easy to follow and the yarn was lovely (and continues to be so, as I have quite a bit left over).

The colour is most accurate in the third pic - rats to living in such a dark apartment!

I used Fibre-Isle's Lovit Yarn (100g - 450 meters). It's a blend of merino, Lyocell and Canadian Bison. It felt a little twine-like in the beginning, but after being handled, it softens up considerably and feels pretty darn luxurious on my tootsies. With the 30% Lyocell content I was worried about elasticity and wanted to make sure that my socks wouldn't end up in a puddle around my ankles - to that end I think that Conwy was a good choice. The twining cable pattern hugs my leg pretty well, so far no slouching. I almost wish that I had made them longer, but I'm an impatient knitter and I wanted them finished now. The natural oatmeal colour of the yarn was also a factor in the pattern choice - it was crying out for a nice textured pattern to make it come alive. Plus, texture makes for a more interesting knit.

I really like the idea of having bison socks, it some how makes my feet feel warmer. This yarn was part of a present from my dad - he may not knit, but he's got good taste. This summer the Man and I, along with my sister and nephew, visited my dad in PEI. I had hoped to visit the Fibre-Isle mill, but after hayrides, giant potlucks, sightseeing and general vacationing, there just wasn't enough time in our weekend for a trip to the mill. Since I couldn't go to the mill, the mill, in a way, came to me. I was spoiled rotten with a gift of Bison sock yarn, 2 skeins of Niji lace weight and the Baby Cable shawl pattern. Bison-o-rama here I come! I'm hoping to have the shawl finished by the end of November so I can show him what it looks like, but it may not happen - I've got a time sensitive project on the go and it gets precedence for the time being.

Well, that's me for now. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get out and get some photos of my Drops sweater, snaps and all. Happy knitting!

I'm glad I went...

2008-09-28T20:22:00.004-03:00

... to Pacafiesta. Despite the threat of tropical storm Kyle, Mammals, the Man and I hit the road in search of alpaca goodness. And I'm happy to report that we found some.

While the Man went off to talk alpacas with the exhibitors, Mammals and I made the rounds. After today, I have decided that I most definitely need me some alpacas and cashmere goats.

I spent a bit of time talking to the woman with the cashmere goats and got to pet them for a bit - very friendly little critters. I was trying to convince myself that I could take one home and pass it off as an exotic breed of dog, but decided against it. It was the horns. Dogs just don't have horns. Or cloven hooves.

The Man has discovered a love of alpacas and has declared, on the record, that they are in fact cool, and that he would like to have "some" in the future. To which I say, sweet! Think I can train them to sleep on the futon?

Alpacas and goats and bunnies. Oh my!

In addition to soft sheep and awesome alpacas, there were also a few angora bunnies. I'm fairly certain that the bunnies are actually very small under all that fuzz. I have a love of angora - so soft! So luxurious! So incredibly bad for my allergies! It seems so unfair to react so badly to something so soft (picture swollen, itchy eyes and itchy, runny nose. Beautiful). But who can resist those twitchy little noses?

Lest you be misled into the belief that it was all animal gazing, we ogled some yarns too. Oh the yarns! Rich, chocolate browns, creamy natural whites, silvery greys and that was just one booth! I steeled myself against temptation and was pretty successful. I could not resist the colourful sock yarns of the The Black Lamb Hand Weaving and Spinning Shoppe. They had so many lovely shades that I had a hard time picking just one ( and I am proud of myself for only purchasing one single skein - we all know how I feel about sock yarn). I chose one in a various shades of grey, pewter and blues - picture the ocean under a cloudy sky. It's pretty soft and I'm looking forward to knitting it up some time in the nearish future.

The fibre fondling didn't stop there - I also picked up 2 skeins of a 50% alpaca 50% merino blend from Legacy Lane Fiber Mill. Two squishy skeins of grey/blue softness. I haven't really decided what they'll eventually become, but as Mammals says, anything that soft belongs around your neck. I do need a new scarf - well, can you ever really have enough scarves? I say no. Mammals, not to be outdone, scooped up 2 skeins of chocolaty brown alpaca and some crazy -coloured sock yarn too. She's on a serious scarf kick right now and I'm looking forward to seeing what

she comes up with.

Mammals and I cuddle up to some yarny goodness.

I've pretty quiet lately - as in I'm sure some of you might have thought that I fell off the face of the earth - there has been lots of knitting, just not documented knitting. I finished the Drops sweater a few days ago - all finished except for the buttonholes which I forgot to add. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I didn't even notice. Instead of unseaming and ripping back, I've decided to fake it - snaps. After bar hooks failed to work out, I'm confident that snaps are the way to go. When all is washed and blocked, a fashion shoot and post will be in short order. I've also got some hats to show off and some other goodies in the works. So please stay tuned. Until then, happy knitting!

Pacafiesta 2008! Woot!

2008-09-12T19:20:00.002-03:00

Save up your pennies - Pacafiesta 2008 edition is September 26-28th. I am excited! See you there!

Fun with blocking and a Trellis update

2008-09-05T21:29:00.010-03:00

A few weeks ago I ordered a blocking kit from Knit Picks. I wanted to see what the fuss was about. They arrived in their nifty mailing tube and sat unopened and neglected for a few days until I had the time to block out the Trellis scarf. Trellis, if you remember, was not an inspiring sight fresh off the needles, all wrinkly, bunchy and scrunched up from being lugged around in my purse and whatnot, lace never is. I broke out my new blocking wires and got to work. What a difference between blocking with wires and using pins alone. Blocking wires can accomplish amazing things, transforming one's knitted lump into a piece of open, lacy goodness.

I'll admit that threading the wire along the long side of my scarf was not the most fun I've ever had, but the patience paid off. Using these wires means goodbye to puckered, uneven edges. No more scalloping! It's much easier to ensure that your item is a consistent width from top to bottom and allows you to adjust things as needed. So much better than the alternative of using a million dressmaker's pins. I am a convert. Trellis is now washed, blocked, wrapped and ready for gifting. I'm always a little anxious when knitting for someone else - I know what I like, what colours and patterns that I prefer, and therefore tend to second guess myself when knitting gift items. I'm reasonably confident that I've chosen well in matching up the pattern, colour, fibre and recipient.

After putting the finishing touches on Trellis, I returned to a project that I had begun for myself but had put aside. I bought a skein of the Fleece Artist's Suri Blue in the marine colourway. I love that yarn - slightly fuzzy, light, warm and beautiful. I chose to knit up a shoulderette version of Laminaria from Knitty. I was intrigued by the Estonian stitches and was looking for a challenge. It was an enjoyable knit - even if I did have to frog the whole first edging because I couldn't find my mistake. Unlike Trellis, where I found it easy to "read" what the stitches were doing because of the predictable geometry of the pattern, I found it much harder to do that with Laminaria due to the organic nature of the shapes and therefore harder to find my mistakes. After I got used to the pattern and could "read" the situation better, it was smooth sailing.

The pattern is well written and the charts are clear and error free. I did modify it slightly by taking the suggestion of a knitter on Ravelry and changing the k3togs in the second half of the Star chart to sssk for a more balanced pattern - a minor element, but one that I'm glad I did. I was completely underwhelmed when I cast off - so small! So uninspiring! So not what I was hoping for. Blocking saved the day (or is shawl?). Blocking was essential. It totally opened up and the designs that I had been trying to read were suddenly very apparent and beautiful. I am pretty happy with my version of Laminaria and I recommend the pattern to anyone who wants to learn a new thing or two and is looking for a more challenging lace project. I'm looking forward to wearing this one!

After all this lace, I'm looking for a bit of a breather before I plunge back in. Today I cast on for this after hearing that the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a really chilly winter. No holes, no double yarn overs and no k3tog, ssk combinations, it should go pretty quickly (or should I say that out loud? Did I just jinx myself?).

Happy knitting!

Old MissKnit had a farm. . .

2008-09-01T15:19:00.003-03:00

. . . and on her farm there were some sheep, e-i, e-i, o. After all the intense lace activity of recent weeks, I really wanted a fun, easy project and these sheep by Fiber Trends were just the thing. I love them. I intended to just have the one, but quickly realized that one is the loneliest number and that he needed company. Then I thought some more and thought that a third would really round out the group. The fourth, made of left over Noro, is a gift for a friend who is more than a little obsessed with that crazy colourful yarn. Good times all the way around. After all the laceweight it was pretty nice to have a heavier weight yarn and needles in my hands. Plus, knitting a three dimensional object is pretty satisfying. As an added bonus, I've got myself some sheep friends. Sweet. Now I just need to name them. . . .

In which I attempt to sew.

2008-08-28T23:12:00.004-03:00

No, it's not knitting, but it is related to yarn. Kind of. Last night I broke out the sewing machine and made myself some lavender sachets to nestle in the stash in an effort to a) make the yarn smell nice and b) guard against moths. I don't have a moth problem and I intend to keep it that way. I am not the seamstress that decodaco is, but I try. I figure I can only get better with practice, so stay tuned for adventures in sewing (for yarn!).

Where yarn comes from. . .

2008-08-26T13:46:00.002-03:00

. . . it comes from Woolly Boy.

Helloooo.....Is anybody out there?

2008-08-25T19:50:00.007-03:00

I blame you not if you've abandoned me for greener pastures, blogs that are you know, updated and current and stuff. I fully intended to be post-y and whatnot, but summer got in the way. I could justify the long absence with the somewhat flimsy rationale that I've been working on long-term projects that required the full extent of my focus (partially true. Kinda), or that one of them is a wedding gift and the bride might discover my posts (not even a remote possibility), but really, I've got no excuses. So, if you're still around - you're a wonderfully patient person and I hug you from here.

My biggest project to date - in terms of size and stitch count - has got to be the Bird's Nest Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. I love this shawl. It's my favourite kind of lace project - not too fussy and easy to memorize. Knitting this does require patience and perseverance as it's knit length-wise, but I think the results are worth it.

I used 6 or so skeins Drops' Alpaca on 4mm Addi Lace needles and am really pleased with the result. The pattern is clearly written and easy to follow. Oberle suggests lace weight held double throughout for this project, but I found that the alpaca produced a nice lightweight fabric that drapes beautifully and is very warm. It's also considerably less expensive than cashmere. But splitty and sheddy. It hurts me to say it, as I love Drops Alpaca and possess a considerable amount, but I will admit that it sheds like mad and can be a pain in the arse with the splitting. My solution? Refrain from wearing dark colours whilst knitting and pay a little bit of attention to what you're doing. Not exactly a revelation, I realize, but it works for me.

Blocking, as with any lace project, really opened up the pattern. Even my Man was impressed with this one (no small accomplishment in itself). There are more photos of it in all it's purple glory here. [Photos.Photos are one of the main reasons that I don't blog more. Dealing with photos in Blogger makes me want to chew off my own arm in frustration. It doesn't need to be this difficult. Just sayin'.]

Also on the lace front, I decided to knit a lacy scarf as a gift for a good a friend's wedding. I gave myself a month to finish it. I managed to complete it 2 weeks. I showered and ate and had a life and stuff, and still managed to get the Trellis Lace Scarf finished with time to wash, block and wrap it. Not that I have actually wash or blocked it yet, but for good reason. The blocking wires I ordered from KnitPicks are due to arrive tomorrow and I really want to try those out. So, as it stands, the Trellis Scarf is a rather unappetizing rumpled lump, desperately crying out for some finishing touches.

I chose Jaggerspun Zephyr 2/18 in Lady Slipper pink for the bride-to-be. It is not a colour I would choose for myself, but I think that it suits the recipient pretty well. This was my first time knitting with it a true lace weight and I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought somehow that lace weight would be more difficult to work with, but not so much. It did take some getting used to , the thin yarn on 4mm needles (Addi lace needles again. I have some to appreciate those pointy brass needles - particularly when knitting 7 stitches into 5), but it wasn't as difficult as I thought. The yarn itself doesn't really set me on fire - it's nice (and I have 2 skeins in the stash), but I'm not in love. I found it prone to splitting at inopportune moments (like the 7 into 5 manoeuvre), and it felt rather papery to me - probably owing to the silk content. That said it knits into a lovely, floaty fabric and most of the folks who have seen it really liked it, even if pink isn't their deal.

The pattern is easy to follow and made perfect sense to me -I've some Ravelry reviews that called it quite challenging, but didn't find it overly vexing. I watched tv and managed to keep things on track. The one issue I do have with this pattern is the asymmetrical ending borders. I hate them. The beginning border is scalloped and leads quite nicely to the main diamond/trellis pattern that comprises the body of the scarf. The ending border ends straight across, with a half diamond shape. This didn't make much sense to me, so I searched Ravelry for an alternative. I found a chart for an ending border that continued the diamond shaping but could not for the life of me get it to work. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong, but I gave up. Ultimately I cast on for a second beginning border and grafted it to the scarf. It worked out pretty well and is a much better fit that the original ending. I will post pics when the blocking extravaganza is underway (hopefully tomorrow!).

There is another lace shawl in the works, but it will have to wait for my next post - which will be much sooner in coming than this one was. Thanks again if you've stuck around or are making a return visit to the Back Loop, I appreciate it. If you're curious as to my other projects, I'm Ravelry as MissKnit - drop by or add me as a friend (I'm friendly - really).

Happy Knitting!

Blue Root

2008-07-16T21:04:00.007-03:00

Here they are (finally!), pics of the finished Rusted Root. All the details and mods and whatnots are in my previous post. Enjoy!

As for new knitting? I've got nothin'. Nice weather finally arrived and I took advantage!

Beautiful weather can't last forever (can it?) so it's back to knitting. I feel the urge for something new. . . maybe a sweater? Hmm, any suggestions?

Happy Belated Birthday Canada!

2008-07-02T12:09:00.005-03:00

Happy day after Canada Day everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely day out in the sun, enjoying the festivites and whatnot. I ventured forth to do a bit of social knitting in the park with my knitting friend Mammals. We lucked out and scored a bench under the perfect shade tree. It was lovely - shady and just the right amount of breeze - pefect for knitting.

For some reason I elected not to take pictures of us actually knitting, but I swear we really did. I'm working on yet another pair of socks, this time from Knitting Vintage Socks, the Child's Sock in Miranda Pattern. So far so good. By next posting I will be sure to have photos.

I do however have photos of a pair of socks that will gifted next week. The best part anout these socks is that the recipient has no idea they're coming. Sweet! I love surprises/surprising! This person knows that I knit (duh). This person always asks what I'm working on. This person waxed poetic about this pair of handknit socks she recieved once and how nice they were and that they were the best socks ever and that no one has ever knit her another pair, etc., etc., etc. Just ask. This is what I desperately wanted to say. Just ask and I will knit you a pair. Not often does anyone actually ask, they just hint, hoping that we knitters are not so obtuse as to miss their coded messages - "So, knitting socks huh? Boy, those sure do look nice. That's one of my favourite colours right there. Yep. Sure are nice looking. Are those for you? Oh. Hey, you know what? We have the same size feet. How about that, what a coincidence. Well, better let you get back to it." Subtle, very subtle. Well, my knitting radar picked up those subtle signals, and I knit her a pair of Waving Lace socks, featured on the cover of Favorite Socks. [Favorite Socks and Knitting Vintage Socks seem to be my go-to, never-fail books when I need a decent sock pattern. Needless to say, I recommend them].

A ball of Opal Solid in a nice bright fuschia was my choice for these bad boys. The recipient is a vibrant sort of person and I thought this colour would suit her to a T. I enjoyed this pattern - engaging without being over complicated, easy to get into and fun to knit. I like textured socks (even if they sometimes look like fleshy lumps) and this was my first pair of lace socks. The end reult looks great and I am resonably confident that she'll like them (there is the outside chance that "WTF? Wool socks in July?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" will come out of her mouth, but I'm betting on not.

The other item that had been occupying my knitting hours was Zephyr Style's Rusted Root. I was possessed by a burning desire to knit this cute sweater when I stumbled across it on Ravelry. I had to make it. Had to. And so I did, out of stuff in my stash no less - miraculous! I purchased some Garnstudio Bomull-Lin last year when visiting South Carolina, intending it for a certain project that lost it's appeal over time. The cotton/linen blend sat, unknit, in The Chest for over a year, waiting for it's time to shine. Well, shine it does. Since finsihing the Root, we have been plagued by overcast skies. Not at all conducive to taking nice FO pictures. I will take advantage of whatever sun comes my way this week to snap some pics. Until I can present photographic evidence that the sweater does exist, my comments on the yarn, the pattern and the combination of the two will have to suffice.

Bomull-Lin is a worsted weight cotton/linen blend that I originally intended for a sleeveless tank last summer. It just didn't happen. Happily enough I found a different purpose for the yarn and am happy with the result. What to say about this yarn? I did find it splitty - which I expected - and a bit rough on the hands - which I also expected. That said, if you pay attention whilst knitting, the splitty-ness shouldn't really be an issue. It aslo softened up after getting beat around in my knitting bag and after a washing. It offers up great stitch definition for the lace pannel on the front of the sweater and isn't as heavy as I thought it might be. I have a feeling it might grow a bit with repeated wearings, but we shall see.

Rusted Root struck my fancy when I found it on Ravelry for a couple of reasons. I like the shape and I like the lace column detail. I was also intrigued by the top down construction. I did make some modifications to the pattern after cruising through the various versions on Ravelry:

knit at a slightly tighter gauge than called for and knit the med., instead of a small to get the fit I wanted

decided to use a provisional cast on for the neck to make picking up the stitches for the neck ribbing easier and neater

opted for plain, non-pouffy sleeves and lengthened them to the elbow.

It was a quick, mostly enjoyable knit. I say mostly because I knit and reknit the sleeves a few times before I arrived at something that I liked. This is not the fault of the pattern, as I was making them up as I went along. Everything turned out well in the end and I shall post pics soon.

Until then, I'll leave you with a shot of summer. Happy knitting!

OMG! OMG!

2008-06-12T21:38:00.004-03:00

Well, colour me excited. I was flipping through The Coast today, you know, getting all caught up on things about town, cultural and otherwise, when I came across The Dope Show. I saw the caption Sea World and read down a little and was all excited because I participated in the knitted sea creature extravaganza, then I read a little further and freaked out (just a little, I was at work after all). There it was, Miss Knit, all bolded and whatnot. I clapped my hands like a small child and said to myself, "I'm famous! I'm famous!" Okay, not really famous, but whatever, I felt cool. And then I panicked. "There's a link to my blog in there, my sadly neglected blog. Damn, what if someone actually follows it and expects witty observations on life and knitting, or really cool knitting, or even worse, a current posting. Gotta get to work. "

We have not been idle here in the Through the Back Loop laboratories. Our hands have been busily knitting away, finishing off some projects lingering in the WIP pile (okay, maybe just one, but it's finished and that's what counts) and starting some new ones (yay! New ones!).

This is the completed pair of Hedgerow socks that I started ages ago in a fingering weight yarn by Nature's Palette. I must start out by saying that I really liked the picture accompanying the pattern. It looked liked nice in the lovely green yarn. It made me think of hedges and green leaves in the sun and rolling pastures. Then I started to knit. I finished one sock and realized that I really liked the colour of the yarn and not so much the pattern. It's a well written pattern - clear and easy to follow, a good knit for watching tv, nothing unpredictable about it. Usually these are things I enjoy in a sock pattern. Not so much this time. I began to resent the sock. I hated the sock. I cast on for the second sock because I refuse to knit a single. It did not help that my knitting friend declared that the yarn looked "fleshy" or that the completed sock looked sort of "you know, like a lumpy flesh sock." That's a motivation killer right there. And so it sat in it's little ziploc bag, unfinished, for months.

I intensely dislike knowing that I have unfinished projects, "WIPs," sitting around. It makes me anxious. I like to start things and see them through to completion, a smooth linear progression. So, I dug it out of the basket, unzipped the bag and got to work. I am not unhappy with my flesh socks [and for the record, I like the peachy-ness of the yarn and would recommend NP as a sock yarn, it's soft, knits up nicely and is a good value for the money], but I wouldn't knit another pair. There was something missing for me and for that I give it a rating of meh.

Following my meh experience, I needed a new project, something different that would use a yarn in the stash. I had one skein of Fleece Artist Sea Silk (coincidentally in the same colourway displayed on the website) mellowing in the stash since I purchased it last summer. Knitting Daily offered up Evelyn A. Clark's Swallowtail Shawl from the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits as a limited time free download and I took advantage. My criteria was that I wanted to knit something pretty that I could wear during the summer and I wanted to use up that single skein of Sea Silk. Done and done. I now know why just about every knitter on earth has knit this shawl. I looked it up on Ravelry (there are tonnes) and I did not find a single ugly version. Not one. I took this as a good sign. I enjoyed the experience, learned some things (nupps!) and actually got the crotchet cast-on to work (miraculous!). It is a very clear, intuitive and easy to follow pattern, and the end result is lovely. I will definitely knit another one of these in the future. I was worried that I would knit it and that it wouldn't get worn, but I've worn it a few times now (all wrapped around my neck) and it feels very luxurious against the skin. This dangerous of course, because now I want more of it and as yarn is to me what kryptonite is to Superman, I will probably rupture my yarn budget in order to get some. Good stuff.

And on that note gentle reader, I will sign off for now. I have more to say about a variety of things - the new project (two, actually) that I hinted about in the intro, why I don't blog as often as I intend to and some fabulous new yarn that I would consider mortgaging my soul for, but I'm out for now. Below are two detail shots of my version of the Swallowtail. If anyone has arrived here from the Coast, thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment (it's pretty exciting when that happens. Seriously, it makes my day). Happy knitting!

Just for nice.

2008-05-20T14:26:00.001-03:00

I love me a ball of pretty green yarn.

2008-05-12T17:26:00.012-03:00

In this installment of sporadic knit blogging, we play catch up and introduce some new members of the Through the Back Loop family. Wheee!

When last we visited the TBL laboratories, lace was in the works. YOs, K3togs and M1s were standard operating procedure, producing this lovely, silken landscape. I'm happy to report that much progress was made and an FO came into being. The Blue Jeans Lace Shawl was the first successfully completed large-ish scale lace project undertaken by yours truly. I've always admired those beautifully rendered sweet silk nothings but never ventured to try one of my own. What would I do with it? Would I ever actually wear it, you know, in public? The answer: who cares? I enjoyed making it and will make others. It looks quite nice folded up, in a heap or around my shoulders. I half-assedly blocked it - not because I'm lazy (really!), but because I don't have a big enough blocking surface (or should I say a cat-free blocking surface,
as those furry little jerks sat on it and generally got in the way, but I digress). Still, I'm pretty happy with it.

Lace aside, there have been other projects on the needles. I've been knitting up some sea

creatures for the International Oceans Day that will be displayed at The Loop in early June. I bought the patterns online from hansigurumi's Etsy store. I heart these patterns. These little critters are hilarious and fun to knit. They could, in theory, become the new sock, they are that diverting. I have vague plans to knit myself a herd (?) of sock yarn seahorses and train them to do my bidding. Seriously, the directions are clearly written and clever - though not for those with a phobia of grafting. I have never Kitchener-stitched so much in my life as I have with these. Time consuming? Well, yeah, but the results are worth well worth it.

To knit these, I've been using up left overs from various worsted-weight projects (with the exception of the red, as it isn't one of "my" colours). I plan on making another hermit crab (I do have all that red after all), and I have plans to make a snail as well. With all that Kitchener stitch ahead of me, I better get to work.

Happy Knitting!

Shiny, silky goodness

2008-04-06T18:15:00.004-03:00

That friends, is some lace in progress, as even I need a break from socks sometimes. It's my rendition of the Blue Jeans Lace Shawl, knit in some golden-sunshine-on-dried-grass Silken by the Fleece Artist. I found it in a sale bin at Have A Yarn in Mahone Bay last summer and have looking for a good project for it ever since. The colours are summery and make me think of picnics in the Blomidon Picnic Park and birch leaves. Ahh, summer. . . .

Happy Spring!

2008-03-27T21:48:00.009-03:00

Hello everyone - after a bit of an absence, I'm back to the blog, nose to the keyboard so to speak. It's funny how we just get caught up in the details of living life and things get away from us. But, never fear, while the blogging was lacking, there was knitting. And stash enhancement. Good stuff.

This is the finished Charade sock from my last post (ages ago!). I'm very happy with the sock pattern and the yarn - I'll definitely revisit both of these in the future. The pattern is easy to memorize without being monotonous and the yarn is delish. I want piles of this stuff, enough to frolic in I like it so much. I'm a fan of hand painted yarns - I like the play of colours and the unique qualities that the hand dyeing process lends to the soft like buttah merino. I bought two skeins from the same dye lot and laughed when I knit them up. While the colours are very similar, the socks look like close cousins rather than twins. One is more blue and subdued than the other, but they're close enough that it doesn't really matter. It's that element of surprise in knitting with hand painted yarns that keeps me coming back for more. I haven't worn these beauties yet, so I can't comment on how they hold up to wash and wear, but I'll keep you posted.

My needles were still warm from Charade when I cast on for my next socks, a pair of plain janes in some Fleece Artist merino that had been in my stash for ages. This was actually one of the first skeins of yarn that I ever bought. These turned out to be a little roomier on my narrow foot than I usually like, but I've found them a new home with someone who I'm sure will really appreciate a nice pair of hand knit socks. It's funny. but I was actually kind of sad to knit this yarn up. It's always been in the stash, heck, it's a founding member of my stash. It was there for so long because I just couldn't seem to find the right pattern. Everything was too patterned, too complicated, nothing fit. Plain ol' stockinette did the trick for me. I'm always on the look out for a new fancy sock, so it was nice to return to the basics.

Since I bid farewell to a longtime denizen of the stash, I felt free to welcome in some new members. I am just returned from a trip to South Carolina and made a point of stopping at Knit in Charleston. I foolishly left my camera behind that day or I would have documented the sheer volume of yarny goodness that is stuffed into that space. They have all manner of yarns and a decent slecetion of knitting books and accessories, including those fancy-pants knitting bags often profiled in knititng magazines. I had a good browse and settled on some Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn, some Nature's Palette sock yarn and a monster skein of Interlacements' RickRack II. I just fell in love with the colours (it's the large ball in the foreground). I haven't decided what I'll
knit it into, but for now I'm content to gaze upon it's lustrous, shiny self.
Happy knitting!

Two words, sounds like . . .

2008-03-06T14:04:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted lately because I was almost certain that my knitting mojo had deserted me. I looked everywhere - in my STR Serendipity? Nope. Latvian mittens? No sir. Surely it must be hiding in my Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks scarf. Uh-huh. I began to despair. Nothing was right. Things got started only to be frogged shortly thereafter. No fun, no fun at all. Then, in serach of inspiration, I went to the yarn store and found me some nice sunny sock yarn. Some Oceanwind Knits Merino in fact. I was certain it must have some mojo in it somewhere. And I was right. It took me a few patterns to find one that felt just right, but we have on the needles the first Charade sock. I've been admiring this pattern for a while and so far it's been an enjoyable knit. A two row repeat makes for good tv knitting and is just what I was looking for. Hurray for knitting!

Is it almost March already?

2008-02-21T20:54:00.009-04:00

Wow, time flies when you're not paying attention. It wouldn't do to let February pass without notice, so here we go:

While we might not have been posting, we here at Through the Back Loop have not been idle. No siree, we've been knitting up a storm of cables, socks, sweaters and hats. I finished my designed-on-the-fly cabled socks a few days ago and am happy to report that they are awesome. I realize that they're not the most exciting sock to look at, but I made them up myself and they fit perfectly. They're worked top-down over 72 sts on 2mm bamboo dpns at something like 9sts/inch. In retrospect, I think it would have been nice to have the cable travel down the length of the foot, but I'm still happy with how they turned out. The yarn is fabulous! It's nice to work with and knits up nicley and keeps my toes cosy on the chilly walk to work. I'd like to get my grubby little hands on a skein of the green colourway in the near future.

My toes taken care of, it was time to consider something to keep the frost off my ears. A Syncopated Cap from Interweave Knits Summer 2007 fit the bill. One skein of Artyarns Supermerino and half a skein of navy On Your Toes later, we have a hat. I really liked knitting this - it was a fast knit that held my attention and I'm pleased with the results. I'm saving this one for next winter- not because my ears don't need some woolly love know, they do, but because it makes me look silly. This is not the fault of the hat or the designer, it's because this style of hat looks best on someone with longer hair. By next winter my hair will be grown out (unless I snap and cut it off after trying to wrestle it into some semblance of a style) and my syncopated cap will be put to the test. Until then, it rests in the chest.

After a few months of knitting nothing but accessories, I felt I needed something a little more substantial. I've been hesitant to start a new sweater project for a while. I like sweaters - I wear them all the time. I love snuggling into a warm woolly something on a cold day. I like the idea of choosing the colour, the style and the fit. It's not the expense of the yarn or the time involved that holds me back, it's the fear of "what if I hate it. What if I get it done and it doesn't fit?".I had lost my sweater mojo. I've had my eye on the Central Park Hoodie since it's debut in the Fall 2006 edition of Knitscene. I'm pretty sure almost everyone in knitland has made of these or knows someone who has. I stalked it on Ravelry. I read the discussions, tips and pointers. I bought some yarn. I knit my swatch and cast on. I had a finished sweater 10 days later. I've worn it a couple of time and I'm glad I knit it. It's just what I wanted - a cosy, warm cardigan that looks good with jeans. It fits me pretty well - I lengthened the body by two inches and for once didn't have to add any length to the arms. I had read more than one post on Ravelry remarking on the length of the sleeves and all I can say is, they're just right for my monkey arms. Cold wrists are not an issue with this sweater. It was my first encounter with Cascade 220. It was the yarn of choice for most of the CPHs on Ravelry, so I figured why not? It's nice alternative to Patons Classic and the colours are great (not that you can tell in the photos. The close up of the cable is a truer representation of the colour than the pic on the left. Oh to have a lighting studio. . .). A quick soak in some Eucalan and some locking took care of any unevenness. Now that I've finished one sweater, I want to knit another one. But what kind? Another warm and woolly, or something more summery? Both? What's a knitter to do?

In the mean time, while I struggle with my sweater dilemma, I cast on for a scarf. It's pretty and easy and keeps my hands occupied while my I consider my sweatery options. Remember my Fleece Artist Woollie Silk hat kit? Well, the hat didn't make it. I just couldn't deal with the meters of stockingette stitch and frogged it halfway through. Instead, it's on it's on it's way to becoming a loevly little star-stitch scarf. You can't really see it in the photo, but the stich is quite nice. The pattern is called "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks" - I found it while cruising around on Ravelry for nothing in particular. Most of the others were knit in Malabrigo, but I thought this would work as well as anything else. So far so good!

FOs and In the works

2008-01-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

When last I wrote, I had just finished the last of my christmas knitting - socks for my Dad and his girlfriend. I'm happy to say they are off the needles, washed, blocked, photographed, posted and received. I used the smae zbeehive booklet that I did for the Grey Man Socks. This pattern is charmingly called 4 Ply Plain Sock under the title For Two Feet of Comfort. It's not quite as plain as the name suggests, but darn close. There is a panel of 1x1 ribbing down the leg of the sock to help it stay up. I thought that was a pretty good idea myself, who likes saggy socks? The rest is in plain ol' stockinette stitch. 2 balls of Phildar's Preference did the trick. I've given my opinion on this yarn when I finished off the Grey Man Socks and it hasn't changed. It's a basic, serviceable sock yarn that comes in a fairly basic colour range and holds little in the way of surprises. Good for guy socks, not something I'd choose for myself.

Trekking XXL was the choice for the Girlfriend's socks. I used the Yarrow Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. I often find knitting ribbed socks a bit tedious, but this one had enough going for it to keep me interested. I especially enjoyed the German heel / French toe combination. As always, the pattern was clearly written and easy to follow - thank you Nancy Bush. I'm not sure how I feel about the yarn itself. The colour I really liked, although it wasn't so popular with anyone else. It was the yarn itslef. I found it rather unevely spun - in places it was rather loose and fuzzy and in others it was very tightly spun and almost thread-like, making it knit up a little unevenly, especially worrisome in the high friction area of the heel. Now, this was my first experience with Trekking, perhaps it's an anomally? I have another ball in my stash and will have to knit that up sometime soon to see how it compares.

That's it for FOs, here's what's in the works : here in camp Through the Back Loop we've been suffering from a bout knitterly indecision and perhaps a mild case of castonitis. We beleive that this merely a temporary affliction resulting from an extended period of Knitting For Others and can be easily remedied by some seriously selfish knitting. After emerging from months of Knitting For Others, knitters often find themselves dazed and confused by the mere idea of having no projects in the queue that immediately demand their attention and come attached with Looming Deadlines. In this period of adjustment the knitter will often lose his/her mind and not know What to Knit Next. This can be troubling and lead to sensatiosn of being directionless and adrift in a never ending sea of free internet patterns. We at Through the Back Loop are not ashamed to admit that we have experienced this. We took a deep breath, frogged a sock cast on out of sheer panic and are once again in control of our knitting faculties.

Whilst browsing Ravelry (oh how I love you Ravelry!) for, well, everything, I came across this pattern for some facny mittens. I am a sucker for fancy mittens and it just so happens that my mom's birthday is coming up. Perfect! The yarn is alpaca - the natural colour is a score from a Pacafiesta booth and the other (which is actually more of a maroon/mulberry colour) is Frog Tree Alpaca. So far, the cuff is done. I've been distracted by some selfish knitting - socks for me!

I bought a skein of the Estelle Arequipa. Divine. I am in love. This stuff is fabulous. I want to take it out for dinner I like it so much. I had a hard time choosing a pattern - nothing to complicated, it would get lost in the colours, not a plain one, too boring. So, unable to find on that I liked, I made my own. It's a basic sock - 72 sts on 2mm needles, about 9st/inch. 2x2 Ribbing holds it up and a little cable runs down the inner and out leg. I ended the cable at the heel, but in retrospect, I would ahve continued it down the foot. Live and learn. The first sock is done and the second is well on it's way. There will definitely be more of this stuff in my future.

My final in the works item is a Fleece Artist hat kit. I can no longer deny that it is frickin' cold outside and I do not own a suitable hat. I'm not sure that this one will really do the trick either, but it's pretty and I like the way it looks.

I'm also not sure if I can sustain myself for the miles of stockingette that this hat requires. We shall have to see how well my stick-to-itness holds.

On that note, my toes are chilly so I must get to knitting. And laundry.

One quick note before I go: thank you to MissMe of Knit Me to The End of Time for posting a comment. I swear, getting those emails that let me know of a new comment make my day. If there are any lurkers out there, don't be shy!

Happy knitting!

Stash Diving, the Attack by Jack and a New Sock.

2008-01-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a girl just needs to brag. Pictured is the beautiful (and capacious) cedar chest that my Beloved designed and built for me as a christmas gift. I love it. I want to hug it. He may notknit or understand my obsession with knitting and all things yarn related, but he made me a cedar chest for my yarn. It makes me love him extra. It's curently the repository for the sweater - sized amounts of yarn, my alpaca collection (because alpaca is like crack to me, I can never have enough), my umbrella swift and skein winder. The last two items are also courtesy of the Beloved. He rocks.

Stash diving was kind of fun - I spent a lovely afternoon rooting around in there, rediscovering what I had. For instance, I reacquainted myself with some Briggs & Little single-ply sport weight in a nice marled green and some in a natural cream - perfect for a pair of fancy mittens. I also discovered 2 balls of Rowan Soft Baby - where that came from I have no idea, nor do I know what to do with it. I'll let it marinate in the collection until something suitable comes along.

I also found a bag with an assorted collection of left over sock yarn - you know you have on e too, a little stash of leftovers that are too big to throw away and too small to use. I'm going to keep collecting until I have enough obb bits left to make The Ugliest Socks on Earth. They will be fabulous I'm sure.

Jack the cat also enjoyed stash diving, particularly when I relented and tossed him a ball of leftover something. He enjoyed himself thoroughly.

In my last post I wrote about some Lorna's Laces that had just arrived in the mail and said that I had some plans to make a fancy sock. And so I did. Throwing all other projects aside (sorry Dad, sorry Ruth), I cast on for a pair of 9-to-5 Socks by Nicole of allbuttonedup.wordpress.com. What a great pattern. It satisfied my hankering for a fancy sock without being too complicated.

The pattern is well written and well thought out and introduced me to a new stitch. I realy enjoyed how the spiral rib flowed out of the ribbing and continued down either side of the heel.

The heel flap pattern was a nice change from the usual standby and really complemented the overall design of the sock. The sock is pretty, patterned and stretchy, as well as fun to knit. A keeper I say, now let's hope Nicole os nice enough to share any of her future sock designs with us.

I liked the yarn almost as much as I liked the pattern. It was my first project with Lorna's Laces and I'm looking forward to working with it again. It feels delicious, almost silky, and seems to knit up nicely. I haven't washed these yet (okay, this one, as I just finished this sock this afternoon and cast on for it's mate this evening), so I can't comment on how it holds up in the wash. I'm holding the Cranberry in reserve for a pair of Roza's Socks - thanks to Deb for the suggestion! [Everyone should check out Deb's blog - that woman is a sock knitting machine. The way I look at it is, if Deb recommends a particular pattern for a particular

sock yarn, do what she says, she knows socks. She knit 79 (!!!!!) pairs of socks last year. I am both awed, inspired and kind of intimidated. Plus she's very nice. Go check it out.].
Knowing that I have not knit 79 pairs of socks last year, or ever, I feel compelled to go finish my Dad's christmas socks (don't look at me like that, he and his girlfriend have been in South America for the last 4 weeks, they didn't need woolly socks down there). I will post pics when they're done. Happy knitting!

Yarn in the mail!

2008-01-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

I love getting things in the mail. I'm like a small child - counting down the days until my package arrives. This package of yarny deliciousness is my very first eBay purchase. I bought this from emtnestr Linda. I'm very pleased with my first eBay encounter - fast service,quick delivery and candy! Plus this woman has a fabulous selection of sock yarn. I will definitely order from her in the future.

As for the yarn - that's right, Lorna's Laces. I've been wanting to try this stuff for ages. I've read the rave reviews and had to check it out for myself. It literally arrived in my hot little hands about 25 minutes ago and I'm going to cast on tonight just as soon as I get home. This stuff feels so nice and the colours are very pretty. Here you see displayed in all their wooly glory is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn in Cranberry and China Blue. I'm very excited to try this stuff out. I've already got a pattern in mind for the China Blue - I won't say just yet what it is, just in case I change my mind, but it'll be a fancy sock for certain.

That said, I must tackle the lunch dishes and prepare to brave the elements - happy knitting!

Happy After Christmas!

2007-12-30T16:02:00.000-04:00

Happy-After-Christmas, Not-Quite-New-Year's!

I figured since the year is drawing to a close, I better post something before my readership completely dwindles to the occassional accidental tourist.

I hope everyone had a lovely christmas, filled with lots of tasty eats, good company and nicely wrapped presents. Here at Through the Back Loop we had a busy but enjoyable holiday and are dreading a return to real life. I could definitely get used to leading a life of leisure gentle reader. Though I've been enjoying my time off, it hasn't all been leisurely. I'm a knitter. It's christmas. I knit like a house on fire. I delivered my Unbloggable Project to Miss J. and was happy that they were a) a surprise and b) well received. Nobody knits for a knitter - which is too bad really, because nobody appreciates knitting more. I think she and her mitts will be very happy together. Too bad I forgot to take some pictures of them. Ah well, next time.

The mittens you see here in all their geometric glory are the second Unbloggable Project. They haven't been delivered yet, but Mammals knows about them already (okay, okay, she was there when I picked out the yarn and we're knitting buddies. Plus she knows me well enough to know that golden yellow, rusty orange and navy are not quite my favourite palette). The pattern is from Charlene Schurch's Mostly Mittens. I heart this book. I desperately want a copy of this book and have been stalking it on Chapter's website. Temporarily Unavailable to Order is not what I want to see people. Just saying. I knit them on 2.25mm bamboo dpns and used Sisu. I haven't read any overly complementary reviews of this yarn and was expecting the worst. Overall, not a bad experience. Yes, it is a little on the splitty side, but other than that, not bad. It comes in a pretty wide range of colours and is affordable. I'm not sure that I would use it for socks as the yarn did develop a bit of a halo after I washed it by hand. I think the fuzzy factor would be even more pronounced if washed by machine and would make the item look worn out before it's time. However, these are mittens and I think they'll have an easier time of things than a pair of socks would. I'd use the yarn again and will definately knit more mittens from this book in the future.

It wasn't all socializing and relaxing between delivering gifts. Things were accomplished. The christmas knitting list grew (again) and 2 more pairs of socks were added to the queue. I'm happy to say that 1 sock from each pair is finished and the recipients, who are out of the country until mid January, will come home to some nice wooly socks after their South American adventure. One pair is knit is a delightful swamp green (another pair of man socks) and the other is from Trekking XXL, colour 105. I chose the Yarrow Ribbed Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. That pattern held 2 new elements for me - the German heel and the French Toe. I liked both, especially the decorative stiches along the edge of the heel flap and gusset.

I also managed to knit myself a pair of mittens from Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition by Terri Shea. Another fabulous book. The patterns are visually interesting and addictive to knit while the history is informative, well written and approachable. I highy recommend it for any fancy mitten lovers out there. Traditionally worked in black and white, for my own pair of NHM#9, I used a grapey-purple alpaca in a fingering weight and some natural cream coloured alpaca, both held double throughout, knit on 2.75mm dpns. The result was a pair of warm, thick mittens that I love. Next time I would use smaller needles and a single strand of each yarn for a pair of thinner, less bulky mitts. Love this book.

I know that as New Year's approaches, resolutions are the big thing. Well gentle reader I too have soem resolutions and here they are in no particular order: post more regularly, practice active stash enhancement whenever the opportunity presents itself (we'll leave the restraint to other, more mature knitters), post on other knitblogs in the hopes that they might visit mine and finally, I resolve to knit more. Not just for myself, but for other folks as well. So far the knitted gifts have gone over well, even my BF liked his man socks and requested another pair ("But just in grey, just like the first pair").Besides, if I didn't give stuff away, I'd be up to my ears in all things knit.

Happy New Year's everybody and happy knitting.

Holy Hiatus!

2007-11-14T19:59:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess that I can't complain about other bloggers falling behind considering how long it's been since I last posted anything. Sheesh - where does the time go?

I last left you with Stan, the birthday robot. My birthday has since come and gone and was pretty good as birthdays go. The BF's parents gave me a generous discoutn to my local yarn store and I have put it to good use. Mammals and I had a good time browsing the aisles and touching everything we could get our hands on. LK has some lovely new baby llama that has got to be some of the softest yarn I have ever felt. Needless to say, I want it. Piles of it. Enough of to roll around on in various stages of undress. Yes, it really is that soft. Go feel some, you'll understand. I picked up some Cascade 220 in a lively turquoise to knit myself this sweater and some Sisu in some earthy tones to knit my final Unbloggable Project and finally a ball of plain ol' navy Pattons Classic Merino, which I combined with some left over Pattons in another shade, to make this hat for my mom. Yarn bucks - one of the best gifts ever. The pattern is Center Square from Knitty. It was a quick knit - I whipped it up last night, though I did modify it a bit. I knit it as directed on 8mm needles, but wasn't happy with the way the ribbing turned out. At this point I had already finished the darn thing and was not about to rip it out and start over. I did what any sensible knitter would do - I cut the ribbing off. I snipped off the offending ribbing, picked up the live stitches and reknit it on a 6mm circ. I'm still not in love, as I like my ribbing tightly knit, but it's miles better than it was before. The pattern notes are right, the hat does fit snuggly, but I think the combination of knitting with the doubled yarn and he colour stranding will go a long way in keeping out the winter wind - a good thing as my mother informed me that she needs a decent hat for "walking the dogs, my ears are cold." This should do the trick.

I started these socks over the weekend when the temperatures dipped both inside and out. The heat was off in our apartment for most of the long weekend and boy howdy my toes were chilly. I figured patterned woolly socks were the answer. I've had this skein Opal 6-fach in the stash for a while and felt it that it was about time that it saw the light of day. I'm knitting it up in Cat Bordhi's Woven Ridge sock pattern from her book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I originally intended it for the BF's feet but was informed that it "wasn't his favourite." That is code for "I hate it. You knit me anything out of that and I'll burn it while you stand there crying." I know these things. So it rested, waiting for it's turn. I don't hate it and I like the pattern. Another bonus? Using it up means that there's more room in the stash for more sock yarn. Happiness may well be measured in sock yarn.

I'm about to plunge into my last Unbloggable Proejct of the christmas season, but I've got those socks and the turquoise sweater on the horizon to give me some blog fodder for the next little while. Now it's off to knit while I watch cheezy crime dramas on tv. Happy knitting!

Meet Stan

2007-11-01T20:45:00.000-03:00

Greetings gentle reader! It feels like ages since I last posted. I've been diligently beavering away on the Grey Man Socks and one of the Unbloggable projects. There's really only so much one can write about GMS and the other is a secret - which leaves me precious little to blog about. So instead of writing about my knitting, I'll write about someone else's.

Meet Stan. Created by the lovely Mammals, Stan is an early gift for my birthday. I love him! He's green, he's knit and he's a robot - what's not to love? Mammals has knit a few of these nifty robots and I was pretty excited to get one - in my colour no less. I felt pretty special as Stan was accompanied by a pan of tasty, tasty Rice Krispie squares. Delicious. So far, it's been a great birthday and it's not officially until sunday. Some days, it's good to be me.

In other knitting related news, I got to meet Miss. J's new baby girl Frances Ophelia. Cute, cute, cute. And so little. It's not until you get to hold a new baby that you realize how small they really are. Needless to say, no knitting was accomplished. When little Frances gets a bit bigger, she'll have an enviable wardrobe of lovely knitted goods. Miss J. has made some fabulous little sweaters and I wish that I had taken some photos of the baby and her knits. I was distracted, what can I say?

Well, a quick post, short on content. I apologize and will try to tackle a project that I can actually share with you. Hope all is well out there in KnitLand. Happy knitting!

Grey Man Socks

2007-10-23T19:08:00.000-03:00

I am dying, absolutley dying to post about my unbloggable projects, but I can't. I want to, but I won't. I will say that I am really happy with what I've managed to knit up so far -thank you L.K. Yarns for the technical help( I love those ladies, they're always so nice to me.) and I can't wait to share the photos and all my trials and tribulations. I will just say that Tvåändsstickning- that's Scandinavian double-ended knitting for you - is a frustrating endeavor to undertake when on a bit of a schedule. I will revisit it, but not when I feel pressured to get things done by a certain date (you know, like christmas).

Since I can't write about my favourite WIP, I will share with you the glories of knitting Grey Man Socks. I know, calm yourselves, it is exciting stuff.

My Beloved requested man socks for christmas; "hey, you could make me socks for christmas. Not fancy ones though, you like to make fancy socks, I just want plain guy socks. Grey ones." Awesome. Grey socks for big guy feet. Bring it. So, being the loving girlfriend that I am, I dutifully took myself to my favourite LYS (see above) and bought 3 balls of Phildar Preface in Gris Moyen. I bought 3 balls in an olive green too. It's not like this man ever asks me to knit anything for him (which is good, because after last year's 3 hat I-don't-like-any-of-them episode, I mostly gave up). I had a hard time finding a suitably plain sock pattern and ended up using a the 3-Ply Ribbed Sock pattern from a vintage Beehive pattern book my mom found at Value Village for 69 cents. The pattern is just like it sounds, ribbed. The book itself is kind of neat and the pattern is easy to follow and fits the criterion to a T. The yarn is hard to get excited about, not that it's bad, it's just a study-ish sort of slightly heathered sock yarn and doesn't set my heart to fluttering like some other brands do. No slight to Phildar, but not every yarn can be a Fleece Artist yarn.

Let's see, what else is there to write about? I've been missing my weekly knitting and lunch with with Miss J., but she's been busy with her brand new baby girl Frances. I am so happy for Miss J. and can't wait to meet little Frances. I forsee very little knitting getting accomplished, what with all the baby cuteness to distract me. Happy knitting!

It's Fall, it must be migrating. . .

2007-10-17T20:48:00.000-03:00

It's crisp, it's cool, it's Fall. It's baking season. I decided that I whip up a batch of lemon-poppyseed muffins. I dug out the classic Muffins and More, readied my ingredients and pulled out my mixer (best christmas gift ever). I looked in the bowl and what do I find nestled next to the beater? A small ball of black yarn. Does yarn migrate? If so, where does yarn go for the winter?

2007-10-16T19:47:00.000-03:00

In my last post (which seems ages ago), I declared that I would attempt to cable. I have been hesitant to try cables, it looked so hard, so complex and well, so cable-y. I figured that there must be some sort of secret, a trick that one could learn after being admitted to the elite Cable Club. Turns out I was wrong on all counts. Cables are not so hard after all - I say this as if one pair of socks makes me an expert. I knit up a pair (okay, really I've knit 1 and 3/4 pair. I'm going to finish that bad boy off tonight if it kills me.) in aKoigu Premium Merino semi-solid. For once the photo actually reflects the yarn's colour. I bought this yarn in Charlestown, South Carolina at the fabulous Knit. What a great store - bursting with yarn, lots of delicious yarns in every flavour of fibre. If you're ever in the neighborhood, I suggest you ditch your friends or family and spend the afternoon - that's what I did. Anywho, I really like this yarn. It seems that whenever I post, I've just knit with a new-to-me yarn and this is another one. I love the semi-solidness of it and the sproingy texture. Yes, I said sproingy. I was saving this yarn for me, but I decided to let it go as it's a colour I know my mom will like. I've got no quibbles or complaints except for the fact that although it's a Canadian product, I can't buy it locally and their website leaves a little something to be desired, hence no link. But those are minor issues and I'm looking forward to knitting with it again (which is good as I have three skeins of a nice navy semi-solid waiting in the stash).

The pattern for these lovelies is the Uptown Book Sock from Interweave Knits 25 Favorite Socks, originally published in the Winter 2003 issue. Everytime I flipped through that book (which I love) I would say to myself, "Man, those are nice socks, someday, if I ever larn to cable, I'm gonna make those." Mission accomplished. An easy to memorize eight row repeat, nice short row heel and a kitchener stitch toe make a nice sock. I will definitely make another pair if these, but for myself. I think they'll look pretty good in her Birkenstocks and will be more practical than a pair of lace socks (for which more than one hint was dropped).

The moment that the final sock is off the needles is the moment that the core of my christmas knitting is finished. Sweet. This is not to say that there isn't more, oh no gentle reader, the auxilary backup list is by no means short. Aside from the recently requested socks for the Beloved, in plain grey and olive green (sigh), we're into the unbloggable projects. This means that I'll have to get creative with the posting for the near future - or start something for myself - which will break my new rule of no new projects, but a girl has to write about something. Until next time knitters.

Making Progress

2007-10-04T14:05:00.000-03:00

Just a quick post today to show off a pair of completed Christmas socks. These are the Simple Socks with a Slant form Cat Bordhi's latest book (I am obsessed with that book). I originally intended a pair of Roza's socks for the BF's sister, but let's face it, big yarn on big needles for little feet equals a faster finish. I learned a few new things form making these, and that always makes me happy. I can now perform Judy's Magic Cast-On without aide or instruction (sorry to J. for the repeated demos!) and can knit a decent toe up sock without holes along the heel. Sweet. They make a nice home for cold feet.
Next up? A pair of socks for my mom. She wanted lace or cables, I opted for the wavy cables of the Uptown Boot Sock from Interweave Knits 25 Favourite Socks. This is my first attempt at knitting cables so let's hope for the best!

I knit a scarf, they want socks.

2007-09-30T23:01:00.001-03:00

Isn't it always the way, you knit one thing, they want something else? I'm knitting (or should was, as I just bound off the last stitch mere moments ago) a scarf for my Beloved's mom. It's a perfectly lovely seed stitch scarf in Noro's Kochoran. It's a nice blend of wool, angora and silk and the colours are pretty too. I chose this yarn because the colours reminded of me of a watercolour painting - which the Beloved's mother does. So I put some thought into the way the stitch pattern played up the colourway, adding a bit of texture and interest without distracting from the way the colours blend into eachother (the main attraction for me) and picked something I thought was somewhat luxurious. All of that only to be told that what she wants is a pair of socks. Sheesh. Well, the scarf is done, it's pretty and I am not reknitting it (a surprise for some of you I'm sure. For the record, I do not always knit then promptly unravel my projects. Sometimes they get to continue existing. But only sometimes.) or knitting a pair of socks to make up for it.

Today I had a little help in the homestretch from Stella, the proximity cat. Generally she is content to sit close, but not too close, and to love from afar. Today she opted for the lap, not the whole lap, but enough of it test out the scarf's cosy factor. From the purring I heard, I think it passed the test.

So the score for christmas knitting stands at 2/4 or 2 out of a possible 7. Next up are the sock's for Kelly. This will be the third and final attempt. I swear, knitting socks for tiny feet with fat yarn and big needles just shouldn't be so difficult. I guess it would help if I knit the right size this time. Well, happy knitting, I'm goingto go try that cast on again so I don't have to ask J. to show me again. Cheers.

Fresh and Tantalizing

2007-09-24T10:52:00.000-03:00

These are my Tantalizing socks, fresh off the needles. I had a heck of a time trying to photograph these silly things (which I choose to blame on my camera rather than my photogrpahy skills). While the pictures may not be fab, the socks are pretty nice.

I did declare a moratorium on knitting for myself so I could get that dreaded Christmas knitting underway, these were an exception as they were already in progress. Besides, I was struck by a bad case of knitterly ADD and couldn't settle on a pattern I liked for the christamas socks and finishing these helped me focus - and conveniently cleared my only pair of 2.5mm dpns. Funny how that works out.

On an unrealted note, I went to the Windsor Exhibition yesterday. I have always made a point 0f checking out the craft displays, especially now that I can knit. The item that was selected best overall knit item, a lovely pair of burgundy kneehigh socks, was lovely and deserved the recognition. The rest should be burned - I mean melted, as it was mostly acrylic in colours nature never intended. Not a good scene. It inspired some ranting and strengthened my intense disliek of honeycomb mittens. I hate those. HATE those things, especially when knit in mustard and maroon. Yick. Of course it was suggested that if I think I can do better, I should enter my knitting. To that I say, no thanks. I don't want to be responsible for whatever happens when I get beat out by that old lady and her acrylic maroon and mustard mitts.

2007-09-21T14:10:00.000-03:00

I had briefly abandonned my fledgling blog (hopefully not driving away any readership I might have had), but today I return. With a picture of a freshly completed Christmas knit. This is for an arty and creative designer friend of mine who I thought might enjoy a specially created, one-off item for her winter wardrobe. This was my first encounter with Malabrigo. I love it. It's so soft and light. My only reservation is the colour transference whilst I knit, resulting in pinkinsh fingertips and splotchy pink additions to my towels. A little white vineager in the rinse will hopefully take care of that. This was knit on 6mm circular needles in a simple 3 row repeat of k1, p1, knit 2 rows. I felt that this created a nice texture and was well suited to the gradual colour variations in the wool. At 4'' wide and approximately 70'' long, it's just right for a wrap or two aroud the neck to keep the chill off. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it and think that my friend will be too.

Let the Christmas knitting begin!

2007-09-10T17:04:00.001-03:00

Christmas knitting season is upon us, well, okay, it's upon me. I've decided to do a little knitting this year for a few folks on my list. The lucky reciepients you ask? In no particular order, they are: The mom, the BF's mom, friend and BF's sister, and perhaps one or two others, completely contingent on what I actually get accomplished. Not to say I don't love the two contingents on my list - I do, they're great people and they're also knitters. They will understand if their knitted gifties come sometime in february.

My mom's been after me for ages to knit her some socks - probably because I started a pair for two years ago and never got around to finishing them (because I thought they were ugly), so I feel it's about time I got off my butt and made her some darn socks. I'm thinking that the Trekking (XXL) would make a nice pair of Simple Socks with A Slant for Cat Bordhi's latest book. It is purely coincidence that the yarn I chose looks so similar to the one in the photograph. I liked the muted colours and thought they'd suit her and I liked the simplicity of the pattern. My mother would wreck a pair of lace socks in about 4 minutes. She's a one woman hurricane of disaster most of the time.

The BF's mom is getting a classic seed stitch scarf in the Noro Kochoran, Col. 41. There have been hints dropped like mad on this front too. I'm reasonably confident that it won't take too long to knit this one up.

Next up? Another pair of socks, this time for the BF's sister. And just know, looking at the picture, I realize that I did it again - photo and real life yarns are matchy matchy! His sister is a pretty colour sort of person and I wanted to choose something that would be interesting to knit, but not overly precious or fussy. I think this fits the bill. Besides, I've knit a few pairs of Grumperina's Jaywalkers (I'm in the gallery! Mine are the closeups!) and I like her patterns. Now that I've publicly declared that I will knit 2 pairs of socks for Christmas gifts, I hope that SSS doesn't set in.

The last one on my list is the Malabriggo merino for a friend. It'll transform itself into a scarf as soon as I decide waht stitch pattern to use. Any suggestions out there? I'd love to hear them.

A lament for Pacafiesta

2007-09-07T14:07:00.000-03:00

I love alpaca. Alpaca is my crack. I am hopelessly addicted to it's wonderful softy goodness. I am, for some reason, especially fond of Garnstudio's Drops alpaca. Maybe it's the colours? The deliciously squishy skeins? I don't know, but I own several colours and always buy them in multiples of 7. I am odd. Odd, but consistent. I'm not alone in my love of the alpaca. Among the knitters of my acquaintance, like the lovely and talented Miss A. or knitter extraordinaire Miss J., alpaca is the new cashmere.
My current WIP is the Bird Nest Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls, worked, in you guessed it, Drops alpaca. Like my unabiding love of the sock book, I'm also pretty fond of shawl patterns for reasons that are completely beyond me. I'm not a lacy girlie girl, they don't really suit my everyday wardrobe and I often consider them way too fussy for everyday wear, but yet, I love them. I chose the Bird Nest pattern because it's lacy without being too busy and the geometric quality of it really appeals to me. Mine will be in one of my favourite colours, a fabulous heathery lavender. I've dubbed it my new "sweater" project as it will take me just as long and require just as much commitment - but without the sewing in of ends. Sweet.
All of this brings me to Pacafiesta. Where have you gone Pacafiesta? I heart you, please come back. Miss A. and I went last year and bought some pretty kick ass yarns and were really looking forward to this year's event. We met some strange - I mean, interesting - people and were super psyched for a return. But it is not to be apparently. No Pacafiesta is listed this year at Exhibition Park. No new postings are to be found. Maybe it's a travelling fiesta? In any case, I guess I'll have to get my alpaca fix somewhere else this year. I'll only hope they too have fibres "straight off the animal".

2007-09-05T14:20:00.001-03:00

I figured it was about time that I post at least one photo of my knitting - as this is a knitting blog afterall, so here is my latest FO. From Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, I knit my Hourglass sweater using O-Wool's Balance (50% organic wool , 50% organic cotton) on 4.5mm bamboo circular needles, Pony 4.5mm dpns and used a slightly tighter gauge. I hadn't used this particular yarn before, but after knitting with it, I will definitely search it out again. It has a nice papery feel to it and softens beautifully with handling. Hourglass is a great casual sweater, nice and cosy and flattering too. The pattern directions left a little something to be desired as I ended up with an enormously wide neck that slipped off when I shrugged my shoulders and perhaps a bit of attention could have been paid to the whole attaching the arms business, but that's what trial and error are for I guess. In the end, I'm pleased with how it turned out, even if my self-portrait makes me look moody and pretentiously arty. I tried.

I'm in the process of taking photos of my stuff, so in the days to come I'll post a few more pics, including a better one of this sweater.

Until then, happy knitting.

Lucy Neatby, I blame you.

2007-08-30T10:42:00.000-03:00

I am preoccupied. Some may consider it an "obsession." I prefer to call it a fondness for books about sock knitting. I like the pictures. I like the fancy stitch patterns, those lovely heels (all gap free!), the nicely worked toes. Who wouldn't love sock books? I blame Lucy Neatby. It's entirely her fault.
It all started when I was attending NSCAD. Every day as I took the bus to school, I passed the Mary E. Black Gallery (since moved. A shame in my opinion). Sitting in traffic one day, I looked through the bus window and saw it. The most amazing thing I had ever laid eyes on. A window display of incredible handknit socks. It did me in. The textures! The colours! The variety! And all for your feet! "I want to make those," I said to myself. I learned to knit because of Lucy Neatby and those lovely socks.
And that brings me to the latest addition to my little knittting library - Cat Bordhi's latest, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. Holy yarnover, this book is great! I couldn't help myself, I had to buy it. Then I had to drool over the pictures for a good long while, trying to decide which sock to knit first. I let the stash decide. I opened up the magic drawer and found the answer. A skein of Celestial Dream Merino in the Blue Vesuvius I colourway. I have been hoarding this one for a long time, waiting to find the "right" sock. The wait is over and the first sock is on my foot as I type away. I chose "Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks." I have to say, it turned out pretty darn well and I'm going to cast on for the second one right now. Happy knitting everybody.

My man is a yarn snob.

2007-08-29T09:40:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I heard the most amazing thing out of my Beloved's mouth. My Beloved is not a knitter, he couldn't tell a knit stitch from a purl stitch and could care less about the finer points of turning a short row heel.
He was in his dentist's office yesterday and noticed a woman knitting while she waited for her appointment. Of course I had to ask what she was knitting, expecting sock, scarf, sweater piece for the answer. Instead, what I got was "I don't know, but it was crappy yarn with big needles, not like the good stuff you use. It'd probably make your hands itch." I laughed out loud. My man is a yarn snob.
I bet he caught it from me.

Out from the shadows

2007-08-16T13:55:00.000-03:00

I did it - I've emerged from the shadowy world of lurkage. I'll admit it without shame, I am a lurker. I read your blogs faithfully, I follow your projects and I never post a comment. Ever. Until today.
While perusing my list of regularly lurked blogs, I decided that there is no time like the present, so why not chime in on occasion? Today was the day. Incidentally, I prefer "lurk," to "stalk," as it sounds somewhat less creepy.
Phew, it sure is bright out here in the land of posting. It was a post on Knitting Pharm that brought me out. Regia sock yarn? I love that stuff! I made a Child's First Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks from Regia Silk. I say I made a sock because I neglected to make it in a size that would fit me and I frogged it out of frustration. That'll teach me not to swatch. I still have the yarn in my stash and will reknit those socks, once I've gotten over the trauma of it all.

I've gone and done it

2007-08-08T19:15:00.000-03:00

I had been hithertofore blogless, but I've decided to take the plunge. I realize that I'll more than likely be writing for my own amusement (as I have no intention of informing my nearest and dearest of my blog), but that's okay. I figured it was time I found a forum to talk about knitting and post pictures of my work where I wouldn't have to watch anyone's eyes glaze over. Here I can pretend that everyone loves knitting as much as I do (you must - you searched out yet another knitting blog didn't you? I swear, it's like knitting porn).
If you've stumbled across this blog while searching for other things, thank you for stopping by. Be patient gentle reader as this space is freshly minted and is a work in progress. Photos and links to come.