Speed

I was just cruising along on the Moderne baby blanket, absolutely determined to hit the finish line this weekend. Sometimes, in a rush to complete a project, you consciously or unconsciously overlook things that are less than quality. "Oh, I can block that into shape. It won't be a problem." You know what they say about denial.

It's just that, after nearly 3 inches of this crap, I couldn't let it go any longer. No amount of squishing, stretching or looking at it sideways would change the facts. The stitches had to be undone. Thankfully, I had a willing helper.

"Let's see what happens when I grab this..." - Nikita

Seeing his antics as I ripped out my early morning work made the undo much less painful. I'd rather lose a couple of hours work than hand over a gift, knowing that it was less than my best.

By the way, I was only 4 inches from finishing the blanket.

Something Is Afoot

Hail, hallelujah and a chorus of angels! I have finally finished something after a what? Three, four month drought? It's a good thing you don't stop by here for the finished items as a good friend recently said because you'd be darn thirsty.

In any event, I thought I'd start small and achievable as I mentioned in late April. Here we have my version of the purl bee's Pom Pom Peds; not on my feet because a) the skin on my legs looks weird and b) the cats take crap pictures due to the opposable thumbs issue. Leggy Creations sock blocker model shot:

Sportweight Louet Gems in grape and willow; 2/3 skein each.

No mods and super easy, these peds required almost no commitment to complete. I asked my mother if she wanted a pair but she declined, instead requesting leg warmers. Perhaps these feet could use some peds?

Meanwhile, I've got another stash-busting idea I need to try out. If it works out, I'll most definitely share it here.

A Weak Excuse

What do a partial Monkey number 2, the beginning of another sock and about 5 inches of a red raglan cropped sweater all have in common?

They all spell a weak excuse for at least two weeks worth of knitting. Sure, I started new projects despite my protestations on too many WIPs which, by the way, I totally appreciated your thoughts on getting those under control. Then I decided it was less about "too many" and more about feeling listless about the whole creative process. Starting anew has really become a symptom of my attempt to feel the rush again. It takes more and more to feel less and less and it makes me sad and somewhat disconnected from you. Will you still embrace me as one of your own, even if I don't produce?

I no longer look lovingly in my overstuffed yarn closet and think, "Shawl, sweater, socks, socks, socks, coat, jacket, felted bag." I see too much yarn and too much work to get to the end result. My mojo is not just on vacation. It's in a flipping coma or something.

I was reminded very recently that bodies at rest tend to stay at rest; that they need deliberate action to get into (and stay in) motion. Sometimes, one needs to go through the motions to get moving again. I suppose that's what this knitting represents. My "going through the motions" of calculate, cast on, knit! Do I feel inspired yet? No, but I'll keep hacking away at it for now. Just a warning though: this kind of glacial pace equals goods that won't be ready until the next ice age.

Perhaps by then, Nikita will have warmed up to me interrupting his precious nap.

Away with you and your camera!

The Siberian Express Cometh!

If you live anywhere in the midsection of North America, you'd best pull out all your woolly gear and bundle up, because the frigid cold winds of the Siberian Express are here.

I heard them whistle into Chicago last night as my neighbor's giant wheeled trash cans were tossed about his yard. I heard them in the branches of large trees as they scraped against the side of our glass building. And I thought about the two scarves sitting on my work bench that remain in the WIP pile, and I cried, "Why aren't I a faster knitter?"

Thanks to pain meds, I was able to complete one miserable 32 row repeat of the ZigZag scarf. Hopefully, with some caffeine for fuel and the howling winds at the door, I can make some serious headway. Too bad it's not in time for the deep-freeze. Best advice? Cuddle up with someone warm!

By the way, I can't thank you enough for your enthusiastic support of the efforts of me and my collaborator in design, Rebecca. I also need to give a special shout-out to Monica, who has agreed to be my hands for the finished submission. See, none of us do this alone for which I am most grateful.

Home Improvement

Aside from a little spiff-up at Chez Métier, my body also continues its quest for self-improvement. Of course, when I think of it, none of this would have been possible without my caretaker's hands.

These hands support me as I sit or stand. These hands cook and clean for me. These hands change the dressing on my incision. These hands comfort and reassure when I get a little whiny about this or that.

I know I jokingly referred to my mother as "The Warden" (and she can be a tough taskmaster at times) but I know full well that every admonition is meant for my own good. Except for that little misunderstanding about the knitting ban, but we've worked that out. I've actually knit half a mitten since Saturday. I know that's a snail's pace so just be quiet, OK?

Flowers Brighten Any Decor
Once again, I am the lucky recipient of a beautiful get-well bouquet. This time, however, I know from whence they came. Too bad the smell-o-vision plug-in is on the fritz because these are a delight for the senses, with the rich perfume of the red roses in nose-to-nose competition with the sweet notes of the bluebells for my olfactory attention.

The question is, do cats like flowers as much as we do? Let's see:

Rocky in his "What? I'm not doing anything" pose.

Seconds later, Rocky is so busted as he is spotted sampling the rose petals.

Foliage, Part 2 and a Birthday

I wanted to thank you guys for your support in my quest for a physician who'll work with me on this shoulder thing. Sorry for the vitriol of the post itself, but I'm not sorry about the hat that came out of it! Speaking of my version of Foliage, a number of you asked for details so here we go.

Modifications
The original pattern for worsted weight yarn calls for you to knit the crown using size 7 US dpns. I used size 8. I then worked rounds 1 - 19, per pattern.

Once the crown is complete, you are instructed to work 3 repeats of the 12-round leaf pattern on size 7US circular needles, whereas I used size 9US. I knit one leaf pattern repeat in the variegated yarn, then 12 rounds of stockinette, alternating variegated and solid yarn, then one last leaf repeat in the solid. The change in needle size is why my version bells out slightly from the crown.

The last change I made was to eliminate all but one row of the p1, k1 ribbing. I used it as the bind-off row in the variegated yarn.


Lastly, I lightly fulled the hat in the kitchen sink with a bit of Soak, hot water and scrunching to get the finished product.

Birthday Boy
The other thing I forgot about in all my righteous indignation was my baby Nikita's birthday. He looks pretty good for an 11 year old, doesn't he? That's my tabby boy, my buddy, Nik.

No Knitting, But One Amazing Cat!

I've been sneaking a few rows in here and there but still nothing significant to show here: a partial sleeve, a baby hat awaiting matching socks. The usual slow-knitting fare.

This, though, is a story I have to share. All I'll say is that Oscar is one amazing cat (link found via Yummy Yarn).

I'm going to keep icing my back in an attempt to recover from a hellish spinal injection. In the meantime, y'all have a fabulous weekend!

There Is No Knitting Here

There are thoughts of knitting; plans and dreams and schemes of knitting - especially birthday gifts and baby clothes as I have discovered over the weekend that there are not one but two women in my complex due late this fall. Ah, sweet baby caps, bootees, and my poor, neglected Forest Canopy Shawl to which I've added but one 7-row repeat in the past week. It'll never get finished at this rate!

It's not that I've been stepping out on my ever patient WIPs. I haven't cast on for anything new as I am usually wont to do. Oh no! Mr. Ennui cuts a wide swath across Bloglandia and even I am not immune to the "mehs." So, while I sort out what to do and where I might find a cheap airfare to the land of excitement, I thought I'd share how the kitty boys stay busy.

Nikita does battle with a toothbrush in the guest bath.


Rocky doing what he does best: look real cute!

Surprise!

My phone rang shortly after 9 a.m. I could see from the caller ID that it was coming from the front entrance.

"Hello?" says I.

"Birthday surprise for you!" replied the delivery man.

A few seconds later, he was at my front door with a bouquet and a balloon. A bouquet of cookies.

"It is from...let's see...Debi! Just for you. Happy Birthday! Sign here."

Just as he was handing me the cookies, Rocky took the opportunity to run down the hall. He loves doing that, just so I come after him and carry him back like a babe in arms. Meanwhile, Nikita took my brief absence as his cue to taste test the frosting on one of the cookies. Naughty boy!

"Cookie, cookie, cookie is for me!"

Flying Footlets!

What do you get when you mix a one skein of cashmere-soft yarn with the need for instant gratification? Flying Footlets!

(Flying Wings Footlet)

Why "flying?" Because the Flying Wings pattern is featured on the cuff and they virtually fly off your needles. It would have gone faster had I not stopped to pet the sock as it grew out of Cider Moon's Glacier yarn in the "June Carter" colorway. "Soft" seems inadequate to describe this yarn. Here are some of my favorite alternatives from Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition:

comfy, cottony, cozy, creamy, cushiony, cushy, delicate, downy, ductile, feathery, fine, fleecy, fluffy, satiny, silken, silky, smooth, spongy, squashy, squishy, supple, velvety, yielding

Yes, Glacier is all that! Since I'd purchased only one skein, I decided to maximize its sock potential with these footlets.

Details
First, I split the 110 gram hank into two equal portions using my handy iScale. I had already worked out a method for adapting the 6-stitch Flying Wings pattern repeat for knitting in the round. This was necessary because the Barbara Walker Treasury primarily chronicles flat knitting.

With two size 4 US Addis at the ready, I did a long-tail cast on of 60 - L (48 - M) stitches, distributing on the two circulars as follows: 27 /33 (21/27)

Place marker to indicate beginning of round, then begin the cuff detail:

Round 1: K(nit)
Round 2: P(url)
Round 3 - 4: K

Round 5: Skip first 2 stitches and knit 3rd stitch on left-hand needle. Next, knit 1st and 2nd stitches, then slip all 3 from left needle. Slip 4th stitch to dpn or cable needle, holding the stitch in front of your work; knit stitches 5 and 6, then knit stitch 4 from the dpn. Repeat to end of round.

Round 6: K5, *skip 1st stitch and k 2nd stitch on left-hand needle. Knit the skipped stitch and slip both off left needle; K4. * Repeat * to * until last stitch of round, then K1.

Repeat Rounds 3- 6 three times, then knit 2 additional rounds to set up for heel.

Redistribute stitches so that each needle holds half of the total number of cast on stitches. Begin your heel of choice. I used a standard slip stitch heel flap and gusset, knitting the rest of the footlet in stockinette and capping it with a (mostly) rounded toe decrease. Easy, peasy!

What of Forest Canopy?
I have not abandoned this fun and easy lace project. Nay, verily I say unto you that I'm about one-third of the way done with the shawl - that is, if I were planning to knit it to pattern. Since I have approximately 450 yards of Diaketo Diamusee Fine (color 116) to work with, I plan on enlarging the shawl from 52" x 23" to 70" x 35" or until I have just enough yarn to bind off or my shoulder gives out. Either one.

I would've done a progress shot, but as I was stretching out the lace blob, I pulled some of the stitches off the needle (grrr!). I opted for fixing, rather than photographing, the lace. I'm sure you understand.

Last, But Not Least
I give you the gratuitous sleeping kitties shot. Rocky opened his eyes long enough to give me that "get outta my face with that thing" look.

OK, boys. Over and out.

Just 15 Inches

Curiosity is often a trait associated with cats, and rightly so, as anyone who's spent any length of time with felines can attest. Mister "up close and personal" Nikita here was quite intent on finding answers to the mystery of my latest bout of furious knitting -- thus the decision to hop into my lap for a look-see.

I'd been hurtling headlong toward the toe of Sock Hop number two when yesterday I realized 1) it was March already and 2) my neighbor turns 11 on Tuesday. Good night! What could I make quickly that would meet with pre-teen approval? Say hello to my little friends: Manos del Uruguay and Malabrigo. The Manos just arrived the day before and the Malabrigo had been (shamefully) marinating in a suitcase for the past year or more. Together, they make a perfect pairing for a felted mini-messenger bag:

Just 15 inches to go before that hot bubble bath.

All The Pretty Little Horses

"Lullaby and goodnight.
Go to sleep my little baby;
When you wake,
you'll have cake,
and all the pretty little horses. "

When I was a little girl, I used to think about horses quite a lot. I drew them. I sought out toy ones and stuffed ones. I even dreamed I was a golden palomino who would run, play and fly. I'm sure Freud would have a field day with all the pretty little horses.

Nowadays my distraction of choice is yarn and the pretty things I came make from it. While cruising my RSS hangouts, I came across something so wonderfully textured and visually captivating that had to start one myself. It is the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts - a book I had but a pattern I'd ignored. At first I resisted, knowing full well that I already had two socks in progress along with a sweater and tweedy jacket. Once I clicked through Ashley's site to the Flickr group and saw the other Chevrons in the works, my resolve melted into a colorful puddle of goo.

I spent Thursday night clawing through stash to find complementary sock-weight yarns and woke Friday morning to cast on with Scout's "Harlot's Mums" and Dani's "Dragonfly". My first thought was to pair a handpaint with a nearly solid but I thought, "Ah. That's so safe." Since the pattern called for two painted yarns, I dug deeper to find color similarities (purples, greens) and tonal differences (yellows, blues) that would work together. It's not a pat little pattern that's emerging but I like the undulating colors nonetheless.

In the past week, I finally ripped out the swatch I did for ChicKnits Ribby Pulli, and cast on 216 stitches to get the short sleeve version underway. The original plan was to do long sleeves but by the time I'm done, we'll be into warmer weather. Hey, at least I'm honest about it. At this point, the sweater is mostly ribbing but it's starting to take shape.



Finally, I thought I'd share my latest shoe purchase with you. As you can see, Rocky beat me to the punch by trying them on for size as soon as I took them out of the box.

Share and share alike, I 'spose.

Smells Like Team Spirit

January, 1986. It had been years since Mom had a television in the house. She was a reading specialist who did not believe in the curative, babysitting power of The Box. We were forced into growing our brains the old-fashioned way: reading, listening to music, making things. But this year, something was different. You see, the Chicago Bears were in the Superbowl (or Superb owl as my spell checker would have it). She bought and she watched and I learned that my mother loves her some football!

This (along with some serious celebrating on Division Street) is my memory of that day.

February, 2007. She still has that same television and it will be tuned to Miami and the Bears triumphant return to the big game. The love of this hardscrabble Midwestern team is something she and my older brother have in common. Whenever he takes me to physical therapy, I make note of the team caps he has lined up along that little shelf in the back seat of his car. Brother has become a super-fan too.

Inspired by The Player, I created my own version for my brother since it appears he is not too keen on other hats I've made in the past. I call this "When Lorna Met Debbie," since the only pure orange I had left in stash was Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in the "carrot" colorway. The navy wool is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, left over from these hat and mitts.

Modifications:

• I used two size 5 US circulars with the fingering weight Shepard Sock the only yarn held double.
  
• Since I used smaller needles and essentially thinner yarn, I cast on 104 stitches instead of the 76 stitches called for in Bonne Marie's pattern.
• I used much the same navy-orange striping sequence, but omitted one round of the orange.
• To give the orange rounds a bit of added visual interest, I created a right-leaning vertical ridge where the purl stitch would have fallen in the K3, P1 sequence. Here's how I did it:
  
  
K1, then knit next two stitches in the front and back of the loop, making 6 stitches where there were 4. Place the last stitch you made back onto the left needle and K2tog as normal. Lift the stitch that precedes the K2tog over the decrease you just made. You should have 4 stitches in the sequence once again.

Sounds fiddly, but it goes really quickly (if you're not dealing with skinny, doubled yarn like I was).

• Since I increased the number of cast on stitches, I had to accommodate that in the top decreases while still maintaining the 4-point star patterning on top. I ended up doing 24 stitches between K2tog decreases instead of the 15 stitch intervals in the pattern. Here's a view of the top detail:
  

All in all, a success I think. Hope my brother feels the same way.

It may be warm in Miami but baby, it's cold outside in Chicago. Since it's gotten so very chilly in these parts of late, I think I'll leave you with a shot of the kitty boys cuddled up in my office chair. Stay warm, y'all!

Nikita and Rocky