4 Ply Katie Knits

Guest Knitting!

Hi all!

I've just returned from a lovely 4-week trip to Juba, Sudan.  While I have internet access there, I had absolutely no time to post and barely and time to knit!  Actually, considering the schedule, I got a fair amount of knitting done.  I'm going to share it all with you tomorrow (or well, maybe Wednesday.  I still have to take pictures of most things!). 

While I was gone, however, Sparky, a budding, well he refuses to call himself a "knitter" made significant progress on his, well and he says he didn't design this piece, so much as adapt most of it from bunches of other patterns and then invent interesting approaches to customize the project to meet the previously identified needs. 

So may I present the Ski Hood/Mask!

I'll post more pictures later, but I thought I should mention some of the really neat innovations that he included in the Ski Hood/Mask.  First, the neck is knit in two layers, the outside is patterned and the inside is ribbed for additional comfort and warmth.  As this hood is designed to be worn under a helmet for back country skiing, he created a reinforced "soul patch" under the chin so the helmet strap wouldn't abrade the knitting too quickly.  He also developed a technique to pick up and knit the stitches for the face mask as he went along in a manner that is much more secure and stronger than the traditional method of picking up stitches once the entire hood was completed.

All and all I can't gush enough about how impressive this piece is and how wonderfully and practically designed for it's intended use!  One hood down, two more to go...

Progress Report

I'm briefly back in Nairobi before returning to Juba and I thought I'd post my modest knitting gains.  Blogs, they're not just for finished objects anymore!

That said: August Socks (so easy they feel like cheating)

Project: August Socks
Pattern: 48-Stitch Top down Socks
Yarn: TV Yarn in the X-Files colorway
Yardage: 1 skein (about 225 yards)
Started: August 10, 2007
Finished: August 20, 2007
Yarn Source: White Oak Studio through Etsy
Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)
Gauge: 6 stitches to the inch in stst
Modifications: None

I've also been working my way through a couple other projects.  Blossom, from Kim Hargreaves's Summer Breeze collection has been on the needles for a while (I think I started it back in May), but with all the chaos, I've only recently really returned to it.  I've missed knitting with 4-ply.  The picture does not actually show all the progress.  I've since completed the tiny cap sleeves and will begin the finishing this week. 

and a detail shot:

I've also got a mystery project.  Any guesses?

The "works in progress" list is actually very misleading.  I've already finished Peace. Unfortunately, Peace has gone missing.  I thought I had packed her in my suitcase on the way back to the US, but I didn't.  Then I assumed she was in my air shipment, she wasn't.  I'm praying that she's in my sea shipment (which is still MIA).  The Baby Car Coat and Flying Helmet is also done.  Well, almost entirely done.   I'm ashamed to admit it, but both the sweater and the hat still need buttons.  I finished the knitting in July and I still haven't managed the buttons.  I will tonight.  Really.

Tomorrow's update: Katie and Sparky visit flamingos. 

Getting Caught Up, Part 1

Hi! Yes, it's me back from the ether.  I'm now safely in Nairobi and headed to Juba, Sudan tomorrow.  I'm sorry I vanished, but I had a bit of a mental cave-in and needed some time off.  I have been knitting, however, and need to bring you (and me) up to speed again.

Project: June Socks 
Pattern: Standard 72-Stitch Sock
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Baltic Sea
Yardage: about 2 balls (430 yards)
Started: June 14, 2007
Finished: June 30, 2007
Yarn Source: Knit Happens in Alexandria, VA
Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1.5)
Gauge: 9 stitches to the inch in stst

AND

Project: July Socks
Pattern: Hedera from Knitty Spring 2006
Yarn: Rowan 4-ply soft in Zing
Yardage: about 1.75 balls (335 yards)
Started: July 20, 2007
Finished: July 31, 2007
Yarn Source: Seed Stitch in Salem, MA
Needles: 2.5 mm (US 1.5)
Gauge: 8 stitches to the inch in stst

Both of these pairs of socks have the dubious distinction of being finished on the last possible day of the month while I was on an airplane traveling to a totally different time zone.  In my defense, I finished them before 12 midnight on the last day of the month in the timezone in which I started them.  The June socks were completed as I flew from Romania to the United States after closing that program and moving.  The endless rounds of plain stst were a wonderful balm to the craziness of the last month in Romania.  Anything more ambitious and I would have lost it. 

The July socks were completed as I boarded the first of two eight-hour flights to Nairobi.  I started these while recuperating at home in Salem and they were interesting enough to hold my attention, but not too mentally challenging.  I originally stated them in burgundy from my stash, but the pattern didn't show up very well.  On the advice on my sister, I switched to the current color.  I am presently working on the August socks and I don't intend another dramatic last minute completion, but y'never know. 

As I mentioned above, I'm headed to Juba this weekend.  Sparky and I have been having a good time in Nairobi for the last bit.  It's been cold here (yeah, Nairobi is on the equator, but at 5,000 ft, and we got here in the middle of the Kenyan winter), but pretty nice.  The highlight of our stay thus far has been our visit to the AFEW Giraffe Center on the outskirts of Nairobi.  While the linked site does a much better job explaining the mission of the AFEW Giraffe Center, I have to tell you that what I really took away from the experience was the giraffes are really tall and, when you have food for them, really pushy.  I got to feed giraffes!  That's just too cool. 

and they also had warthogs (Sparky says this one's for you Elspeth)

Next post will be from Juba!

Moving #ucks

My life is in three suitcases and two moving shipments and I can't find anything.  As soon as I can locate my life again, I'll happily sow you pictures of the completed June socks, the Peace sweater, and anything else I've been able to finish.  I @ucking hate moving. 

From Scratch

Well, I'm back from Sudan and want to go back.  There's something amazing about the opportunity to be a small part in rebuilding a country from the ground up.  I'll keep you all posted an the developments!

A long time ago, I started to design a sweater from scratch.  I wanted a fitted, almost jacket like sweater that would be work appropriate and serve as a coat for those not so cold days in the autumn. 

City Tweed is what I came up with!

Project: City Tweed (Surprise sweater)
Pattern: All Mine, from graph paper to sweater
Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran
Yardage: 8 balls (about 1400 yards)
Started: April 10, 2007
Finished: May 22, 2007
Yarn Source: Ebay
Needles: 4 and 4.5 mm (US 6 and 7)
Gauge: 4.75 stitches to the inch in stst

When I committed myself to this project, I thought it would be pretty straightforward.  I mean, I've knit a lot of sweaters over the years.  I've altered patterns until they barely resembled the picture and pattern I started with.  Starting with two swatches, graph paper, and an idea was both a lot easier and harder than I thought it would be.  To start with, you have even less of a guarantee than normal that the sweater will turn out okay.  The body wasn't too hard, but I wasn't sure how to shape the neck, or the armholes.  The caps of the sleeves terrified me.  I re-knit the collar three times before it would sit the way I wanted it.  By the time I finished the sweater and had sewn on the sleeves, I realized that the sleeves were to big and didn't work with the rest of the sweater.  I pulled them out and started over. 

In the end, after the hooks and eyes were sewn in and the sweater was done, I am pleased.  It looks a lot like the idea I had, but translated into something I can actually wear, y'know when I need a heavy wool sweater again!

How about a couple more pictures?

Where's Katie?

Greetings from Sudan!

My office sent me down here a few days ago to check out the work environment.  The Sudan program is my primary assignment option when I leave Romania at the end of June, but they wanted to be sure that I could take it before I was allowed to commit.

Now before you start freaking out about me moving to Darfur, remember Sudan is approximately the size of Western Europe and if Darfur is Holland, I'm in Naples.  So far, Sudan has been really interesting.  I keep wandering around like a wide-eyed tourist.  Most foreign workers in Southern Sudan live in camps comprised of small cottages and/or tents.  There are a half dozen of these camps around Juba (the capital of Southern Sudan), not including the camps that are run for the UN and other large international organizations.  Sorry, not pictures yet.  I forgot the cord that connects my camera to my computer. 

To hear the old-timers talk, life in the camps is pretty damn plush now.  Think about the TV show MASH to get a feel for the atmosphere (except of course the absence of an actual war and the addition of many, many more goats).  This morning I had breakfast in a mango grove beside the Nile! 

Oh yeah, this is a knitting blog, isn't it?  I have been knitting, quite a bit actually.  I finished the Surprise and I will take pictures and post it when I get home on Sunday.  I promise!  I've also finished, well mostly finished Peace.  I still have to block the final sweater and sew on the buttons.  I was an idiot and for got them at home when I left for Sudan.  I also have the June socks underway.  Barely underway, but still.  I'm back to basic socks, this month.  72 stitches, top down, in Shepard Sock in Baltic Sea.  Not the most exciting thing yet, but they'll be a nice Christmas gift when they're done. 

Best be off!  I'll write more soon!

And yet more socks

I'm sorry I've been such a lousy blogger.  My life has been overtaken by events, again.  Despite being caught up in office closing-type events and feeling the presure of another big move edging closer, I'm still not sure where Sparky and I are headed next. 

In spite of it all, I'm knitting like a fiend. 

I present the May Socks


Project: May Socks
Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave Knits Winter 2005
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Yardage: 2 balls (about 350 yards)
Started: May 3, 2007
Finished: May 27, 2007
Yarn Source: Knit Happens
Needles: 2.75 mm (US 2)
Gauge: 7.5 stitches to the inch in stst
Modifications: None

This is the second time that I've knit these socks and I still love the pattern!  What the start and end dates above don't reveal is the total actual knitting time on these socks.  I knit the second sock in about a day and a half (not counting the two weeks it took me to start it).  The lace pattern is simple, yet compelling.  The tubular cast on is stretchy and I plan on using it in many pairs of socks to come.  While I definitely prefer to wear plain socks (like the April socks) I love knitting socks with patterns.   They just seem to go so much faster.  Instead of working until the end of a row, I always want to finish a pattern repeat.  I heartily suggest these socks for a lace beginner. 

These socks are also my attempt to get a head start on Christmas knitting.  I sort of feel like there are a finite number of pairs of wool socks that I really need (especially since I'm looking to move somewhere really warm) and with 7 pairs of socks still to go in my year of socks; I could really make some progress on Christmas gifts.  I haven't decided exactly who these are going to yet.  Many women in my family have similar sized feet. 

I've actually made all sorts of progress on other projects too.  I'm done with the back and the fronts of Peace.  I've finally finished the annoying peplum from Blossom and the Surprise project is almost entirely done (the knitting has been done for a while, but the blocking and finishing is taking a while).  I hope to be posting all sorts of pictures, but you may have to bear with me as the rest of my life continues to be an unfortunate distraction from knitting. 

I'm also extending a massive apology to the many people to whom I owe email.  I'll get to it I promise.  Just as soon as I have time to think.

$@*#ing Pockets

While the rest of the knitting world was away at Maryland Sheep and Wool, I was sewing #%#!ing pockets.  After much effort I present:

Project: Mademoiselle Jacket
Pattern Source: Classic Knits by Erika Knight
Yarn: Rowan Natural Silk Aran in Aero
Yardage: 15 balls (about 1065 yards)
Started: April 9, 2007
Finished: May 6, 2007
Yarn Source: Knit Happens
Needles: 4.5 mm (US 7)
Gauge: About 4.5-4.75 stitches to the inch in stst
Modifications: Sigh

Okay, so before I dive in, understand that I really like the finished jacket.  Okay?  Alrighty then...

I hate this yarn.  It will not get the published gauge.  Ever.  I knit on different size needles, metal needles, bamboo needles, wet block, steam block.  I eventually gave up.  Worst part was that it lost the nice crunchy texture and ended up feeling limp after blocking.  I am never knitting with this yarn again.  Ever.

The pattern was also really annoying.  I eventually stopped keeping track of the number of places that there were mistakes (how often do you find spelling mistakes in a knitting patterns).  Starting at the beginning, the finished size measurements on the introductory page do not correspond to the actual pattern.  If you take the number of stitches that you cast on for the size that I knit, divide it by the number of stitches per inch, you get a measurement that has absolutely no bearing on the finished size listed at the beginning of the patter.  There were countless places where the instructions said to work a certain number of rows and end up on the wrong side, when if you work that number of rows you will end up on the right side.  Decreases and increases were screwy.  I'm an expert at reading Rowan-style knitting patterns, and thank heavens I am or I never would have made it through. 

Thing is that even after all of that, there was one instruction that nearly put me over the edge.  "Sew on Pockets."  No further explanation.  No indication (other than the picture) as to where they should go.  Hell is trying to sew pockets on to a garment with yarn that shows every error.  The sweater was actually done before the end of April, I just couldn't sew the pockets on to my satisfaction. 

All that said, I love the finished sweater.  It fills a giant hole in my spring wardrobe.  It's easy to wear and very elegant. 

It's just that it made me crazy!

And yet another thank you

Thank you all for the birthday wishes!  Sparky and I went to the philharmonic and out to dinner!  What a great way to spend a birthday!

This weekend I had one of those super productive weekends where I got tons done.  For today's reading pleasure, I present:

Project: Ane's Scarf
Pattern: No pattern really.  It's just a chevron scarf over 35 stitches
Yarn: Alchemy Synchronicity in Foxglove ( you can't tell from the picture, but it's a wonderful pink/wine color)
Yardage: 2.5 balls (about 280 yards)
Started: April 25, 2007
Finished: May 5, 2007
Yarn Source: a mystery gift 
Needles: 4.5 mm (US 7)
Gauge: completely unimportant.  The scarf measures about 7.5" by about 70" after aggressive blocking.
Modifications: can you modify something that you're inventing?

This post is part two of my "Thank you in Wool" series.  I have a truly wonderful co-worker named Ane.  She has done everything in her power to make my time in Romania enjoyable.  She always goes far above and beyond the call of duty, from going with me to the tailor to helping to sort out the nightmares of Romanian bureaucracy.  She is one of those truly good-natured, kind, warm people that make life worth living.  She has been a saint and is one of few people I will really miss when I leave Romania. 

When I decided to make he a scarf, there was only one yarn in my stash collection that was worthy of her.  The Alchemy Synchronicity is absolutely the finest yarn I have ever worked with.  Half merino and half silk, it has all of the finest virtues of each.  The sheen is spectacular, while the wool content allows for pleasant knitting.  On occasion, it felt like my hands were too rough to truly appreciate the softness.  I love this yarn and I am very happy that it is going to someone so truly deserving. 

I'm off to knit frantically!  I think I'm getting knitting-related gifts from family and they're likely to show this week!  I told myself I could start a new project only if I got the WIP list under control.

Breaking New Ground

There comes a time in the life of most knitters that they get the urge to dig out some graph paper and design a sweater.  Maybe the knitter saw a beautiful sweater in a shop that she (or he, for that matter) would love completely, if it weren't for the color, weird sleeve treatment, the armholes, the length, and the choice between owning the sweater and making a down payment on a house.  Maybe the knitter found lovely yarn, maybe even on sale, but just couldn't find a pattern that would do it justice.  Maybe the knitter needs a particular garment, but none of the patterns available were quite right. 

So the knitter sits down with graph paper, a calculator, and her swatches and starts to design a sweater.  Then the knitter gets so obsessed with the sweater that she wants to work on it all the time (just ask Sparky, I'm so far gone on this one).  After all that you get...

 

A teaser shot!

I am designing my first sweater entirely from scratch.  I am over the moon with how well it is matching the picture I have in my head.  I spend much of my knitting time with graph paper and a calculator.  I want to design more sweaters!  I literally have sweater design ideas dancing around my head.  This is FUN!

How about another teaser?

Yeah, I thought so.