Trish Knits.com

Not much, is it? Well… I should have been photographing along the way with my various experiments all week, but it was hot and I was lazy, and so… well… I didn’t. It wouldn’t have made for exciting reading anyway.

What you see here is the beginnings of my EZ February Baby Sweater. The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac, and it gives a glimpse into Ms. Zimmermann’s infamous percentage system on a small scale. I like that! Especially since the yarn I have was way thinner than what the pattern was originally designed for, and the lace pattern used in the design just wasn’t giving me a substantially cozy looking sweater in that yarn. I’m a loose knitter, and so my yarnover holes are big, even with small needles, and so it was looking too lacy, and too girly, for this particular project need. (I don’t know the sex of the baby. Therefore, a totally feminine knit is out.) I’ve seen lots of these sweaters online, and many of them don’t look particularly girly, but with this yarn, somehow I couldn’t avoid that overall feeling.

So this morning when I couldn’t sleep and was up at 5:30 a.m. for no good reason, I sat with my stitch dictionaries and looked until I found something I like. Twin Rib. It’s a standby for me, but I like it. What can I say? I like it.

(I also used the gauge calculator at this site to help me with my math shortcomings… time will tell whether it worked!)

So, now I’m doing the sweater with teeny yarn on size 1 needles, at a different gauge with a different stitch pattern. Does that mean it’s the February Baby Sweater at all? Yes, because that’s the beauty of Elizabeth Zimmermann Knitting. It sets you free.

Tonight I decided to be brave and try to wind one of my other Lisa Souza yarn hanks into a ball. My daughter gave me that, “Mom, you’re NUTS!” look as I began to drag out the swift, knowing full well my troubles from the last week. But I knew that the hanks from this one particular colorway of yarn seemed to be more tightly wrapped than the others, so I figured my chances of success would have to be pretty good. I was right.

My kids both found my new Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder to be a wondrous machine, and enjoyed immensely taking turns at the crank. I’ll have to get pictures of them doing this next time since they seemed to enjoy it so much. I am now happily swatching for my Elizabeth Zimmermann February Baby Sweater from Knitter’s Almanac. (Note to self: I’m using the 3 mm Harmony needles for my swatch. I can’t tell yet, but I think they’re going to be too big. I’m a loose knitter. Wonder how many repeats of the stitch pattern I’ll have to add to make the sweater fit an actual baby?)

New Baby Knits Book

BabyKnits Hats & Booties–by Edie Eckman, Bonnie Franz, and Debby Ware. Well, it’s new to me, anyway. I bought it yesterday while at my knitting group at Borders. I especially love the hat and bootie set on the cover, but as a mom of people who used to be actual babies? I’m not sure what I think about the ribbon yarn in terms of safety. I’d probably substitute with icords or something. That said, there are some SERIOUSLY cute patterns in here! Definitely worth a look if you want to knit something cute, and maybe a little fun, for baby.

More evidence of my complete undoing this week:

There’s no other word for it. Yarn Barf. This is the thing I hate most about knitting. The starting. Perhaps this is why I hate finishing so much? Because finishing something means starting something else. Now, I don’t mind the excitement of a new project. But for me, the excitement only comes AFTER the winding of the yarn and the casting on and the knitting of the first row. After that, it’s all good. But the setup? It kills me, every time.

I’m thanking God that this week is our knitting meetup. One of my knitterly friends has offered to come from afar and help me dig my way out of yarn hell. Thank goodness for good friends, or I don’t know what I’d do.

On a Lighter Note…

Today I found out that Franklin has a new book coming out, featuring the adorable and hilarious Delores. It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons Looks like it’s due out in October. Honestly, I don’t think I can stand the wait. But still…. thinking about that book sure beats the yarn barf alternative that’s facing me tonight.

Today I finally received the book, 50 Baby Bootees to Knit by Zoe Mellor. I love, love, LOVE the adorable and interesting designs. There is everything from basic booties to Mary Jane shoes, to cute little baby socks. I also love Ann Budd’s Better than Booties Baby Socks and so am trying to come up with some combination of socks, hat, and sweater or jacket. The Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting : The Curious Knitters’ Guide: Stories, Patterns, Advice, Opinions, Questions, Answers, Jokes, and Pictures is also on my short list.

Here’s the thing: I’ve managed all this time to be a decent but limited knitter, without having to do a lot of math. I’ve never knit a project that truly required a gauge swatch. Now, though, I have some specific yarns I want to use:

These are Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in the Spumoni, Pumpkin, and Peacock colorways. I don’t know the gender of the baby I’m knitting for, but he or she is due to arrive in the fall, which prompted the pumpkin colors. (The others I just liked for a baby.)

Maybe the big problem for now is that I have too many choices! I’ll give myself a week or so to narrow it down. Then I’ve got to get busy knitting!

I’m just about done with the slipper sock. The cuff has about 15 rounds in it and I’m going to go until I’m just about out of yarn and see how many more that gets me. the cuff is loose and slouchy so it will be comfortable for sleeping or lounging around the house late on a Sunday morning. (Kid’s favorite pastime of late.) Too bad she’ll have to wait a while for the second sock, as I have a brown ripple afghan to get back to, post haste. I’m pleased now that I know some basics about how socks go together, and can’t wait to make my first real socks on sock yarn.

Toward that end, I received Charlene Schurch’s More Sensational Knitted Socks, which I am going to love! Even more of the patterns in this book are offered in toe-up versions, and I think THIS is the sock book that is really going to get me on my way to being a full fledged sock knitter. I’ve been hanging on to some Knit Picks self striping sock yarn (Simple Stripes, now discontinued) for several years and the daughter has been after me to make the socks ever since she laid eyes on the yarn, which was purchased in girly colorways with her in mind. Soon, dear soon.

But this coming week I fear is going to lead to a whole new obsession. Dare I say it? Kauni. Shoot me now.

So, the other night, the Yarn Harlot and I shared a laugh over the size of my elephant sock. Well, what if it’s just a big, roomy, slouchy, slipper sock? I’m torn between just plodding forward and ripping out and starting over. Socks in worsted weight seem silly to me anyway, but I do have good friends that make them and say they’re cozy and good on a cold winter’s day. So, maybe I will keep going. I don’t know… Am I nuts?

The Hunt is Over

Just gotta say I’ve been looking for this book for a LONG time. It doesn’t show up on eBay at a price I was willing to pay very often, and I got lucky a few weeks ago. But alas, just like all of my other books, I am wondering if I am going to ever actually make anything out of this book, or if I will only use it to understand the techniques, and do my own thing. I’m such a loose knitter, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do someone else’s charted design on something that’s actually supposed to fit. Oh well, mittens from this book are a bit of a ways off for me, but I am so glad that I found it.

Ciao for now! ER is back, so I’m outta here.

Every Totally Obsessed Knitter has to do it once. There are some who, like the Deadheads, but with brightly colored socks in their Birks, have done it many times. Me? I was a virgin. But no more.

I’ve been to see the Harlot! Stephanie Pearl-McPhee–The Yarn Harlot–appeared at the Borders in Annapolis last night. I was determined to be there one way or another, and my DH, bless him, was kind enough to get me there. (And Grandma and Grandpa watched the munchkins, so it was all good.)

I left work early yesterday. It was also a Nationals baseball game, and since we’re so conveniently employed just across the street from the new ball park, I wanted to be sure to be out of town in plenty of time. Maybe we needn’t have worried. We got to Annapolis right at 4:00 and had plenty of time to grab a burger at Johnny Rockets and drop a few nickels in the jukebox. I had a BLT and the fries/rings combo, but I was too excited to eat. I did have an onion ring or two, though, and immediately panicked because I realized that I’d have onion breath in the presence of a goddess. How could I?

It was 6:00 when we made our way to the bookstore. It’s a good thing we got there when we did, too, because we could already hear the laughing ruckus from upstairs. The knitters were there. LOTS of them. Luckily the coffee shop was upstairs too, so John scored me some breath mints. Yes, this was all going to be fine.

The folks at Borders were prepared! They even had these handy little event guidelines cards, in case we knitters couldn’t figure out what to do. The staff had called in reinforcements for the night, in case tons of people with pointy sticks got more than a little rowdy. It’s ok, though, because the only thing that got rowdy was the level of laughter. They even made a nice spot in front for people in wheelchairs to sit, so I could see, and hear, and get lots of great pictures! (There’s a gallery of photos of the event on this page.)

I can’t begin to tell you how funny The Yarn Harlot is. I don’t think I could do any of her stories justice. She ended with a Q&A, and someone asked her the location of the “Calgary Story” on her blog. Stephanie said she couldn’t remember where in the archives it was, but I found it, for your enjoyment. Scroll down to the August 9, 2005 entry, titled, “There is the Downside.” (Thanks, Google. SNORT WARNING–put your cup of tea DOWN before reading near the end of this entry.)

After much more laughter and applause, it was time for the signing to begin. I had a relatively low number, but it was getting late for Grandma and Grandpa so I made my way down to the line. A guy working the line picked up my books and put yellow stickies on the inside of each one with the names of each person I wanted them made out to.

Before long, it was my turn! I showed Stephanie my first sock, which frankly, is so huge that I think it is not intended for a human foot. It’s probably more the size of an elephant willy warmer. The Harlot had a good laugh at the sight of this and took my picture for her blog! How fun is that? I’ve made it into knitting posterity. She then offered to hold my sock if I would hold hers and we took a photo together. Her sock was SO soft, and the right size. She obviously knows what she’s doing.

It was a magical night for a knitter. This morning, still basking in the afterglow, I finally, carefully, removed my book from the bag to look at the signature.

To Trish
Stephanie McPhee

I was there.

Yay! I scored another one on eBay! This time it was Alice Starmore’s Tudor Roses. Now, I’m not a huge fan of Starmore in general, and I know there is some controversy about her and her designs, but I just love the designs in this particular book I know the sweaters are not exactly shapely and all that, but I do love the colors. Of course the patterns are for someone a wee bit smaller than I am. I will need to figure out how to knit the right size for me. Someday. For now, I’m busy admiring the pretty pictures.

So, several weeks ago, I got the book, Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd. I’ve never made a sock in my life. And I’m curious. So I thought maybe this book would be a good starting point. I would love to know how it’s done. So far, the whole idea of it all is totally mystifying to me. This book, at least, is a good starting point for me. It is very clearly explained step by step, and the drawings and photos could not be better. Durnit, I was hoping I could just say that socks look too hard. But now I know that’s not true. Thanks a lot, Ann! Just what I need. Another obsession. Maybe I’ll wind some sock yarn tomorrow morning before work. (I’ve had some wonderful Lisa Souza yarn in my stash, just in case!)

But see, the thing is, I don’t wear socks. I have to wear an orthotic device in my shoes that is pretty close fitting, so I wear only hose. So, I’ve been thinking that my motivation for actually finishing a pair of socks would be low, since I don’t actually wear them. On the other hand, I know that I do have family and friends who would appreciate handmade socks.

The thing is that I’ve been knitting on my blanket for so logn now that I am dying to try something new and portable. The blanket is getting heavy for car knitting nwo, but I am afraid that if I start leaving it home it will never get finished.

What’s a girl to do? It’s all such a dilemma… Sigh.

Well, here it is, the latest “baby pic” of Miss Z.’s Blankie. I am enjoying making it but I wish it could go faster. Miss Z. starts her chemo very soon and I want it to be done. Now that the holidays have wound down and most folks are back at work, I am getting even more takers on the “many hands” aspect of the project.

I have now used all of the yarn colors that I have for the project, so am starting over, in a slightly different color order. I hope I can keep the variations going. In a recent stripe I added Knit Picks Shine Sport in the colorway, Willow, but I’m not sure I love it being there yet, since it is so much lighter than the other shades. But I was having an interesting dilemma of not having enough yarns for the parts in between the primary shades. I had some Shine on hand, so decided to try it. So, I guess we’ll see how it works out.

Trish’s Got a Brand New Bag

Ok, as much as I absolutely LOVE my Jordana Paige Knitter’s Satchel, I have finally had to admit, it’s really not the most practical solution for me. I’ve managed to bend the metal bar that holds the clicky clasp on both of my bags, and so neither one closes well. Which is causing me problems, because except for the little stuff in the zipper pouch, most of the stuff is rolling around in there and all jumbled up with everything else.

So I bit the bullet and bought a Namaste Executive Bag. I’ve been hearing about these as they seem to be the buzz of all the knitters in the know. But, it’s hard to get. I hear it’s been discontinued, and that a newer, better bag may be coming out soon. But, I gotta admit, this one’s pretty cool! I like that it has separate compartments fort the “purse stuff” and the knitting gear. I also like that it seems to have stronger closures, so I shouldn’t have to worry about the bag tipping over and all of my purse stuff falling out.

It does seem that the material it’s made of is kinda thin. That’s one complaint I’ve been hearing is that the bag isn’t as durable as some folks would like. So I guess we’ll see how I make out with it, given that I do seem to be pretty hard on stuff. Wish me luck…

On a Roll

And now for something completely different…

I heard Kelley Petkun talk about this on her podcast a few weeks ago, and I thought, “Who in their right mind would buy a book about THAT??” But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then, this week, my copy of Toilet Roll Covers finally found it’s way to my door. I cannot believe I started feeling all nostalgic, as my mom and grandmother used to make cozies for just about everything. But my mom has never seen toilet paper cozies like this! They are fun, funky and adorable. Of course I will have to make a hat for my toilet paper, and maybe even an Aran sweater. The piano keys are also very cute, and someday, I’ll have to make the “Drum Roll” for my brother the drummer.

Sigh. Looks like my Redskins are losing to the Seahawks. It’s been a tough year for them. I was really hoping…

Ciao for now!