So many options

As the end of the year approaches, I find myself thinking about future projects, including next-year's holiday knitting.

First off, I need to finish several items for Sylvia:
--Anouk pinafore: I finished this last spring, but the side tabs were too close to her arms, so the fit was too tight. I need to knit up some new side tabs (the originals came out too short, I think), which should take almost no time at all because they're quite small. I originally put green leaf-shaped buttons on this sweater, but I've decided to replace them with some round, silver, garden-themed buttons.
--Cardigan using leftover yarn from Anouk: When I ordered the yarn for Anouk, I ordered one extra ball of each color...and ended up with a lot of leftovers. So I decided to make a v-neck cardigan to go with Anouk. The pieces are all knit and blocked. I just need to sew them together, add a crochet edging (though I may ask Jan to do that part), and sew on buttons identical to the ones on the pinafore.
--Christmas stocking: This one needs to be ripped up past the heel, but it's a fairly straightforward, uncomplicated pattern that shouldn't take me too long to complete.
--Christmas-tree hat: All I have left to do is to sew on the white garland, add a pompom to the top,http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif and add the button "ornaments."

Once that's all finished...then what?

A few weeks ago, I read Eunny Jang's tutorial on blocking lace (she has links to lots of other tutorials, including several on steeks--something that absolutely terrifies the crap out of me), and since then I've been mulling over knitting my first full-fledged lacey shawl number.

Of course, right before Christmas, I received a fabulous package from my SP9, which included a skein of beautiful Lorna's Laces yarn (which she suggests using to trim a sweater or perhaps for a hat or scarf) and books filled with all sorts of tantalizing projects. Picture Knits has me really wanting to give intarsia another go...

...which I may do on the Wonderful Wallaby sweater I'm going to make for Sylvia. My friend Beth recently finished one in Rowan All-Seasons Cotton, and I liked the look and feel of that yarn so much that I decided to use it for my own version. Thanks to eBay and the Royal Mail, when I returned home yesterday after visiting my parents in Illinois for Christmas, two ten-skein packages of that yarn (one in Native, one in Heart) were waiting for me. I'm thinking of using the Native, which is it a light tan, for the sweater, and maybe jazzing up the pocket with some funky, colorful image.

And speaking of colorful knitting, on Christmas I received Handknit Holidays. When I reviewed this book back in October, I mentioned the Swedish Heart-Warmer Shawl. Two months later, I'm still enamored of that piece and very much contemplating making one for myself...even though it's on seriously small (size 1! Hello!) needles...

Look how long this list is already! And I haven't even started to think about next year's holiday knitting...

No more guilt

For the last few weeks, I've had two albatrosses hanging around my neck: the pointy-toed stocking and the Christmas-tree hat.

I "finished" the stocking six or seven weeks ago, only to realize that the finished project was, well, hideous, and that I'd have to frog it to just above the heel. I have no objection to ripping out this knitting...but I've just had a hard time getting motivated to do it.

The hat is completely done except for sewing on the white I-cord "garland" around it, adding a white pompom to the top, and sewing on some "ornaments" (buttons) here and there. I've had a hard time with the garland: it's not easy to sew this thing in place so the spacing is even. I'm in the middle of my third attempt to do this. Adding to the low-motivation mix on this one is the fact that, even though I very carefully knit a gauge swatch--this thing is far too big for my daughter's head.

I was fretting about these projects a few nights ago, worrying that I wouldn't get them done in time for Christmas, when my husband said, "So don't worry about them. It's not a big deal." And I realized that he's right. Sylvia is nineteen months old--she isn't going to care if her Christmas stocking is finished. (Heck, she has no clue that Santa, whom she thinks is a pretty nifty guy, is actually going to bring her presents. She's enamored of him just for his ho-ho-ho-ing and general jolliness!) And the hat doesn't even fit her, so why am I rushing?

Both of these projects will be ready for her next year. Let's hope I don't wait until mid-December 2007 to finish them up...

Thank you, SP9!

A couple of days ago, my SP9 sent me note telling me to expect a package soon--probably today, but definitely by the end of the week. Well, the USPS came through, and look what arrived at my doorstep this evening during dinner. I finished my meal (gnocchi with four-cheese sauce--yum!) first, so I could devote all of my attention to the package and the goodies that lay within.

First I spied this trio of books. Two were from my wish list. Hip Knit Hats is a book I reviewed last month and have been longing for since I first laid eyes on it last spring. The other, Picture Knits, is one I hadn't actually seen in person before but knew I would love. I've had only enough time to flip through it quickly, and I am already starting to daydream about the many intarsia projects I will do this year! The third book, The Pocket Size Knit & Crochet Companion, was a delightful surprise. It's a small notebook with tabbed sections for notes on yarn, patterns, and other knitting-related topics. The inside back cover also has a handy table where you can record which needles (circulars, straights, and double-pointed) you have.

And there was chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but good chocolate. In my SP9 questionnaire I had mentioned a fondness for dark chocolate, but didn't say much beyond that. Well, my SP9 sent me two very fine examples from this category: a Ghirardelli Espresso Escape bar ("60% cacao dark chocolate with finely ground espresso beans"--yum) and a Scharffen Berger bittersweet bar (70% cacao). For those of you who haven't yet been initiated into the Scharffen Berger cult, let me just say that this is some very nice chocolate indeed. (Also, it's the chocolate Rose Levy Beranbaum recommends for pain au chocolate...which is where I think this bar is going to end up.)

At the bottom of the box lay a hank of yarn. I pulled it out to discover that it's Lorna's Laces Revelation. I've heard of Lorna's Laces yarn before (usually spoken of in reverential, hushed tones) but have never had any of my own. This is 125 yards of 100% wool (gauge: 3.5 sts = 1' on #10) in the Watercolor colorway, with dusty jewel and earth tones. It has a very interesting variegated texture (is that the technical term for it?): the yarn thickens and thins and thickens again, and seems to be "wrapped" not unlike a hair wrap. I love it! Now I just have to decide what to do with it. Suggestions, anyway?

Thank you very much, SP9! Everything you sent was just perfect!

Weirdness

Shelby, my hostess for SP9, just posted this meme and tagged anyone who reads it.

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. (Especially if you're Gina, Katie, Beth, JD, Arianna, Regg, or Frank.) And if you do this meme on your own blog, let me know in the comments here so I can pop over there and see just how weird you really are. And if you don't do this meme--no big deal. This isn't a chain letter, so you won't get cursed or go to hell or get a free computer from Bill Gates or whatever.

Note: I did this meme once before, back in June. What does it say about me that I can think of six new things for the list this time? Hmmmm!

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with "Six Weird Things About Me." People who get tagged need to write a blog entry about their own six weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag six people and list their names. Don’t forget to write "You are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog to find out what that means.

Here goes: Six Weird Things About Me

1. I am one of those rare vegetarians who does not like eggplant. (Look at any vegetarian cookbook--especially one from the '70s--and you'll see eggplant all over the place.) For years I've tried to like it, really I have, but I've recently admitted to myself that it's a lost cause.

2. I have never watched Titanic, Survivor, or American Idol. And I plan to go to my grave without seeing them.

3. I am terrified of undertows. Even in lakes (even though I know there's no undertow there).

4. Incorrect spelling, bad grammar, and improper (word) usage drive me nuts in printed matter. It's really hard to turn off the red-pen-wielding editor in me.

5. I lived on a dairy farm in Switzerland for a year during college.

6. One of my oldest and closest friends is someone I've never met. We started writing to each other as pen-and-paper penpals in early 1993 and, aside from occasional e-mails, have largely stuck to that medium. When we first became friends, she lived outside Montreal, Canada; now she lives outside Syndney, Australia.

Surely you jest, redux

Last year, I knit a two-pointed jester hat for my friend Maggie. (Her mom and I went to college together.) She lives pretty far away from me, and I rarely see her, so I had to guess the size. Fortunately, the result fit her pretty well. And--even more important when you're dealing with the capricious toddler set--she liked it!

Last year's hat was a late Christmas gift (sent in January), and a few months later I heard that Maggie had worn it so much that the pompoms had fallen off. So I decided to make her a new one--only this time I'd give it three corners. And I'd send it in plenty of time for Christmas.

Well, I mailed the hat out in early fall--well in advance of the holiday season. But it was a bit too large for wee Maggie's head, unfortunately. During the past couple of months, though, either her head grew a tiny bit or she's decided that snug-fitting hats are overrated. She even wore it to bed!

Year in review

I came across this meme at another knitter's blog and found it pretty interesting. Basically, you write the first sentence of the first post of each month of the past year. My own results yield an interesting summary of my (mostly knitting) life over the past year.

January
I'm starting a new project: the Anouk pinafore/dress/tunic that was posted in the Knitty.com spring 2004 issue.

February
I've managed to get lots of work done on Anouk over the past few days.

March
While hearing the Byrds sing in my head, I successfully managed to turn the sock heel last night!

April
When I was working in the city, my local yarn shop was one I could walk to during my lunch hour.

May
Even though one sock remains unfinished and I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do about the cardigan, I've started a new project: a Medusa hat for Sylvia.

June
Usually, I'm a big fan of the U.S. Postal Service.

July
The big package I received from my SP8 last month included two smaller packages that she indicated were to be opened later, one in July and one in August.

August
Yesterday's issue of Knitter's Review features an article about a new type of organic yarn: Cornucopia, which is made out of corn.

September
This is a real product.

October
Well, almost.

November
This is an overdue thank-you to my friend Beth (my partner in crime during our college days--though if the feds ever question me, I'm gonna say it was all her idea), who sent me an amazing box full of fun stuff.

December
I actually remembered to say "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!" before saying anything else when I woke up this morning!

As if I need an excuse to go to Paris

This is a pretty good one, though.

Inspiration

My friend Beth just completed a Wonderful Wallaby sweater for her daughter. When she started it a couple of months ago and showed me the pattern, I thought it was nice enough but didn't think I'd ever want to knit one myself. A hooded pullover sweater with a kangaroo pocket in the front? Not really my style.

But as her Wallaby took shape, I found myself increasingly interested in it. This thing is knit from the bottom up and has no seaming (except for under the arms)--definitely appealing to someone like me who isn't a huge fan of finishing. And that pocket on the front? So cute!

Last Friday I saw Beth's daughter wearing the just-finished sweater, and that same day I ordered a copy of the pattern for myself. (I also found a great FAQ, which I'll refer to when this sweater goes on the needles.)

Yes, I still have two sweaters for Sylvia to finish. And yes, I still have to fix that pointy-toed stocking I made for her (hey, Christmas is still, what, a week and a half away...I still have time!). But I am itching to start on a Wallaby for her. And because this pattern is for size 2T all the way up to adult XXL, I may end up making Wallabies for Jan and me, too. We'll be the crazy family in the Wallaby sweaters! Maybe I use different colors for each of us, people won't think we're all that crazy...

Peace

Most people have heard of Sadako Sasaki, the Japanese girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, where she lived. In 1954, at the age of eleven, she was diagnosed with leukemia caused by fallout from the bomb.

A Japanese legend said that anyone who folded one thousand paper cranes would be granted a wish. Over the next several months, Sadako folded over 1,300 paper cranes in an effort not only to heal herself but to bring peace to the world. She died at the age of twelve. Her story became legendary itself, inspiring books, poems, and a monument to peace in Hiroshima.

I've always liked this story and was delighted to learn of a project involving not just folded cranes but knitted folded cranes. From Yarn Boy's blog: "A Portland knitter and artist named Seann McKeel...is inviting knitters to knit and felt one thousand cranes (ten per knitter), which she will display publicly late next year."

The artist's informational brochure (and pattern for the cranes) is available at the link above or here.

New project

I still have three projects--two cardigans and one dress--to finish up for Sylvia. (The knitting on those is finished: I have to sew in ends and seam one, and block and add buttons to all three.) And I still have some Christmas knitting to complete: the pointy-toed Christmas stocking, the hat for my brother, and a Moebius scarf, among others. So what do I do? Start another project, of course!

I'm making the kimino-style sweater for Sylvia from Minnies: QuickKnits for Babies and Toddlers, by Jil Eaton. I'm using Cotton Comfort from Green Mountain Spinnery in the Weathered Green color. (It's the sixth skein from the left in this picture. The color doesn't show up nearly as well in my photo.) I bought this stuff at the GMS store/workshop in Putney, Vermont, last August and have been trying to decide what to do with it every since. This yarn is 80% wool and 20& organic cotton, and it is a real treat to work with. It has some texture and tooth to it, but isn't scratchy. The result will be a lightweight sweater that should be wearble nearly year round, I hope. It's knitting up fairly quickly, too: I've already finished the back and have started on the left-front piece.

Everyone needs a friend like Gina

My friend Gina is an admitted yarnaholic. Her stash is the stuff of legend. A few of us josh her about her never-ending quest for yarn acquisition, but the truth is that deep down inside, we are jealous of her stash and her amazing nose for good yarn deals on the Internet.

Today, during a conversation with Gina in my den, I realized that all of this yarn gathering must be part of some higher purpose. I think Gina is on mission from the yarn gods.

Me: So look at this hat I'm making. It's a three-pointed jester hat that I designed and am making for my brother as a Christmas gift.

Gina: Nice! That's way better than anything Debbie Bliss has created. In fact, your stuff could totally kick her British butt to the curb. [I should point out that some elements of this conversation have been slightly modified for dramatic appeal. Like this part.]

Me: Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn with only about four inches to go on the last corner. So I guess I'm going to have to order one more skein of this stuff just so I can finish.

Gina: Is that Wool of the Andes from KnitPicks?

Me: Yes.

Me and Gina at the same time: In the Blue Bonnet color.

Gina: I have some of that yarn.

Me: You do?

Gina: With me. You can have it.

Me: (Has nothing to say because I am too busy prostrating myself before the awesomeness of Gina.)

Thanks, Gina! You rock. On toast. This hat is gonna be finished by the end of this week. Hooray!

Knitting + pirates = more cool than you can shake a stick at

A few weeks ago I knit this funky scarf for my friend Mary Ann. The yarn is fun (I'm generally not a fan of novelty yarns, but I actually like this one), and I figured the green would go nicely with her red hair.

Little did I know that green goes nicely with heavily applied kohl eyeliner, too. Mary Ann happened to run into Captain Jack Sparrow, who admired her neckwear. She let him try on the scarf, and he obliged by posing for this photo.

Who says pirates aren't nice?

Knitting for art

Many knitters like to make stuff for charity. In addition to local causes (e.g., preemie caps for local hospitals), there are a number of national projects, such as Save the Children's Caps to the Capital campaign (knit and crochet caps for newborns in nonindustrialized nations) and the Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf Project.

What I haven't heard much about is knitting for art--until now (thanks to the Craft blog). Performer/artist/writer/filmmaker Kristina Wong is asking for donations of unfinished knitting projects for her show "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The show examines the high rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian Pacific Islander American women, and Wong plans to use the pieces to represent "unravelling women." After the show, the pieces will be sewn together to make blankets for charity and any leftover yarn skeins will be donated.

You can see her request and all the details for sending her stuff on her blog. Or check out the Craft post about it.

Doesn't this sound like fun? A nice, guilt-free way to get rid of some of those knitting projects that you know you'll never finish but just can't admit it to yourself because, darn it, you spent a lot of time on them and you just hate to be a quitter. By sending her your unfinished knitting, you get to clean out your closet, help a performer, and get credited for "set construction" in the program. (Then you'll be one step closer to getting that Equity card! Yeah!)

Surely you have stuff you can send to Kristina. I know I do...

Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

I actually remembered to say "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!" before saying anything else when I woke up this morning! (This is only the second time this has ever happened to me.)

What did I wish for? That's a secret. But no, I did not wish for more yarn...