Cottage46 Knitter

Making up for lost knitting time

Finally, I'm posting some FOs!  I've been waiting for a new camera to arrive since our overpriced Nikon went wonky on us for the 3rd time.  VK's aunt bought it for us and it was WAY more camera than we needed (especially since we are loath to read a manual) and expensive.  When I told VK we could get a camera with 2 more megapixels for about a 10th of the price, I think he didn't quite believe me.  The aunt is a strange sort of technology early adopter.  She doesn't use technology but must own it immediately.  She has a beta video camera.  Seriously. 

I had about 2 weeks between knitting projects and I knit like a fiend.  I installed the zipper in Rogue.  (Whenever I accomplish a new knitting technique, I hear Tom Hanks in Cast Away when he says, "I. Have. Made. Fire."  I. Have. Installed. Zipper.)

I love, love, love this sweater.  I've only had a chance to wear it once.  Not that I'm complaining.  I have no problem whatsoever if spring is here and I have to wait for fall to wear Rogue again. 

Pattern: Rogue, from Girl from Auntie, cardiganized with the help of Claudia's instructions
Yarn: Cascade 220
Comments: I did wuss out and skip the hood grafting in favor of 3-needle bind off.  Life is too short to graft in pattern. 

I had barely finished the bottom border of this vest when I had to put it aside.  When I picked it up again, I realized I hadn't exactly been following the pattern.  It's a 1x1 ribbing that offsets by a stitch every 4 rows.  I however was just doing 1x1 ribbing.  So I snipped the yarn and started over.  Having less knitting time focuses the attention because I finished the Clock vest, buttons and all, before the next indexing project started.

Pattern: Clock Vest from Folk Vests (the 3rd vest I've done from this book)
Yarn: Cascade 220 in a heathered peach color
Needles: KP Options, #7 or 8?
Comments: Love it.  I've done a bit of colorwork lately (Moose? What moose?) and I'd forgotten how much I love cables.

I wanted to try out Knit Picks new cotton/acrylic yarn, Comfy.  And I wanted a nice mindless project to work on, so I cast on for Sitcom Chic.  So far the yarn is lovely to work with.  Very soft.  It's only 25% acrylic, so I hope is doesn't stretch too much. 

We made a dent in raking all the leaves we left last fall today.  I anticipate being really sore tomorrow.  Those leaves are heavy after soaking up moisture all winter.

Crocuses!  It's our first really springy day.  Hallelujah!

Of course the dogs had to help.  This is Lucy and her stick pile.  She has taken every one of those sticks from elsewhere in the yard and put them on a pile up on the hill.  It would be nice if she would pile them where we could burn them, instead of up a steep hill that we have to climb to move the sticks to the burn pile.

This is Shane and his soccer ball.  He simply loves this dirty, slightly deflated ball.  I tried to lure him inside with a piece of bread.  I tossed a piece to him.  He picked up the bread and tried to eat and hold the ball in his mouth.  When he discovered it couldn't be done, he dropped the bread and kept the ball.

Zoey stayed inside.  She is singularly unimpressed with Lucy and Shane's antics.  She takes cute to a whole new level though, doesn't she?

We watched some neighbors down the way put their pier in today.  Honestly, the ice just broke a week or two ago.  But the truly interesting thing was the cheers and high fives when they were done because they were the first on the lake to have their dock in.  On the other end of the scale, we reached the point a few years ago that we quit putting it in all together because then we'd just have to turn around in a few months and take it out.  Sort of the same way I look at trying to keep the free-floating dog hair under control  ;o)

Buh-bye, 2007! You sorta sucked.

I really need to starting finishing my knitting projects.  Then my 2007 FO mosaic wouldn't be so anemic.  Rogue is ready for seaming; that's what I should have been doing on New Year's Eve!

2008 knitting goals:
1. Finish the moose.  (Please, God, help me finish the moose.)
2. Finish FLAK.
3. One big cable project, probably St. Brigid.
4. Finish Ingeborg.
5. Finish Fir Cone Lace sweater.
6. Bavarian twisted stitch vest.
7. Get back to regular sock knitting.
8. Finish Master Knitter level 1.
9. Be more intentional in purchasing yarn.  Just because it's on sale and I just got paid for an index doesn't mean I have to buy it.

If anyone is looking for a good audiobook, I highly recommend Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  She reads it herself and does a wonderful job.  I'm glad there was a long hold list for the book at the library or I wouldn't have downloaded it.

My other book recommendation for the year is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  It's a sad, but totally absorbing story about the 1942 roundup of Jews in Paris. 

Here's to a great 2008!  May you not have to frog in the new year. 

 

A proper post

With pictures and FOs and everything!  Kauni is done and blocking.  (yay!)  I have the directions and the materials to make a wooly board, but I just don't have the concentrative abilities at the moment to put it together.  Hence, I'm blocking on a towel on top of a pile of clothes.  Model shots and details when it dries.  Shedir is done too, but not blocked yet.  I'm really hoping that blocking will even out some of the stretched stitches so no pic yet. 

Why don't I have a concentrative abilities?  Well, because Friday I finished an index for an academic monograph on motherhood in 18th century French art and literature.  Oy.  I didn't have the foresight to take French in high school or college.  All those diacritics. 

But!  VK and I did to see John Mellencamp last Thursday!  I've only wanted to see him live for about 25 years.  I can't really figure out why I never did because I went to a lot of concerts back in the day.  Anyway, it was a
great show and we had a great time.

My uncomplicated, no thinking required project is a v-neck pullover vest out of Briggs and Little Regal.  The back is done; the front is just started.  The yarn came from Jenny Raye at Loves to Bike and Knit.  It was left over from her FLAK which I thought was one of the prettiest to come out of that knit along.  She had about 2 1/2 hanks left which is just enough for a vest. 

I've been intrigued by Rogue forever, but hadn't knitted it because I really don't care for hoodies.  (Hair's too long.)  But Jessie was talking about what fun it was to knit and I caved.  I'll just have to ponytail when I wear it.  It's Cascade 220 which I had forgotten how much I love.  I'm cardiganizing it and plan to install my first ever zipper.  Hopefully my concentrative abilities will return by then. 

I need another distraction...

...like I need a hole in my head.  But this has not stopped me.  But at least I finished a pair of socks.

This is a Singer 503a from the early 60s, also known as the Rocketeer.  The lady that was selling it had several inquiries, but was waiting to sell it to someone who would love it.  Enter: me! 

So would you like to know how this little adventure started?  A couple of weeks ago I got an urge to sew.  Haven't sewed since jr. high, but whatever.  So my mom had bought an old Singer for me a long time ago at an auction.  I had stuck it in storage without even opening the case.   So when this urge hit, I got the machine out of storage and opened it up.  Turns out to be a lovely mocha-color Singer 301.  (Pictures to follow; it's at the repair shop getting rewired.) 

So being a librarian and wee bit obsessive, I start researching my treasure.  Joined all the vintage Singer yahoo groups, etc.  And then I start looking at other vintage Singers.  Also because I'm a wee bit obsessive, I became completely enamored with these machines!   So I went looking on Craig's List and found the Rocketeer.  It came with the cabinet and all the accessories.  I've been having a ball.  Row after row of parallel seams on scrap fabric.  Whoohooo!

So as I'm blabbing away about my apparent new hobby, VK mentions that his grandma's treadle machine is in the shed.  Well, what do you know?  We haven't dug it out yet.  It's been beastly humid.  But knowing that grandma's treadle machine is probably in bad shape, I've been reading up on restoration. 

Then I got this on eBay.  For $.50.  That's not a typo.  Fifty cents.  It's a local pickup which I haven't done yet, so I don't know much about it.  I think it's a model 66 from pre 1925-ish.  I'm pretty sure the cabinet is similar to the treadle machine that my grandma had, 4-drawers, no fancy carving. 

So this is why my only knitting progress is a pair of socks.  It's Socks That Rock, btw, in a 3x2 rib.  My Fir Cone Lacey cardigan is only in need of sleeves.  Oh, and to be ripped back to the bottom of the armholes.  :o<  Apparently shaping can be a little tricky with a lace pattern.  Who knew?

Oh, and I got yarn for the Kauni cardigan.  I think I have adult onset ADD.

Personal growth through knitting

These socks represent personal growth.  This is the third try at the short row heel.  Normally I don't forgo forward motion in my knitting for much of anything.  But as I've become a more mature knitter, I'm a little more willing to frog.  This heel I frogged twice.  I just wasn't getting the short row heel to look right.  There were holes.  I hate that.  And if I were a better blogger, I'd have thought to photograph said holes before frogging. 

Anyway, then I found this post by Misocrafty about how she picks up the wraps on her short rows.  Lo' and behold: no holes!   

And the other side:

I'm quite pleased with myself.

I finished the Norwegian hat for a friend of VK's.  I have a handy device for making lovely, uniform pompoms, but I couldn't find it.  So we have this rather pathetic pompom instead.  I have a heck of time getting pompoms to be tight against the hat.  This one wobbles around a bit, but I think it will be OK. 

 

I'm going to sign up for an online html and css class tomorrow.  As we all know, a little knowledge can be dangerous and that's exactly where I am.  I do the library's webpage on Frontpage, but I'd like to know how to do more. 

Gotta run!  Time for the traditional Sunday afternoon nap.

I don't like sewing on buttons

I've made the leap to Typepad.  Lynda hopped on over to Wordpress, and her post got me thinking it was time for change at Cottage 46 too. 

I finished this vest months ago.  But since I procrastinated on the buttons, it's now almost too warm to wear it.  I got away with wearing it today, but that's probably it until fall.  This picture made me realize that I must throw this turtleneck in ragbag.  And lose 15 pounds.

Pattern: Basic Black Vest from Folk Vests

Yarn: cone of Baby Twist Fireworks from Alpaca with a Twist (My LYS had a batch of mill end cones at a great price.  I have 2 more cones!  Bwaaah ha ha!)

All other projects details have been long forgotten.  I know I enjoyed knitting it.  I did make it too long and had to cut off a few inches, then it was too short, so I had to pick up stitches and reknit about an inch.  I'm generally pretty pleased with the outcome.  Alpaca is like buttah.  I have quite a bit of the cone left over.  I recently got a food scale, so I think I'll wind it off the cone and weigh it so I can figure out what I could do with it.

I'm finally getting to knitting group tomorrow after missing it for over a month.  Can't wait!  The first spring sock is at the point of doing the heel.  I was going to post a picture but I was dinking around with the new blog and now it's too dark. 

Speaking of the new blog, could someone explain trackbacks to me? 

And was anyone else nearly driven to violence watching Karl Rove do his rapping dance thing at the Correspondents dinner? 

The Roza's are done. Pattern:

The Roza's are done.

Pattern: Roza's socks by Grumperina from the Spring 2007 IK
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Black Purl
Needles: KnitPicks Size US0
Comments: I probably should have added a few stitches. They're very snug which I prefer, but I'm thinking they may not wear well. The pattern was very enjoyable to knit; interesting but not distracting if one is watching a 70s Show marathon.

The red Norwegian hat is blocking. Now I have to find my little pompom-making thingy. The moose sweater has been totally neglected. Hard to work on a Dale sweater when it's 80 degrees. But I know we'll pay for it in April, so I'll have more moose knitting time before summer.

I have cast on another pair of socks in this:

It's Lorna's Laces Happy Valley. I have some Socks That Rock that I really want to get to, but this just is so springy! They're going to be toe-up, all stockinette with a picot cuff. I have a little toe nub started, but I'm too lazy to photograph it. Later this week I'll have a whole foot to show.

More crocuses!

ETA: I added the ticker because my weight seems to have drifted upward over the winter. Not to mention the stress-induced eating of the last couple of months. Must get back down to walking weight!

Hats! And Knitting Camp!

I finished and mailed off the pirate hat. Here it is pre-blocking.

And here it is, still pre-blocking, but on the recipients head. She wanted it to wear for a ski trip, so it shipped out unblocked. She was less than pleased that her dad insisted on photographing her the minute it arrived. Imagine how happy she'll be to see it on the Internet! She did like the hat though, so I'm a happy knitter.

The sock recipients called and LOVE the Bruins and Red Sox socks. (I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy with this knitting for others stuff.) They promised pictures this week. I'll be interested to see how the baby socks fit.

I started a hat from the Charlene Schurch book. Also a gift! I know; I can't believe all the gift knitting either. Should be done this weekend and it will be blocked before mailing.

While I was taking pictures of the hat, I noticed I had an audience. These are my girls:

From l to r: Flicki, Graystar and Kiki. Flicki is Kiki's daughter, Kiki was a stray that we started feeding during the winter a few years ago and somehow she ended up sleeping on my chest every night. And Graystar was unceremoniously tossed out of a car on a county road and left for VK to find. She was tiny, bloody and had a broken leg, but you'd never know it now.

I thought I'd better post a picture of the boy-cat and I had to go back to 2003 to find a picture of Madison. Bad kitty mommy.

If you're keeping track, that's 4 cats and 3 (unpictured) dogs. It's almost like we're trying to compensate for not having any kids, isn't it?

At last spring has arrived (sorta) in northern Indiana. The first crocuses:

I registered for my LYS's IWannaKnit Camp in June! This will be my first knitapalooza-type event and I'm quite excited. I'll be taking classes from St. Joan Schrouder and Natalie Wilson.

Now I have to stop procrastinating and get a book review done for a talk I'm giving Friday. Oh wait, this is Wednesday. I still have all day tomorrow!

I try so hard...

to post once a week. *sigh* But I so often fail.

There has been knitting going on at Cottage46, but there has also been copious amounts of coughing, sniffling, and nose-blowing. It's been fun. My birthday was Saturday (hello 39!) and I slept and coughed my way through it. VK brought me a bouquet of spring flowers and a chocolate cake, so all was not misery.

I have made a wee bit o' progress on the Moose sweater:

I also cast on for a pair of Grumperina's Roza's Socks from the latest Interweave Knits. I'm using Lorna's Laces in the Black Purl colorway. I did a pair of socks in this yarn once before and it pooled wickedly and the socks turned out way too big. But I loved the yarn and the colorway, so I tried again. Much better this time.

And I finished the 2nd pair of Boston Bruin socks and a pair of baby Red Sox socks. I don't know if these will fit the specific baby, or any baby for that matter, but I do think they are sorta cute.

Stage 3 - but not as bad as it sounds

Today was our oncology appointment to learn the results of VK's bone marrow biopsy and PET scan. The bone marrow is clean, his bloodwork is all normal, and besides the 4-5 cm abdominal mass that we already knew about, he only has TWO lymph nodes that are involved! The staging is based on the fact that he has involvement above and below his diaphragm.

At this point, she is recommending watch and wait. We'll do another PET scan in 3 months to see if changes are happening really slowly or just sorta slowly. If there is change, chemo could start then. But if there isn't change, PET scans would be done every 6 months. Apparently with a slow-growing cancer, they prefer to wait until there are symptoms before putting someone through chemo. So far we think all the illness he's had has been an ulcer and he's taking meds for that. He is having some pain in his side and we'll see the oncologist in 3 weeks just to assess whether that is going away with a stricter diet (probably ulcer-related).

We are extremely encouraged. We're aware that things could head south at any time and indolent lymphoma can become aggressive in the future, but VK's life expectancy looks pretty good at the moment.

I can't thank everyone enough for the support and prayers, especially Rebekah and everyone contributing to the Blanket of Hope. Clearly it is an accurately named project!

Onward to actual knitting content!

I just finished a pair of Boston Bruins socks for a friend of VK's. I made him a pair of Boston Red Sox socks a couple months ago and totally forgot to get a picture of them before I sent them off. They were pretty cool too.

Pattern: my own, toe-up with a short row heel, 2x2 ribbing on the cuff, and EZ's sewn bind off
Yarn: Cascade 220 (love the speed of worsted wt socks)
Needles: Knit Picks options, size 5
Comments: Perfect waiting room knitting. I'm going to make another pair for the friend's brother. (And I thought I was a selfish knitter.)

I'll get back to VK's moose sweater this weekend. The wretched medical index is done! I had to stay up until 2 a.m. Monday morning to get it done by the deadline which has made the rest of the week a little foggy.

I won a prize in SAM2 a few months ago and haven't had the camera to blog it. Isn't it cool? The colors in the picture are pretty much dead on. It's Chewy Spaghetti, 100% merino, in the Blaze colorway. Can't wait to knit it up. Thanks, Chrissy!

I ordered my first Socks that Rock yarn last weekend. I must see what the fuss is about!

I have one Endpaper Mitt almost done for my mom. I'm down to the bind off and the thumb. I'm using Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn in pink and black. It's a quick knit. I bet if I could focus on something for more than 5 minutes, the other one would be done too.