a simple yarn

In the midst of moving our family to the US after six years in Ireland, I ought to be up to my eyeballs in boxes, right?

Need to pack up the house.
Need to switch the utilities and forward the post.
So what shall I do today?
Pick up my needles and knit.

Need to finish the lace bolero.
Need that jacket for upcoming summer weddings.
So what shall I do today?
Knit a baby hat.

Spoiler Warning for Sharon, Cathal and Baby Rohan:
Not a lot of knitting going on these days and am desperate for a fibre post, so if you continue reading, please be forewarned that the package coming to you welcoming Baby Rohan into the world won’t be a surprise.

Where was I? Oh right, baby knitting.

Now I realise that in recent months, I’ve been suffering from a disease…well, more of a knitting disability. I can’t seem to knit a pattern as it’s written. A tweak here. An adjustment there. I seem incapable of knitting something without an alteration—and the simple baby hat also falls victim to my malady.

What I love about baby knitting is that it uses small quantities of yarn—bits and bobs of cotton—to become lovely little wearables. But what shall I knit?

Love this hat, but have done it a few times before. Yawn.

Candy Cane Hats by Penney Kolb, from this book compiled by Melanie Falick…

Love this hat, but not sized for babies. Sigh.

Jesse’s Topknot Hat, from this book by Andrea and Gayle Shackleton…

So, taking the baby measurements, rolled edge and knotted top of the first hat and marrying it to the two-row stripe and basic shape of the second hat, fiddling around and making adjustments as I go and presto, a new one-of-a-kind baby hat.

Well, he’ll have to grow a bit, as I certainly didn’t do any gauge swatches after all the diversions, but hopefully he won’t mind. Matched with a pair of baby mittens and there ya go…welcome to the world, Rohan.

It would follow logically that if I post Saturday baking on Sunday, then I would post Monday knitting on Wednesday, right?

Addendum (If you can put a postscript in at the beginning of a post after the fact, this is it…) Have had a few enquiries regarding the the patterns below. Here’s where they’re from:

Socks—Over the Knee Socks designed by Cindy Taylor, published in Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick.

Lace Cardigan—No. 22 in Vogue Knitting Holiday 2005.

Back to the original post…
So, I’m still a bit off sync, but look for more orderly postings next week. Anyway…
While on our mini break in Cork, I did indeed finish a little knitting project. The second of the over-the-knee-lace-cabled socks is complete and I’m quite happy with the result.

I realize, though, that it would be difficult to wear these socks without the added help of the sewn-in elastic. I had yet to put in the elastic before taking the photo, and found the sock drooping below the knee. The elasticized one stayed up like a dream. Well, it was either that or resort to a garter…scary thought, I know.

What is more noteworthy is that winter knitting is finally done and it’s now on to spring-ier things. First up, a lace cardigan. Another VK pattern. Never content to leave well enough alone, this one is going to be shortened to bolero length and worn over a sleeveless summer dress. Never having had occasion to use Rowan’s Kid Silk Haze, it’s obviously the yarn of choice, but wait…

…uh oh, after knitting the gauge swatch, US10/6mm needles are called for. Hmm…I pull out the Denise Needles, but after a few rows, it’s gonna be tough going as the needle points aren’t sharp enough and I’ve already made a mistake after only 4 rows. Grr…

Oh well, will just have to rationalize an emergency purchase of Addi Lace Turbos. Er…am I correct or do they stop making them at US9? I…can’t…find…any…US10…argh…Not to be diverted from my mission (recognized by steely glint in eye), certainly there must be another way.

Aha, the solution…simple enough!
Take one set of unused cheap wooden needles.
Take one household pencil sharpener.
Insert needle into sharpener.
Rotate handle until any friction from paring is complete.
Take out needle and presto!
One (questionably turbo) lace needle.
A little light sanding to reduce any snags and hopefully I’m in the lace business.

So, IF this works, THEN I’ll be happy!

Bearing in mind I’m not an Irish speaker, the slaughtered phonetic pronunciation would be SHOK-ten na GWAYL-guh.

It’s Seachtain na Gaeilge at the Kiddies’ school this week…

Warning: Irish Cultural Interruption
Seachtain na Gaeilge is an annual Irish language-centred festival during the first couple of weeks in March in the run up to St. Patrick’s Day. More information (in English) can be found at www.snag.ie. Okay, advert over.

…and so, this week’s posts will have a wee bit more Irish flavour.

SnaG Trilogy Part One: Cniotáil*
It was raining and I was glad. Right, slap me. But the pouring rain gave ample time to finally finish the cabled yoke jumper in scrumptious Irish Kilcarra Aran Tweed. Just in time for warmish springtime weather…go figure…but yippee nonetheless! Certainly, this pattern tested my knitting abilities, so many alterations were there:

Body knit a few inches longer to lengthen a short-waisted me.

Elimination of 8 cables to make drastic reductions in neck diameter. Original neck measurement about 23 inches…altered version more like 16-17 inches. Also lengthened the neck for a higher collar, vain attempt at hiding middle-aged-neck-sag. Also bagged the zipper embellishment…why bother?

Didn’t fancy the seam up the raglan edge, so joined up the segments and finished off yoke on circulars. The down-side to this is that I didn’t correctly calculate the decrease and there’s a bit of a ‘pooch’ at the underarms, but I can live with that.

Despite complaining about the endless twisted rib, I think I like it better than plain ribbing.

So, sufficiently chuffed, I’m now drawn to spring knitting, but will be diligent (sigh) and finish the second over-the-knee sock so that winter knitting can be officially over.

*english = ‘knitting’

Bit of a boring post to reflect boring knitting.

Sigh…stuck in my own little twisted-rib purgatory. Been working on the cabled yoke jumper from Vogue Knitting, but alas, no end in sight. Have a few challenges to face. Didn’t think I’d have to rework so much of the pattern to get what I want.

Alteration No. 1
Thanks to Blog-Commenter-Britt, the jumper, which appears to have a nice stand-up neckline, is in fact a trick of the camera. Further exploration on Ravelry proves that the amount of cables make for a floppy or large roll-down neck. Hmmm…will need to fix that, most probably by taking out some cable segments and surrounding stitches on each raglan sleeve which decreases into the neckline.

Alteration No. 2
Don’t quite fancy the way the seaming shows on the reverse stocking stitch on the raglan edge. Think I’ll need to join up the front, back, and sleeves as soon as I can and knit the yoke on circulars through the cabling to avoid that. Should have channeled a bit of EZ-circular-thinking when knitting the front and back panels.

Ah, just when I get to the interesting-non-twisted-rib parts, it’s time to divert to the sleeves…more twisted rib. Sigh (again).

And yet, as boring as the knitting is, it makes for good DVD watching. This weekend, an Irish favourite… ‘Waking Ned’ (otherwise known as ‘Waking Ned Devine’ in the US release). Right, so it certainly has countrified Irish stereotypes throughout, but a great example of quick and cheeky Irish wit. Super soundtrack as well.

Love Saartje’s Bootees…love felted booties…why not blend ‘em?

With a few modifications to Saartje’s lovely design, here’s a nice variation for baby knitting. You can find her original free pattern on her blog with the following adaptations…

Use 4.5mm/US7 needles
Use worted weight feltable yarn…picture features Lamb’s Pride.
Knit the bigger of the two sizes, which casts on 35 stitches.

If you’d like a wee bit of a stripe between the main colour and contrasting colour, Rows 19-20 are a great place for them.

On Row 27 (right strap): k11, co15 (instead of 12).
Rows 28-29: k 26
Row 20: k26
Add a Row 31: bo26

Repeat these instructions for left strap.

I didn’t make a button loop, but rather sewed the button onto the strap itself and used (at Holly’s good suggestion) Velcro instead, trying to minimize fiddliness in dressing a wiggly baby. I suppose if you don’t want to use Velcro, you could either—

a) sew the button as normal and cut a slit into the strap or
b) before felting, make a little elastic button loop on the strap or
c) make a button loop with feltable yarn, remembering to make it a little bigger for shrinkage

Now while I’m quite happy with the end result, I have to confess that this isn’t the first try.

Attention: A Spot The Difference Interruption
Can you spot the difference between the before-washing and after-washing pictures (apart from the buttons, that is…)?

Yep, Noro Silk Garden doesn’t felt.

Ah well, no great loss. Daughter-Kate is quite happy as one ‘baby’ in the house is now the proud owner of new booties.

They’re orange-ish, they’re small, they’re sweet…what else would I call them?

Not so long ago…baby drought. Now…babies everywhere. Family, friends, children of friends all having babies. So I gratefully set aside the never-ending-jumper and not-yet-cast-on second stocking and knit some baby accessories.

Pattern: Fat Baby Booties, by Beverly Galeskas, published in Interweave Special Edition Felt Magazine, Summer 2007

Time to Knit: A couple of unhurried afternoons

Yarn: Hmm…

The yarn comes from soft Blue Faced Leister roving or ‘top,’ as it’s called here. Bits and pieces were dyed with Kool-Aid at the kids’ primary school Art Day last spring. Not being a proper feltmaker, what was I going to do with all those remnants of brightly coloured roving? My eyes came to rest on the usually-unused-and-gathering-dust spinning wheel sitting in the corner. Ahem, think I ought to spin up some yarn…

Warning: Quick Explanatory Narrative Ahead
Now, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool hack when it comes to spinning. Whether overspun or underspun, I can’t quite get the knack of a consistently proper twist. And you want to know the truth? I don’t exactly have the desire or the mental capacity to learn another skill. Think the few rapidly aging brain cells are quite busy enough at the moment. So, my spun yarn is really only good for a knit-and-felt project, meaning this mini diversion into felted baby booties is perfect!

While these little gems are cute, I’m undecided whether I’ll make another pair…admittedly, the buttons and elastic are a bit fiddly and there are certainly many lovely baby patterns yet to be tried…

“Est-ce possible d’avoir la traduction en français du modèle Tudora ?”

I’ve received this enquiry a few times, but embarrasingly, not being a French speaker and equally embarrassing having a wee bit of former phobia about the French language, it’s then doubly exciting and kind of ironic that there’s now a French version of the Tudora knitting pattern. And because of my ineptitude with French, you’ll be pleased to know that I had nothing to do with the translation.

Many thanks to Canadian-Knitter-Carole D.’s efforts in making the translation and to Blogger-Helene for posting the instructions on her blog. You can find French Tudora here.

‘They could not but hold her cheap on finding that she had but two sashes, and had never learnt French.’ —Mansfield Park, Volume 1, Chapter 2

Worthy Charity Postscript Ahead:

Speaking of Tudora, Knitter-Laurie is in the process of creating Tudoras to sell on her Esty shop, Crafty for the Cure, to raise funds for breast cancer research. Well done and all the best in your efforts for that cause!

Feeling a little like Ulysses*, only not quite as smart…

It called to me.
The beautiful, tantalizing song of the siren.
Sitting there atop the precarious rocks.
Drawing me into certain danger.
And I just about crashed.

There was no doubt I was mesmerized by the pattern.
The lengthy stocking with its smooth stitches, broken only by a delicate lace cable at the back. Reminiscent of by-gone days. Feeling myself drawn into danger…

Should have heeded the warnings when I couldn’t figure out the intricate calf decreases on either side of the cable. But, plowed ahead with my own simplistic method.

Should have heeded the warnings when I couldn’t manage the Kitchener stitch on the tiny stitches at the toe. But, improvised my own toe enclosure despite the diversion into Rastafarian knittery…piles of wool resembling tangled dreds.

Should have heeded the warnings when I realized that the seductive top roll would look like a hideous lump of cellulite under trousers, knowing that I own not, nor will I ever own, a drapey, crepey skirt. But, folded it flat over elastic, which I mistakenly measured for knee sock length, making a saggy, baggy shapeless mess. Unstitched and re-stitched to enclose elastic properly measured for over the knee.

And yet, with all of the troubles and dangers of this pattern, I breathe a sigh of relief, having negotiated the rocks, content with the final outcome. Oh wait….I’m feeling the toss of choppy waters as I cast on to make its mate….

*Simplified Greek Mythology Postscript
Ulysses was a Greek king who set sail with many other Greek kings to rescue Helen (of Troy fame). During his adventures, Ulysses’ ship had to pass the Sirens’ island. Sirens were sea nymphs who bewitched passing sailors with their beautiful songs. Men would sail close to the island until they wrecked their ships on the rocks and drowned. Having been warned of this danger, Ulysses gave each of his men beeswax to place in their ears, but he himself wanted to hear their singing and had his men tie him securely to the mast. Once under the Sirens’ spell, Ulysses begged to be untied, but alas, his men couldn’t hear him and they passed in safety.

 Way deep down inside, I’m a bohemian wannabe…

…but in reality, there’s no way that’s gonna happen. (Actually, I have great hopes for Daughter-Kate as I think it’s more instinctive.)

Anyway, every once in a while I’ll delude myself into thinking that I can indeed pull this off and buy an article of clothing that pushes the envelope of everyday traditional fashion sense. And such was the skirt made of this…

Once the wannabe fog cleared, I realized that this would never do. It looked…

a) hideous

b) ridiculous

c) outrageous

d) disastrous

e) all of the above

In fact, I think it made me look a little like this…

I believe the technical term for this look would be ‘pudgy-with-a-hint-of-dumpy.’ But, still liking the fabric, it sat in a hopeful pile of other ‘fabrics-I-like-on-styles-that-will-never-do’ discarded purchases.

But now, it’s been rescued from the Island of Misfit Fabrics to become the backing for the long-awaited wonky-square-intarsia-experiment-cushion-cover.

Yep, ‘wearing’ the fabric in the best way to preserve everyone’s vision!

To offset the onslaught of winter boredom, I’m workin’ without a net…starting with posting a knit project and it’s not even Monday…

Following the glut of Christmas knitting for others, it’s time to turn the attention of the needles to myself. Have begun a new jumper…

Vogue pattern*…cute…love the cabling.
And feeling quite thrifty, am using up the stacks and stacks of Kilcarra wool, but…

What’s wrong with me?
I’m….bored.
Having trouble staying interested through the twisted rib.
Kilcarra, again…
Yawn.
Need a little excitement.
And breaking free from the ‘one-project-at-a-time-cuz-I’m-anal-that-way’ thinking, I’m casting on a new one.

Handknit Holidays pattern…cute…love the eyelet cabling.
And again feeling quite thrifty, am using up the cone of…hmmm….what yarn is it?

I have no idea.
Gift from my Craftspun friends.
Certainly wool, but what else?
Guess I should find out what the contents are.
But, no…not gonna do it. Wanna to be reckless, not in an ‘Elizabeth-Zimmermann-break-free-but-still-use-common-sense’ type of way, but in the ‘I-just-feel-like-using-this-yarn-cuz-I-like-it-regardless-of-what-it-is’ sort of way. Risking the massive amounts of time in the knitting with perhaps only a short amount of wear, I’m ploughing ahead. Haven’t even done a gauge swatch yet, so I don’t even know if it’ll work, but I’m feelin’ dangerous. Oh sure, I’ll swatch it cuz I’m not that reckless, but I might not knit the entire 4 inches…

Even thought about shifting the pattern to be regular knee-length socks, just so I’d have to adjust the pattern, but having more than enough yarn, I’m going the whole way.

Yep, there are dangerous times ahead…

*Postscript to Answer Enquiries: Right, so being of a ‘reckless’ nature and to prevent information overload, I tend not to keep complete knitting magazines, but rather rip out the patterns I like (or think I might even remotely like) and store them in an inspiration binder. Okay, I know this horrifies Sara, but if I let knitting magazines pile up, I will never look at them again. So, when looking for a pattern, the binder is where I go first. And yes, it’s organised into categories—Clothing, Accessories, Socks, Bags, Scarves, etc. And such is the story with this Vogue pattern. But enough have enquired about this pattern…

I believe it came from the Winter 05/06 Vogue Knitting (sigh…wishing Vogue would label the bottom of the pages with the issue number). It’s called ‘Yoke Pullover’ found in a segment they called ‘winterwonderland’. The pattern is No. 13 and instructions were found beginning on page 111.

Oh sure, there are other yarns in the stash, but it seems to be a Kilcarra tweed theme in the run up to Christmas.

Well actually, this began in the summer months.

Warning: Brief Summer Retrospective Ahead:
Holidaying in the US, West Virginia to be precise…
Visit to Tamarack, a centre to highlight Appalachian arts and crafts…
Bought cool wooden loom…
Or thought it was a loom…
Turned out to be not unique at all…
Plastic ones to be found in any craft shop…
Arg…

Although the process is mind numbingly boring, I like the finished-just-in-time-for-cold-weather-with-loopy-chain-mail-esque-effect end result.

Okay, Kilcarra is pure wool, scratchy for some, and perhaps not the best yarn pick for scarves, but I suppose the powers-that-be have left me impervious to the irritation factor and it’s a great addition to the winter scarf collection!

Knitting a ‘tried-and-true’ pattern is like visiting an old friend.

Daughter-Kate has worn out her miniaturized-for-petite-hands Fetchings. Time to make another pair…winter’s here and hands get cold!

Her choice? Blue of course.

Pattern: Knitty.com Fetchings
Pattern Adjustment: Took out 5 stitches, casting on only 40 for 11-Year-Old-Petite-Hands
Yarn: Inca Fiber Concept, made in Peru and purchased at Craftspun Yarn, no label of what the contents are, but cute picture of an alpaca. Figure an alpaca/wool combination. Very soft!
Colour: 023 Blue