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Archive for September, 2009

To Drop A YO…

…is human. To be able to pick it up, divine.  Dropping stitches in lace and then not being able to see it had been one of my biggest fears (before I had my daughter).  But not anymore…  Not only did I knit this thing in 10 days but I also corrected a mistake without having to run a safety (or freaking out)   I just “read” my knitting, referred to the chart and I saw where I went wrong.  I feel so fantastic right now.

Here’s Ishbel…(thank you Carolyn for your excellent photography skills, while holding my babe, no less)

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Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda (she is an  amazing designer)

Yarn: Skinny Bugga, by Sanguine Gryphon, colorway “Sharpshooter Leafhopper”, about 1/2 a skein (so about 225 yards approximately)

Needles: #6

Notes: No modifications at all.  I knit as I was told.  The only thing I would do different is block it bigger.  I was in to much of a hurry to see it finished.

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I can so understand why people have knit more than one of these.  I loved every stitch, the yarn and the pattern.

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I asked for blocking advice from knitters who’ve made this and other shawls… (I’m a complete shawl novice).  And according to what was said I did everything wrong, except waiting until it was completely dry to move it (thanks Maritza). 

There it is on my kitchen table pinned to a towel (Forgive me Michele but those wires were freaking me out).

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Obviously it worked out just fine.   More than fine if I may say so…

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In The Line Of Three

Today is my birthday.  I am 39 years old and it is my last year “in the line of three” (as my best friend’s mum says).  And what a ride my thirties have been.  I said to Chris last night I don’t even recognize myself but I really like what I see (most days). 

Let’s recap a decade shall we…

30 – Celebrated by getting my first tattoo, attended my first home birth, learned to knit, graduated from massage school

31 – Started a new career as a massage therapist and doula

32 – Established my own practice out of two locations and reveled in my self confidence and independence

33 – Learned how to manage my money and set up a retirement fund

34 – Traveled to England for the first (and so far only time), tasted clotted cream ice cream

35 – Bought a brand new car with my own money, got my second tattoo and accepted a marriage proposal

36 – Married my soulmate

37 – Finally learned that being honest, no matter what or with who, is the only way to live

38 – Became a Mother WOW!!!!!

39 – Knitting my first lace shawl (as a gift to myself)

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To many, those are meager achievements but to me, it’s my world and I’m proud of it. 

 I’m even prouder of this shawl.  Lace (and shawls) has always been an area of knitting that didn’t really interest me.  I love lace pieces and the look of shawls but I had no desire to stick my toes in that pond.  Well, now I’m in with both feet and I love it.  Why didn’t anyone tell me it was this fun. 

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It’s been a great decade…holy crap I’ll be 40 next year…40!

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The title and last line of this post are from the song “Elsewhere” by Sarah Mclachlin.  It sums up my world perfectly.

First teething toy (and she’s very excited about it).

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Hanging out with her puppy brothers.

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Wow!!!! Who’s that?

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Just found her thumb and loving it (Daddy is saving up from now).

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It’s a bit blurry but it’s also the cutest face I’ve ever seen….(God I love this little girl)

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Precious time with her Manite Ju (my sister has been given the title Mantie= Mum & Auntie because I’m not quite sure which one of us is the  mum.  She loves Kira so much)

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Hey this book is good…

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…tastes good too!

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I don’t know who is more in love with who…

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…And I’ll defend it long as I can be, left here to linger…

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Today…

I want to say something today but I don’t.  I want to write my story about today but I don’t…

I knit then to comfort myself.  Today I hold my four month old.

Have a good day everyone….

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As much as we all love the Baby Surprise Jacket, has it occurred to anyone but me that despite the delightful-ness of the  sweater it could use one little improvement…longer sleeves.  I’ve always had issue with 3/4 sleeves of any kind (child or adult garments).   So I sat down and thought  about it for a while and understood what I wanted to do but just couldn’t get my mind around how to carry it out.  Then, thanks to the brilliant mind of a Raveler (I was too lazy to trace the thread to find out who) I discovered this.

With the use of a simple provisional cast on (take your pick…I choose a crochet provisional) you can work the entire garment then go back, pick up the sleeve stitches and knit away to your desired length.   To finish it off  I would sew the sleeves together using an invisible seam for garter stitch (from the book The Knitter’s Companion), stop at the neck edge and do a sewn off bind off (as seen on the Knitting Glossary DVD by Elizabeth Zimmermann) then continue across with the invisible seaming on the other sleeve.

Here’s my crochet provisional cast on.

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As you can see I’ve already started picking up the sleeve stitches…

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For the observant among you, I was on the wrong side of the sweater in the picture above that’s why it looks like I’m on other sleeve in this picture.  I also took these pictures at different times of the day…sorry for the terrible lighting.

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The safety pin marks the pick up row…pretty smooth transition…

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At the end of the day the sweater was too small…I safety pinned it together and tried it on Kira.  It fits her but only for another five minutes.  It won’t even take her through the fall.   So I will rip but not without a sense of accomplishment.

Oh, the other thing I did was cast on the extra 18 stitches (9 on each side) usually added a few rows into the sweater to add fullness above the cuff.  Toward the end of the sleeve I was going to decrease by 9 stitches for the same effect.

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Husband, I Have One

It has been quite a while since I talked about someone very dear to my heart.  Everything around here lately, aside from knitting, has been about Kira but there is someone else I need to talk about.  My husband.

As you all know Chris is the love of my life.  But things have shifted a bit in the last 4 months.  We have become parents and it’s been very easy to forget that we are still husband and wife.  I have had moments of such overwhelming love for him and an equally overwhelming need for him to leave me alone.  To want to be near and away from someone in equal measure is very difficult, and almost unfair.  

But Chris being Chris has “weathered” me as only he can, as only my best friend can. With love, patience, endless patience and true understanding of how wonderful and hard this thing called motherhood can be.  I want to say thank you my love, thank you so very much for loving me so much, for working so hard so I can be home with our daughter and still making me feel pretty…

He really went out of his way to show me the love recently…

Last Monday (8/31) I was in Ravelry reading the “News” thread in the Sanguine Gryphon group and I suddenly saw it.   Skinny Bugga was going on sale starting at 8pm EDT.    (Here’s the link to her shop).  Now the first time I’d heard about this sock yarn was listening to the Doubleknit podcast that’s hosted by my friend Jessica and her fellow knitter/friend Erin.  They were discussing how Bugga was the yarn to have at the Sock Summit.  It sounded like this yarn was bound to go down the path of Socks That Rock and Wollmeise.  It suddenly becomes the must have sock yarn.  The yarn that will make you cool and the envy of all if you say you own a skein.  

It’s ok to want to be cool right?…and yes I have some of the other two so obviously I have to have some of this one too.  And you know who gets more obsessesed then I do about sock yarn, my husband.  Chris makes it his mission to be sure I have what ever yarn everyone else has.  If he’s like this with me and yarn what’s he going to be like with Kira (I’ll think about that later).

Anyway, so I mentioned this to him when he got home from work and he looks at me, with that “Den, do you really, really need this yarn” and I say PLEASE!!!  So we’re off but now I’m usually putting the baby to sleep about that time so he has to get into my account and do the shopping.  I previewed the colors, made a list and he was off and running.

Not since the Wollmeise craze have I seen him so “determined”.  I mean he was logged in, credit card in hand, shoulder’s hunched over, hands hovering over the keyboard.  It was so hilarious and touching to see him so focused.  And once it got started Chris lost his mind a little bit.  “Holy #$@&, can you believe that color sold out already”, “$%^& there are only 2 left of that color”  “Den, how many do you want of each color…” He was actually talking to the computer.  He was getting skeins in the cart, checking out then going back in and shopping some more.  He went a bit crazy.  Then he went into Ravelry (per my suggestion) to read the thread and see what people were saying…of course things were oversold, the site almost crashed, people couldn’t get anything, etc.  The usual yarn shopping madness. 

We weren’t even sure we were going to get any thing at all.  Then the order showed up on Friday (nice start to the holiday weekend).  Can you say WOW!!!

Top two: Skinny Bugga, Longhorned Beetle

Bottom two: Skiny Bugga, Leaffooted Bug

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As usual the pictures do not do the colors justice.  They are really amazing and the yarn feels soooo good.   And I love the whole bug thing.  I had a bug obssession when I was a child but we won’t talk about that right now.

From the top: Skinny Bugga in Periodical Cicada, Sharpshooter Leafhopper, and 2 skins of Sappho II in Soon She Will Love (I’m going to exchange those two skeins, they are really beautiful but not exactly what I want right now.  In the zealous-ness those got in there some how).

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OMG, I don’t need that much sock yarn… he said it was my birthday present so be quiet and enjoy it.  OK!!  What I know for sure…I’m married to an amazing man and I am blessed beyond words.

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Sweater Season

Just a quick check on my current projects. 

Vivian is coming along quite nicely!! Actually I’m loving this sweater and can’t wait to wear it.  Just look at it…I can’t knit fast enough.

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I love the shaping in the back

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And here’s a little BSJ for Kira.  It’s the time of year when you need a little something extra in the mornings or evenings.  This BSJ is a bit special though as I’m experimenting with something, let’s see if it works.  I’ll fill you in later.  The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug, in Peaches and Cream. 

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The temperature has dropped around here, overnight it seems and I’m loving it.  September is my favorite month, it’s my birthday month and  I have great projects on needles…life is good.

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