The last of 2007

I was going to blog about socks today. The sock knitting has been pretty good lately - two finished pairs, and a new one (of my own design!) started, even. But despite the good sock knitting mojo, the sock blogging mojo has gone missing. So instead, I'll catch up on the last of my 2007 knitting. (It's already embarrassing that I've let it go this long. It would be really embarrassing if I let it go until February.)

Before Christmas, I went on a washcloth-knitting rampage. My goal was to make three sets of 4 washcloths each - one for my mom, one for my aunt, and one for my grandma. I didn't quite make it.

I got a set done for my aunt (yarn - white and lilac ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme):


I got a set done for my grandmother (yarn - white and winterberry ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme):


I got half a set done for my mother (yarn - black and blackwatch ombre, worsted weight, Peaches & Creme). Fortunately, she's a knitter too, and since I also got her yarn, she really didn't care that I had only half her gift done.


The Christmas knitting also included the socks I didn't finish for my youngest sister, and a scarf for my middle sister. The scarf?


Clapotis, knit from Lorna's Laces Swirl DK Multi, colorway Flames. I think I knit it on size 5 needles, but I'm not sure, and I have absolutely no recollection of my gauge. But it was a fun pattern to knit (I modified it to make it narrower, and to make the columns of twisted stitches real columns of twisted stitches), and the Lorna's Laces Swirl DK is a very cool yarn.


Apparently, it's not just a pretty scarf, but a useful one too! (Makes me glad I live someplace not quite so cold...)


Maybe I'll blog about socks tomorrow...

How to show a sock a good time

In honor of my blog's birthday (it's a year old today!), I took my current sock-in-progress out to celebrate.

We went for a drive. I let it sit in front and pick the music. (It picked Afro Celt Sound System.)


We went and got chai (neither the sock nor I are coffee drinkers). The sock was very well-behaved, and even let the nice old man who said I reminded him of his mother hold it.


We went to a movie. We saw 27 Dresses, which turned out to be funny and sweet if disappointingly predictable, and which had (even for a chick flick) a couple of gaping plot holes. But it was fun. :)


And best of all, we went shopping. I even let the sock pick out some yarn. It picked two skeins of Wildfoote in the symphony colorway.


It was a good time.

The masses have spoken

Capitulating to popular demand, I give you the pattern for the cabled scarf and matching mittenettes:


Scarf

Yarn: Ram Wools, Inca Silk
Gauge: 22 stitches per 4 inches
Needles: Size 5 circulars or straights or size to obtain gauge (although it's a scarf, so gauge is optional)

Abbreviations:
C8F: Cable 8 front - slip next 4 sts onto a cable needle, hold at front of work, knit next 4 sts off left hand needle, knit sts off cable needle
C8B: Cable 8 back - slip next 4 sts onto a cable needle, hold at back of work, knit next 4 sts off left hand needle, knit sts off cable needle

Cast on 39 sts.
Row 1 (RS): K1P1 19 times. P1.
Row 2 (WS): Same as row 1.
Row 3: P1K1 19 times. K1.
Row 4: Same as row 3.
Row 5: K1P1 twice. P2, K12, P3, K12, P2. P1K1 twice.
Row 6: P1K1 twice. K2, P12, K3, P12, K2. K1P1 twice.
Row 7: P1K1 twice. P2, K4, C8F, P3, K4, C8B, P2. K1P1 twice.
Row 8: K1P1 twice. K2, P12, K3, P12, K2. P1K1 twice.
Rows 9 and 10: Same as rows 5 and 6.
Row 11: P1K1 twice. P2, C8B, K4, P3, C8F, K4, P2. K1P1 twice.
Row 12: Same as row 8.
Repeat rows 5-12 until scarf is desired length or you have run out of yarn. If you run out of yarn, frog last five or six rows.
Starting on a RS row, work 4 rows of double moss stitch as set from border.
Cast off. Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Cable Mittenettes

Yarn: 1 Skein Ram Wools, Inca Silk
Gauge: 22 stitches per 4 inches
Needles: 1 set each of size 4 and size 5 DPNs or size to obtain gauge (on larger needles)

Abbreviations:
C4B: Cable 4 back - slip next2 sts onto cable needle and hold at back of work, knit next 2 sts from left needle, knit sts from cable needle
C4F: Cable 4 front - slip next2 sts onto cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 2 sts from left needle, knit sts from cable needle
M1: Make 1 - I did this by picking up the bar between two stitches and knitting it through the back loop

Left Mittenette:
On smaller needles, cast on 41 sts. Join, being careful not to twist.
Cuff:
*Round 1: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. K12 (set up for cable). Work P1K1 over rest of round (23 sts).
Round 2: Work ribbing over first 12 sts. K2, C4B. Work ribbing over rest of round.
Round 3: Work as for round 1.
Round 4: Work ribbing over first 12 sts. C4F, K2. Work ribbing over rest of round.*
Repeat from * to * 5 times. This gives you 24 rows for the ribbed cuff.
Palm:
Switch to larger needles.
Round 1: K11, P1. Work cable as set. P1, K rest of round (22 sts).
Round 2 (increase round): K3, M1, K1, M1. Work rest of round as set.
Rounds 3 and 4: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Round 5 (increase round): K4, M1, K1, M1. Work rest of round as set.
Continue as set, working an increase round every three rounds. Rounds 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20 will be increase rounds. After last increase rounds, work two more rounds as for rounds 3 and 4. (55 sts)
Round 23: K3. Place next 15 stitches on waste yarn. CO1 across gap, work the rest of the round as set. (41 sts)
Rounds 24, 25, 26: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Switch to smaller needles.
Round 27: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. Work cable as set. Work P1K1 over rest of round.
Work 5 more rounds as for round 27. Bind off, using tubular bind-off.
Thumb:
Using smaller needles, pick up 15 stitches from waste yarn and 3 stitches from palm. Work 4 rounds of K1P1 ribbing. Bind off using tubular bind-off.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Right Mittenette:
Cast on and work cuff as for left mittenette.
Palm:
Switch to larger needles and work first round as for left mittenette.
Round 2 (increase round): K11, P1, work cable as set, P1, K7, M1, K1, M1, K rest of round.
Rounds 3 and 4: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Round 5 (increase round): K11, P1, work cable as set, P1, K8, M1, K1, M1, K rest of round.
Continue as set, working an increase round every three rounds. Rounds 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20 will be increase rounds. After last increase rounds, work two more rounds as for rounds 3 and 4. (55 sts)
Round 23: Work first 26 stitches of round as set. Place next 15 stitches on waste yarn. CO1 across gap, K rest of the round. (41 sts)
Rounds 24, 25, 26: Knit, except work cable and accompanying purl stitches as set.
Switch to smaller needles.
Round 27: Work K1P1 over first 12 stitches. Work cable as set. Work P1K1 over rest of round.
Work 5 more rounds as for round 27. Bind off, using tubular bind-off.
Thumb:
Using smaller needles, pick up 15 stitches from waste yarn and 3 stitches from palm. Work 4 rounds of K1P1 ribbing. Bind off using tubular bind-off.
Finishing: Weave in ends. Block lightly if desired.

Please let me know if you have questions/comments/horrible and life-changing issues on these patterns. These are reconstructed from my scribbles on a sheet of engineering paper, and certainly not immune to error.

P.S. I'm afraid Inca Silk may have been discontinued, since it's not listed on Ram Wools' website. According to Ravelry (my ball bands are long gone, so we're going to go with what Ravelry has to say), it's a DK weight yarn that's 80% alpaca, 20% silk.

Distractions

I have no knitting to show you today. I did not finish the Monkey sock; in fact, it's only about three rounds further along than it was Thursday. The secret something is still secret and still taking over my desk. Miss Darcy's still on hold. I couldn't find good pictures of some of the catch-up FO's I was going to show you. And the scarf pattern is still a collection of scribbles on engineering paper, but I'll get it typed up in a day or two, I promise!

So to distract you from my utter lack of knitting, I'm going to show you pretty fiber.

First up: Jamieson & Smith Shetland Jumper Weight. This yarn was intended to become a couple of baby surprise jackets. It's nice wool, but it isn't superwash, and it's a little coarser than I think something going on a baby should be. So now it's strictly stash. It might be destined to become something felted. A purse maybe? Felted boxes? I'm not sure. But I desperately want to try felting.


It turns out that one of the best things about having other knitters in the family is that we all think yarn is a great gift. The rest of the yarns in this yarn parade were all gifts from my mom and middle sister (the youngest isn't quite into yarn yet, and we're still working on my dad).

Gift number 1 (and a complete surprise, which is pretty rare given the way my family does gift shopping): Rustic Wool by Queensland Collection. I have no idea what it's going to become, but that's all right. For now, I'm content to fondle this incredibly soft, squishy wool and look adoringly at its charmingly purple variegation.


Gift number 2 (also a surprise, but not so much, since I'd let it be known that I had something of a crush on these colors): Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Ice House (the multi) and Island Blue (the solid). I'm pretty sure these will become socks and that the little bits leftover will go into a blanket or hats or mittens or something. Or maybe I'll skip the socks and go straight to a blanket or a hat or mittens or something. Who knows? In any case, you really can't have too much sock yarn.


Gift number 3 (not a surprise at all, since I picked out the yarn, and then stood in line behind my mom so I could buy other yarn, which I think included a yarn gift for her. This is pretty much the usual way we shop for each other.): Wildfoote sock yarn by the Brown Sheep Company. For me, this is really branching out color-wise, since probably 95% of my yarn is black, blue or purple. (Egads - I just realized that my stash resembles a bruise more than anything else.) Perhaps surprisingly, given my usual color preferences, I'm quite enraptured with this yarn and have spent much time trying to figure out what sock pattern will best complement it.


Gift number 4 (also picked out by me, but still a bit of a surprise in the amount): Harlequin by Dale of Norway. The picture might be misleading, since I actually have 17 balls of this yarn - plenty for a sweater. For reasons unknown to me, I've been strangely attracted to tweeds lately (I can't remember ever being so before, and I can remember at times thinking tweeds were generally hideous, but clearly, I've gotten over that). This tweed is incredible. It's a blend of wool, microfiber, alpaca, cashmere, and viscose, and is positively hand-sucking. Plus, it comes in some very lovely colors. This will become a sweater for me at some point, but I don't have a pattern in mind yet.


And I think I'd better stop there. I'll probably get in trouble with the FCC or somebody if I show more yarn pr0n in a single post.

Playing Catch-up

I didn't know what to blog about today. My life currently makes for pretty poor blog fodder, and my knitting is either not very interesting or semi-secret. The Monkey sock has been my commuting knitting (I ride a bus and train to work) and my knitting-while-reading object. I started the last repeat today, and tomorrow should see the sock finished.


I did get the extra ball of yarn that I needed for Miss Darcy, but while I was waiting for it, I cast on something else, and that something else has sort of taken over my desk. For the sake, then, of what little sanity I have left, I am not working on Miss Darcy until I have finished the something and reclaimed my desk.


Unfortunately (for the blog) this something is for someone who knows about the blog (I don't think this person reads it regularly, so I'm willing to post this), so this will be the only picture until the recipient has the something in his/her possession.

And I thought that was all I had to blog about today, which really doesn't seem like very much or very interesting. Then I recalled that even though I disappeared from the blog for several months, I didn't completely quit knitting during that time. So there are other things I can talk about!

Remember this scarf that I started ages ago to go with these? Well, I finished it some time in November, I think.


Yarn: Ram Wools Inca Silk
Needles: Size 5, I think
Pattern: My own, possibly to appear here (would you like it?)


I love this scarf. It's narrow, so not so great for wear when you really need a scarf that you can pull over your mouth and nose and still cover your neck with, but it's much better at filling in the V between the lapels of my coat than any other scarf I've ever worn. (The mittenettes are pretty great, too.)

I know that wasn't much, but that wraps up this edition of Catch-up Blogging. Join us in our next episode when we discuss wash cloths, or maybe another scarf! I'll see you next time! (I loved that show!)

Punctual gifts are overrated

Remember these, that I started back in October? They were supposed to be a Christmas present for my sister. This is their current state:


Clearly, I missed the deadline. (Although I would have made it, had she not introduced me to this while I was home. Apparently I am helpless in the face of the combined powers of LEGO and Star Wars.) My new plan is to send them to her with her birthday gift (that gives me about a month to finish both items).

I'm about halfway through the heel flap of the second sock, and I still think both the yarn and the pattern are quite charming. In fact, this quality is even more apparent when the sock is on the foot instead of lying on the floor.


Now I understand why the last step of the pattern is "block well."

I've also been working on Miss Darcy. When last I wrote about this scarf, I was unsure that I liked the edging. After that post, I decided that I didn't like the edging, frogged it, and set off in search of an edging I did like. A few hours later, I still hadn't found anything quite like what I had in mind, so I charted my own and started knitting again.


On the whole, I'm quite pleased with the result. (By the way, the reason only one end is done? I ran out of yarn. But never fear! More is on the way, and it's even the same dye lot!) The only part that doesn't completely thrill me is the wonkiness at the corners.


Even before I started knitting the corners, I suspected something along these lines would happen. The only way to prevent it, I think, would have been to work out some sort of short row corner. But a little bit of playing around didn't get me anything I liked any better, so my scarf will just have ruffled ends. And I'm okay with that.

Recipe Whatever

Ann and Kay recently invited their readers to post pictures of their recipe boxes/drawers/whatevers and to share a recipe from said box/drawer/whatever. I definitely have a recipe whatever:


These are assorted recipes that I have tucked into the back of my 1979 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. This is the same edition (but not the same book; she still has hers) that my mother got when she got married. Many of our family's favorite recipes are at least based on ones in this edition of Betty Crocker. For recipes from elsewhere, most often from other family members, my mom does have a recipe box of them. Every time I want to make one of them for the first time, I call or email my mom and have her send it to me. I print them out or write them down and tuck them into my Betty Crocker cookbook. I'm also pretty shameless about asking other people for recipes. Really, I don't think my personal collection is too shabby, especially when you consider that I've only been living on my own with a reasonable kitchen for about a year and a half (I've been living on my own longer than that, but the dorm kitchen wasn't reasonable, so we won't speak of it further).

And now for the recipe to share. This one isn't actually one of my mom's: it's only in her collection because I added it years ago. I originally got the recipe in a high school Spanish class, but I've modified it substantially since then. Without further ado, I give you:

Bizcochitos (Mexican sugar cookies)

1/2 cup apple juice
1 tbsp. anise
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
4-5 cups flour
cinnamon-sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine apple juice, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.
Cream butter, shortening, and sugar together.
Add flour and knead.
Add water mixture and knead until well mixed.
Roll dough out to 1/16" to 1/8" thick on a lightly floured board.
Cut with Christmas cookie cutters or biscuit cutter.
Roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture (I put my mixture in a pie plate and then treat the cookies like they’re French toast and the mixture is the eggs)
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes in oven until golden brown.

Makes about four dozen.

Enjoy!

This post's fiber content: paper (which is, I realize, stretching the rules)

New Year's Resolutions

While I find the celebration of an arbitrary calendar event somewhat odd, I readily concede that the event itself is a necessary one and can be quite useful.

For celebrating, I had one of the best New Year's Eves I've ever had. I knit, I watched Pride and Prejudice, and I went to bed early. It may have been untraditional and possibly anti-social, but it was fun. :-)

The knitting: I recently acquired some of the most fantastic yarn I've ever had the pleasure of fondling. The yarn is Grace - Silk&Wool by Louisa Harding. It's half silk, half merino wool, is delightfully soft and smooth and has a wonderful sheen. When I saw it in a wonderful dark royal blue shade, I was done for. I knew as soon as I saw it that I would be getting it and making myself a scarf. I give you (in progress) Miss Darcy:


The pattern is of my own design, assembled (so far) with help from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, The New Knitting Stitch Library, and Victorian Lace Today. The only problem is that I'm not sure I like the edging, so I may frog it and try something else.

One of the useful things about New Year's is that it clearly marks the end of something and the beginning of something else. Even if it is an arbitrary calendar event, it's a useful way to mark changes, not just in the calendar but in other places. And of course, when it comes to resolutions, there's the peer pressure aspect of things. So here are my resolutions:

1) I will blog more frequently. Specifically I will try to blog at least twice a week, and I will blog enough that I will have at least 8 posts every month.

2) I will have actual fiber content (knitting, spinning, crochet, sewing, and quilting are all fair game) in every post.

3) I will comment more frequently. Any time I come across a recent blog entry (one of the three most recent for that blog) with fewer than twenty comments, I will leave a comment. I will also leave a comment (no matter how many have been left before me) every time I read a post that is particularly funny, touching, or useful.

4) I will finish my WIPs. With the exception of the blanket, I will complete or abandon (that is, frog, and reclaim the yarn) every WIP I currently have (they are, for the record, Miss Darcy, Monkey Socks, Hawaii Jaywalkers, Mystery Stole 3, blackwatch washcloths, Picovoli, Print o' the Wave stole, Bayerische Socken, and the silk corset).

I hope your 2008 is filled with joy, blessings, and fiber!