the Akamai Knitter

Along with the rest of the other Second Wavers, on September 23rd I started the Clapotis. I’m using my new favorite yarn, Plymouth Boku, and size 8US/5.0mm needles.

So far I’m loving the miles and miles of stockinette stitch. The twisted stitches that are thrown in every now and then give it just the right spice.

It doesn’t look like much now, because I’ve decided to drop all the stitches down to the end all at one time.

The reason I decided to wait on dropping the stitches is that the Boku is a rather sticky yarn. So it’s a rather delicate process that takes some finesse. It seems a little ironic that just when you purposefully want to drop a stitch, it chooses to hold on.

I did do a couple of ladders and I really like the results. The picture below also shows a better representation of the yarn color.

Saving the job of creating the ladders is also a great incentive to speed up the knitting. At the same time, I’m trying not to go too fast so I can savor the joy of this soothing project.

Another thing that soothes me is the camaraderie between Quincy and Onyx. Here’s Quincy enjoying a sunbeam while Onyx has a drink of water.

First FO of 2007

Did you all have a good weekend? I had a great weekend, but before I go over all of that I have the first finished object of 2007 to report. Let me just add that my picture taking abilities have seem to have been lost in the frenzy of the weekend. I apparently do not have talent when it comes to taking photos so please pardon me.

Pattern: Shifting Sands by Grumperina

Yarn: Andean Treasure in Summer Sky

Needles: Size 5US/3.75mm Bryspun Straights

Started: December 3, 2006

Finished: January 7, 2006

This yarn was great to work with and even though it was a bit boring to do this scarf a second time in a row, it was a great project to take along with me to my knitting meetings. Unlike the first Shifting Sands, this will eventually be blocked then mailed off to Tacoma, Washington to my Great-Aunt Eleanor.

NFL Playoffs = 2nd FO of 2007

You all know that I’m a sports fan right? So since this week was the NFL Playoffs, I got to knit through 4
games of football. The result? A cardigan just for me! Again, I apologize for the crappy picture. I tried taking a picture with it on me via a mirror, but that came out even worse then this poor thing. Hopefully I’ll get better pictures sometime later this week with the sweater on.

Pattern: Knitting Pure & Simple Neck Down V Neck Cardigan

Yarn: Swish Superwash in Jade

Needles: Size 5US/3.75mm Addi Turbos Circulars

Started: January 1, 2007

Finished: January 15, 2007

I can’t believe how easy this was to knit. The toughest part was picking up the stitches for the neckband and even that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was all thanks to you all who encouraged me to just go for it and bite the bullet. I thought the stockinette would get boring, but the shaping kept me on my toes.

I also thought I’d run out of yarn, but it turns out I have one ball left of the original dye lot so I really didn’t need to add in the other batch of yarn that I bought just in case. Still, I feel it was a good choice to be better safe then sorry. For those who don’t recall, I originally only bought enough yarn for size 44″ and I ended up making the 48″. I had to buy more yarn to make up the difference but I was unable to obtain the same dye lot, so I used the other dye lot for the neckband, the seed stitch hem, and the arm cuffs.

This was such a successful project I’m already looking forward to my next sweater. Only I have a couple of shawls and some other small things I’d like to make first, but the two sweaters that are on my mind are the Ariann and the BPT. I think the Ariann would be great for Hawaii and I just love the way it looks. The BPT is gorgeous and challenging as it has a zipper. A zipper!!

Friday Night Spinners

I’ve been having problems with my left knee. It’s just a touch of tendonitis, but it’s been hampering my time on the wheel. Still I could not be kept away for long. On Friday night, I spun for a bit. I’m almost done with this bobbin.

I’ve been trying to spin a little bit every day. I’d like to be done with this bobbin sometime this week. I think the fiber is Colonial wool, but I’ve had it so long in my stash that I’ve forgotten exactly where I got it from. Still, I’m in love with it and I think it would make a lovely everyday shawl.

Another Convert

On Sunday, Veronica came over to hang out. Since she brough the sushi, I figured the least I could do was supply her with another addiction. So I got out some domestic wool and an extra spindle. I can’t speak much about my teaching abilities, but I can say that she picked it up quickly for she was soon spinning a lovely yarn. It’s too bad I was a bad blogger and didn’t subject her to the camera, but I didn’t want to scare her completely away.
All in all it was a great weekend. Now I’m off to knit some green socks!

Finally Done!

After much fussing about fiddly fringe, I finally bound off the scarf for my great-aunt and attached said fiddly-foo-ments. Many thanks to my friend Wendy M. for her patience on the phone with me while I cursed at the little bits of string that would not obey my instant wishes. One thing’s for sure, the Yarn Goddess above was surely smiling upon me as I worked the finally magics on this scarf as I used every last bit of yarn for the fringe.

Pattern: Shifting Sands by Grumperina

Yarn: Andean Silk from Knit Picks in Hyacinth

Needles: size 4.5mm or 7US

Start Date: December 3, 2006

End Date: December 18, 2006
None of the pictures above portray the actual colour of the scarf, try as I might my camera decided to get fiddly with me today as well, but I love the colour of this yarn and the feel of this yarn. It’s buttery soft and silky to the touch. It was wonderful to work with and I think the recipient of this scarf will love it.

Also, my scarf doesn’t much look like Grumperina’s scarf either, but I’m happy with this stitch pattern as it gives an interesting texture and it’s fun to work. I got to try a new technique by cabling without a cable needle and it was a lot of fun to try. Though I doubt I’ll cable without a needle in finer gauge yarns, I do think it’s good to know for heavier yarns.

I’m already making another scarf in this pattern with sport weight wool so obviously I think this pattern deserves two thumbs up! Her instructions are clear and concise. The graph is easy to read. If you’ve never tried a cable pattern, then I would give this pattern a try. You’ll definitely get your practice in as I believe there are over 2,000 cables in this scarf. It sounds tedious, but it’s really a fast knit.

Sticks & String!

To help you get through your own tedious holiday knitting, if you have any that is, I recommend a new podcast that’s on the scene. It’s Sticks and Strings by David Reidy. My friend Jeanne told me about it in the comments and so I wandered on over there today and I’ve already listened to about 3 of his shows so far.

David has some great insights on knitting from the male perspective as well as knitting from a brave and unfettered point of view that I admire greatly. His first project was the Torino 2006 sweater and anyone who is undaunted by a sweater such as that for a project, much less their very first project, deserves admiration and kudos all around. So take a listen to him if you get a chance. His Australian accent is certainly enticing and does not hurt the ears. *grin*

Speaking of Fair Isle knitting, I have ordered yarn for the Pirate hat and mittens from Hello Yarn’s Free Pattern section. I am excited as a kid on Christmas eve at the thought of these projects being offered up to me and I can’t remember when the last time I was this thrilled with the prospect of a knitting project.

Bah Humbug!

The only thing that dampens my mood is an unauthorized charge on my debit card for a ridiculous amount to some ridiculous place online that I’ve never heard of. I’ve started the dispute process with my bank, but I will not be refunded the money until their investigation is concluded. It’s a damn good thing that the yarn for the hat and mittens were only $1.99 a ball. I shan’t mention the name of my bank’s name in case of liability issues. I’d hate to be sued by them for defamation of character because I’d like defame their character all over the Internets, but do be careful when shopping online. I’ll be looking into getting a credit card tomorrow for my online purchases instead of using a debit card. If not I’ll be looking into a new bank. I’m very tempted to say bah humbug to the rest of the holiday season, but I’m trying to keep the faith.

This has been a huge sports spectator weekend for me. On Saturday Duke played Georgetown and squeaked by. Later that day UH played Oregon State and lost, and today the Dallas Cowboys are playing against the New York Giants. Go Cowboys!< /p>

All this time in front of the television provided me with much knitting time, so I finished Lexi’s Entrelac Scarf last night and then I started Grumperina’s Shifting Sands Scarf. I’ll get to posting pictures of Lexi’s scarf once I get it all blocked, but for right now I’m in love with the Shifting Sands because I’m using the most luscious yarn.

It’s Andean Silk from Knit Picks and it’s 55% superfine alpaca, 23% silk, and 22% merino wool. It is so soft. I cannot say enough about how soft this yarn is! It’s a worsted weight yarn, which is heavier then what Grumperina used in her own scarf, so I bumped up my needle size to a 7US. The scarf so far doesn’t look at all like the scarf in her pattern, but I do like the way mine is turning out. I did find her tutorial on how to cable without a cable needle very helpful and so far I’ve been zipping along with the tiny cables.

I am worried that the recipient, my Great-Aunt Eleanor, of the scarf would be disappointed in it because the stitch pattern is so different from the chevron of the original pattern. I had a chance to show her a picture of the pattern and she really, really liked it. I only hope she likes this variation of it just as much.

For someone with a cold, I managed to get a lot done today. I got about 15″ done of Lexi’s scarf in total, though I’m not sure how much I knit just today. I also knit my goal of 3 repeats on the edging of the Shaped Triangle Shawl. So this cold isn’t holding me back by much, even though it sure feels like it is.

I felt much better after I got a good night’s rest, but right now the cold is back and kicking my head in. I suppose it would have been better if I had stayed home and rested, instead I ran around town and got some important things done. Among those things were a couple of doctors’ appointments that would have been excruciatingly hard to reschedule.

I also got my hair cut, which is a really big deal for me because I hate hate hate getting my hair cut. I hate sitting in the chair and feeling like I need to make conversation with the stylist as she/he cuts my hair. My long time stylist of 5 years or so cut and run to Colorado to study up on becoming a radiologist, so I’ve been drifting back and forth between other stylists trying to find one that I like. So far I can’t say I’ve found one that I like, but I can’t say I’ve found one that I don’t like.

I did have a fun conversation with a man in the waiting area who commented on my knitting. He was a neat guy from the Boston area and a burly contractor. He mentioned that he always wanted to learn how to knit and I really wanted to offer to teach him, but I didn’t want to appear like I was hitting on him either. Now I wonder if I’ve missed a golden opportunity of converting another person to the Church of Knit, but I was really too shy to offer to teach him.