La Sirena

New Year's Resolutions

I've been making my list and checking it twice, my crafter's new years resolution list that is. It started like this:

1. Finish current works in progress (w.i.p.s)

*Mystery Shawl 3- low priority...that is until I was invited to a "Winter ball" this weekend.  Doesn't that sound like the perfect place to debut the swan-lake shawl?  Alas, or perhaps fortunately as it will save me needless suffering from trying, there is absolutely no way to complete by tomorrow evening.

* Hubbos sweater- high priority- have re-begun the second sleeve with out incident, have high hopes of finishing soon, as my favorite circular needle will be held hostage until the sleeve is complete.

*Friend's B-day socks AKA "start-up" socks- High Priority  Complete and in the mail, late (due date Jan 9th receipt) because I did not stick to schedule, but complete.

2. Knit More For Others- current count III

*Family- partially covered above, I got off to a good start in 2007

*knit promised cabled vest -high priority  completed  2/07/08

* Sweaters for new arrivals

*Charity- baby socks etc.

3. Polish my knitting skills- I 

I have chosen to do a study in socks, using Vogue's Ultimate Sock Book as a point of departure.  Hopefully by the end of this year I will know how to knit from the toe up, how to execute short-row heels, how to knit a sock on two circs, etc!  This may also dovetail nicely with resolution #2 and eliminate my need to Christmas shop next year..or not.  I am going to try and shoot for a pair a month.

4. Take on less overwhelming projects

*See above= new challenges in small packages

5. Crochet an afghan- 2/17/08 this does NOT contradict the resolution above, as long as I stick with a simple pattern yet TBD, but the yarn will be the organic pakucho shown previously (the pakucho one is still pending).

6. Sew a quilt using squares purchased At Houston Quilt show.

* Ignore The Quick and Easy Giant Dahlia Quilt on the Sewing Machine until you complete 1st simple quilt, reduce yarn stash and regain sanity..probably a 2009 project.

7. Play with Natural Dyes (before my husband throws away all the onion skins I have stashed in the closet).

8. Spot UFOs (unfinished objects) and bring them back down to earth.  Transform dead-end projects and unrealized yarn-dreams into completable projects, also dovetails with resolution number 4.

At this point, and after wanting to list about 20 projects under every category, I decided I needed more of an overall mission statement.  Knitting Daily has rallied us all to knit fearlessly in 2008 and I'm all for that, but I actually think that was a bit more of a 2007 resolution for me.  This year, perhaps it is to craft wisely.    But more on that another day...

Silken Kydd

At last the yarn has debuted at elann.com and I can share this knitting project that occupied me for the later part of October and a good deal of November.  Silken Kydd is a luxurious new yarn at elann.com.   It is soft and lofty, delicate and substantial.  Silk and mohair are spun together to form a fine shimery thread with an incredible halo.  I could not believe how warm this light lacy sweater really is.

The pattern is by Jeanne Atkinson and is from Vogue Knitting Magazine-Holiday 2005.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to knit the sweater in exchange for free yarn.  Lots of free yarn...ah, the bliss...

The yarn is wonderful to work with, the silk and mohair pose a nice counterbalance to each other so that the yarn is neither too slippery, nor does it hopelessly tangle.

I thought the pattern would be a quick knit as it works on relatively large needles, has very simple shaping, and an easy to memorize all over lace pattern.  Alas, the "daisy stitch" lace pattern turned out to be the exact opposite of what I hoped for..it required every moment of my attention. 

One of my new year's resolutions is to stop knitting anything larger than a sock that requires that I do not lift my eyes off the work.  It took so much effort to knit each stitch that I didn't even stop for process photos until the blocking stage, if only just to prove that I really did knit the thing. Nevertheless, I think it was worth it.

Now if I could just get through the 2nd sleeve of the "Durrow" pullover.  I had had high hopes of completing the pullover for X-mas.  But seeing as how I will be ripping the whole thing back after working a third of the 2nd sleeve for the third time (yes, sadly I have already completed the sleeve for naught in cummulative knitting time), I'm not holding my breath.

Baby Kiimonos

I've been thoroughly enjoying listening to the Knitpicks Podcast over the last few months.  Kelley Petkun provides fascinating insight into the yarn business, fun book reviews and remarkably clear knitting instruction... I for one never thought I could learn much about a new knitting technique just from listening to a description of how it is done.  She also gives an update every week of how her many projects are coming.  For several weeks she was working on (among other things) 7 baby kimonos for upcoming grandchildren (I'm not sure if there were actually 7 grandchildren or just 7 kimonos).  After a while I was curious, and pulled out my own copy of Mason Dixon Knitting to look at the pattern.  So sweet and simple,I decided to make one for a friend's preemie newborn.  That was so much fun that I had to make another, for yet another of my-not-so-little one's friends welcoming a baby sister this week.  I already have a request for another Kimono in a slightly larger size... for my not-so-little-one, who has also  suggested that perhaps I should attend a knitting school... to learn to knit faster :)

Black Purl Holiday Print Issue

It has arrived! (in my very own physical mailbox, no less), "it" being the print issue of Black Purl.  The cover, graced with Xenobia Bailey's crocheted manadalas, is gorgeous.  The pixelated image here doesn't do it justice.  This is a coffee table cover if I ever saw one.  And what's inside doesn't dissapoint either.  Quick gifts, handy tips, inspiring articles and felted items abound.  Of course, I had to get my two cents in too: my mini-stocking pattern is on page 24.

Start-Up Sock

Meet the start up sock.  So called because I work on it pretty much exclusively in the mornings at work, while my computer is "starting-up." Just to satisfy my curiosity,  for the second sock I plan to knit exclusively during morning start-up, without skipping days as I do now. How quickly will these little bits of knitting time add up to one sock?

I bought the lovely self-striping yarn with the idea of producing some effortless (well, almost), beautiful and functional socks.  I scoffed at those obsessive knitters who carefully choose which section of the yarn to begin with, who knit and reknit looking for the pattern that best showcases the unique stripeyness of a particular yarn.  I began at the beginning and started knitting the bare bones of the basic sock recipe I learned when I first started knitting.  Then the obsessive knitter in me kicked in "Not sure if the I like the way the stripes are lining up for a small ribbed cuff to transition to stockinette, maybe I'll extend the ribbing all the way down; maybe I should start again with a wider color band; maybe I should try a different heal turn to have the colors be less blocky; wouldn't this look cute with a picot edge and eyelet lace pattern down the front?"   So, my apologies to all of you obsessive sock knitters, point taken.  For this round, however, I'm still holding my ground and knitting this as simple as I can.   

I still have bit more sock yarn in my stash though :)  so there's plenty of opportunity for fancier sock knitting.

Finishing

I finished the knitting on Rogue on Monday and finished blocking and seaming on Wednesday. (Sorry, no pictures I want the finished object to be a "surprise" ).  I also fixed the zipper on the cabled cardigan yesterday, so now I feel free to start new things.* I have a project proposal I want to send off to knitscene next week and some Christmas knitting to catch up on.  There are exactly 3 weeks until my other sister's birthday which may be enough time to start and come close to finishing the vest she has requested (if I can figure out the pattern first).  This seems a bit iffy, as I have other deadline knitting during this interval as well, so I'm not making any promises.

*It is true that I haven't finished the Mystery Stole.  I felt not twinge of guilt about this as it is not Christmas gift and I have every intention of finishing in the Spring.  Then the Yarn Harlot finished hers... with beads...and I felt a twinge of guilt.  Thank goodness she doesn't have a finished objects list on her sidebar, she seems to finish more in a month than I do in a year!

And now, so as not to  eave this a pictureless post:

I am completely in awe of this weaving.  I found it doing an image search on google one day earlier this year.  It had no subtitle, so I have no information on provenance.  If anyone knows who the artist is I'd love to know.   

Happy Birthday!

Well, I know it is still far from finished (no sleeves) and still farther from being at your doorstep so that you can actually wear it, but I am glad to say that I finished the hood in time for your birthday.

(Ok, so it still needs to be blocked and there a couple of loose ends to wrap up but basically it is done.)

I wish you a wonderful day and a fabulous year!  I'll be celebrating today by casting on sleeves and thinking of you.

PS: Hope you don't mind my modeling the sweater, its just hard to photograph the full effect of the cables on the hood lying flat.

Knitting from the head up

I made some satisfying progress on the transition from yoke to hood on "Rogue".

And finished off a crocheted hat made of odd ends for afghans for Afghans.  The buttons have gone on the "in-vest in peace" vest and they're ready to mail.

Rogue

I've been wanting to knit Rogue for my sister for years (yes, sadly this is not an exageration), but there was never the time, or the perfect affordable yarn, and I was a bit intimidated by the 20 page pattern which at times requires reading three pages at the same time to know what you are doing.  Then I met a girl who had actually knit the sweater (beautifully, though in a tweedy yarn that kind of obscured the cables- mental note to self) and was wearing it casually, she said it wasn't so hard, and she was thinking of knitting herself another as she loved it so much and hers was getting nappy with wear.  So I bought the pattern.  2 years later... I found the perfect yarn, a car accident provided me with lots of knitting time and my sister is turning twenty and moving to Europe.  No more excuses: it's time for rogue to take shape. 

Here's what I have so far (sorry it's not a clearer image):  I thought the cable pattern at the bottom was lovely, until I got to the cables under the arms and realized what they are "really" supposed to look like.  I still think the cable pattern at the bottom looks lovely, and now I can say I've "personalized" the sweater right?

Now on to the hood!

An (Almost) Finished Sweater

  A silly girl models the (almost) finished green sweater, knit in Knitpicks Shine worsted in a pattern I made up as I went along.  The (almost) part is that the finishing around the zipper needs to be perfected.  There's some buckling now, and the top peeks out a bit more than I'd like, but other than that, I'm pretty pleased.