Knititude

Tagged

Connie tagged me for the "8 random things about me" meme, and since it's the first time I've been tagged, I thought it would be bad luck not to jump in.  It did take some introspection to come up with 8 things, after the "6 weird things" and the "10 things" (which, thank goodness, was not the "100 things" which some bloggers have tackled).

1)  When I was in 2nd grade, the teacher went around the class asking everyone what their middle name was, and I was so embarrassed by my Chinese one (Yee Mei) that I resolved to answer "Gertrude" when my turn came.  Which it never did.  Saved by the bell.  Literally.
2)  Several years ago I noticed that my right earring hung lower than my left, and I realized that this was a consequence of one ear being set lower than the other.  (Not uncommon, is my understanding--but peculiar that I never noticed during my first 30-odd years on the planet.)
3)  I abhor smelly sponges and dishtowels.  My preferred method of dealing with them is to pick them up with tongs and throw them away.
4)  A friend of my husband decided to look at the sun and moon signs of everyone he knew, and determine how compatible everyone was with their spouses, etc.   It turns out I was-- am-- a perfect match for his son.
5)  I often find myself knitting on slow speed--that's when you have to pause to roll the dice or flip the card, or whatever it is you have to do during your game turn.   Hey, the kids like to play board games.  (They can't watch TV and play video games 24/7, after all; or, they could, but it would destroy my motherly self-esteem.)
6)  My usual Monopoly piece is the boot.  This allows for witty trash talk like "My boot is going to kick your dog's butt."  Or, the strangely pleasing, "My boot is going to kick your cannon's butt."
7)  I am the opposite of a pack rat. 
8)  I get cravings for chili, Mom's egg rolls, artichokes, and pumpkin pie.  But my favorite comfort food may well be the layer of browned rice on the bottom of the rice pot.

I think many have already done this meme; if not--consider yourself tagged!

 

Fall is coming

Seen in the Ralph Lauren window on Nantucket:  this cute little sweater-mini-dress with a turtleneck and short sleeves (can you say "split personality"?), worn with lace-up suede boots and a hip-slung belt.

And then, there was the lean ribbed cardi over the lean knitted leggings, all in safari tan, accessorized with knee-high chocolate boots and a punchy, chunky turquoise choker.

Last but not and least:  a knit vest with suede trimmed pockets and hem.  An ordinary style, a close but classic fit...but the suede trim caught my eye.

When the knits are in the window and the fall IK is in my mailbox, fall (my favorite season) is coming!  Even if the looks are mostly still short and sleeveless, it's only a matter of time....

Smooth sailing

Here is the Berroco Touche in Green Tea, swatched into Bead Stitch and Four Sisters.  For the top swatch I used U.S. size 8 needles, as recommended on the ball band; when I first looked at the yarn and ran it through my fingers, I thought size 8 needles sounded big, so I first tried U.S. size 6 needles (the bottom swatch).  That's not a color change in the bottom swatch, just a shadow.  I like the results better with the suggested size 8's, so that's what I cast on with for the pullover.

And then I took my knitting and set sail with the family for Nantucket.  Next post I'll have some photos from our island weekend, but for now, suffice it say that I got some knitting done in some very pleasant surroundings!

Second opinion

So, what do you think of my new weblog catchphrase*?  Or should I say "catphrase," as long as we're getting all punny?

*Under the title "Knititude."

Some other time

Let me first say that I am very impressed with Euroflax.  It's not very soft on your fingers while knitting, but the sheen!  The stitch definition!  Did you see all of those gorgeous colors on the Louet North America website??  I was having such a hard time choosing one that I finally went with Natural; to some it may appear drab, but it reminds me of the lovely silvery beige coat that gives those silly Weimaraners such a deceptively elegant look.  The photo above was taken after I ironed my swatch, because--silly me--I forgot to take a picture of it after I wet-blocked it, when the lace stitches were really standing out nicely.

And the second photo?  After I wet-blocked, I thought, you know, what a waste of a yarn that can be MACHINE WASHED AND DRIED!   Plus, rumor has it that it just gets softer with every cycle.  Alas, while machine drying does make the fabric very soft, it turns the lace into the knitted equivalent of lichen.

So, while I am mulling over the options for a stitch pattern that will look good without blocking, for a future Euroflax project (and I have at least one already in mind), I have moved onto Berroco Touche in Green Tea for the Four Sisters pullover. 

Getting better

Well, I have to admit that the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk is very pretty when knit up.  It's odd to work with because it's so slippery; I often felt as if the stitches I was working on were very loose, and yet the stockinette sections turned out to be very uniform--thanks to the slick yarn correcting its own tension, is my theory.

I think the bead stitch at the bottom flows nicely into the Four Sisters motif, and the little cicatrice near the left top is my idea for a shaping device; although I haven't decided exactly where the columns of Four Sisters should go on this pullover (arms yes, but sides too?  Or back?), I have decided that I want to accomplish most of the shaping with changes in stitch patterns, so I needed a dense stitch pattern that plays well with the others.  (Not shown:  the picot hem swatch I tried--didn't really like it with this yarn or the other stitch patterns).

Yet...the yarn seemed to fuzz quite a bit; could this be a good thing, a mohair-like halo?  Or will it progress to pills?  I also found the fabric to be light, perhaps too much so.  So I tried holding two strands together for the second swatch, and while I like the weight of this fabric, and the stitch pattern stands out nicely, just thinking about winding all the yarn that would be required to make a sweater with two strands...plus, I think this weight silk would be extremely warm, and since I don't really picture it as the kind of sweater you'd wear ice skating, or around a drafty house in the winter, or standing on the sidelines of the kid's soccer game in November....

Next:  Euroflax Sport Weight.  Machine washable AND dryable!