Catching Up with Projects

It's been a while since I've posted any finished projects, so tonight I thought I would try to remedy that just a bit. In addition to the things shown here, I've finished three pairs of socks, a dishcloth or two, and maybe even yet another scarf or shawlette. The picture of me is a little scary, I know.

This is the "Featherlishous Neck Warmer," designed by Victoria Myers and knitted with Araucania "Aysen," an absolutely gorgeous worsted weight yarn made of merino wool, alpaca and silk. I remember I just had to have this yarn, and then it took some time until I found a good way to use it (typical for yarn addicts!). I enjoy wearing this a lot because it is very warm and fits nicely around my neck without having to worry about wrapping and securing the ends (it is one circular piece).

Scarves, shawls, and shawlettes are very popular to knit and to wear right now--I make them often and really do enjoy wearing them. Here is Stephen West's "Little Colonnade" knitted in "Lola," a hand-painted, super soft worsted weight yarn. Because the yarn is so soft and drapes so nicely, I can scrunch this up and put it in my purse or bag and then put it over my shoulders in over-air-conditioned restaurants or stores. In the winter I will wear it with the bottom of the triangle in front and the ends wrapped around my neck.

Some time ago Akiko mentioned that she liked a crocheted tank top I had made, so I made one for her too. The pattern is "Sweet Tea" by Doris Chan, and the yarn is a silk and wool sport-weight blend by Mirasol Yarn Nuna.

And here's "Edwin's Sweater II" for the son of friends in Munich. The pattern is called "Children's Neck Down Cardigan,"  by Diane Soucy and the yarn is Paton's "Decor," a wool and acrylic blend that is self-striping. I used my favorite method of sweater knitting for this--it is made all in one piece with no seams.

Toe-up Socks Are Finished!

These may look like ordinary knitted socks, but I think they are really special! As I wrote in my earlier post about these, they are knitted from toe to cuff, instead of the other way around. They fit perfectly. I really like this method of knitting socks, and I am so proud of them!

A New Way to Knit Socks

This odd-looking item is a sock, knitted from the toe up, rather than from the cuff down to the toe. Knitting from the toe up has become quite popular recently, but like many things in knitting, I doubt that it's really new. I'm sure knitters have been doing it this way for centuries. I am enjoying it so far because it seems faster (not sure why that would be), and I can try it on as I go along. I also figured out that my guage on my last few pairs of socks has been too loose, and the socks don't fit as snugly as I would like. So for these I am using smaller needles and I cast on fewer stitches than usual. So far, they are nice and snug. The yarn is a self-striping, fingering weight, wool blend called "Meilenweit Merino," and the pattern is "wendy's toe-up sock pattern," found through ravelry.

I'm back in Spokane!

I returned home on Thursday after the usual grueling 24 hour trip across the big pond. It's great to be here with my little dogs...now if only my husband would return. But I'll see him soon, as I'm leaving to New Zealand in just one week!

A couple of finished projects are posted below. The sweater is made of two strands of light worsted weight wool held together (purchased in Munich...I forgot to note the brand name); it is really warm and fun to wear. I found the pin holding the fronts together at a small shop in Munich where the owner makes all kinds of jewelry from polished stones.

The socks are made of a self-striping sport weight wool and nylon blend by Schoeller Stahl and called "Limbo Mexiko." I like the way the stripes don't quite match.

I've always wanted to feature finished projects by friends, as well as my own, and here's an opportunity: The cross stitch teapot was done by Karen; I found it as a surprise early birthday gift in my mailbox yesterday. I love the warm red and yellow colors.

New Year, New Projects

During these two weeks at home I had planned to get so much knitting done, but somehow, I managed to do very little. However, I do have one finished project to show off...the third of the five Christmas stockings for Sigrid has been completed! I love the colors she chose and am enjoying seeing how each different pattern works up with these colors.

On my desk below you can see my other projects that are lined up: I've started a pair of socks for me, the purple yarn that is supposed to be Fran's sweater is there, and in the bag are several balls of a super-bulky off-white wool that are waiting to be turned into I don't know what.



This reminds me of my New Year's resolution: not to have quite so many projects going at once! I'd like to limit it to two at a time (a quick one and a slow one), instead of the current 4 or 5 at a time, which inevitably leads to such a loss of interest in a couple of them that they are later frogged and turned into something else or the yarn is stashed for a good long while.

I wish you all a happy and productive New Year, and good luck with your resolutions (if you have them)!

Sock Yarn Scarf

I needed a quick and easy project for some instant gratification, and I found it with this crocheted scarf made out of one skein of sock yarn. The yarn is a wool and nylon sock-weight blend, and the pattern, by designer Doris Chan, is in the summer issue of Interweave Crochet. You really don't even need a pattern to make this--it is just done in single crochet with a large hook. The trick is in the blocking--you soak the scarf in cold water and then stretch it out a lot on a towel and let it dry to get the lacy look. (My friend Josie is modeling for me--she's a natural!).

In Love with Purple

I love to knit and decorate with purple, or more specifically, lavender and what I like to call "aubergine" (a deep eggplant color). These shades are rich, yet also soft and subtle, and they go with many other colors (especially green and turquoise). The purple bowl contains variegated purple yarn on the left and the lavender and aubergine socks (knitted on two circular needles) on the right. The variegated purple yarn is a super bulky-weight cotton/acrylic blend by Sirdar called "Denim Ultra," and it is to become a sweater for sister Fran. Our aubergine couch is in the background.

Book news:

Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. There's a reason they call books like this "classics." What a moving story! So much about the treatment of women in Hardy's time seems like it could still apply today. The latest PBS film of this story is beautifully done and follows the book exactly.

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. This amazing memoir was written by a ballet dancer who defected from China in the early 1980s to dance with the Houston Ballet. He came from a peasant family and was chosen as a young boy to be trained at Madam Mao's dance school. It's written in a simple, straightforward style that reveals the author's intelligence and sensitivity--and the story is also very dramatic!

Late February Update

My current knitting projects are: socks on two needles, the clapotis, a baby sweater, a top-down cream-colored sweater for me, and another top-down cotton sweater in shades of orange for me started eons ago. Oh, and the pink lace scarf also started eons ago.

I am taking a sock class to master the two-needle technique, and I found that once I got the idea in the first session, I didn't really need the rest of the classes. Since I paid for it and committed to it, I will probably finish the class, but I'm rather annoyed at having to sit in a class where I already know the stuff (a good lesson for a teacher, no?!). I'm also surprised that I appear to be the youngest person there. Knitting is supposed to be so young and trendy!! Not on the north side of Spokane, I guess.

Other news: the local paper is raking the VA docs over the coals...again. It is very demoralizing for Greg and all involved because the story contains lies that Greg and the VA cannot set straight due to confidentiality laws. Also, the conversation that was reported was fabricated by the vet's family, and the reporter wrote it as though it were the truth. How do you fix that? The more you deny it, the guiltier you look. This is now the 6th or 7th time Greg and his docs have been in the paper for supposed sub-standard care issues, and each time it causes such an uproar within the VA system and mountains of work to deal with it. Greg is having trouble recruiting new docs because they don't want to end up with their names all over the local paper and strong innuendos of malpractice. One perceptive citizen wrote a letter to the editor saying that VA doctors are the latest victims and scapegoats of the Iraq war.

Here's an article in the New York Times about the difficulties faced by the humanities in this time of budget cutting. What's interesting to me about this topic is that it is really nothing new...this battle has been going on for a long time. I think we should just admit defeat and figure out ways to reinvent ourselves. I know that sounds vague...I don't have a real plan. It just seems that we are wasting a lot of energy fighting this particular battle. I have dealt with it in my own life by becoming an English instructor! Now there's a practical, useful skill!

Speaking of which, many of you already know that I am going to Munich to be a lecturer in the English department at the university. I'm leaving on March 23, so the time is getting nearer. I am excited and also anxious about this big change in our lives...excited to have a real and hopefully interesting and fulfilling job and anxious about my family here...especially the dogs! But we are all committed to working this out, so I feel very positive about it. I should have some fun blog entries in Munich.

A Pair of Socks

Over the weekend my wrist started feeling better, so I picked up my half-finished sock and knitted away. Now I finally have a pair of socks! I plan to admire them for a few days, and then I will probably give them to someone for Christmas. I hope to get back to my other projects soon, but I know I will have to take it slowly still.



Working on the computer and writing things by hand are other activities that are still very difficult for me to do. The writing problem has led Greg and me to decide to send out our first Christmas newsletter ever. Usually we just hand write a note to everyone on their Christmas card. We composed our letter last night in a very self-conscious way...we don't want to brag or sound too self-absorbed, but on the other hand, we want to let people know how we all are. I really admire people who can pull off good-sounding newsletters, and I hope we manage to get ours out!

Ballet Sweater Beginning

The adult ballet-style sweater for Akiko is currently on the needles! The yarn is wonderful to work with--I'll definitely use it for other projects in the future. Maybe I need a ballet sweater too?...

You can see how this sweater is constructed--it is knit all in one piece on one circular needle. Soon I will work on the sleeves (on the left and right sides of the piece) separately, and then I'll continue with the body. It's kind of hard to explain, but the pictures will make it clear, I think.

And the second sock is progressing, although now I'm completely obsessed with the ballet sweater, so it may not progress very quickly. In the picture you can see that I've worked and "turned" the heel. The turning of the heel of a sock is an almost miraculous process, not difficult to do, but nevertheless astounding. After the heel is turned, there's only a little shaping left to do, and lots of knitting round and round, so the sock is soon finished--provided one works on it!

One Sock Syndrome

I recently discovered that my habit of knitting a sock and then getting bored and never knitting the second one is called "One Sock Syndrome." The cure for this syndrome is to knit both socks together. There is a way to do this on circular needles, or you can knit the cuff of one sock and right away knit the cuff of the second one. Then you knit the heel of one, the heel of the other, and so on. Now this blog has inspired me to try to finish some of my UFOs (Unfinished Objects), and in the future when I make socks, I'll try the method of knitting them together. Here's my current one sock project:

And here's the little boy vest! It was exciting to knit because I knew it would go fast:

I got the yarn for Akiko's sweater wound into balls, so I should be able to start on it soon: