In Like a Lion

It's been a rough couple of months. But let me back up to the giveaway. It was fantastic! I gave away everything but one pair of fingerless gloves that didn't photograph well. I even got a friendly knit monster in trade! Gerald R. Ford sits on the couch-bench with us, watching TV while I knit.

Even though it's been rough (99% of the hard times are at work), I've been busy and knitting like crazy. The first-ever Roller Derby Bout in Elko is on April 16. I made the roster! I'm sure I'll be a second or third-string blocker, but I'm excited to play. Practices take up some time, and the Sunday morning one is right in the middle of my weekend, so Brian and I have been staying in Elko. We made a quick run to Salt Lake so I could buy some things for my derby outfit. I bought eight pairs of tights to try out!

Some deadlines at work have changed so my April is going to be much busier than in years past. Add derby practice to that and I'm stuck here for a while. I haven't had a real break since Christmas. Brian and I are heading to San Francisco over Easter, for a friend's birthday. I'm trying to plan the early part of that week, too, so I can finally take a vacation. I need a rest. A serious, not-at-home, no-responsibilities kind of vacation is the only thing that is going to keep me sane.

Here are some knits I've finished since the giveaway (plus a couple that were finished before but not picture-ready).

Duck Feet for Julie's baby. Finished 1/18, sent much later.

Surtsey in Yellow for Donella's babies. Finished 2/9. Buttons made (by me!) and added later.

Surtsey in Green for Donella's babies. Finished 2/22. Buttons made (by me!) and added later.

Indian Summer. Finished 2/24. Button made (by me!) and added later.

Toorie. Finished 2/28. So cute.

Cassady. Finished 3/10. I made this to try the technique. It's clever.

Java Socks for Brian. Finished 3/16. The next pair of socks I make for Brian will be tighter, I promise. He wants more socks, so I'll be able to get it right.

Scallop Lace Hat. Finished 3/27. It looks better now that it's blocked.

I also knit a cover for one of my knee pads. but I didn't take a picture of it. It's just a black blob anyway. It was a two-hour knit last Saturday, 4/1. I may make another cover with a tighter knit, but probably not before the bout.

Full Moon Blanket WIP. This is an ongoing project since 3/17. I don't normally knit blankets, but I'm waiting for some yarn from Pickles, which is in Norway, so I can knit their Impress Dress for another baby (Annelise). I got distracted while at their site and cast on for this blanket. I'm sure I'll pick up another project in the meanwhile. Brian picked out some more Malabrigo Sock, which I used on the Java socks, for another pair of socks, and I just impulse-bought two full bags of yarn (twenty skeins for $45!). I'd like to start a sweater or vest. It's time for a full-sized garment.

So that's it. I'm tired. I'm working hard at derby. I'm burned out at work. Knitting is my salvation right now. Thank goodness for knitting.

Giveaway Update

There are two items left: the pink Reading Mitts and the multi-colored Cafe au Lait mitts, which look much better in person than in the picture.

I plan on closing the giveaway on Friday. Thanks to everyone who is interested in my knits! I'll mail out your items this week.

FO Giveaway

A little over a year ago, I made a resolution to knit only what I want to knit. It's been great for eliminating the stress I was putting on myself to finish things. There has been a downside, however. I have a whole pile of knits with no home! So I am offering them up to anyone who wants them. First come, first served. To claim an item, email me or leave a comment. I prefer email because Blogger doesn't have a good reply system. My email is kubackit AT hotmail DOT com. Please write something in the subject line that indicates you are responding to this post. I'd like to give one item to a person, but go ahead and list everything you like. If your first choice isn't available, then I'll send the next on the list. If no one claims the second item you like, I'll mail that to you, too. I will leave this open until March 31, or whenever everything has been claimed, and I'll indicate which items have been claimed.

I'll list the pattern and the yarn I used, and link to both my Ravelry page and the pattern's website, if it has one, so you can see the inspiration.

First item: Claimed!

Capucine in Suss Twisted (100% Cotton) (Ravelry link). This was fun to make. I think it will look best on someone with long hair. Note that it's made from cotton, so it will stretch. The top pom pom is just tied on so it can be removed. I don't have the skills to make a cute bird for the side, so I hope whoever chooses this will adorn it with something cute. The designer's blog has a lot of great examples.


Second item: Claimed!

Faux Bois in Berroco Inca Gold (Ravelry link). I have a thing for faux bois. These are stranded knitting, which I'm no expert at. They are a bit tight, therefore, I'd recommend them for someone with small hands.

Third item: Claimed!
Marram in Rowan Pima Cotton DK (Ravelry link). While I was knitting it I knew I should add another repeat of the pattern. I didn't. This is short, so it would probably fit a smaller head better, maybe a child's head.

Fourth item:Claimed!
Veyla in Datura Fiber Arts 100% Superwash Merino Wool (Ravelry). These were fun to knit. The yarn is a bit thin, so these are also best suited to smaller hands. My hands fit fine, but stretch them a little too much for my tastes. I can add buttons before I mail these (please give me time to find some--there aren't any buttons in Elko), or I can leave them off so you can add buttons of your choosing.

Fifth item:
Café au Lait mitts in Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (Ravelry). Please look at the original pattern to get a better idea of how these look. The lace pattern is somewhat lost in this yarn, but they are very soft and warm.

Sixth item: Claimed!
Herringbone Hat in Berroco Inca Gold (Ravelry). This is my own design using the herringbone stitch pattern from the Harmony Guides: Knit and Purl. I felt like trying out a new stitch pattern on a hat, and this is the result. I love the way the decreases on the crown turned out.

Seventh item:
Susie's Reading Mitts in Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino (Ravelry). These are luscious in a suri alpaca, merino blend.

Eighth item: Claimed!
Noro Hat in Noro Chirimen (Ravelry). I like the fun striping in Noro, but the mohair content in the majority of their yarns makes it impossible for me to use. This was another attempt at using a non-mohair Noro yarn. The yarn just isn't for me, even though I love the color changes. Believe it or not, this hat works for either a man or a woman.

Ninth item: Claimed!
Kaura (no pattern website) in RYC Cashcotton 4 ply (Ravelry). I love this yarn. I felt like knitting some bobbles when I chose this pattern. It's a dense fabric, so the hat will be very warm.

Tenth item: Claimed!

Daybreak in Zwerger Garn Opal and Colinette Jitterbug (Ravelry). I felt like knitting a shawl, which is unusual for me, and the examples of this were so nice. I knit the smallest size, so it can be worn like a scarf tucked into a coat.

Ten items! If this is successful, I think will try to giveaway knits once I've accumulated another ten items, which should be soon, since I've nearly finished another hat!

My apologies to anyone reading this in a reader. I don't know how to edit the post without reposting it.

Presents and Poetry

So many things were completed since my last real post: 13 FOs, one frogged hat, and one cowboy poetry gathering. Sure, it's been two months, but that many projects is a lot for me these days, especially those days leading up to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

I'm not sure where to start. The Gathering was great. I had been feeling about a month behind in preparations (probably because I'd lost a month's worth of work days to furlough) until two weeks before the event. Then, magically, I was ready. I'm sure a few things got overlooked, but all in all, it was a great Gathering. I heard so many compliments--people don't usually tell me those things, since I'm the invisible hand running the machine--which was really nice. I even got a present! I usually only get amazing hugs, but Doris Daley gave me chocolate straws (and hugs). I finally shared them with the staff, but I pretended they were just for me for about a week.

I didn't see much music or poetry, as is usually the case, but I did get to see my friends Andy Hedges and Andy Wilkinson perform. Andy Hedges's wife, Alissa, sang with them, too. They are all great. Video and audio from some of the shows are available on the Western Folklife Center's website. We also blogged during the event. Find that here.

Now on to knitting. Here are some things that became presents (in Blogger upload order, not chronological).

Windschief, which I will some day send to my brother.

Owl, with a magnet in the bottom, for Brian

Cat toy. It was supposed to be a sock, but I did not like the colors at all. I ripped back to the toe, seamed it up, and voila! a cat toy.

Mittens with flip-top thumbs (my pattern) so Brian can use his iPhone.

Soxies for Brian's Mom.

Men's Cashmere Scarf (not cashmere) that Brian will probably never wear (don't be surprised if you see it in my giveaway pile)

Argyle Felted Hot Pad for my kitchen. I always forget that white yarn doesn't felt at the same rate as colored yarn, so I pulled out the blue argyle pattern.

I also finished Duck for a pregnant friend. I'm not sure whether she reads this, so no pictures until I mail them off.

On impulse, Brian and I went to Portland after Christmas (which was spent with his mom in Mountain Home, ID). I visited a few yarn shops while we were there.

Malabrigo Sock

Rowan Purelife (I made the mittens above out of this)

2 skeins of Shelter. I used one skein on a hat that I ended up frogging. It was knit too tightly and I couldn't get the lace pattern (as usual).

All of the above were from Knit Purl. Very nice store.

Purple Lotus Sweet Grass hand dyed cotton from Gossamer

Cascade Eco + from Close Knit. I'd been to Close Knit the first time I was in Portland. It's a really great store. I'd probably shop there a lot if I lived in Portland.

I didn't love Portland the first time Brian took me (nearly a year ago, for our second date), but my mind was changed this time. The weather was awful, but I miss the moist air of the Midwest so much that I didn't mind. My car minded, fogging up and condensing on the inside every day, all day. We ate some amazing food. Food I dream about. We did some great sightseeing to Sauvie Island and The Grotto. We also explored some neighborhoods, and did a lot of window shopping. My favorite day was spent in Ground Kontrol, dropping quarters into classic video games. That day reminded me of the times when my dad would take me to the arcade after school. All the games were from that era, except most of the pinball, which was newer and reminded me of college when I would spend my laundry money on pinball. I love pinball.

Ever since I started knitting without an intended recipient (for the most part), I have accumulated a pile of homeless knits. I have an idea to give these away to whomever expresses interest in them. I recently gifted the Snapdragon mitts to CarrieK because she liked them. Why not give away the rest of the items to people who will use them? I think this post is too long and picture heavy to do it here, so I'll list the items next week. Stay tuned!

Too Busy

I've knit about a million fingerless gloves since we last spoke, but it's Gathering Time! so no new posts until February. See you in Elko!

FOs and WIPs

I've been thinking about the content of these posts. I'd like to get back to more thoughtful posts, rather than just lists of things. I think it says a lot about the priorities and the anxieties in my life since I moved to Elko. I'm busier than ever, but I'm also less contemplative. Except during my "crisis of faith" last year, I don't give much thought to my life and my circumstances. I don't take time out of my schedule to think, or to do things that are meaningful and thoughtful.

I've been on a hat kick lately. Hats and mitts. This rest of this post is yet another list of finished objects and works in progress.


I made this hat to go with the fingerless mitts. I also made a pair of very colorful fingerless mitts (with partial fingers, even. I hate fingers) for my sister to give to a friend. I forgot to take a picture before I sent them off.


I also forgot to take a picture of the washcloth I made for Brian's mom. Her birthday was the Monday after Thanksgiving, but we were in San Francisco. We did go up for Thanksgiving, though, which was nice. I finished the parts to Flo there. I haven't had the steam to seam yet, though. I'll probably have to redo one of the bodies, though, since I think I skipped a few rows on the second side.


I knit this on the way to and from San Francisco. I messed up the cables the first time they crossed. I dropped down and fixed them. Or so I thought. One of them is still messed up (on the side not shown in the photo). It was dark, and I was in the car. Oh, well. My fabric is a bit dense. I held two strands of RYC Cashsoft 4 Ply together. It will be a very warm hat.


I picked up a skein of Malabrigo Twist at ImagiKnit so I could finally finish these. I have mixed feelings about that yarn store. They have a great stuff, but it's a bit overwhelming. Especially the plant-fiber and synthetics room. I can't seem to find yarns in that room that I like, and it takes me a few go-rounds to find what I'm looking for in either room.


I bought two skeins of some Noro Chirimen, which only has 16% wool. I get the love for the fun colors, but the yarn just doesn't do it for me like it does for the Noro cult. This hat shows off the striping perfectly. I should have used smaller needles, though. The hat is a bit more slouchy than the pattern. Paired with the yarn, I think it will be a nice springtime hat for someone.

Today I started on Windscheif.


I'd like to start on a sweater. There are about five that I can't decide among. Of course, now that the weather is cold, I don't have the right yarn for any of these sweaters. I focused on increasing my cotton DK-weight stash this fall, but now I'm without a sweater's worth of yarn in any animal fiber. Sigh.

Promotion

Sabrina Gschwandtner wrote a short article for Interweave Knits about my friend Aimee Lee. Aimee often comments here, so she might be familiar to you. If not, or even if, read the article, go to her website, tell others about her, and buy her work! She's an artist, and makes her living that way. I'm amazed and lucky to have friends like her.

NaKniSweMo is a No Go

I thought about joining NaKniSweMo this year. Of the 434 projects in my Ravelry queue, 268 of them are sweaters. It seemed like joining along with the 700 other people who are in the Ravelry group would get those needles moving through 50,000 stitches in no time. Alas, November is just too busy for more deadlines.

Brian's birthday is in November, on Thanksgiving this year. We're going to spend it with his mom and then head to San Francisco the next day to see Lucero in concert. We'll see our friend Dan, which is always a treat. Brian suggested that he'd like a pair of socks, so I've been whipping through those. He tried the first one on, after the foot was finished, before the heel, and we discovered it was too big. Gauge swatches lie. So I ripped and started over with more negative ease and better math. The sock is still a little roomy, but it will do. He also mentioned that he wouldn't mind a fun color. This, after I'd already started knitting! He's so green-gray-blue-black that I didn't think he'd like something with some color. I guess it means I'll have to knit a second pair later.


I finished all the knitting on Goodale. I still need to tack down the front flaps, but I need space and space-out time for that. I've been working late and then too tired for seaming, so that's on hold. I'm not sure who this sweater will fit, anyway. It fits me fine, but I can't wear wool. I'll probably give it to Jen. Who knows when I'll see her next. My life is so empty without a visit to see her and the kids, I might have to give this sweater to someone else just so it doesn't make me sad.


While I was waiting for Goodale to block, I started a pair of long fingerless mitts, inspired by the pattern at The Purl Bee. My gauge is completely off, and I didn't follow the pattern for the thumb. Turns out I did the thumb exactly like the pattern, though I went straight to the ribbing, eliminating the striped rounds. I'm having lots of fun knitting these. I think I might make a matching hat, maybe with a few slipped-stitch ridges running up the sides into the decreases.

Finally, I made a quick pair of slippers for Brian. They are kind of silly, with bulky feet and worsted cuffs, but the pattern was free. They actually turned out pretty well. He wears them, which is the most important part. Thankfully, Brian likes knitted gifts.


I think I'll still make a sweater, but I don't know if it will have enough stitches to qualify for NaKniSweMo. I will most definitely take longer than the rest of November to finish it.

October Woes

This is all I have to show for knitting in September.


I feel like I've been knitting a lot, but I guess not. I also knit a hat for Jen, which I sent off without giving it its moment in the spotlight. It was a pretty hat, though the cable sections seemed too difficult for the effect. If I were to knit it again, I'd check some pattern books about how to make leaves. I knitted on the I-cord, too, instead of sewing it on.

The first hat in the photo above is Marram. This is an example of when you should listen to your instincts. I had a feeling I should knit another repeat of the pattern, but I wanted to finish the hat, so I ignored myself. We were in San Francisco and I wanted to finish it so I could wear it on the chilly nights. I didn't even do that. Should have knit that repeat. It's an easy but interesting pattern, so I might knit it again. Most of it was knit during the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Fun.

The green hat took all of three episodes of whatever we were watching. Brian and I had been talking about the word "toboggan" to mean a ribbed hat. I guess they call them that in Virginia. I just call them hats. So I made him one from some Plymouth Alpaca Tweed that I got before we left San Francisco. We visited ImagiKnit and Bi-Rite Creamery, delaying our departure for rapture instead. We had the best ice-cream scooper, and I spent too much on yarn. Oh my. My two most favorite things within two blocks of each other. I love San Francisco.



I've started Goodale, but I only took one skein with me to Ketchum for the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. I'm not alternating skeins, so hopefully it will work out okay.

I spent way too much in Ketchum because Isabela's Needlepoint is closing. The sales weren't even that good, but I couldn't resist orange Misti Alpaca or orange Malabrigo. I'm a sucker.

October is especially busy at work, and we've made it even busier this year by having five public programs (all of which I'm responsible for running). On top of the extra work, we're still on our three-Mondays-a-month furloughs. Getting things done is difficult.

The shining light is that the Indian restaurant reopened. At least I have delicious nourishment.

Darn Buttons

There are no buttons to be had in Elko. At least not any that would work for my nearly finished sweaters.

Remember the Holly Jacket?


For all intents and purposes it is finished. You'll notice I haven't taken it out of my current projects list. I finally found some buttons in Boise that look good on the sweater. The problem is the inner buttons. They don't fit in the holes. Part of the problem could be my wonky button band,


and another part could be that I sewed them too tightly against the fabric. I'm not sure that fixing either of those problems would solve the larger problem, so I'm going to sew on some snaps to keep it closed.

My goal this week is to finish the current projects. Along with Holly, I've just about finished Laccaria. I'm working on weaving in the ends (as you can see in the picture). This sweater will probably go the way of Holly, though, and wait months on end for appropriate buttons.


Finally, I'm finishing Playful Stripes. I have buttons for that, which I got in Boise with the buttons for Holly. I need to graft the armholes first. I'm procrastinating on that one. Somehow weaving in a million ends is more attractive than grafting.


I'm itching to make something with cables. I also want to make Goodale, but I don't have the yarn for it. I can't really buy yarn right now, unfortunately. I think I'm going to satisfy the cable craving with either Liffey or Snapdragon Flip-tops. I'm in the mood for mittens more than a hat, but the design of the hat is calling me. Who knows? My craving will probably change before I allow myself to cast on for a new project.

What about my travels, you ask? Brian and I went to Salt Lake City to see She & Him in the park. That was fun. We stayed on to camp and climb with friends--well, I climbed. It hailed on us so we bailed.Brian and I backpacked in to a small lake, which was really nice. We tried camping just outside Salt Lake the next night, but we got to the campgrounds past curfew. It really makes us angry that they lock the gates at 10 pm. They even put those tire spikes on the exit so you can't get in. What about folks like us? What if you already have a site and decided to go out to dinner? Horrible. I'm starting to think that people in Utah like torture, too. We went on a two-mile hike that had a 2,000 foot elevation gain. Ridiculous. It was even difficult coming down! We ate at an incredible restaurant to make up for our pain. We even ordered wine and the most delicious dessert.

Michigan was amazing as usual. The UP is such a special place in the summer, and seeing my friends is worth waiting for all year.

Project Post

I've finished a couple things since my last post, and have started another. I still have to finish seaming Laccaria. It's hard to do when Brian's around, since I usually seam while watching something like Dr. Who and spreading out the work on the coffee table. Seaming takes up a lot of space! Brian and I watch a lot of silly stuff--we're starting Dark Shadows soon--but I don't feel like I can spread out and zone out for seaming. Stockinette and the like are better for that, which is why I'm knitting the Playful Stripes Cardigan for Renée. That is, if I see her before she's going off to college. I miss those guys and can't figure out a time to visit before Christmas. Sad.


I also finished a cowboy bib for a friend's baby. She is a rancher, so her kids will be cowboys (at least while they are kids). Why not show it off from the get go?


As I mentioned in my last post, I was intrigued by a yarn that I have in my trade or sell stash. I'm still happy to sell it, but I don't dislike it as much as I thought I did. It's Filati Sailor FF, and it has some nice colors. It's like knitting with cotton string, but that was perfect for this market bag. The bag, however, turned out pretty small, and the opening is tight. I think I'll go back to making Everlasting Bagstoppers for market bags, though I'm interested in trying the Monteagle Bag, just for some fun with stitch patterns.


Since this was the most knitterly post I've had in awhile, I just have to mention some travel, right? Brian, Yarny and I went to Salt Lake last week. I had the most torturous hike ever on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, but it was great weekend. Friends joined us for food and shopping the day before and that was really fun. The real travel news is that I'm headed to the UP next week. I can't wait.