DesigKnit

I’m sure you’ve all seen the “you make my day” awards going around lately. It’s sort of like head colds and iPods…all of a sudden, everyone’s got one. Now, I have absolutely nothing against acknowledging the people that we enjoy in our lives. I am all for helping our friends’ blogs take off. In fact, I think that’s the problem. See, every time someone gets awarded, they publish a list of ten blogs that they read, and some of these are inevitably new to me. This is wonderful. I love reading blogs, and especially great ones (and I’ve found some that I really like lately through this very process). The problem is that there’s a “subscribe” button in my Google reader. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the trouble really starts. I can’t even begin to tell you how out of date the sidebar is that says which blogs I read. I am too busy reading them to look! I have very good stash control, but I apparently have absolutely no new-blog control. I believe that Google Reader just told me that I have 71 knitting blogs that I read daily now. This is crazy. Absolutely nuts. I have to say that many of them are not updated daily, but still. How does one work, knit, blog, and read blogs all in 24 hours? I think I could spend 24 hours doing any one of those things!

This leaves me with a serious conundrum. I really like the blogs I read. And I don’t actually subscribe to every blog I see, either. All of the blogs in my subscribe list are ones that I enjoy reading and find educational. Unsubscribing is like turning my back on a little corner of the knitting world, and I don’t want to do it. But how on earth does one keep up with 71 blogs? I have gotten good at knitting while reading, and I have even managed to knit on Irtfa’a while reading (which is saying something…as I’m sure you remember my struggles with lace charts when I started this project). But even so, with only 4 hours between the time that I get home at night and when I have to go to bed, I am just out of time. And 4 hours is what I get on a good night. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this quarter it’s more like 2-2.5 hours. I guess I make up for that on Saturdays, but with 50 new blog posts every day, I need more than Saturday to keep up. What’s a knitter to do?

This weekend was supposed to be for knitting (aren’t all weekends for knitting?). And then I decided to work on finishing up some quilting that’s been hanging around on Saturday morning. And then the house was a mess and couldn’t wait any longer to be cleaned, so I cleaned on Saturday afternoon. We had to actually go grocery shopping on Sunday, which has become a real rarity for us. We’ve been eating mostly form our local farmer’s market since the summer, and probably only go into a standard grocery store once every couple of months now, to get things like pasta and flour and other such nonlocal foods. We go to Wholefoods or PCC a couple of times a month for soymilk and such, but that’s usually the extent of our grocery shopping. Well, this weekend was a big grocery weekend. And a sneaker-buying weekend. And our pillows needed to be replaced. And so it went. Lots of errands, not much knitting.

We went to a friend’s house for dinner last night, so I did get a few rounds done on the sock side project, and I got to teach his 6-year-old how to knit. She even did a few stitches on the socks for me. That was fun, and saved the weekend from being completely unknitty.

I feel like I should have something to say, but I’m not feeling very awake at the moment (just finished proctoring the first exam of the quarter, and not looking forward to grading tomorrow…). So, I think I will leave off for now, rather than just rambling.

How about a science picture, since I have no knitting to offer?

Or maybe some kittens?

That’s right, I have Fearless Fiber! Came in the mail today, and is now waiting for the right moment to become the Bee Stole. Isn’t it pretty?

(Don’t mind the cat butt…that’s as far from the yarn as we could get her for the picture…)

In other news, I have 12 rows until the end of the small feathers section in Irtfa’a. I was planning to finish that tonight, but it’s getting late and I don’t think I’ll make it. But it’s the weekend, so I can work on it all day tomorrow. =)

Oh, and just in case you’ve ever wondered, there is a very good reason not to put a big project down for 9 mos and then expect to come back and pick up right where you left it. I’m not sure if it’s all the lace knitting or what, but my gauge has apparently changed when working with the Cascade EcoWool. This is annoying, as I am attempting to go back and make one stripe for the afghan that I started last March in between each major project, so that something actually gets accomplished on that project. This is a pretty easy goal, as it’s basically just a 7 or 8 foot long scarf in between sweaters. Should be a breeze. But my gauge has changed. I guess I go up a needle size and hope it doesn’t come back once I get into the piece? Humph.

I had to go to Office Max on my way to work today to get nice paper for my fellowship application. I use the term “on my way” loosely here, as Office Max is a mile and a half in the wrong direction to go to school. That means that I got in a 3 mile walk in the sunshine this morning. Nice way to start the day.

I hadn’t remembered that OM was quite so far away. I was thinking that it was just under a mile, and expected it to take less time than it did to get there. This meant that I missed the bus I had intended to take. And that meant that I had time to poke around and look at things other than resume paper while I was there, and that is dangerous. It’s probably very strange, but I love office supply stores. Almost as much as yarn stores. Yes, really. Amazing, huh?

I picked up some paper, and staples (we’ve been running low at work, and unimaginable disarray would result if we actually did manage to run out), and envelopes, and Post-it notes. Now, if there is one thing I love more than office supply stores, it is post-it notes. I use them for everything. All of my books are chock full of them, with little notes scribbled here and there. I think part of this comes from my inability to write in books. I’m not sure why, but I cannot bring myself to deface my books with writing. Journal articles are another story, but books are sacred and must remain spotless. I know, it’s weird. Instead of underlining or highlighting, I just fill them up with stickies. All of my papers at work are marked with post-its, and when I’m doing a big project I even color-code them so that I can find the papers I need in a hurry. You may think that this is odd or perhaps even unhealthy, but I definitely love my post-it notes. You can imagine, then, that I picked up a few in different shapes, sizes and colors while at OM this morning. This should keep me well supplied for a while, don’t you think? (Actually, this is only a little more than half of the pile…the rest are already at work, waiting for me to begin sorting papers tomorrow for that review article I’m supposed to be writing…)

But that’s not all. Nope, there’s more and better to come. Big post-it notes!

I’m probably way behind the times, and these have probably been around for eons, but today is the first time I could think of something useful to do with post-its this big. What, you say, could I possibly find useful about huge post-it notes? How about row markers?

(See? I really was going to get knitting content in there somewhere…it’s not all about my strange office supply obsessions)

I was going crazy with my standard rubber-backed ruler marker the other day, and complaining that none of my stickies were big enough to cover a whole row of my charts. Well, today that problem has been solved, and there will be no more rulers to get knocked off by a cat when I’m halfway done with a row and don’t remember where I let off. That in and of itself seems like ample reason to keep 3M in business by buying a lifetime supply. Don’t worry. I didn’t buy a lifetime supply. Just a few pads. I’ll save the lifetime supply for another day.

What’s that? Oh, yes, that is the Irtfa’a pattern underneath those stickies. And yes, I have been working on it. Did you think I’d forgotten? I’m all for progress blogging, but even I have to admit that it’s a real stretch to post every day about having finished another 8 rows in laceweight. The thing just looks like a big blue-grey blob most of the time, so it’s hard to tell that it’s changed at all when I’ve only added a few repeats. Trust me…it can be really hard to tell that anything’s been added. So, to avoid killing my blog audience off with boredom, I have been working quietly on Irtfa’a and blogging about other things. Since you mentioned it, though, I am happy to report that I have just finished the 7th repeat out of 10 in the small feathers section, and should be into the quills by the end of the week. Yay! I have 24 more rows in this pattern, and then 30 in the quill pattern. And then I’m done with the body of the shawl! The edging is going to take a while, I think, but I’m definitely past the half way point now, and sailing right along toward the finish line. That should get me finished up in very good time to start the Bee Stole when the yarn arrives, which is an exciting prospect.

(Oh, and in the interests of factual accuracy, it stays light out until about 5:45, not 6:15 right now. I forgot that I took the bus home the night that I noticed that the light hadn’t completely disappeared, and I have to leave earlier when I take the bus. Still, 5:45 is better than 5:00!)

Have you noticed that the sun is back? Just barely, but it’s back! It is now light out when I get up at 7:30, and dusk when I leave work at 6:15. Yay for sunshine! Not to mention the fact that it’s been darned cold for Seattle lately, which means that the sun has been out each of the past 3 days. Also, note that I say darned cold for Seattle. This is really nothing like cold, but it does mean that my windbreaker is just a little too thin for standing at the bus, unless I’m in the sun. It was cold enough to make yesterday very chilly indoors when our heater decided to take the day off. Thankfully it’s running again now, so I feel a little less like I’ve been swallowed by a pile of blankets.

And, how can winter feel long when I have such beautiful tomatoes on my windowsill?

And those 3 pots full o’ dirt? Two of them are peas, one is lettuce. It may take a few more months for spring to hit the front yard, but it’s going to be starting in my kitchen in a couple of weeks. I love windowsill gardens. =)

I absolutely love sweaters. They’re my favorite clothes to wear, and some of my favorites to knit. In fact, it was need of a sweater that got me back into knitting year ago. For 8 years, I have had one favorite sweater. I’m not sure what it is about it, but it’s just perfect. I got it as a hand-me-down, and have worn constantly ever since. It has had a long, long life of service, and it’s starting to show. The edges have begun to unravel, and despite my best attempts to shore up the fraying yarn there’s just not much left to be done except keep wearing it until it falls apart (which I fully intend to do!).

Last year, I realized that the edges were getting pretty bad, and started thinking about replacing this sweater. Replacing your favorite sweater is never an easy task. It’s especially not an easy task as there are no shops that sell really nice, high quality wool sweaters. I just can’t find them. Cotten, ok. Lightweight cardigans, ok. Cashmere? Fleece? Sure. But basic, warm, wool sweaters just aren’t to be had. When I realized this, I realized what I had to do. I picked up knitting needles for the first time in years, and became obsessed.

My first sweater was intended to be the same shape and fit as this favorite. If I could have just cloned it, I would have, but the colorwork seemed like a bit much to bite off for my first sweater ever (especially as I was making it without a pattern). Instead of the fair-isle, then, I settled for intarsia. We found a leaf font that I liked online, converted it to a stitch diagram, and I was off and running. It might seem crazy that I went from a couple of scarves for Christmas gifts right into a sweater without a pattern using a technique I’d never tried, but that’s just the way I knit, and I like it. All things considered, it turned out pretty well.

The only problems showed up a few months into the wearing. I think I’ve already said that I don’t like Paton’s Classic Merino. I love the way it feels, and I like knitting with it. But it doesn’t hold its shape. When I first finished this sweater, it looked a lot more like it was intended to (i.e. slightly fitted, and not bell-shaped). Over a year of wearing, though, it has stretched. A lot. And it’s started to pill.

There are probably things about my construction that have increased the sweater’s tendency to stretch, but I think the wool has a lot to do with it, too. Maybe not, but I’m going to keep blaming the Paton’s. It did the same thing in the sweater I made for Branden. I don’t have a pic of that one today, but I’m sure you’ll see it eventually. Though I might prefer you didn’t…it’s become rather a shapeless blob.

This loss of shape over time is exactly what I didn’t want to have happen with the sideways cable sweater. You’ll note that it’s a little tight at the moment, but I’m trusting that this will stretch out quickly with use. But I’m hoping that those slip stitch ribs will keep their elasticity a little better than the plain ribs that I used in my first sweater, which is now anything but form-fitting. For the moment, it looks pretty good, no?

I can’t believe how fast this sweater has pulled together. Without exception (until now) I have gone through a phase with every sweater I’ve knit where I wonder with every stitch if it’s done yet???. I’m not sure what’s different about this one, except that I was using it as a second project while working on Irtfa’a. Comparing knitting time for size 10 needles on thick yarn to lace on size 5’s couldn’t really be anything but advantageous for the sweater. And, stockinette in the round just flies. So, here’s the finished product, displayed in the very rare sunlight that peeped in our window today.

I am feeling really good about those ribs. I used a slip stitch rib, because I didn’t want to repeat the loosening that happened in my first sweater ever (I’ll post about that in a second). I also love the way the center knit stitch (the slipped stitch, really) looks like a tiny cable. This isn’t a great picture, but it’s the best I could get.

I did a single crochet bind off, which makes a nice, decorative edge. The description in Stanley’s book says that it is a “firm and elastic” bind off. I agree with the firm, but not so much with the elastic. If you want to do this one, use a big crochet hook, and leave it very loose. That said, I think it’s really pretty.

And, I still love the staghorn cable around the shoulders. The lighting today shows it in slightly higher relief than previous pictures.

The one thing I’m not too happy about is the armpit. When I switched from one circ to three (splitting off for the arms) I didn’t keep my tension tight enough, so there’s a little bit of gapping between the stitches that I don’t like. I haven’t decided yet what to do about this, but it seems like a little reinforcement should firm it up.

In all, this was a quick knit, and I’m pretty happy with the way it came out. First FO of 2008!

I mentioned in my 2008 “to do” list that I am planning to knit two lace pieces for others this year. One of them is destined to go to my best friend and ex-roommate Biz, who happens to be a beekeeper. I’ve been planning to use Anne’s Bee Stole pattern, but didn’t want the tupelo yarn. I wasn’t sure how Biz would feel about a lace shawl in the first place, much less a yellow one. So, I ruined the surprise and asked her about it at Christmas (we only get to see each other once a year). She loved the lace, but not the color so much. As she put it, she’d decorate a room in yellow, but she’s not likely to wear it, which very neatly sums up my doubts before speaking to her. It’s a beautiful color, but I don’t quite see her wearing yellow, though she loves to decorate with it.

So, I have been shopping for the perfect color since Christmas. I’ve made a couple of trips to LYS, since I am definitely one of those people that wants to feel a yarn before buying. There were some nice yarns, but none were perfect. I’ve absolutely loved working with the Blue Moon laci, and am head over heels in love with their Raven Clan colorway. But these are my colors, not Biz’s. We are very similar in most things, but in terms of wardrobe color we’re about as different as you can get. I like dark, she likes pastel. I like blue, grey, purple, green, brown, she loves pink, pink, pink, and pink. I think this is really the biggest challenge in knitting for other people; keeping your own fiber tastes from getting in the way of making something that will be perfect for them.

I have looked and looked, and there have been many, many yarns that I have wanted to buy. I absolutely love the colors in the Woolen Rabbit’s yarn, and desperately want a skein of each. For me, though, not for Biz. Kris just put up a whole website of horribly tempting yarn, and it’s taking all my willpower not to buy enough sock yarn to last me for a millenium at the rate I knit socks. But most of it is sock yarn, and most of it is not Biz.

This morning, Cattywampus solved my problem. I was catching up on my blog reading, and came across her list of things to finish or frog. And there, knitted up in the Bee Stole (of all things) was the perfect yarn. I didn’t see it previously mentioned in her blog (though I’m sure it was there, had I really dug through the archives), so I commented and asked what it was. She got back to me in no time flat, and I am now excitedly waiting for my first yarn from Fearless Fibers. I didn’t get exactly the same one (they don’t appear to have it anymore), but I got one that was very similar, and perhaps even better. Yay for shopping via blog!

I am generally very heistant to buy yarn online, as my fiber-finding method is generally to walk around the yarn store and feel everything. (Remember the Mischief test?). This has kept me out of more trouble online than I can say, and it’s a habit I am reluctant to break. I am not a stasher, and have absolutely no desire to have rooms full of yarn. I like to buy what I need, when I need it, and only buy when I have a specific project in mind. This whole method just gets harder and harder as I look at online hand-dyed yarns, because they are so gorgeous, and they’re one of a kind, and I really want some of all of them. Still, I have no need for them, no projects waiting, and no space to store things that don’t have a purpose. I generally manage to avoid temptation through this chain of logic, believe it or not. It’s very hard to keep up, but my need to feel yarn first is a great help. Unfortunately, I feel myself sliding down a very steep and slippery slope as I consent to buy a second skein of laceweight unfelt (the first being the Blue Moon for Irtfa’a). So, I am jubilant that I have now found the perfect yarn, but also a little worried about the Pandora’s box that I may be about to open. Guess I’d better go clear some stash space, huh?

I love to cook. I seldom make real meals except on weekends, as we get home from work so late. (A real meal is defined as something from scratch, usually something that takes an hour or more to assemble, and is more interesting than hastily assembled mid-week fare). Sunday is usually my cooking day. We have a big meal Sunday, and then use leftovers for lunches most of the week. I also love casseroles that can be assembled on Sunday and baked later in the week. Tonight, I got home early because I had to take the bus, and my last bus leaves school an hour before my normal quitting time. So I had some extra time, and Branden wasn’t home yet. The result? A real dinner.

We bought some mushrooms last weekend at the farmer’s market. I think they’re called hedgehogs, but the sign said that they’re like Chantrelles. We’re not usually mushroom people, so I have no idea if they were like Chantrelles, as I don’t know what they taste like. The mushrooms were intended to be part of a turkey noodle casserole that I made last weekend, but I forgot to put them in. So, I had a bag of mushrooms that needed to be used up in the fridge. I also had some mustard greens from the farmer’s market that I hadn’t gotten around to. This is how most meals start in our house; there’s something in the fridge that needs to be used, and I start cooking around it.

We went to a potluck Thanksgiving last year, and there was a really good corn stuffing that I really loved. It was surprisingly sweet, and really good. Sort of a creamy cornbread studded with kernels. I’m not sure why it occurred to me to mix that with a layer of savory mushroom, but that’s where I started, and things just went from there.

Base layer:

1 small onion, diced
3 oz chantrelle mushrooms, finely chopped
garlic, salt, pepper, sage, cayenne and pepper flakes to taste
4 oz butter (I never use this much butter, but I splurged tonight. It was good, but I’m sure you’d be fine with a single tablespoon, or oil instead)
1/2 c white wine (another thing that just happened to be in the fridge needing to be used)

Mustard greens (or whatever happens to be in your fridge)
Canned corn
1 package corn bread mix (or your favorite recipe; I just made up my own)
2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
1/4 cup of grated cheese (I had cheddar and parmesan on hand…you probably want something with a lot of taste, and maybe something melty, too)

Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter on medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add spices, and half of the white wine. Simmer to evaporate the wine while you prepare the rest of the meal. When the wine has been almost fully reduced, add the rest and simmer again.

While the base layer is simmering, wash and coarsely chop the mustard greens. Set aside.

Mix corn bread batter, and add 1 can of drained corn and the extra sugar. Stir to combine.

Hopefully this has taken long enough that your wine has mostly evaporated, leaving you with about 1/4 cup of liquid in the pan. Pour the base layer into the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish, add mustard greens, a layer of cheese, and the cornbread batter. Bake at 425 until it passes the toothpick test. The baking seems to take a little longer than usual because of the extra liquid in the bottom of the pan (but that extra liquid also makes the cornbread taste really good…). I think mine took between 45 mins and an hour to bake. Because it takes so long, the cornbread might start to overbrown while baking. If this happens, just put a piece of aluminum foil loosely on top of the crust to keep it from burning.

I served mine with a couple of slices of turkey ham and a salad. Yum!

What do you do when you feel like you are out of time and way behind in everything? I apparently get a houseguest. Yup, that’s right. At least he’s not very demanding. (And he’s very cute…)

Branden and I fostered for the Seattle animal shelter last summer (a total of 13 kittens in 5 months). It’s a fun thing to do, and a good way to get a kitten fix without becoming the cat lady. But, it can be hard to stop. Especially when you have your own kitten pusher right down the hall. Several of the people in my department are fosters, and one of them is very good about letting me know when there’s another kitten just needing a place to stay. I am supposed to be taking a break from fostering. My allergies (yes, I am allergic to cats, and I own two) are always worse in the winter when the house is closed, and our cats really needed the space. But this little guy needed a place to stay. He’s had a couple of very eventful days at school, and really needed somewhere that he couldn’t escape from. So, he’s now happily holed up in our bathroom, and we have a houseguest.

Given his recent history, we are thinking that Houdini might be an appropriate name. We’ll have to see what he thinks over the next couple of days.