I like lace – it makes me happy
Before it’s blocked, it sure looks crappy
A nice, cool bath, a thousand pins – and on my face a big huge grin
Magic, ethereal, gossamer, divine,
And best of all, it’s mine, mine mine!
I like lace – it make me happy,
Except for writing poems that sound real sappy.
Ok, it’s more Ogden Nash than Dylan Thomas, but it’s a poem, and my entry into The Amazing Lace, Challenge 3.
It’s been at least a week since I’ve blogged, but that’s because I’ve been knitting away. In fact, I’ve been on knitting overdrive, trying to beat the new baby. I think I’ll make it. Here are little baby outfit pieces just waiting to be morphed into a finished layette:
I have cute little heart buttons and now just have to force myself to do my least favorite knitting activity – sewing together.
Of course, now that it’s just about done, I can contemplate another project. On second thought, I have decided not to do the Mystery Stole. I decided that my time would be better spent starting a new Christmas outfit for Izzy. My summer is fairly free and once school starts I need to put my nose to the books, so I’m going to capitalize on the summer, along with all the attendant car shows that offer lots and lots of knitting time.
Yesterday we attended a show close to home that turned out to be quite a to-do. There were over 200 cars there, some of them just stunning, and a beautiful venue:
The best part is that is is only about a half hour drive from our house. And I saw this cute little family:
It was a lovely 8 hours visiting with friends, knitting and best of all – winning first prize in our class!! Bill was quite surprised because the competition was fierce. Actually, that wasn’t the best part – we were parked right next to a mega bucks red Ferrari. The owner was kind of a pretentious blowhard and was constantly regaling people with stories of how much the car cost to buy and maintain and how he once got a ticket for going 172 mph in a 55 mph zone (as if that was something to be proud of!). However, our little Mini Cooper got twice the attention his car did and at one point someone said (loud enough so he could hear), “Who needs a red Ferrari when you’ve got a cute little Mini to buzz around in?” Did my heart good.
I’ve debated whether or not to show Izzy’s Christmas outfit. I do so love sharing my projects with all of you, but her parents do read my blog (Hi Ben! Hi Abby!) and I would like them to be at least a little surprised. So . . . I’m going to try something new. I will not be showing any completed parts of the outfit, but little bits and pieces. See if you can guess what I’m making. This is from a published pattern, and although I’ve heard rumors that the book is out of print, I think it is still available out there. The first person to guess exactly what I’m making gets a free prize from my sock yarn stash (to be determined). So, here are the first two clues. The yarn – bright funky colors:
Nothing pastel about these babies! And the start:
Next installment will be a discussion of floats vs. weaving.
And, in the Amazing Lace, our current assigment is to blog about some place x-citing or x-treme for your lace knitting. I’m sorry, but sitting in my recliner watching old movies is about exciting as lace knitting gets around here. Oh, there’s the occasional car show or football game, but most of the time my life teeters on the edge of dullness. Or, as I prefer – stable and secure. However for x-treme lace knitting, I give you Kris. Anyone who knits lace with a toddler in her lap is a woman living on the edge of madness!
Did you ever have one of those projects that you started that kept snowballing until it turned into a project of epic proportions? It all started innocently enough with a birthday party. It was held at the home of some friends who just moved into their new home. This house is a showstopper! We were all agog with the architecture, decorating, etc. etc. I came home and looked at my humble home with an objective eye and decided I needed to do something. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not ready (or able) to run out and spend hundreds of thousands decorating to try and keep up with the Joneses. But I did decide that I could do the next best thing and try to clean and declutter what we have.
My first project was the area that bugs me the most – my husband’s computer desk. It’s right in the main living/dining area and no way to hide it. It’s always dusty, cluttered and a complete mess! To make it worse there’s an ugly metal file cabinet that holds the printer. First step was to buy a new, better looking oak file cabinet. Good move – it looks more like a piece of furniture. Then came the decluttering! I took all the files out and moved the old file cabinet to my sewing room (uh, studio) and took everything off the computer desk. Nothing was going back on until I sorted through! Before you know it, every flat surface in the living room and dining room was piled high with files and assorted junk! What had I gotten myself into? And so began the sorting through at least 15 years of amassed papers and junk. Six hours later I was pleased with the final result:
My house will never be a show stopper, but never let it be said that it can’t be clean and uncluttered.
And while I was working I managed to catch this picture:
Kirby does not like to be caught snuggling up to Hester. He feels it compromises his macho image. But when he’s unsure (like when there are papers and files stacked everywhere), he likes to be close to her.
And, in between obsessive organizing, I have been knitting. Front and back are done on the baby sweater and I’ve started decreasing for the sleeve caps. I’m still debating about making the hat. A baby born in Arkansas in June has no need for a hat, but since this is meant to be handed down, the next baby just might be born in December.
And, since lace seems to be so appropriate for summer, I’ve signed up for the Mystery Stole 2, created by Melanie. I’ve never done a mystery project and this sounds like fun. I would hope to have Peacock Feathers done before I start. I’m almost to the last two charts, but at this point you run into the Black Hole of Knitting. The rows just keep getting longer and longer. I’ve had requests for a picture and I’ll try to get one for the next post.
We interrupt our regularly scheduled knitting to bring you – Baby Knits!
I realized with shock the other day that my great-nephew is due to arrive in a few short weeks. Is it my imagination, or did this pregnancy go at the speed of light? I’m sure his mother thinks otherwise, but I’m of the opinion it’s definitely been less than nine months. So I figured I’d better get cracking!
This design is from the Dale baby book #129 (the one with the zebra on the cover) and is knitted with Dale Baby Ull – my favorite yarn of all time. My stash does not quite rival my lace stash – but close! Just let it be said I can sit down and whip out a baby ensemble without ever having to hit the yarn store! I love wee baby things. They go very fast and there is nothing more precious than a little one wrapped up in a hand knitted garment. And I’m probably in the minority in that I knit them in the little wee sizes. I realize they fit for about two minutes, but they are heirlooms to be handed down for generations. In fact, here are two of my favorite pictures.
The first is Ben wearing the little sweater and booties I knit for him before he was born:
And Izzy wearing the same outfit almost 30 years later:
I did manage to finsh the Cotton Regia socks:
The pattern is Lizzie’s Lacey Rib Socks from Fluffy Knitter Deb. Scroll down on the sidebar for a list of her free patterns and tips. I modified a bit and replaced my standard heel flap for the short row heel (sorry, Deb – I HATE short row heels). But this is a great pattern and I will definitely do it again. It works well with the less stretchy cotton, but would work equally well with wool. I’d love to see it in a plainer yarn so you could see the lacey rib better, but it looks great with self striping yarns. A very versatile pattern.
This afternoon my husband and I are going back to Dinners Ready for more meals. We were very happy with the first round and it really has kept us from eating out so much. It’s still a bit of a splurge, but certainly less of one than going out.
So, I leave you with this random bit of grandaughterly cuteness:
Time to introduce my partner for The Amazing Lace!
First step was to send out applications. The response was overwhelming! Behold – The Amazing Lace Stash:
The applicants were all worthy. Which to choose? Shadow by Knit Picks in a glorious grape color. Alpaca Cloud, also by Knit Picks – so very soft and in subtle shadings of Moss, Iris, Sunlight or Sand. But wait, there’s more! Also by Knit Picks (have they got my number or what?), Paint Your Own Laceweight, either in natural or a lovely Kool-Aid Berry Blue.
What about the lovely Skacel Merino Lace – in three lovely colors, one with matching irridescent beads? Or, a true heirloom could be started, perhaps one of Sharon Miller’s gorgeous designs in Jamieson & Smith Cobweb. Perhaps the lovely Inky Dinky Spider, Tina, or Paisley Long Shawl by Dorothy Siemens.
In the end, the winner was a project already on the needles – Peacock Feathers, by Dorothy Siemens. The yarn – Knit Picks Shadow in Vineyard. The needles – size 4 Addi Turbos.
Why, you might ask did the balance tip in favor of Peacock Feathers? Three reasons:
1. Fidelity Matters. Why go looking for a new love when I’ve got a perfectly good one right at home? (Kind of like marriage, huh?)
2. She’s Cheap! No, really! Shadow – $2.29 a skein. Total skeins needed – about 2 1/2. Need I say more?
3. She’s Familiar. For me this race is not about winning. With all of the amazing contestants out there, I know I have no chance whatsoever to win. For me, it’s about finishing and having a good time. This is my second Peacock Feathers. The first was made for my mother last Christmas. It’s comfort knitting at its finest and I intend to relax and have a good time.
So, we’re off and running. Here we are with our final member of the team – Agatha:
Traveling will be done this summer on The Amazing Lace. Itinerary so far – Bellevue, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Dallas (airport time only) and Orlando (YES!! Izzy time!) and who knows where else?
We have returned safe and sound from our trip to Vancouver – no small feat when you’re driving a car the size of a large suitcase! This was my first trip with the car on a longer trip (my husband drove it up from San Francisco) and I was pleasantly surprised that it was not too uncomfortable and I felt safe and secure. It was loud, however! The show was fun although we didn’t win anything. I think part of that was because we were one of the later arrivals and they ran out of room, so we were parked slightly apart from the rest of our class. It was cold and windy, but the rain stayed away. And knitting was accomplished (mostly in the hopes it would keep me warm):
In fact, knitting was completed on the Opal socks:
I find that the Opal yarn was not as soft as some others (namely, the Austermann), but I love the well-behaved stripes. Look mom – they match! These are for my friend who is embroidering the Hummels for me. And yes, that picture was taken today, beneath a very confused Christmas Cactus!!
The park where the car show was staged was Van Dusen park. It is well worth the trip! It is as beautifully landscaped as Buchardt Gardens, but in a less formal, more naturalistic style. And I think I have found a new passion – photographing flowers:
Before we left on our short trip, I got a wonderful package in the mail – my Project Spectrum gifts. Helen knows me well!
As you can see, in addition to lots of green goodies, there was (drum roll, please!) LACE YARN!! WOO HOO! This is Skacel Merino, one of my favorites, in a color I do not own. In addition, she enclosed the most beautiful irridescent green beads to go with it. So the search is on for the perfect project to make some beaded lace. Thanks, Helen – you’re the best!
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that I have done some housekeeping on my sidebar – long overdue! I have added some blogs that I read on a regular basis (not all, but a good sampling) and yes, I have caved in and joined The Amazing Lace. Later in the week I’ll introduce you to my partner.
“Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Just a reminder that I’m not getting too confident here! But I think I may be on the road to success in my quest for a tank. The first step was to fool the Gauge Demon. I decided to start from scratch by picking out a pattern I really liked, regardless of gauge (well, as long as it was close to recommended gauge for the yarn). I selected the tank from the Thorn and Thistle set from the current Interweave Knits. It has nice, slimming lines and offers a little more coverage than the average tank. The gauge was 5 stitches to the inch. Then, I did a gauge swatch with the size needles (4) that I felt gave a nice fabric. I got 6 stitches to the inch. Next, I looked at the pattern and found the size that, given MY gauge, would give me the closest desired measurement. I deduced that by using the directions for the 49 1/2″ size, with MY gauge, I would get a measurement of 41 1/2″. That gives me about 1 1/2″ ease – what I think is comfortable. And, for a change, once I started the actual knitting, my gauge remainded the same. Ok, enough talking – time to step up with proof:
I’m pretty happy with the results! My only worry is how it will fit. The measurements sound ok, but I’m not familiar with how cotton drapes on the body. Also, most tanks I have seen recommend “negative ease”. Well, I’m not a negative ease kind of gal! Time will tell.
This will probably be the last progress I’ll have for at least a week or so. This weekend my husband and I are heading off to a car show in Vancouver, Canada. We’re taking his Mini Cooper, so space is quite limited and I will be taking some socks and Peacock Feathers. When we return, I need to dedicate next week to finishing up my course on Early Childhood Development, then freedom for the summer!!
I leave you with some pictures of our gorgeous rhododendrons:
I is for Isobel.
What else? Can it be that she’s already one? This has been such a joyous year for us. Everything everyone said about being a grandparent is true! We loved being parents, but there is such a feeling of responsibility. With gandchildren you have absolutely no responsibility at all!! You just sit back and enjoy.
Since Ben & Abby moved to Florida we had been keeping their two dogs (or more accurately, Allen had been keeping them). Two weeks ago we shipped them off to their new home. We were a little concerned about how they would react to Izzy, since when she left she was just starting to sit up on her own. How would they react to this very mobile, intrusive little person? We need not have worried. Once they figured out that she was an unending source of Cheerios, they became fast friends:
They read stories together and watch the world go by:
So, Happy Birthday Izzy! We can’t wait to see what 2 will bring!
There has been stash enhancement here at Missouri Star this week:
Twelve skeins of Knit Picks Shine in sport weight, two skeins of Essential sock yarn in Navy and one skein of the self striping for Fair Isle socks. Take a close look because this is the last stash enchancement you’ll see for a while. I am officially on a yarn diet! Some expensive home repairs (a backed up septic system and a leaking skylight) have put a dent in our savings, so until I get that built back up I am trying to be frugal. I will allow myself some sock yarn and perhaps a lace pattern later in the summer, but at least until August I’m going to make do with what I have. You heard it here first!
The Shine is for my summer tank. I was so excited to begin, but the Gauge Demon is really rearing his ugly head! Plan A was for the Shine to transform into Calliope. The gauge calls for 31 stitches to 4 inches on size 2 needles. I’m a loose knitter and usually go down one size to start, but since this was already pretty small, did my guage on size 2’s. The pattern was lovely and I liked the fabric it made. My gauge? 23 stitches to 4 inches. Not even close! Then it kicked in. 31 stitches to 4 inches? That’s darn near the gauge I get on size 1 needles with fingering yarn! Are they out of their ever loving mind? Who could possibly knit that tightly with sport weight without breaking their fingers? I contemplated just keeping the gauge and calculating either knitting a smaller size or rewriting the pattern.
Instead I moved on to Plan B. In looking through the new Interweave Knits, I saw The Bonita Shirt. That’s the ticket. Sport weight yarn at 6 stitches to the inch on #5 needles. Much more realistic. I did a gauge on size 4’s. 6 stitches to the inch – spot on! I washed and dried my gauge. 6 stitches to the inch – spot on! So I spent the entire evening doing a crochet chain provisional cast on on size 2’s – 258 stitches! I spent the next evening doing 11 rows of stockinette for the hem. I debated doing a purl row for the turn or a picot hem, but in the end decided to go with the pattern as written and was very pleased with the nice rolled hem:
But wait, something wasn’t quite right! It seemed a little, well, LARGE! I tried measuring scrunched up on the needle and finally in desparation threw caution to the end, stretched it out to its full length. 52 inches!!!! Not 43 as it should have been. What happened? How could I get 6 stitches to the inch on size 4 needles one night and 5 stitches to the inch on size 2 needles the next????
I have debated what to do and changed my mind about 10 times, but as of this writing I think I will redo my gauge for Calliope, wash and dry it and then see if knitting a smaller size in a larger gauge will give me a good fit. SIGH! Is this why socks have seemed so attractive lately?
What a wonderful week this has been! I told my boss that he must be crazy to go away and close the office and leave me with an entire week at home. It gives me a little taste of retirement and I like it WAY too much! In addition the weather was gorgeous. On Thursday, my husband’s birthday, we drove to Keystone and walked on the ferry over to Pt. Townsend. On the drive down, only about a mile from our house, we passed a field and saw SIX bald eagles sunning themselves on the ground! It’s not unusual to see bald eagles, even in the trees around our house, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen that many on the ground.
Coming around the bend to the ferry, we had to pull over to the side of the road and admire the view. The sun was shining and you could look across the fields to the calm waters of Puget Sound with snow capped mountains in the background. Beautiful! Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for it. Like complete dummies, we remembered to bring the camera, but left the battery happily charging away back home.
However, I do have at least one knitting pic for you:
The Austermann Step fraternal twin socks are finished. Other than the frustration of trying unsuccessfully to match the stripes, this yarn was such a pleasure to work with. It is so incredibly soft. Do you like my sock blockers? My husband made them for me – I’m so pleased with them. I won’t really use them for washing my socks (stretches out the top rib), but I love them for being able to take pictures.
Last summer was the Summer of Lace and this summer is turning out to be the Summer of Socks. My knitting group wants to do a program on socks in October and yours truly has been appointed the fearless leader. I think I want to concentrate on free patterns off the net. I would like to knit as many of them as I can, and with my current sock yarn stash I should have no shortage of materials. Here’s the plan:
More Fun than Cables by Marguerite out of Knit Picks Essential (already finished).
Old Shale Two, once again by Marguerite. Knitted and given away so will have to do again with yarn to be determined.
Lizzies Lacy Ribs by Debi. Already started out of Regia Cotton. Scroll down on her sidebar for a list of her patterns.
Rob’s Twined Rib Socks, also by Debi. Not sure about these. I love the pattern, but would need to find some Sport Weight sock yarn. Any suggestions?
Broadripple socks, by Rob Matyska out of Lorna’s Laces.
Pomatomus by Cookie A. out of Regia Silk. As long as I don’t have to pronounce it.
Hedera by Cookie A. out of Regia Silk.
Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks by Marguerite out of scrap worsted.
I will also include several socks already knitted from my own generic top down pattern.
That’s the tentative schedule. I do have to look through Sock Bugs patterns and may substitute one of those. That gives me six pairs of socks to knit between now and October, not counting the toddler socks, which can be done in just a couple of evenings. Any hints or suggestions will gladly be accepted!
missouristar 