Run Live Knit

Stationery card

2011-12-14T17:17:00.001-05:00

Welcome Baby Girl Birth Announcement

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New Knitting Space

2011-07-11T14:50:00.002-04:00

So to make room for the baby, I've given up my knitting room. No big deal, once I got over it. A trip to Ikea was all we needed (plus about 100 trips up and down the stairs) and soon, all the yarn has found a new home (in an identical storage unit but who's keeping track?) in my dining room, which is now a more useful space, and quite lovely. If anyone complains about having to look at gorgeous, hand-dyed fiber during their meal, they can eat in the garage. I love the way my yarn is now closer to me and easier to visit. Plus the nursery is super cute!

More views of the dining room and yarn stash:

On the Blocking Board

2011-07-11T14:39:00.003-04:00

I love having things on the blocking board! So fun to see the evidence of my knitting laid out before being gifted away or folded into drawers. I have been knitting a lot over the past year or two, I just haven't been finishing anything. But with a new baby coming, two issues have arisen: #1, I needed to clean out the knitting room to turn it back into a nursery, and #2, I needed to knit some stuff for this new baby.

So in the process of finding place for all the yarn, notions, and projects that were in the knitting room, I took a good look at what yarn I wanted to keep and what yarn I was willing to let go. We moved all the keeper yarn into an Ikea Expedit storage unit (identical to the one being used in the knitting room) that we set up in the dining room. Why not make that room more useful? My sewing machine is in there too. It's got a nice long table and great lighting, perfect for sewing projects, hosting a knitter's circle, and keeping all my yarn visible so that I can be constantly inspired.

Storing the unfinished projects, however, was not so easy. As I found myself trying to make room for these items, I became very anxious and worried that I was turning my home into the next episode of Hoarders. Not good. I decided to actually finish those projects, some of which needed so little work to complete that I am embarrassed at how long those projects sat there. I finished a sweater for my husband, knit in Berroco's Ultra Alpaca. it's a beautiful blue tweed yarn that will look great on him - he looks so good in blue. When I cast on, he was a smaller size than he is now, so he's got til October to lose a few pounds =) It's the Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood (aka Brooklyn Tweed) that, according to my Ravelry log, I started in September 2007. Seriously that is just a stupidly-long time to knit something. I also finished pair #1 from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club, a club that I've been a member of for 3 or 4 years. Yes, I finished the first pair from the first shipment from my first year of membership in this club. Told you it was embarrassing!

Inspired by the completion of these objects, I cast on some stuff for the new baby who is due in October. A cardigan with matching cap, and two baby kimonos from the Mason-Dixon knitting book. See, the way I figure it, if I use up all my yarn stash, then I'm not a hoarder. Amirite? I also have two cousins with babies due within a week of my due date, so there is lots of baby knitting to be done this summer. After all, that's why I became a knitter in the first place. And they won't be newborns for long, so knit up!

Baby Jumper

2011-07-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

I made this for Baby Selene, I hope it fits!

Running and Pregnancy

2011-07-09T13:46:00.000-04:00

I started running in January of 2010, and ran my first 5k race in May of that year. I loved running almost immediately; after years of sedentary living and being overweight, it was a true joy to find something that was good for me and made me so happy. After about 3 months of running, I was able to go off the meds that I'd been on since having my first baby in 2003.

Last year, I ran a lot of races including my first half marathon. I put a lot of effort into losing weight so that I could be a better runner, and lost 40 pounds. For 2011, I had big plans: run most of the races I ran in 2010 to improve my times, run more miles per week, lose even more weight, weight train for better overall fitness, run a sub-30 5k. I could go on. These plans were entirely derailed when I discovered in February that I was unexpectedly pregnant.

The pregnancy is good news for us. Rob wanted another baby but wasn't willing to push for one (I think he's afraid of getting blamed for all the sleeplessness and laundry). I felt I was done, but as my boys (5 & 8) got older, I was missing the baby days. Once I found out I was pregnant, I realized how much I really did want another little one around here.

It's been great so far. I've been able to run all along, even now at 26 weeks pregnant, and I feel great. I feel better than I have with my other 2 pregnancies. I have limited my weight gain to a very healthy level - just 15 pounds so far, with 14 weeks to go. I have more energy, strength, and stamina than with my other pregnancies. I am not wallowing in my condition, laying around like a frail patient. I'm gardening, playing with my kids, swimming at the lake, lifting weights, and running.

I did a lot of research. I know that running is not just safe for pregnancy, it's good for pregnancy. It's good for mom and baby. Labor and delivery is easier; postpartum recovery is easier; baby's adjustment to the outside world is easier; pregnancy itself has fewer complications and is easier. You know what's not good for a pregnant women with a normal pregnancy? Laying around and eating all day. Gaining 60+ pounds. That's what I did with my first pregnancy, and I ended up on bedrest, with pre-eclampsia, getting induced at 37 weeks and nearly having a c-section. I had an 18-hour labor with 3 hours of pushing because I was too weak to push my own baby out. I was sore for weeks after that strenuous workout. Not something I want to revisit.

This time around, I am healthier and fitter than I've ever been in my life. Being pregnant at age 42 is not an excuse to stop taking care of yourself; it's a reason to take the best care of yourself that you can.

Run Like the Dickens 10k, December 11, 2010

2010-12-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

Today I ran my 10th race of 2010! The Run Like the Dickens 10k in Holly, Michigan. A small race which Chuck (Charles1968) told me about; they actually had a record # of attendees this year, but it was still a nice, smallish (1000ppl), local event. The 5k started 5 minutes earlier than the 10k and ran in a different direction, which spread out the field nicely.

Chuck promised me a flat course (after our hellish hills in Hell on Halloween) and he did not disappoint. I started off too fast and held it together best I could. My splits were a bit wonky - from 10:48 to 11:44 - but I got to the finish line with a PR. My official time is 1:10:41 (11:13 pace) and I'm happy with that. I had some issues with being hungry (foolishly skipped breakfast and by the time I was running, I'd been up for over 3 hours) but otherwise it was all good.

I was not alone in this race, and it was nice to be amongst a group of similarly-paced runners. This was not the case when my paces were in the 12-13mm range. So I liked that. Next race season, I hope to be about 20 pounds lighter and in the 9-10mm range.

I didn't have my phone, but I wish I had gotten a pic of Chuck in his santa suit - green tights with santa shorts and hat, red top, and bells on his shoes. He looked awesome! So very cool to see a friend at the race, too!

Ann Arbor Turkey Trot, November 25, 2010

2010-11-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hey I ran a 5k on Thanksgiving morning! It was a well-run course on the U-M campus. Weather was 38 and raining. My brother and his GF Midge ran it too.

Course was a bit hilly and started with a downhill; I went out way too fast and even with a walk break up a hill I finished the first mile in 10:29. Got my act together and finished the race in 33:29 - a 5 minute PR for me and an overall pace of 10:55. I've been trying to get my pace into the 11's so this was a huge deal for me, much more so than the PR.

Midge took first place overall female. We embarrassed her by cheering insanely at the awards ceremony - she'd rather quietly take the plaque and leave early.

Then I went home and cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 11 people. An awesome Thanksgiving, for sure.

Run Thru Hell 10k, October 31, 2010

2010-10-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

So many fun ways to title this RR:
FE from Hell; Tracy Runs with the Devil; A Cold Day in Hell; etc.

I have been really looking forward to this event in Hell, Michigan. It was a fundrasier to buy the couple who used to organize this race a wheel-chair accessible van, since the wife (Dolores) had a stroke last year and they weren't able to get out of their house very easily anymore. 100% of the race proceeds went to the cause, and in the end they raised all they needed to buy Dolores her van. Very cool.

Over 3000 runners were there - a huge turnout and proof of how great the running community is. It made for a crowded start, but what beats hearing 3000 people sing Happy Birthday to our lady Dolores, who turns 80 next week? I was in tears!

My day started at 6:30 with some coffee and getting ready. Some of us were carpooling and meeting at 7:45. Of course Chuck (our own Charles1968, brave enough to get into a car with a strange lady he met on the Interwebz) called at 7AM to find out where the exact meet was. After I gave him directions, he politely told me he was already in town (40 minutes early) and would read a book at the meeting spot. Ok! I have a neighbor, one I ran into at the Crim, who was running this too, so I picked her up - her costume was a blue skirt and jacket, with horns and a pitch fork (Devil in a Blue Dress, get it?). So off we go to pick up Chuck and my friend John (another stranger I met thru Daily Mile, we've run together and he's great and wanted to pace me to a PR for this race).

The ride there was so fun - a bunch of Michigan runners talking about all the events they've run and will do again, etc. Chuck is an awesome guy and it was so much fun to be with those guys; usually I drive to races alone and no wonder I'm such a bag of anxiety when I get there. The distraction of friends is a good thing on race day.

The start area was packed with runners, and we were delayed a bit - wow was it freezing, but once we were off it was good to be running and getting warmed up. This was an out and back course, so the great downhills we had were hard to appreciate - I knew I'd just have to climb back up them! Some of the hills weren't bad, a couple were not so nice, but they just never ended. It was hard to get into my groove because it was just one hill after another. The effort felt difficult the entire time, which it should - this was not a training run.

My last 10k was on a cool day in June, and I know I've gotten a lot faster since then (relatively speaking, of course). My time back then was 1:21, a 13:06 pace. Yesterday's splits were:

Mile 1: 11:44 (target pace is 11:50, so this is good)
Mile 2: 10:41 (my best mile ever, but a bit too fast)
Mile 3: 11:30
Mile 4: 11:44 (on target but my chest is feeling the pain from an elevated HR all this time)
Mile 5: 12:44 (struggling, took a walking break up a hill to get my HR down
Mile 6: 10:45 (giving it what I got, we are almost there, I pass a few folks)
Mile .22: 2:01 (9:04 pace, my HR gets up to 201 during this short time, so glad I didn't puke)

My goal was to run 6- 12 minute miles and finish between 1:12 and 1:15; I ended up with a pace of 11:27 and a finish time of 1:11:06.

We met Stephanie (ChubbyLungs) but didn't get a pic of her in her cute Dorothy costume. We met up with Tif (33Michigan) and squeezed Chuck into a photo up between 2 sweaty, dirty women - he didn't mind =)

It was a great day in Hell!

Grand Rapids Half, October 17, 2010

2010-10-17T10:46:00.000-04:00

Today I ran the Grand Rapids Half Marathon. It was a well-run event on a very nice course; few hills, lots of scenery, and great post-race food.

I woke up Friday morning with a terrible sore throat and stuffed-up head. I was pretty worried that this was going to ruin the race for me and all the months of training that I've put in. Nothing to do but rest up, dose myself with meds and vitamin C, and wait.

We arrived on Saturday for the kids race - my kids collected 25 miles over the past 8 weeks, then ran the 1.2 mile event to complete their 'marathon.' They received shirts and nice medals and had a blast. I had an FE with Heidi, Neil, and Mary from the forums - it was great meeting them. I also ran into some local runners and my own brother with his girlfriend and some of their friends. My parents came in to cheer us on as well. It was fun!

A day in the swimming pool, a night out to dinner, and early to bed. I never sleep well the night before races, and this night was no exception. Around midnight, I searched thru my purse and lucked upon some Sudafed - the only thing that works for me on head colds but the meth dealers make the pseudophedrine stuff hard to get. At 3AM, I woke up and realized that my head was actually feeling ok. At 5:30, the alarm went off and I got ready to go. Met my dad in the lobby and he drove me to the race start (who else would get up so early for someone?). I was taking the early start for the 'velocity-challenged' runners, so my race started at 7am.

I had a few goals for this race: come in under 3 hours, come in before my brother (he was running the half as well but not taking the early start), and then a stretch goal of coming in between 2:40 and 2:45. I had pace bands for all 3 times printed out, but left them at home. I just had to run the best I could with what I had, head cold and all. My good friend John told me in a training run (where we ran 13.7 miles at a 12:12 pace, stopping the watch for bathroom and drink breaks) that I had to get it out of my head that I was a 13mm runner; this gave me so much confidence and my training since then has proved it. I tweaked the Higdon intermediate plan and ran 5 days a week, peaking at 30mpw. I got great advice from the forums and changed my intervals from 400's to 800's. I got comfortable with running at uncomfortable speeds. I am 40 pounds lighter than when I ran my first 5k in 40:00 in May. I ran a hilly 10-mile Crim in August in 2:17. So here's how the race went down:

Mile 1: 12:14 right on pace. Feeling great! No sign of a head cold. Happy that the day is here and grateful that John came to the start line early to see me off. Saw Heidi again too!

Mile 2: 12:24. Hey did I mention it's still dark out? Yeah and I am wearing sunglasses. Still feeling good. Running thru the business district of Grand Rapids.

Mile 3: 14:39 . First porta-potty stop. Luckily there is no line and I take care of business as quickly as possible. The sun starts rising and it's lovely. Also, taking the early start is awesome because I am passing everyone. I use my first Gu.

Mile 4: 11:54 Trying to make up the time lost in the porta-pot. Too bad the RD won't stop the race clock when I go to the bathroom!

Mile 5: 11:56 This is the highlight of the day - my dad surprises me by being on the side of the course and jumps in to run half of this mile with me.

Mile 6: 12:31 Entering a park area and another potty stop. Seriously. No line again so it was quick. Suddenly ravenous. Eat Gu chomps for food rather than energy.

Mile 7: 11:17 The park is nice, lots of mist or fog. Why so fast? No idea.

Mile 8: 12:41 That fast mile is catching up to me. Left hammy getting angry. 4 miles to go!

Mile 9: 12:45 Just realized the bad math I did in mile 8 and now I have 4 miles to go. Less encouraged now that I feel like I am running an extra mile. Eat rest of Gu chomps to see if that gives me a boost.

Mile 10: 12:27 Total time now 2:04; with my 1-hour head start, the fastest of the half runners have passed me - these guys are running 5 and 6mm. I don't mind the eye candy that I get treated to at this point. I also see the 1st female finisher - she's in my AG and finishes in 1:24.

Mile 11: 12:05 This part of the course loops back and I cross the other runners who are on mile 6 or so. I see Heidi and she is looking great.

Mile 12: 12:29 Really wanting to walk at this point. I debate and do bad math. Finally figure out that I can finish under 2:50 if I keep running. I keep running.

Mile 13: 10:54 My kids, husband, and parents are on this corner cheering me on. I *so* needed the pick-me-up. How awesome that they are all here, 2 hours from home, to support me! (and my brother but whatever) I finish this mile with all I've got - my first sub-11 mile ever.

After seeing them:

Final .1 (or .26 of the garmin): 2:53 (10:59 pace). Oh I am struggling but I will not slow down. It hurts and I keep running. The crowd is cheering me on and it really helps. I am crying with the struggle to keep running; that finish line seems so so far away. I can't imagine what people saw but I clearly needed the cheers. The announcer calls my name as I come down, and that's a first for me - really neat. I finished this race with every last drop of whatever I had left, sobbing and crossing that mat just as it clicks over to 2:43. Several volunteers ask me if I need help. I had to keep walking and can barely get it together. A medal, a 13.1 sticker, a space blanket. I am a mess but in a really good way. Then I hear my brother's name get called and how cool - I finished just minutes before him. Yeah I had a 1-hour head start, but he's 10-years younger, in great shape, and has been running for several years.

Chip time: 2:42:31 (12:17-garmin- or 12:24 pace). Beer and chili in the finishers tent. Nab ice cream for my kids who have been dealing with this race for a couple of hours by now. Full runners start coming in. Cheer other finishers on for quite awhile. See Neil who rocked his half and must have finished within minutes of me (gotta love that head start!). See some really bloody nipples owie. My brother's girlfriend does not BQ as she had hoped and that's a bummer. Cheer runners until my children cannot handle it anymore and we have to leave before they kill each other. Shower and go to a local bar for the Bears game. They lose. Head cold comes back with a vengeance. Drive home 2 hours and happy happy sore sniffling happy.

Really nice medal and an awesome long sleeve tech shirt.

Text #1 received from my mom: Can't believe you ran 13 miles today. We r so proud of you! (Thanks Mom, I can't believe it either!)

Run Woodstock Far Out 5k & Flower Power 5 Mile, September 25, 2010

2010-09-25T10:40:00.000-04:00

An area LRS (Running Fit) put on an amazing event this weekend, called Run Woodstock. 3 days of peace, love, and running. They took the hippie theme to the hilt and had trail running events of every distance, from 5k to 100 miles. It was held really close to my home so participating was a must. I convinced my husband (not a runner) to sign up; he agreed to the Flower Power 5-miler on Saturday. The event had a commune (campground), so we set out on Friday to make a weekend out of it.

After packet pick-up, it was nearly time for the 100 mile and 100k events to begin. These folks would run from 4pm on Friday until whenever they finished or dropped, whichever came first (30-hour cut-off for 100 mile). I was thrilled to be there to watch them begin. I got to meet a local ultra runner, a woman and mom named Farra; she is so inspiring to me. There were runners from all over who came for this event. The 100-mile folks had to run 6 loops of a 16.6 mile trail, which is known for its challenging hills, sand, rocks, roots, and ruts. A local guitarist played a Jimi-Hendrix-style national anthem and they were off, off to run for up to 30 hours!

We set up our camp and got into running clothes; a free, fun, untimed 5k was starting at 7:30pm. My husband (Rob) is a bit out of shape, but he started working out a couple months ago and he run/walks 4 miles or so on a treadmill 2-3 times per week. I knew I was pushing it with him and the 5 miles on the trail, but I really want to include him in these running events as more than a spectator. He agreed to the 5-miler, and I signed him up for the 5k more as a ‘surprise’ – it was free, and there was a pizza party after!

It was just starting to get dark when we listened to the national anthem again and set off for the trail. Our final instructions: if you want to run au naturale, turn left at the fork in the path about 1 mile in.

So off we go, running in the woods at night. Such a treat! The trail was beautiful, albeit difficult, and we were feeling good. We got to the fork in the road and hemmed and hawed. In the planning, I thought I would do it, but when push came to shove I was kinda chicken. Rob said, “Let’s do it! You only live once!” (He had been the one saying no-way all along!) So we turned left.

Now, this should be the juicy part of the story, but not so much. A sign or something must have been turned around or knocked over, because we never came to the clearing where the helpers were supposed to be waiting to serve us champagne and watch our clothes. We kept going and going; it was clear we were lost, and the wrong turn added almost a mile to our 5k (oops). I made up for it by mooning Rob as he ran behind me =)

I really loved running at night. It became super dark, with a big moon to light our way. We had headlights and flashlights to navigate the trail, which had some hills and a mud pit. One hill was super-steep and all sand, it was like climbing a sand dune. Still, this was great fun and a high point of the weekend.

Back at the commune, hot pizza, live music, and a warm campfire awaited us. It was a party of runners. We stayed with the others for a while, then headed to our own site; we lit a fire, met another runner who chatted with us, until I was too cold to stay outside any longer. The wind had picked up terribly and it was so very cold. We were close to the base camp that the ultra runners had to run through as a check-point and aid station. I loved hearing the cheers for them as they came through, and it was hard to feel sorry for yourself in your camp chair with your beer and your feet up by the fire when others are running thru the night. Still, it was hard to sleep with the cheering, the rough wind slapping the tent, and the baby crying all night in the tent next to us (poor kid – I felt terrible in the morning when I met his mom, who was running the full marathon that morning after being up all night with the baby!).

In the morning, I brewed some coffee and helped Rob with his timing chip. A 50-mile and 50k event started at 6am, a full and half marathon started at 7:30am, and our 5-miler started at 8am. We pinned on our bibs, shared a bagel and a banana, and went off to the starting line. It was cool camping so close to the start, as I could leave my warm clothes on and ditch them at just the last second.

This trail run was a real challenge. You had to pay constant attention to your footing. Rocks, roots, sand, mud, fallen limbs, hills… we had it all. I loved it. A couple really steep hills caused Rob some trouble – he’s a night owl, not a morning person, and not a morning runner; he suffered during this event. He does his thing on the treadmill after work; this hilly morning business was not for him. He was a trooper about it, but I know he was not loving the run as much as I had hoped. Some folks in the trail running forum mentioned that this was a difficult course, especially for someone coming off a treadmill. “Take separate cars” was among the advice I was given. I’m glad we had done the night run the night before, because I think he enjoyed that a lot. Our loop was part of the full marathon loop, so there were other runners on the trail, all awesome and so encouraging. It was a great experience.

Rob agreed to run hard the last bit as we came into the finish line. I think the course was long (my Garmin read 5.7 miles) but I didn’t tell Rob that. It took us 1:25 to finish, not last place but not too far from it. The plan all along was to take it easy, get through it with easy running and just enjoy the experience. I told Rob how proud I was of him and put his medal on.

The swag at this event rocked. 100-mile finishers received an awesome belt buckle. Al runners of 5 miles or more got a very cool medal. And, I loved the race shirts:

And the medals:

AG awards were 5-deep – they got these cool toy replica VW micro-buses decked out hippie-style, and OA winners for each event got LAVA LAMPS. Before we left, the 100-mile winner came in at around 17-ish hours:

We packed up our camp and headed home. We stopped for lunch and talked about the experience. Rob was sore and had some chafing; I tolerated lots of complaining about ailments that I’ve had for months now. It felt good to introduce him to ‘the (chafing) club.’ He was still sore this morning, but not holding it against me, and I think I can get him to run it next year.

I think I will shoot for the full next year, the 50k if I can swing it. I see lots more trail running in my future.

The Crim 10 Mile, August 28, 2010

2010-08-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

So with 10,000 people running the Crim today, there are bound to be a few from RWBF =) Hopefully you aren't sick of all these RRs yet.

Very cool event, starting on these brick streets of Flint. 10 miles later, you end up on the bricks again and it's an awesome feeling to know you are so close to the finish line!

I had to get up at 5:30 this morning and should have gone to bed earlier. the logistics of getting myself and my kids there, plus packing for the company picnic following the race... it was a lot of prep work. Wide awak at 2am did not help matters. Point is, I was more tired than I should have been. Still, the adrenaline was all there this morning when the race started. A sea of people. The best part about this event for me was that I was always surrounded by people. It did slow me down, but it was nice to not feel left in the dirt. There were always other runners around me.

Great weather, great crowd support - people with sprinklers all over, and a frat house offering donuts! The big downer was a serious lack of porta-potties. Several of my miles were more a race-to-not-mess-my-pants than a race-to-the-finish. In the end, I did not mess my pants, I did finish, and I really felt great about it. A year ago, 10 miles was not even in the concept of what a person like me could run. Today, I did it.

Not much for photos but here's what I've got:

Me at the finish line, a sweaty mess but so happy

My kids, who I have never been happier to see

And then we got to meet Batman and Robin! My youngest has a secret - he is going to be Batman when he grows up, but don't tell anyone!

My final stats:

Distance 10M
Clock Time 2:20:47
Chip Time 2:17:03
Overall Place 7657 / 9508
Gender Place 3377 / 4730
Division Place 519 / 689
Half 1:10:05

Not too far off my goal pace of 13:30 for my upcoming half. I feel really confident that I can run a half in less than 3 hours. I was questioning, at about mile 8 today, why I would be wanting to do that. But I do! And I will!

Solstice Run 5k - June 26, 2010

2010-06-26T10:34:00.000-04:00

I ran the 5k at the Northville, Michigan Solstice Run this morning. The weather held out despite some threats of rain. It was overcast, which was great, and not too hot.

I reached my #1 goal of conquering my nerves. I mastered them today! I think racing a 10k a few weeks ago made a big difference in my attitude towards this event.

I also reach my #2 goal of kicking my own a$$! I did not allow my mind to psyche itself out. I practiced one of the techniques that I've read here when I felt like walking: evaluate my breathing - just fine, how are my legs - no pain, then do we need to walk? No we do not. I picked people in front of me and passed them. If someone passed me, I paced them. I just felt good and strong the entire race. There were times I thought of Love the Half and his 5k strategy of running at almost-puke levels, and there were times that I was running that way, running faster than I ever have before.

Goal #3 was to beat 40 minutes, my previous PR. My splits were: 12:03, 13:16, 12:11, and 1:06, for a final time of 38:37.

I also got to see 2 guys from my running group, and had a FE with Rachael (oh I forget her screen name here, she posted the other day that this would be her first race. She found me in my lime-green running skirt and then wished me well later as the race started. I never passed her, so she must have done well! I hope she will chime in!) I drove to the race with 2 friends, and after the event we walked thru the art festival and stopped for a snack of a really delicious veggie roll - super fresh and so good. This is the 2nd event that has offered pizza after the race, and I cannot stomach the idea of something like that at 9:30 in the morning and after running.

So to recap: great day, goals met, friends seen and new friends made, all in all about the best you can ask for!

Dexter-Ann Arbor 10k RR - June 6, 2010

2010-06-06T10:32:00.000-04:00

My first 10k, so an automatic PR. I ran well and felt good. I pushed myself and played a lot of mental games to avoid walking. There were some hills that were ok to deal with, and one b/tch of a hill at the end that nearly killed me. The 10k distance is no joke, either, especially to a beginner like me.

I've run 2 5k's before this with and nerves got the best of me. I felt terrible in both races. So this time, I was well prepared; I ran this course last weekend in terrible heat. But at race time, I knew where I was going, where the mile markers were (this course was well marked, but it was still nice to have a feel for where I was), and how bad the hill at the end was. Since race day weather was going to be awesome, I was not nervous - just excited and happy. It felt great to be out there in a neat town (we started and ended in downtown Ann Arbor, while the half marathoners were starting in Dexter and running to Ann Arbor - my brother and his gf were in that race). The race was sold out, so I was with 1539 other runners (6800 participants total). Nice crowd!

The skies were threatening rain, which never came (altho I reall wished for it around mile 4). It was cool - 68* - and the course was beautiful. It started downhill and I didn't care for it on cold legs. But the first mile is always the worst for me, and this day was no different. I stopped at the mile 1 water station, had a drink, and never stopped again. At the 3.1 turnaround, I was at 39:40 - a 5k PR for me, and then I enjoyed counting all the people on the other side who hadn't turned around yet. It kept me busy and motivated. I was passing people those last miles, and that felt good too. There were some speed walkers that were fast, I had a hard time passing them and paced them, chatting a bit. They had just walked a 5k in 36 minutes the day before... It was nice chatting with them and then speeding up to leave them behind me. There was a couple of gallo folks that leap frogged me the entire time. Interesting way to get thru the time. It must be less painful when you have all those walk breaks. Running the entire distance was not easy - I don't always take walk breaks when I run, but if I am not feeling it on a training run, I always have that option. In this race, I really wanted to run it and be strong. I just kept talking to myself, keep going, it's only 2 more miles, you can do this, it's supposed to hurt, you don't want to leave anything out here.

Mile 5 was nothing special, I just kept running and used one of my meditation mantras to get into a zone. I knew the hill was coming so I had to just get to it. It's in the last quarter mile of mile 6. I ran it, and it hurt - it is long and steep, but I got up it and had nothing left. I wanted to sprint down the finish block, and I did pick up the pace but not as fast as I wanted. The streets were lined with people cheering us on, which was awesome, and I looked at the faces and knew that I was alone - my brother was back in Dexter still and I hadn't encouraged my family to come, it's a long day for the kids and they had other stuff to do. I was fine with it until the finish, all those faces I was passing and no one even knows me. Then I hear my dad call out "Go Tracy!" and I couldn't believe it. My dad was there for me! Such an emotional boost after a tough run. I sobbed my way over the mat and forgot to stop my watch. I didn't care so much about my time but I felt good about my run, and that was my goal. My time was good for me though, and I am happy with it - 1:21:20 (a 13:06 pace).

I got a water and went to find my dad. He walked back with me to get some food - they had orange slices and I have never tasted anything so good. The half runners were delayed because a storm had knocked a tree into the course the night before. So we had some time together to wait for my brother. I stretched and used the porta potty (I passed one and mile 4 even tho I needed it, not peeing my pants was part of what kept me running!). My stomach was upset and food was not appealing to me.

When the first half-marathoner crossed (1:06), we were there cheering the runners on. That was so much fun. Those runners are just amazing - to maintain such a fast pace for 13.1 miles?!? Incredible!

There was a really large woman finishing the 5k around the same time. Her time was 1:26. We were at just the top of the hill, which was clearly a struggle for her. But she did it, and it was great to see the effort that people put into their own participation in these events. We can't all run a 20-minute 5k, but we are still out there, using events as motivators to get fit, be active, run what we can. I wish running were a bigger part of our culture, I wish I had started sooner, but I am glad I started.

My brother ended up running a 1:44:50, his gf a 1:41:27. We went to the Taste of Ann Arbor together and then a micro-brew for food and beer all afternoon. A great day, truly!

Spring Snowman 5k - May 8, 2010

2010-05-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

Today was my second race, a 5k here in my small town of Brighton. The event is a fundraiser for the University of Michigan Mott's children's hospital, where my own son had his skull reconstructed at the tender age of 6 months by the best medical professionals in the world. I am an MSU grad, but the experience at the U-M hospital has made me a lifelong fan. (My kid is 4 now and totally awesome.) The founders of the race lost their son to a rare blood cancer, so this is what they do now to honor their son. Very cool. Their oldest child is the youngest kid to run the Detroit Marathon at age 15!

Anyway, Spring Snowman is a very fitting name for this race. It is about 43* here today and windy is an understatement. We had gusts of 40mph. I wish they had been tailwinds! I think a lot of people DNS because of the weather - 350 were registered, and I would be shocked if there were 200 runners. The good news is that it didn't start raining until mile 2. By then I had lost a lot of steam and was starving - I forgot my banana and did not have any of my usual pre-run food. I still ran the race but did not PR. My gun time is 40:59 or 41. The wind was blowing the chip towers over, so there is no chip time - it probably took me 30 seconds to get to the starting line. I'm ok with that. I think I am not much of a racer; I just want to keep running and feeling good, doing good things for my spirit and my body. I've been running since January - I think I can give myself some time to think about speed.

It was a fun race though. The people were friendly, I wasn't nervous (like last time where I felt sick from nerves), and it was awesome to be running in my own town and seeing the local runners. There are some fast folks around here! I love being part of the running community.

After the race, I drove about a mile away to my son's soccer game where all the parents were wet and freezing. I was red-faced and sweaty and still wearing my bib. Caught the last few minutes of his game even!

My next race is a 10k on June 6. Glad to be getting back to long run and endurance work!

Heart of a Spartan 5k RR - May 2, 2010

2010-05-02T10:28:00.000-04:00

Since I graduated from Michigan State back in 1992, it was quite appropriate for me to run this as my first race. My brother, Mike, signed me up in January, paid my race fees, and got me started with running. He and his girlfriend, Margaret, were signed up for the 10k. Once my dad found out I was running, he decided to run the 5k too. He used to run a lot of races when I was a kid, but once he got into soccer he stopped. With two ACL replacements, he plays soccer on just one league and stays fit with other forms of exercise. (He is awesome and I wish I had his level of fitness!) A couple of my friends also decided to run the 5k. Very cool!

3 months ago, I had never run a step. I started the RW beginner's program and built up to running 30 minutes at a time. I've built up my mileage so that my long runs are now from 5-6 miles. 4 days a week of running, outside in Michigan all winter long, to get ready for this race! I couldn't believe it was finally here!

All along, just the thought of the race has made me nervous. Last week, I was on edge and nervous constantly. I wish I had addressed those nerves but I wasn’t thinking clearly. The night before the race, we drove to East Lansing to pick up our race packets. SO exciting! The morning of the race, I woke up early - way too early than I needed to. I had a bit of toast and some coffee. My stuff was packed and I was ready with an hour to just be nervous.

Rain was predicted all along, and we were just hoping that no thunder would delay the race. Sure enough, it was either pouring or drizzling the whole time. The 10k runners got soaked. Margaret, who was an All-American athlete when she went to Michigan State, won 2nd place in her age group. She is awesome and so modest she tucked her medal into her shirt.

The 5k runners – 2300 of them – were waiting in this parking garage near the start to stay dry. It was wild to be surrounded by so many people who were all waiting to run. I was glad that my dad and my friends were there. I couldn’t really warm up because we were so cramped. Looking back, I should have left my group and run up the garage ramps or something. I know that I don’t run well on cold legs!

We lined up in our pace groups. The slowest running pace group was 10 minutes, so I lined up at the back of that, in front of the walkers. My dad runs about a 10mm so that was good for him. My friend Denise was there too, although she ended up running an 8:20 pace and getting 5th in her age group! The race started on time and we all set out in this huge pack of people, but not before my dad gave me a big hug and told me how proud he is of me. I know my lack of fitness has been a concern of his, but he would never say so. His way is to support the positive things his kids do, not criticize the negatives. I know that is why he joined this race with me and so I was really choked up when he acknowledged it.

It took 3:37 just to cross the starting line. My brother was along the street early on and he jumped in and ran with me for a bit. He was so happy to see us! I ran a bit fast with him and when he went back to the street, everything hit me. My nerves swallowed me up and I started having a panic attack, I suddenly felt like throwing up and started mentally attacking myself. My inner running dialogue is usually positive, when I'm not totally zoned out. So to be suddenly thinking that I couldn’t run this, had to throw up, what am I doing… it was not a good way to start the first mile. I wasn’t thinking straight but I just kept going. I knew my legs were not right but I couldn’t figure out why. I couldn’t focus on my stride or find my strength. I knew there was a water stop after the first mile, so I told myself just to get there.

The rain was bad and it was hard to see. I couldn’t see mile markers and didn’t know how far I had gone. I realize now how important those mile markers are to me on my regular runs. I mentally challenge myself to get to each one. Without those, I really struggled to pace myself and motivate myself. I finally reached the first water station and stopped to take a drink. I couldn’t get myself to calm down and choked on the water. I felt so confused and really, had I been operating heavy machinery, it would have been unsafe. My nerves were eating me alive!

I ran again and still had no idea how far I had left. There were people and strollers everywhere and people would just stop right in front of me. I was never able to find my stride and never had the chance to just run! Even if I found someone to pace myself with, they would stop and walk and then I had to pass them and I just didn’t have a good feel for my pace. I know that my legs felt weak from lack of food, lack of sleep, and lack of confidence.

As we rounded the turn onto campus that takes us past the Sparty statue, I knew we had ¾ of a mile to go, and I tried to pick up my pace at that point. I was able to fight myself then to run hard and run through the weakness I was feeling. Once the stadium was in sight, I felt so relieved that the race was almost over. We approached the tunnel into the stadium and I knew we’d be on the Jumbo-tron as we crossed the finish line. Just as I started my sprint, some dude crossed right in front me of me to high-five a guy in an animal costume. I came so close to slamming into him and OH! It made me so angry. He was the 50th person to get in my way on a race I was already struggling with. It was hard to get going again after going around him, as the tunnel incline began there, but I picked it up and ran onto the football field of the stadium to cross the finish line on the 50-yard line.

I didn’t get much past the finish before I saw my dad. He was waiting there for me and hugged me and handed me a water bottle and I just started to cry. My emotions and nerves and the relief of finishing engulfed me. My dad was beaming at me. I am a 40-year-old mother of two and still thrilled to be making my dad proud. We saw my brother who was also beaming, then my husband, another perma-grin. Their happiness really picked me up. My kids saw me on the Jumbo-tron and it was very cool to be finished with the race and have all their support. We found our other people, got some water – they had a lot of food there but I could not eat. When I checked my time on my iPod, I thought I had beat my goal of sub-40 with a 38:40. The times posted were only the gun time of 43:37, so that was a bummer as I wanted to see how I had done.

We stayed in Spartan Stadium until it was time for the kids 1-mile. We ran out the stadium, along the Red Cedar River, across a bridge and back, through the tunnel and onto the field. We all ran together – my dad, my husband (not a runner!), my brother, Margaret, and my boys. I had this backpack on that DH had brought, full of water bottles and umbrellas – I swear it weighed 10 pounds. But we all did the mile and my 4-year-old and 7-year-old finished in about 12:50. I think that was the fastest I had run all day. The kids got medals and they were so proud of themselves. I was so proud of them. Definitely, this was the highlight of the day for me.

The final race times were posted last night, and my official chip time is 40:00.5. This is about my training pace (12:53) and not really impressive. A few small things could have gone differently for me to make my goal, but it didn’t happen. I am still happy that I ran the race, that I finished, that I got it these first-race-jitters out of my system. I have another 5k this Saturday, a very small local race, so I will hope for a PR.

I have an image in my head of who I am. A runner, a mom, a strong woman, a fit person. I feel good about what I have done so far. I saw a couple of pictures of myself from the race and all I see is an overweight barely-moving person. This does not match who I think I am! I am extremely motivated to get my body where my mind is. I know I need to lose weight and beef up the cross and strength training. I can be a stronger runner. I know that I am doing good things for myself, and that there is more for me to do. When I am my dad’s age, I want to be racing with my kids, and maybe winning, too.

Thanks, if you made it this far. It took me longer to write this than to run the 5k =)

My Brother...

2009-02-18T06:53:00.003-05:00

...is so awesome.Yea, he's a great guy, funny, good singer, great uncle to my kids, caring, loving, blah blah blah. I'm biased. What is awesome about him is his attitude. He is calm in the midst of drama, understanding of others' shortcomings, and centered about life in a way that makes him willing to do what he has to to get by, but also motivated to find the right thing to fulfill him.

Mike used to be a rough carpenter. The money was good and he was good at it. He enjoyed playing practical jokes on his co-workers (painting their hammers pink and nailing their tool bags down, etc.) and he had a lot of good friends. He worked outside all winter and made the best of it. He was proud to drive past the homes he had helped to build. After his crew of buddies moved away (thanks Michigan economy!), he joined a new crew where he realized that it wasn't the job so much as the people he worked with, and once they were gone, so was his love of the job. And he didn't want to move away from his family to find work in other states.

After my dad tore his ACL and went through physical therapy, Mike got interested in PT and looked into it. How he chose this is probably a story I should know, but I was probably pregnant or nursing or somehow not paying attention. Mom and I always thought he should be a personal trainer; Mike is very fit and active and health conscious. PT seemed a good field for him, and PTAs (physical therapy assistants) are in high demand job-wise AND require a 2-year program. Mike already had some college in his background, and we were all happy for him when he went back to school and got into a PTA program.

Mike has spent the last several years working at least one job while in school full-time. A PT Aide position opened up at U-M, and Mike pursued it relentlessly. He was a top pick for the job, but had to wait for who-knows-what to happen to fill the opening. The time spent waiting for him to hear about the position was agonizing. Probably for him, too. I tried not to leave him a daily voice mail: "Did you hear yet?" "Any word from U-M?" "Hey how about that job?" I wanted that job for him and I wanted him to know that I cared and was waiting right along with him to get that job. (I probably made it pretty annoying.) When he finally got the call with an official nod and a start date, I could not have been happier than if my own child had announced a free ride to Harvard had been awarded him. (I'm pretty sure Mike was happy about it, too.)

So Mike started working at the U-M PT department (MedSport), cleaning up after patients, running errands, icing down patients, and being an aide. He was also still working thru the PTA curriculum at his college and getting more knowledgeable and experienced, and having more hands-on work with patients. Mom got her physical therapy at MedSport, and Mike would ice her down at the end. The people who work with Mike love him, with good reason. He works hard (thanks Dad for that work ethic!), is friendly and funny and nice. Also, some people think he is really good looking. He's my brother so I am not thinking along those lines, but I see where they are coming from. I remember feeding him jarred spaghetti baby food and him smearing it all over his face. But I have friends who think he should be a Calvin Klein underwear model (hands off my brother Jodie!). Anyway, he's made great friends at MedSport. And he isn't painting their stethoscopes pink or anything, but there is a certain amount of office fun and camaraderie that Mike enjoys. He is still Mike, after all, the boy who used to booby trap our house (a gene my boys seem to have inherited thankyouverymuch) and throw snow balls at cars.

He's now completing his clinicals and will graduate in May. Oh there will be a big party. I could not be prouder of my brother for what he has accomplished and for pursuing a career that was not easily achieved and that required years of being broke ass, but that satisfied his soul.

All this lead up so that I could share with you the e-mail that I received this morning from Mike. I've been crying ever since. Here it is:

I may have made you wonder why i told you that i loved making that patient scream yesterday when i stretched the hell out of his knee. Well, I guess i didn't love it until after wards. heres the details.......

it was a man who worked for Detroit Edison. he fell from a pole, into some trees wiping out his left side with broken ribs, lung damage, and knee that had a grade 3 sprain of his MCL (basically gone) a torn PCL, ACL, and damage to both the lateral and medial meniscus (i took a look at his MRI report). his knee could have been ripped off.

after docs at the ER patched up his ribs and lung, the man was sent home until his ortho appt for his knee. this gave time enough for him to scar down quite well. the average human knee flexes to about 130 - 150 degrees. as this man was thin, i wouldn't be surprised if he could get to 160 degrees normally. before his manipulation ((when a doctor either puts the patient under or uses a nerve block for pain so he can wrench the knee out of its scarred frozen state)) the man had about 70 degrees of flexion. during the manipulation he achieved 120 degrees of flexion. he was then sent to medsport where he waited a short while before seeing Kimberly, one of our finest PT's. in this amount of time due to swelling and scarring he was able to get only105 degrees of flexion from the help of Kim. It was at this point she handed him off to yours truly (like i said, getting a stiff n scarred knee to bend is kinda my thing).

I wheeled him to the biodex room and strapped him in to the chair as his wife looked on. i began easy, taking it slow to work him in gradually (as i do for everyone). ten minutes later this man was moaning with displeasure as I was bending his knee to roughly 110 degrees of flexion. not bad, but not enough. He was a hard worker with a high tolerance for pain with lots of motivation to get back to his job (which he loves). after all was said and done, after i had to close the door to the biodex room so as not to scare the ultrasonographers across the hall, after moans and screams of pain made his wife cringe (but proud), after i saw that his hands had imprints of the handle grips of the biodex machine when he let go, after his wife hurried from the room to get his pain medication, after about 25 minutes - he had achieved 120 degrees. the same amount that doctors had achieved hours before while his leg was semi-numbed with a nerve block. i watched and listened to this guy scream and holler as his forehead nearly exploded. and after the hell was over.... he thanked me. he said thank you for pushing me, Mike. he was so happy. i thanked him for being a hard worker and took him back to the gym area where he told people how much i had helped him.

that made me feel pretty good. I LOVE MY JOB!

Overdue Holiday Gifts

2009-02-09T08:54:00.003-05:00

Here's the hat I made for Jeannine, out of the same Taos yarn I used for May's Mittens. Love this pattern - and it was free! It's the Warm Ears Taos Hat pattern from Crystal Palace.

I had a couple skeins of Firenze in my stash that matched the Taos colorway so well, I had to make a scarf to go with the hat. Too bad I didn't weave in the ends before the pic was taken - I had to grab my cameraman before he went to bed. And then I asked him to take my picture ;)

May's Mittens

2009-02-08T20:25:00.003-05:00

I am in love with these mitered mittens from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. They are a fun knit and easy pattern, but the yarn is what is really thrilling me. Buried in my stash and long forgotten, I discovered this Crystal Palace Taos in a lovely red colorway. The pattern is working to perfectly create 2-row stripes of each color. A great and free project! (Well, technically I bought the yarn long ago, and the needles, and the book, but you know what I mean. I didn't buy the yarn recently.)

First Lace Project

2008-08-26T10:19:00.003-04:00

swallowtail_shawl2

I finished the Swallowtail Shawl last year but never get the pics of it. I loved this project. It was a great pattern for a first lace project. I used Malabrigo laceweight and it was wonderful to knit with.

Another shot from the back:

Baaaaa

2008-08-25T22:31:00.001-04:00

IMG_4411
Originally uploaded by Devine Knitting

Here's Jackson with my dad wearing the Lillelam sweater from Dale of Norway. I grew weary and didn't make the sleeves, so it's a vest. Nice because it fit Jack for a full year!

Brotherly love

2008-08-25T22:26:00.002-04:00

Yes, I spoil my brother in hand knits. Why is he so fun to knit for? The love of skullies is one thing! Here he is modeling a few year's worth of holiday gifts, including last year's scarf.

Happy Holidays!

2008-08-25T22:23:00.004-04:00

Err, I made this for Rob for Christmas last year. So my blog is officially 8 months behind. Sorry!

This is the "Great Excuse Scarf" from Hyphen Boy. (I got my pattern from onefineyarn.com) Loved it! I used silky wool from Elsebeth Lavold and Rob's favorite color combination - Blue and Orange (gold really, but close enough). He looks fantastic in it, doesn't he?

Tracy's Wish List

2007-11-29T15:05:00.000-05:00

This year, I jotted things down as it occurred to me that I would like them. This helped prevent me from buying them for myself, and to compile a great wish list. I hope this is helpful for all you shoppers out there!

From Stitch in Time:
Claudia Hand Painted sock yarn
Assorted books at Stitch in Time (see my amazon wish list for books)
Gift certificates

Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa foot and body products

Fleece Artist sock yarn (one source is http://www.northernsunshinedesigns.com/)

Nice pajamas, size medium (all my larges are falling down)

Amazon wish list: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1SORKAJWPWJI6

Pink

2007-11-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

Pink
Originally uploaded by Devine Knitting

Here is the Berlin Sweater from Simply Knits 3. It is warm, pink, and so comfy. The pattern is 2x2 ribbing but diagonally, so you move your stitches over every other row. That's a lot of ribbing! I do wish that it weren't so boxy and didn't have such long armholes. Next time, I will follow my gut and add waist shaping to pretty much anything I make again ever.

I used 6 skeins of Berroco's Ultra Alpaca, so this sweater was less than $50 to make. I trimmed the front bands with some chocolate brown of the same yarn that I had on hand (I needed to lessen the pink).

My favorite part of the sweater is the flare on the cuffs. I love it!

The UFO Poll

2007-10-19T08:18:00.000-04:00

In knitting news, I am halfway through 2 big projects. I need to get some photos up of them, some recently finished things, as well as a truckload of yarn that I've acquired the past few months.

I'm loving the new Knitting Daily newsletters. Isn't Sandi Wiseheart doing a great job?

The UFO poll has me thinking about all the things I am not finishing and why. I should organize this on Ravelry (yes I got in!!!) but until I do all that, here's my list:

1. The Charley sweater for Rob. It's more than half-way done, but Rob lost 70 pounds between the time I cast on the sweater and got the back and first raglan sleeve done. Now I am torn between finishing a sweater that will certainly be too large or frogging so much cable work and ribbing.
2. Dale of Norway cardigan. The front and back are finished and even cut. It just needs sleeves. The sleeves seemed like a huge undertaking 2 years ago, but now I'm a much more proficient knitter now. I need to get on this!
3. Socks for Rob. One is done but might be a bit short, so I am loathe to case on 4. Socks for Marty. One is done and has been for a year or so. He will love these and I need to finish them!
4. 2 random kids' sweaters. No interest in finishing.
5. Felted slippers for my brother. I got halfway thru the first using Noro and realized that, to make a matching pair, I would need 4 skeins of Kureyon and wasn't willing to pay that much for a pair of slippers. So these need to be ripped back to the sole and started with some nice Lopi, with the Noro as a striped accent. Good for holiday knitting this year.
6. Charlene throw. I love this blanket, knit using Berroco's Chinchilla. I have about 1/7th done and just get so bored with the endlessness of it.
7. Gauntlets for Bethany. I am going to run out of yarn and can't finish these until I come up with a solution.

There are more. I know there are. I will add more later as I come across them. I also have the yarn and patterns for these projects:
1. Koigu Kersti sweater from Knitting from the Top Down
2. Noro Silk Garden sweater from Knitting from the Top Down
3. Knitter's Stash cardigan in blue Berroco Pleasure
4. Knitter's Stash cardigan in red Berroco Pleasure
5. Sweater for Rob in baby Alpaca
6. Watermelon mittens
7. Kiwi mittens
8. Beaded Christmas stockings for both boys in Ultra Alpaca
9. Socks for me
10. Socks for the boys

(There are more of these too!)

Pride

2007-09-14T09:13:00.000-04:00

My 20-month-old has been saying "yarn" for awhile now. Usually when trying to touch it with banana- and oatmeal-covered fingers. But my eyes teared up this morning as I was walking him down the stairs, sock-in-progress in one hand and his tiny fingers in the other, and he said "knitting." In the cutest, sweetest voice possible. A couple steps later, he bent down to rub the dog's paw and say "tickle tickle," then kiss him on the nose. I think it's official now that I have the best baby in the universe.

Patiently waiting

2007-09-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

* You signed up on July 3, 2007
* You are #12990 on the list.
* 1707 people are ahead of you in line.
* 18101 people are behind you in line.
* 36% of the list has been invited so far

I actually didn't sign up for Ravelry right away... I was there, I could have, but thought, nah, I'll wait til it's open to all. A month later, I went back and did sign up and am still waiting, patiently. I want to go there and see what people are making. I want to see if anyone else has knit the Berlin sweater from Simply Knit 3. Because I am having a problem with it. I wonder how long it takes to get 1707 people in?

Soccer

2007-08-30T21:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight at my son's first official soccer league practice, I had a spare moment to pull out some knitting (the Cobblestone pullover that I had to cast on the other night, even tho my pink Berlin sweater is nearly finished and I have been so diligent about not casting on any other projects). Not three stitches in, 2 very friendly women nearly pounced on me to see what I was knitting. So fun! We talked knitting the rest of the practice. As it turns out, the two are sisters from South Africa whose mother is an award-winning knitter of the most complex kind. One sister, Louise, loves Kaffe Fassett and has completed many of his patterns. The other, Caroline, is more of a beginner but was inspired by our conversation to sign up for the class I take at my LYS. They both love Rowan and fine yarns and said that their mother could stock a store with her yarn room. I am so excited about spending more time with these delightful women at future soccer practices and games (now that it's a league, we have soccer two days a week)

Thanks for the kind comments on the beaded bridal bag. I am so darn proud of that bag!

Ta Da!

2007-08-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Finally, I am unveiling the beaded bridal bag that I knit for my sister-in-law. I am more proud of this bag than anything else I've made; although this was not the most-difficult project I've ever knit, it was the most laborious, enjoying, and completely dazzling thing I've ever done. The pictures cannot do it justice, but here they are.

First, the lining. What a royal pain this was! I had to do it twice because the first time, I used a nice trim that ended up making the lining to thick and the clasp wouldn't snap. So I did a simple machine stitch and it is just fine:

The handle was the only part I didn't do myself. I was going to use a chain but couldn't find one that matched the vintage look of the purse frame. I had an experienced beader do whatever she wanted, and she did a wonderful job:

Did I mention that my kid was the ring bearer? He did a great job and was absolutely adorable. I was sure that he'd cartwheel down the aisle or toss the ringbearer pillow up in the air. Instead, he walked nicely down with a great smile, not too fast and not too slow, and went straight to the groom to hand him the pillow. Precious. Halfway through the ceremony, he was heard by all as he asked, "Are they married yet?" He was perfect.

So here is the entire purse in various poses:

The frame is lovely. A replica of a vintage frame, I chose it for the hearts embossed in it:

By the end of the night, the ring bearer collapsed on the floor and put his pillow to good use:

Oh Mexico

2007-08-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

So Rob had to go to Mexico for work. Not anywhere exciting, just an industrial town near Mexico City. I asked him to please get me some yarn while he was there.

I never considered how difficult this might be. I did look online for yarn stores in Mexico and didn't find any. But I took that as more an indication of the Internet's inadequacies rather than an indication of how challenging it might be to find a yarn store in a small industrial Mexican town. I guess it didn't occur to me that most of his co-workers would be men and that they wouldn't also be knitters.

Diligent husband that he is, Rob asked around for a yarn store. It was probably as painful as if I had asked him to bring me home some Mexican tampons. He had to ask a lot of people, and none of them knew what he was talking about. Finally, the boss of the guy he was there to work with offered to send his wife to the market to see what she could come up with. Here's what she found:

I don't know how much it cost or what the yardage is. I am thrilled with this unique souvenir. It is soft and minimally-processed. It's still full of lanolin and has plenty of bits of straw and whatnot mixed in:

I'm not sure yet if I will dye it or felt it or just keep it in my Southern Living Gail Pittman bowl forever =) I do think I'll be sending a nice thank you gift of (maybe the Swallowtail Shawl!) something knitted to the woman who shopped for me.

(I really did cringe at how my husband relayed the painfulness of trying to find the yarn.)

A diversion

2007-08-06T15:34:00.000-04:00

So the pink sweater is coming along, but after binding off one sleeve and seeing the mistake and knowing I had to rip out 6 inches, I decided to take a break. I came across a cute little burp cloth that I had started for a baby who's now old enough to hold down his breakfast, and decided to convert it into a dish towel. Then I made a matching wash cloth. (I really know how to avoid ripping out hard work!) The pattern is from the Mason-Dixon book, and the yarn is from a huge cone of Peaches & Cream:

After finishing these, I cast on the other sleeve, finished it, then ripped back the other sleeve and started making some progress. I just needed a little diversion!

What a difference a year makes!

2007-08-01T22:31:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, my sweet little baby was not quite 7 months old. At 6 in the morning, Rob and I and handed off our precious little one to a very nice anesthesiologist with an English accent at the Mott's Children's Hospital of U-M. We spent the rest of the day anxiously waiting for reports from a pediatric neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon. By 5:00 that evening, our son was in the surgical recovery room receiving a pint of blood and IV morphine. He looked like this and I didn't recognize him at first:

A week later, we all came home from the hospital. The swelling gradually went down, the stitches dissolved, the hair grew back... and we recovered. It probably took this entire year for me to feel OK again. I still get a real sick feeling whenever he bonks his head on something, so maybe I'm not fully recovered. Still, I know that the experience of having a major surgery (a craniectomy - skull reconstruction - to repair a fused sagittal suture, a condition called craniosynostosis) on my babe traumatized me while simultaneously proving my good fortune. That his condition could be treated, that we had access to the best specialists in the world, that we had insurance to pay for much of it, that we all walked out of there with little more than a few months of night terrors... I cannot believe how lucky we are. And how awful that was to go through. And how much I love my kiddos.

My biggest complaint today is that I don't have enough time to knit. I've got nothing to complain about and so much more than so many others in this country and the world. I think I better go knit some hats for some preemies!

Here's what Jackson looks like today, with his older brother:

Someone please smack me the next time I bitch about how hard it is to take care of these two beautiful human beings who love me more than the air they breathe.

Tickled

2007-07-22T21:56:00.000-04:00

I'm enjoying a few minutes of blog-surfing time (wow do I enjoy Crazy Aunt Purl!) and came across a funny article on -R-'s blog and I just can't stop laughing about an idea she gave me (without her knowing, of course, I mean, she doesn't even know I read her blog much less know me to give me an idea). She's talking about her husband and tells about this event:

The radio people were discussing a recent case, and H called in to comment on some legal aspect of the case. He also totally lied about where he lived, for no real reason other than he is random. He also gives his name as "Diego" whenever he has to make a reservation at a restaurant. His name is not Diego. Nor is his name uncommon or hard to pronounce. H just likes to live on the edge by having a reservation-making alter ego.

Well I am the one who always has to call in to restaurants and things like that, and being the home-bound family of unruly boys that we are, those calls are typically for carry-out orders. We don't go places that take reservations, anyway. So I got this funny idea to next time I have to call in for food that Rob is going to go pick up, I use my reservation-making alter ego. So when he goes to Mancino's or Ocean Garden he has to say, "Pick up for Dora" or "Order for the Rockefeller family." Or, even have to guess which name I put it under (I always tell him when he leaves, because I trust him with the lives of our children and to operate a vehicle, but not to deduce his own surname at the Chili's window). But what if I stop telling him and he gets to the place and he doesn't know, and after his first name and his last name and my first name and my maiden name don't work, maybe he has to call me and then I can tell him, "it's under the name: Cat Deeley."

This idea has me so tickled that I can't wait til my husband gets back to town so that I can order take-out.

Progress!

2007-07-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

So many FO's - I'm so excited and I don't know what to do with myself!

I blocked the cardigan and sewed on the buttons:

I used the "Neckdown Summer Cardigan" pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. The pattern was great. If I ever knit it again, I'll narrow the sweater a bit on the waist. It feels a bit wide there, but I like the fit otherwise. The yarn used is El D. Mouzakis Super-10 Butterfly mercerized cotton. It was awful to work with - so slippery and miserable - but it comes in great, fun colors. (Funny aside: someone on knitlist-ads was selling what I thought was this same yarn and even though I hate it, I still bought the yarn. It was $1/ball, how could I resist? I was so happy and surprised when I opened the box and it was some other cotton yarn!)

Then, I cast off the Lucy bag (from Two Old Bags). It still needs to be felted but it's cute:

You close the bag by pulling the long handle thru the short handle. I think I'll embellish it with one of my cute animal buttons and give it away!

I've also finished the sleeve of the Berlin sweater. I'm using Ultra Alpaca and I love the yarn. (There is a mistake in the sleeve, and and some point I have to rip back about 4 inches of the sleeve. But I'm waiting til the sting goes out a bit. Maybe you can see the mistake in the picture.)

THEN (Yes there is more!) I cast off the Swallowtail shawl. I love it and can't wait to block it. I used the new Addi Turbo lace needles and they were great. I was able to make the nupps with ease. The yarn is Malabrigo laceweight and it's so soft. I'll post more pics after I block it, but here it is on the lawn:

On to new projects! Going to spend the weekend converting the yarn room back into the guest room, and I'm sure I'll come across a project or two to cast on =)

Summertime fun

2007-07-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

Lots going on over here!

The bridal shower is over - it was lots of work to get our house in shape to host such event (we are perfectly suited to host playgroups of 20+ children, but adults? Not so much), but it was well worth the trouble as I now have beautiful, weed-free gardens, a painted dining room (with a table and chairs, no less!), and happy memories of hosting family and friends for a party that honored my brother and his fiancee. I hope they loved it! The best part, and my favorite of all the planning and ideas, were the desserts. Michelle from Sweets 'n Moore outdid herself!

The bride and groom cake:

With matching cookie favors:

And a lovely display of desserts:

We recovered from the festivities in time to celebrate the 4th with family and then take our first family "vacation." Rob and I haven't been anywhere for more than a long weekend since we visited Brazil back BK (before kids). Marty has been on a plane for a wonderful weekend in Jekkyl Island, Georgia. That and a few drives to Chicago are it for our vacations. So I was pretty excited when my friend Jodie offered us her gorgeous summer home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. We visited them there over Memorial Day and knew how fantastic it was - spacious, beautifully appointed and decorated, with lots of space, a pool, and a hottub. I had dreams of knitting by the pool while my children played and then spending the evenings drinking wine and talking with my husband while the children slept. These dreams were dashed progressively over the course of this "vacation," which is more aptly called "how much candy will it take to get 5 minutes of peace" or "summer of family pink eye."

It wasn't all bad. The house was great, it was wonderful to get away from the day-to-day duties at home, and the kids had fun. Plus we saw my Uncle Mike, which was the highlight of the trip. I had about one hour of knitting poolside, lots of knitting time in the car, and did make a ton of progress. I finished this within hours of our arrival (it still needs blocking):

And here we are, sun-kissed, tired, sick, but happy:

Just when you think you're ahead

2007-06-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

I have an issue - fear of finishing. Even worse, I have a fear of not having enough projects in the works. The two combined explain why I have at least 10 projects, all of which are within hours of being FOs, yet am compelled to cast on at least 3 new projects.

Case in point: My formerly-known-as American Idol summer cotton cardigan, now known as the So You Think You Can Dance cardigan, needs only one sleeve and a button band. Probably 2 nights of knitting, less than 4 hours total - I even have the buttons ready. It's been in this condition for more than 3 weeks. Some people might rush to finish this so that they could wear it lots of times before it starts snowing again in Michigan. But not someone with a fear-of-finishing/fear-of-not-enough-WIPs complex. Oh no. THAT person would cast on an alpaca sweater and insist to herself that she finish the sleeve before she touch the summer cardigan. In June. And she would shop for more wool. And she would work on the steeks for her Dale of Norway cardigan. The one that was abandoned 2 years ago and only needs sleeves. Somehow that sweater was in desperate need of steeking. Sewing and cutting up that sweater helped me avoid finishing the Swallowtail shawl, which is within 10 rows of being finished.

I know I get sad when I finish beloved projects and beloved books. But finishing those things frees me to work on other projects and to read other books. I need to get control of myself!

In other news, I'm almost finished with the absolutely perfect beaded bridal bag. I added the Swarovski crystal fringe and attached the frame. I do need to sew the lining, but it is otherwise ready to accompany my brother's fiancee on her wedding day!

Gleaners Campaign

2007-06-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

If you read my recent post about feeding the hungry, or if you read about my mom's campaign back at Tinky McFrog'splace, then I hope you've summoned up a few dollars to send to Gleaners of southeast Michigan.

If you have, please send an e-mail to tdoell -at- gmail -dot- com. I'm going to raffle off my new Fleece Artist yarn to one of the donors. Thanks for giving!

What $155 of silk looks like

2007-06-07T15:14:00.000-04:00

Just a few days ago, Yarnmarket.com unveiled their Impressionist series of yarns that will be produced by wonderful yarnists (hah! that's yarn artists!) to replicate paintings by such artists as Monet, Renoir, etc. I could not resist (despite being ~~broke~~ on a rather tight budget at the moment) ordering a gorgeous kit to make this silk side-to-side jacket with a hem that uses beaded silk.

The unopened box was about the size of a Lands' End catalog. I almost didn't open the box - I couldn't believe that a) my order arrived so quickly or b) that my order would fit in that small box. But it did and it did.

Still, I was stunned by the beauty of this yarn. Of course, it's silk so I wasn't surprised that it was beautiful but the colorway is just so gorgeous. It really replicates Van Gogh's Irises. Please click the picture to make it bigger so you can see several things:
1)I unpacked 100% silk yarn and threw it on the ground to take its picture
2)The left-most skein is the beaded silk. Stunning!
3)The colors are true (on my monitor anyway) and worth the look

Now that I look on their web site (went there to get the picture) I see that most of the colorways are sold out. I'm so glad that I ordered this when I did and I really look forward to starting this project. I am going to delay starting it until I've got a few items off the needles. I want to fully focus on this project and not be needled by the unfinished buggers. Plus we are hosting a bridal shower here in 2 weeks and I really need to get my house in order (and paint the dining room) so I think this project will be a fitting reward for hosting a fabulous shower for my future sister-in-law!

In other knitting, I did cast off the cotton cardigan. Not sure if it is long enough. I'm going to decide after I finish the sleeves and try it on with something more fitting. Can you see my little visitor who popped in to see what mommy was doing in the bathroom?

Feeding the Hungry

2007-06-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hello friends -

My mother, Darlene, has been raising funds to feed the hungry of Livingston County and southeast Michigan for over 15 years. The unemployment rate and economy of Michigan, coupled with disasters in other areas of our country (which diverts donations outside of our region), have left Gleaners in a difficult position; they are in danger of not meeting their budgetary needs. Many of the people they feed are children.

My mom has taught me that being a good citizen means helping others and being good to our planet. Because I can feed my children and meet their most basic needs for nutritious food and a clean bed, I am richer than many of my neighbors. I hope you will join me in supporting her current fund raising effort, detailed in the below e-mail.

"Paulauski, Darlene" wrote:

Subject: My campaign for Gleaners
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 09:40:16 -0400
From: "Paulauski, Darlene"

Dear Friends and Family Members,

As you probably know, I have the honor of working in the development department at Gleaners to raise funds on behalf of our hungry neighbors in southeast Michigan . I am usually writing grants or corporate solicitations, but everyone in the development department has been asked to come up with creative ideas to help raise funds so we can meet our budget for our fiscal year ending June 30. I decided to do a friends and family campaign via e-mail.

I hope you will help make it successful with a generous gift or pledge! My goal is to raise $10,000. I ask that after you make your gift that you also ask one or more of your friends or family members to contribute by forwarding my email to them along with your personal note. If you haven’t participated in a “viral” campaign before, you will be surprised at how generously people respond. I need your help to reach my goal, so please consider asking a friend or family member.

Our entire region in southeast Michigan is really struggling, and I would be grateful for your help.

Please click on the Donate Now button or link below to make a gift by credit card or call 866-GLEANERS, ext 241. You may also mail your gift to Gleaners, 2131 Beaufait, Detroit MI 48207. And if you can’t donate right now, your pledge will count toward our current budget.

Please mention Darlene’s Campaign in the comment section if you donate online or on your check in the memo section.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Darlene
313-923-3535, ext 242
www.gcfb.org

Slowly but surely

2007-05-29T13:24:00.001-04:00

My WIPs are getting bigger. Not much to see, but the swallowtail shawl is getting longer, as is the cardigan. Progress on the shawl is much improved now that I have a pair of the new Addi lace needles. I knew they'd be great for overall lace knitting, but I wasn't sure if they'd work for the nupps on swallowtail. I'd been using my 0000 DPN for the purl-5-together bane, but now I can use the working lace needle for that technique and it's much faster. Still, I really have to focus on each row, and I haven't had much focus time lately.

I spent a lot of time in a car over the holiday weekend with our trip to Elkhorn, Wisconsin, so the cardigan grew a few inches. Nice because until now, I'd only worked on it during American Idol, and during the season finale I realized that I might not finish the sweater. Between the boring stockinette and the horrible slippery cotton, AI was the only thing that made this thing bearable. The car trip was good for its progress, and now I can hopefully finish it during So You Think You Can Dance :)

I know I won't get much done this week, as our neighborhood garage sale is this week and we have a lot of preparation to do. I've committed with to nightly effort after the kids go to bed. Maybe next week I'll get to cast something off!

Gonna knock you off your feet

2007-05-15T12:35:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a big step today. Something I haven't done in years. I'm casting on a pair of socks with yarn from my stash. Seriously.

I'm really proud of myself. I even -get this- got over the little twitch in my eye when I realized I'd only have enough sock yarn left to make 11 pairs. I really like even sets of things - pairs, dozens, etc. But I wound the yarn and cast on anyway. Yay me!

Just a few minutes later, the mail carrier arrived with 3 more pairs of sock yarn. Instant karma?

That's a skein of Fleece Artist and 2 colors of Northern Sunshine Designs, a nice shop in Canada where I received excellent service, beautiful yarn, and some very nice sock patterns from Darlene (go to her site, she has some great free patterns too). Here's a close-up of the Fleece Artist:

I don't like Mondays

2007-05-09T09:07:00.000-04:00

If by Mondays you mean mercerized cotton. This stuff is the suck to work with. It's so slippery that I have to tug every single stitch, which is impossible to do evenly every time. If I were in the round, that would be manageable, but since knits and purls slant differently, my stockinette stitch looks like crap. I have made some progress, past the underarms and nothing but st st for a good 10" more.

Two years in the making

2007-05-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

I cast 64 stitches on for these simple ribbed socks two years ago. They were my first socks, and I used Koigu and US1 needles. The first sock took forever. I used to think ribbing was so difficult. (can you hear me whining in italics?) But when I turned that first heel, I fell in love with the magic of knitting socks. I've made many other pairs since then, for other people, but of course these socks for me have languished. Just like the fresh fruit that I don't think I am entitled to eat as it is for the kids, I'm also not entitled to hand-knit socks. NOT ANYMORE SUCKERS! I'm going to eat fresh strawberries AND knit stuff for myself and ~get this~ DRINK HOT COFFEE. All you kids can bite me cuz mama is hungry and tired and her feet are cold!

So we went to a gymnastics birthday party today for children from 3-5 years old. I know enough about gymnastics events to know that you have to take your shoes off (not going to be embarrassed about the state of my feet or socks at another one of those again!) so how fantastic for me to wear my very own pair of lovely socks? Yay!!!

I did show them off and mention a few times that *hey I knit these* but only one other knitter was there and she was nice enough to compliment me every time I begged for recognition.

Besides the wonderful feeling of putting these on, I really appreciate how much faster the second one was knit - I've really come a long way!

New Books!

2007-05-04T07:43:00.000-04:00

No new yarn yet this week (some Mountain Colors sock yarn may have snuck its way in but I turned a blind eye, and hope you will too) but I do have 2 new books: the beautiful Poems of Color that I ordered directly from Interweave Press (Amazon had a 3-week delay, but was cheaper) and, from my LYS, Knitting Beyond the Basics. This little gem has lovely patterns that are interesting, challenging, classic knits. There is a beaded lace tank that is begging me to be cast on, and a great selection of sweaters as well. I just noticed that there aren't any reviews posted about the book on Amazon. Does that mean I am the first to buy it?!?

On a side note, I'd like to thank my neighbor for waking me and my sick kid up at 6:45 this morning. Not only do your dogs bark all day, and your teenage boys yak it up all night, but now you are mowing your lawn at 7am. It's great that you can cover all the time slots. Those pesky quiet periods were really getting to me. Silly old me thought I'd be able to enjoy fresh air and open windows between the hours of 1AM and 8AM!

The problem with too many WIPs...

2007-05-01T16:47:00.000-04:00

is that they all move so slowly. No pics to post today, just a musing about why I do things the way that I do. I have stalled projects all over the place, and yet didn't even pause to cast on the Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 06. To have 2 lace projects going while also working a beaded bag with intense finishing needs and a looming deadline, not to mention the summer cardigan that must be finished before the season to wear it ends, add to that an unfinished sock, which needs about one inch and then a toe and then can be enjoyed with its long-finished mate, and OH! let's not mention the sock yarn, patterns, and lace-weight that just piled its way into my stash (if I put it away then I can forget that I bought it and don't have to feel bad about it), and my this sentence has gotten away from me... MY POINT: my knitting is all over the place, taking over the house, and nothing is being finished because new things keep casting on. My problem is not with that.

My problem is with my sadness over my limited knitting time... there are so many things that I want to make, to work on, patterns and books and things waiting for me to cast them on, and it seems a shame to be unable to do so. I sacrifice as much sleep as I can, and that gives me about 4 hours a night to knit, if I totally ignore my home, which I do. Some nights I get caught up on the Internet or shopping or pattern browsing and that limits me even further. I know that some day, my children will be old enough for me to knit with them around, or even for them to leave the house without me, and I will have a lot more time then. I don't want to rush their growing up - it's going so fast already with Jackson - so I must find a way to reconcile my desire to cast on and knit things with my motherhood role.

I am in love with the Silken Spencer jacket in this '06 fall IK. I think that may be next. After the beaded bag, summer cardi, and koigu sock. Everything else can bite me.

One Fine Yarn

2007-04-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

My patterns arrived today from One Fine Yarn (isn't that a great song?). I ordered three patterns from Hyphen Boy and I am so excited. I ordered the "Great Excuse Scarf" because I love the stripes, I owe DH a decent scarf, and the patterns calls for Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, which I have in massive quantities and colors (I think I will use orange, blue, and khaki for one).

I also ordered the "Modular Shell Felted Backpack" because the design is so neat and I love seeing how creative people were in their choice of colors. I hope to do something cool and not just copy the colors that someone else came up with. I think I will make it as a tote instead of a backpack. The link shows all the cool things people did with their color choices.

Finally, there's the "Ocean Waves Shawl" and it's very pretty but I can't remember what my motivation was to order it. I mean, I am surrounded by shawl patterns and OH I REMEMBER NOW!!!! I ordered it because Hyphen Boy said the pattern would include his masterful concept of "instructions for making a flip-book for the lace pattern. Cards printed on card-stock can be cut out, hole-punched, and assembled with ring clasps. Each card has the instructions for a pair of right-side and wrong-side rows, and when each one has been completed, you just flip the page over. It's my best tip for lace knitting without losing your place in the pattern, even when you put your knitting down for some time." I NEED THIS because I am just as likely to cast this on and walk away from it for a year as I am to compulsively work on it for 10 days straight.

So 3 more patterns added to the collection... someday I will show my pattern stash, which is comparable to the yarn stash but easier to get away with because of the nature of its size. I do have binders for all my patterns and each is labeled. I'm a bit behind on putting some away, especially since I print so many of them, and those get put into plastic sleeves. Quite tidy.

New WIP

2007-04-19T20:32:00.000-04:00

Busy Hands had a sale. Need I say more?

Of the purchases, this one had to be cast on immediately. Although it's annoying to be working this slippery mercerized cotton and all its YOs, the colors make me believe that we might actually have a summer approaching.

The top-down cardigan pattern is from Knitting Pure and Simple.

Counting

2007-04-16T19:42:00.000-04:00

I've been making great progress on the beaded bag for Kristyn's wedding. I am past the half-way point, meaning I have completed 70 rows of k2, sl 6 beads, repeat 16 times... and I've finished 18 of the next 70 rows of the second half. This is good because we now have a shower date set, which means I have a deadline. If I didn't have deadlines like Christmas and birthdays, I'd never finish anything (and those don't always work for me anyway).

So the bag is really getting heavy, and after stringing my 5th hank, I started counting. I figured there were 100 beads per string, 10 strings per hank, and I made it halfway through with 4 hanks. So 10x100x4=4000 per half, or 8000 beads total. Doesn't that seem like a lot of beads? After that calculation, I counted the number of beads per string and discovered there are actually 300 beads per, so triple the total to 24,000. Is that normal? Granted, it is a nice size purse, not an amulet size but an actual evening bag, so I expected a lot of beads. But had you asked me, even after stringing them all, I'd have guessed in the neighborhood of 1500 to 2000. And this is why I never come close in the contests where you have to guess the # of pennies or jelly beans in a jar.

I hope it won't be too heavy!

Lillelam

2007-04-12T12:59:00.000-04:00

I started the Lillelam sweater awhile ago, from the Dale of Norway Soft Treasures for Little Ones. I really wanted to finish it by Easter, and in the end (even hopped up on steroids) had to make a vest of it. The bad news is that a sweater with dropped sleeves doesn't fit quite right as a vest. The good news is that I made the largest size (24 months) so I have until next year to knit the sleeves and the coordinating fair isle pants and by then it should either fit Jackson properly or be entirely too small. And honestly, not to be too biased, my cute little guy can pull of just about any outfit.

I did make some changes to the pattern (besides omitting sleeves). I knit in the round and so made some adjustments to the # of stitches. I found this much more desirable than purling with two colors on US2 needles. It may have been lazy, but I can promise that this sweater would never have gotten past the acres of lattice stitch if it weren't all knitting. Never mind that whole fence. Since I was knitting in the round, I couldn't do the intarsia for the sheep. No worries, I just did him in duplicate stitch. That change did make the second layer of embroidery, the fluffy loop stitch, a bit more challenging, but in the end it worked perfectly. I also modified the neck and shoulder area to have a button row, to accommodate Jackson's large head. This added extra time and a trip to Joann's that I could have lived without, especially since my husband pulled the sweater right on over Jackson's head without unbuttoning those buttons. I keep telling myself that he'll need them next year if he really is going to wear it again, even though I know the majority of his head growth has already occurred.

So since I knit this thing in the round, I had to steek for the arm holes. I didn't bother adding any stitches or anything, just took two stitches in either side of each center stitch and outlined them with contrasting color yarn.

I then machine stitched over those contrasting yarns, which now cannot be removed, as they are sewn in. Others might have basted in a single line and sewed along side it, but I am a lousy seamstress and I need those kind of guidelines to not get crooked. My mom stopped by while I was sewing and I said, "Oh good, you can witness my cutting up this vest!" She pretty much screamed in horror, but I made her take pictures anyway.

Once the stitches were cut, I seamed up the shoulders and picked up stitches for the armbands (no need to mention the 2 days I spent trying to figure out a facing) and neckband. The fit wasn't as perfect as I'd have liked, but I think when I get around to those sleeves it will be. And I did learn a lot about embroidery, steeking, and modifying patterns. I loved this project and loved making that fluffy little sheep!

Jackson's New Sweater

2007-04-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

Last August, my sweet baby needed surgery. He was not quite 7 months old. His surgery was quite serious - a cranial vault reconstruction to correct a condition called craniosynostosis, and we were paralyzed with fear. In the waiting room on the day of his surgery, I cast on this special sweater for him. Knit on size US3 needles with Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino, it's the picot cardigan from Fiona McTague's Knits for Babies and Toddlers. I knit it several sizes larger than he wore at the time, putting all my faith and courage that he would be fine and healthy to wear it soon. He spent a week in the hospital and about 5 minutes at home before declaring himself fully recovered. Though I haven't quite shaken the experience, he has never looked back. Here he is, modeling his new garb:

You may be able to see the button loops that I tatted. They were my first practice rings and I thought they were perfect as loops. Also, you may be able to see that the button band is a bit too long. This is what happens when you try to pick up the number of stitches the pattern tells you to pick up instead of using your own fool head to pick up the number that will actually give you a favorable result. Someday I may re-knit that button band, but I want my healthy thriving little babe to wear it while it still fits. There will be plenty of time for fixing it before I pack it up as his heirloom sweater.

Fed Ex

2007-04-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Please explain why Fed Ex must ring my doorbell every time they make a delivery? And if that can't be answered, then why must they deliver during the only knitting time I have in daylight, AKA Jackson's nap time? Have you ever seen a woman with laryngitis try to chase after a barking dog, yelling STOP at the top of her no-voice, whilst a ball of yarn, still connected to a sweater, is wrapped around her foot? Well if you haven't, let me tell you that there are few more pathetic sites. In the end, I did not catch up to the dog before he made it to the foyer, which is directly under the nursery, and proceeded to perform the only job for which he exists - barking at the Fed Ex guy.

Felted Easter Basket

2007-04-04T23:15:00.000-04:00

Felted Easter Egg Basket

Supplies:

Size 13 – 24” circular needles
Size 13 DPNs
2 skeins (100 yards each) worsted weight yarn for main color (or 1 skein bulky)
2 skeins (100 yards each) worsted weight yarn for contrasting color (optional) (or one skein bulky)
1 skein novelty yarn (optional)

I used a contrasting color for the basket bottom and brim. If using worsted weight yarn, two strands are held together throughout. Both Berocco Ultra Alpaca and Manos del Uruguay worked well for this project. Berocco’s Squiggle was a great novelty yarn with a grassy texture for the brim. A mohair blend also produced a nice fuzzy brim.

To form basket bottom:
Using contrasting color and circular needle, cast on 17 stitches. Knit every row for 32 rows, or until you have a square. Do not cast off.

To form basket sides:
Pick up stitches along the 3 sides of the square. You’ll pick up one stitch between each garter ridge – I was able to pick up 16 stitches on two sides and 17 on the cast-on side. Knit the 4^th side and place marker. Change to main color and knit in the round until piece measures 6”.

To create brim:
Change to contrasting color and novelty yarn, if using. (If novelty yarn is bulky, use one strand of worsted and one strand of novelty.) Knit 6 stitches. Place 5 stitches onto holder. Cast on 5 stitches using the backward loop method. Knit the remaining 6 stitches on the basket side, then proceed to knit the next 16 or 17 stitches on the adjoining side. Repeat for the remaining two sides of the basket. Knit a 3” brim and cast off loosely. When cutting yarn, leave a good long tail; fold the brim and use the tail to slip stitch the brim in half. There will be a hole where the live stitches are on a holder. This will be filled in when you knit the handle. Simply cuff the rim as you pass those live stitches.

To knit handles:
Slip 5 stitches from holder onto DPN. Leaving a long tail, join yarn with contrasting color (or for a mottled look, use one strand of main color and one strand of contrasting color), and knit 3 rows st st. Begin I-cord for remainder of handle. When handle is 17”, knit 3 rows st st and perform 3-needle bind off to connect handle to remaining 5 stitches on opposite side of bag. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Before weaving these tails in, stitch the handle to the rim along the bottom and sides. This gives the handle extra support so it doesn’t flop over. Weave in ends and felt.

To felt:
Place in washer on hottest setting, smallest load. Add a tiny bit of detergent and agitate, without going through spin cycle, for 15-20 minutes. Check frequently, as different wools felt at different rates. When desired felting level is reached, remove from washer and remove excess water (I squeeze mine out, then wrap it in a towel and step on it). Shape and allow to dry.

Knitting on Steroids

2007-04-04T15:16:00.000-04:00

So I saw the Yarn Harlot on Sunday. I'll be one of those Ann Arbor knitters who waited patiently while Stephanie flew to Detroit, Chicago, and back to Detroit. I'll let her tell the story first.

I loved her speech. I love the way Stephanie makes knitting seem like a really grand acheivement. I laughed a lot - many of us did - but I was really tickled when she said how nice it was to be a writer so that now, when people ask her what she did, she didn't just have, "I breastfeed" as a response (which is how I really have to answer that question... for the past 5 years I've either been gestating or nursing a child, or both... it's really what you do when you're in the thick of it). There were a lot of things that I liked about her speech and I'd love to write about it more but the *&(@#^%$^@&*#$ FedEx guy just woke up my baby AGAIN. My other kid keeps tearing off the "Do not ring this doorbell for the love of wool PLEASE do not make my dog go crazy with the thrill of fulfilling his only purpose in life."

And at the speech, I lost my voice and my doctor put me on steroids. Suddenly I can knit much more quickly. I know I can't stay on them long term, but I wish I could.

Mittens!

2007-02-25T20:28:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, I made 3 pairs of mittens. They were very cute, with soft Berocco Pleasure and fuzzy Firenze cuffs. There were scarves to match. I didn't take any pictures; they kept getting wrapped before I remembered to snap a shot. Pity, because the colors were great and the yarns worked well. I used the pattern in Stitch 'n Bitch and they flew off the size 9 needles.

Now I am working on a pair of fair isle gloves for myself. One is done, with even the ends woven in (no small task). I think they look cool inside-out!

Rejection

2006-10-22T14:49:00.000-04:00

When knitting for kids, my greatest concern is always the potential mess that could be made of a hand-knit item. The food, the dirt, the falling and sliding and somersaulting, the inevitable destruction of anything in the hands of a three-year-old spells certain disaster for garments. While I don't enjoy this on my son's lovely Hannas, I really fear it with his hand knits. So imagine my surprise when little Marty decided he wouldn't wear a sweater that I had made him. What do you mean you won't wear it?!

I recently saw someone on eBay selling an adorable eggplant hat. The seller clearly stated that the hat had been hand knit for their baby, but they had never used it. As someone who often knits for others' babies, I was appalled. First of all, how do you justify not putting a cute hat like that on your baby? At least do it once for five minutes, snap a photo and include it with the thank you to the knitter. It seems like such a small 'inconvenience' considering the amount of time even a baby hat takes to knit. Second of all, how do you justify putting a hand-knit gift on eBay!!! Shouldn't it be passed on to the next baby, or a cousin, or in the baby's hope chest or in some way treasured?
P.S. The hat is currently at $.99 here.

Maybe I am being too sensitive. Marty's rejection of my sweater stung for a good while, which was okay because I had a new baby to knit for who hadn't yet learned to assert himself. A few months later, Marty's opposition to the manos sweater (from the Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits) ended, and he gladly wore it.

And a closeup:

Peace, Fleece

2006-09-24T12:02:00.000-04:00

I finally finished one of the sweater kits I ordered from Peace Fleece, for baby Jackson. I wanted a project where I didn't have to think about anything - the kit was great because it had the pattern, all the yarn - including little balls for the colorwork in the collar, and even the buttons. There may be enough yarn leftover for a matching hat. I have another Peace Fleece kit, the everyday cardigan, but I have another project for myself in mind before I get to that. I'm so happy to have finished a handknit for my wee one:

I have a few other things on the needles, and some FO's that were out the door before I got pics, but I am happy to be finally knitting on a regular basis again!

Doell Family Happenings

2006-08-31T15:55:00.000-04:00

Photo mishap

2006-07-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

My apologies for the lack of recent posting... knitting is actually happening, but photos are not. Will post again, soon, when the issue of image storing is resolved. Thanks!

Sorry Charley!

2006-03-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

3 months after Christmas, and Rob's Charley sweater is half-way done. I love working on it - the cable pattern is simple but interesting, and the Rowan all-seasons cotton is great to work with. But the sweater is for a large guy and my knitting time has been crippled by this guy:

But, I have got half a sweater, with the 2nd raglan sleeve cast on, so we are making progress. I haven't abandoned it, after all. Here's a close-up of the front:

Mom's gift

2006-01-15T17:02:00.001-05:00

For Mom, the fog chaser jacket from Knitter's Stash. (I can't believe how many projects I have made, and want to make, from this book!) The jacket still needs to be blocked to Mom's measurements, and hopefully once that's done I'll have a shot of it on her. The yarn is from Mountain Colors and uses 4 strands of mohair, wool, silk, and ribbon, in the ruby river colorway. I loved the seed stitch pattern and really enjoyed making this. Hopefully Mom will like it as well.

Confession

2006-01-06T18:39:00.000-05:00

Today, January 6, 2006, marks the day I sent out my holiday cards. Knowing they would be late, I did have the good sense to order Happy New Year cards, but that is not much of an excuse.

How odd that the holiday knitting was finished before the holiday cards? (Not counting Rob's sweater of course, but that's what he gets for being 6'4" - he'll never get a sweater on time!)

Knitted Gifts

2006-01-05T17:16:00.000-05:00

Lots of people received knitted gifts from me this year. It was such a joy to knit for so many of the loved ones in my life!

My dad got these Lithuanian socks, knit from Nancy Bush's pattern in Folk Socks using Elsebeth Lavold's silky wool. Dad is 50% Lithuanian, and I've wanted to knit these, or something that would speak to our Lithuanuan heritage, since his dad, my Papa Tony, passed away this past February. The picture shows the pair unfinished, but by now both socks have been given:

My brother's girlfriend, Kristyn, got a Sophie bag knit from Lopi. The burgundy color was actually a variegated yarn with flecks of the teal, but they disappeared during the felting process. Also, I used an I-cord bind off and like the more stable top edge.

My mother-in-law got these cool flower-petal washcloths. The pattern is in Weekend Knitting and, for once, I got to use the yarn that the pattern called for - 100% cotton chenille from Crystal Palace. I left one as a sample with my LYS and inspired sales of several books and yarn! I have a a bunch of colors and plan to make them as thank you and hostess gifts, given with a bar of nice soap. Each one took about 4 hours to knit, and the pattern was easy to memorize.

My brother got the coolest present, custom designed for him. He's admired the Norwegian mittens that I made after a knitting workshop with Beth Brown-Rensel (author of Knitting Ganseys, so I wanted to make him something along those lines. The skull is of my own design, since nothing I found in books or on the Internet were quite right. I needed a specific number of stitches to fit the pattern, both in width and height. I used a bulky-weight yarn to fit my brother's large hands without completely changing the basic pattern that I had to work with. They are knit with Berocco's Pleasure (angora and merino) and wow is that nice yarn to work with! I'll share the skull chart here soon.

Shot of the back and thumb:

More gifts to be posted soon!

Christmas Knitting: All Wrapped Up!

2006-01-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas is over, and the compelling urge to complete as many knitting projects as possible has passed. What a relief to again be knitting any old project. The holiday deadline did wonders for my UFO status, however, as I finished nearly everything on my list. Rob was, once again, this year's knitting victim, and my dad's 2nd sock was delayed by a few days. But it felt great to give away so many knitted gifts.

We also drove to Chicago to attend a family holiday party. Here's a shot of me and Marty at the hotel, sporting our hand knits:

More pics coming soon!

Christmas Wish List

2005-12-03T14:13:00.000-05:00

Am I hard to shop for? I think when you have an obvious hobby, like knitting or deer hunting, that makes it easy to shop for someone. On the other hand, you can go overboard. Just because someone loves to golf doesn't mean they would love to have a gold-plated gold ball. Wish lists become almost more necessary as you get older. My pre-schooler is happy with a $.50 can of Play-doh, while my husband requires very sophisticated gadgets and tools to have a merry Christmas. I know that someday, Marty will be as hard to please as Rob is.

Anyway, here's my holiday wish list:

Gift certificates for Stitch in Time in Howell, Threadbear in Lansing, or yarnmarket.com.

Emeril non-stick pots and pans (they have them at Bed Bath and Beyond).

I had a beautiful baking dish that I loved. It was a splurge when I bought it, but I've always wanted the other pieces that match. The other night, I dropped the dish and it broke! I got mine at La Bella Vita in downtown Brighton and would love a replacement and any matching pieces. It's the Emile Henry Artisonal Collection of baking dishes, in a brown and cream color - although I like all the colors La Bella Vita carries. You can see what they look like on my amazon.com wish list, too.

My amazon.com wish list is here, with books and music and stuff.

Iron Gate candle holder from Pottery Barn, set of 2

Zoe console table from Pottery Barn, in black, plus the square utility baskets to go with the table.

Cute knitting warning

2005-12-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it seems so insane to be knitting for my kid. He's as likely to throw it on the floor as he is to embrace it as a beloved item. And the next day may warrant a completely opposite response. Still, these were too adorable to not knit again in the next size up, and this time I've made the matching mittems. (They were finished before Halloween, just to show how behind I am in blogging.) And yes, I have picked them up off the garage floor and other assorted dirty places.

The pattern is from Fiber Arts, one of those you buy in a plastic sheet with 3 holes along the side. I recently organized all those sheets and put them in separate binders - Costco had a sale on a set of 6, and I used my label maker to get really anal about the whole thing. I love that all my patterns are now put away and easy to find!

I've recently finished another item for Marty, a sweater with a very cute reindeer, tree, and snowflake pattern. It was good chart practice for me, and fun to knit. The pattern is from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Little Cherubs. The downside was stranding colors on the purl side; I'd have preferred steeks and sewing for better results, but it turned out ok. Just as well since the kid is probably going to get ice cream or something all over it. We are going to use it for our Christmas card picture (is that too self-serving, to force your kid to model your hand knits under the preface of spreading holiday cheer? I hope not, because you know this new baby is going to be wearing a hand-knit sweater on his birth announcement!). The yarn I used was lovely, and truly not appropriate for this garment, but I loved it and wanted to work with it and I can always get more. I must make an adult sweater from it, to be sure. It's Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, a 35% silk, 65% wool blend for my 2 1/2 year-old child. But the colors were perfect and there's just the hint of tweediness to it. Here's how it turned out:

You'd think I might be done with knitting for Marty, but I recently cast on something very cute from the Yarn Girls Guide to Simple Knits for Kids. There is a pattern in there that uses Manos, my big weakness, and it has sizes for newborn to 3 years, so I'll be making one for the new baby to match Marty's, and doesn't that sound like a photo op to you?

I am so looking forward to the holidays and all the get togethers, though at 8 months pregnant it's hard to find something great to wear. The thought of buying maternity clothes for festive occasions was hard to swallow - I only have a few weeks left in my pregnancy, how can I justify buying something new to wear once or twice? (haha ask me to justify the yarn purchases I make!) Of course the solution was to buy yarn instead. I loaded up on various novelty yarns and designed a pattern. I wanted something drapey and sparkley that I could wrap around my arms to wear with a tank. I used Berroco Quest in silver, Berroco Plume FX in black metallic, and SRK Ranee in black. 3 strands held together on size 19 needles, and I had a wrap in 2 nights that I can continue to wear after I have this baby. The photo is not great, but I'll share it now anyway and hopefully will get a shot of me wearing it one of these December nights:

You could sell these!

2005-12-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

Don't you love it when friends compliment your work by suggesting you sell your hand knit goods? It really is meant as a compliment, and I try so hard to take it that way. I always ask, "Oh? How much would you pay for this hand-knit baby sweater?" The response is usually around $35, which is probably inflated from what they would truly be willing to part with so that they don't hurt any feelings. It's so fun to then clarify that of that $35, $12 of it would cover the yarn (newborn size at least), leaving me $23 pay for 10+ hours of work. Hey $2.30/hour's not bad (in Taiwan)!

I recently attended a purse party where a friend launched her hand-made purse business. She had a beautiful display of hand-knit and hand-made gifts. Such beautiful items! I love the way she's creatively shopped for sweaters that she can recycle into purses - you get a discount if you bring her a 100% wool sweater. She felts them and cuts the fabric, which is then sewn into her own purse designs. I bought myself a very cute black clutch-style purse for the odd occasion when a diaper bag is not needed. The prices here (staying on topic) ranged from $59-$150 - much more on target for what a hand-crafted item warrants. Could I buy something similar at Target? Yes, something similar would be $15, though not one of a kind, and not special, and not recycled!

Knitting Retreat

2005-10-16T20:17:00.000-04:00

Finally, I am posting pictures from my incredible knitting retreat. I left on a Thursday morning and returned on Sunday afternoon. That's 3.5 days of absolute freedom to knit, relax, and socialize without interuption - pure bliss!

About 16 knitters drove to Michigan's UP (upper peninsula) and then took a ferry to Bois Blanc Island. We stayed at a resort called the Insel Haus, which was absolutely amazing. Two lovely people ran the inn. Christa designs knitwear, teaches knitting, spins her own yarn from her stock of alpaca, and creates truly amazing handknits. She was about to leave for a fiber arts show and shared her goods-for-sale with us (each priced between $175 and $1500). Oh and before she started knitting, she ran her own film editing studio. So interesting! Anyway, here are some photos, none of which do justice to this amazing woman's work.

Here Christa models a dress she designed, spun, and knit.

Here's a shot of a coat that Christa created. You can't tell from this lousy picture, but the coat is floor length. And the hood converts to a shawl collar.

This jacket, like all Christa's alpaca knits, is so soft and beautiful.

This photo probably shows the best detail of all Christa's knits. These scarves will be sewn into a dress or ruana.

My knitting teacher, Charlene, hates having her picture taken but agreed to try on a few items. Here, she models a vest:

And here we see Shelby, our other host and a fascinating man. Ask to see his Emmy. He's modeling another gorgeous vest:

And finally, I share with you one scene of knitting in a beautiful, remote, amazing place:

That's Lake Michigan in the background. The island is unpaved, undeveloped, and nearly uninhabited (17 year-round residents). It was a beautiful place to visit and I can't wait to go back there.

Christmas in July

2005-08-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

Finally, my mom's Christmas ('04) gift! Remember what happened to the first one?

It's the Sleek Ribs Tank from this summer's IK. It was knit from the chained ribbon from Blue Heron Yarns, made from Lempur, in the flax colorway. Clearly, Mom is very happy about it. It fits her perfectly and I am so glad I cast it on 4 times total to get it perfect. Also glad I made the smallest size. Here's a shot of the back:

Merry Christmas Mom!

Lots of knitting with nothing to show for it!

2005-07-24T18:39:00.000-04:00

After much searching, I have found a replacement for my mom's unfortunate Christmas gift. I've cast it on 3 times, all 200 stitches of it, and worked 3-4" of it before discovering a misplaced yo 3 times - maddening! So far, all is moving along, but I should be much farther along than I am. As soon as Mom sees it, I'll post pics.

This weekend, I am going to a knitting retreat with friends from my LYS. I am driving 4 hours away to a remote island, where no cars are allowed, to stay in a house with 17 other knitters where we will make meals for each other and relax. The co-owner of the house, Christa, spins alpaca fleece and produces exquisite yarn. Apparently there is a herd of alpaca on the property. This is the first night I will spend away from Marty, not counting his two overnights at my parents, ever. I can't believe I am going and I couldn't be more excited - three days dedicated to knitting, with no dirty diapers and noone else to take care of! Pics and updates after my return. For now I have to decide what projects to work on!

Finally!

2005-07-19T08:25:00.000-04:00

My first trimester is over, which means I am no longer constantly exhausted and sick to my stomache. 'Too sick to knit' are words I never thought I'd say, but I said them alot these past few months.

I am finally feeling better and finished baby Gavin's sweater. Welcome to the neighborhood little one!

Ta Da!

2005-06-21T05:12:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to Rob for getting the pictures up and running again. The thought of re-locating them all, and editing all the entries' links... well, it was discouraging enough to put me off blogging, that's for sure. Now that the pictures are back, I have some responsibility to photograph a few recent yarn purchases. I hadn't been to knitting class for several weeks, and last night's purchase may have been a bit over the top. That is, if you judge by the weight of the bag (well it did have a book in it).

First we have two more skeins of Peruvian Tweed, 100% superfine alpaca, grown in the Andees about 13,000 feet. Does altitude affect fiber? Referred to on their label as "The Heavenly Fiber," this yarn is so soft and lovely. There are 600 yards in each skein, and I already had 2, but knew I needed the other 2 from the same dye lot before they were lost to me forever. A warm sweater and several hats, perhaps some mittens, are definitely in the future for this yarn. I have a total now of 2400 yards. Here's how the whole big pile of it looks, with a Coke can for comparison:

Next is the prettiest yarn I have seen in awhile. It's chained ribbon from Blue Heron Yarns, made from Lempur. It is soft and silky and came in such beautiful colorways that I had a difficult time choosing, but finally settled on the flax, a name which does not do this blend of colors justice at all:

Finally, I got the coolest birthday present - a full set of Brittany DPN's. Thanks Mom!

Dale is 1/3 done

2005-06-04T11:04:00.000-04:00

My Dale of Norway cardigan is moving along. I have finished the front! The back has about 7" to go, and then I get to do the color work pattern again for the sleeves. I really enjoyed that for the body and think the sleeves will move along pretty quickly.

I recently found out I am pregnant with our second baby, so this cardi will actually be a maternity sweater. Since it is designed to just close at the top, via cute little ties that go throu an eyelet, it can hang farther and farther open as my belly grows. The little bean is due in January, so the timing is perfect for a nice wooly sweater. But I have to finish it quickly, as there is so much new baby stuff to knit now - sweater and hats, longies and soakers - in all the sizes! It's so great to knit something in a newborn size, so quick and tiny-sweet.

No word yet on the picture front, but I believe secret progress is being made my Rob in the dark of the night.

Blogging without pictures is boring

2005-05-19T16:38:00.000-04:00

Still no pictures, but lots of knitting is going on!

I have finished two sweet baby sweaters for two sweet babies. One was finished just before delivering (the sweater, not the baby), for a neighbor, so I didn't have time to get a picture. That is, I didn't find the camera in time to take the picture. Later, I caught Rob using his own camera (the nerve!), so I know it isn't lost. I'm also making good progress on my own sweater (the nerve!) and can't wait to share pics of that.

In other news, I met the Yarn Harlot and am still utterly in love. And, I am famous (in blogland)! Here's a picture of me at the book signing (with my booga bag, the only thing I've knit for myself, how sad is that?): Snooze's blog

You have to scroll all the way down almost to the bottom, but I am in there in the May 7th post.

Yet another Booga Bag enters the Internet

2005-04-28T08:49:00.000-04:00

I have made good progress on my sock, and can't wait to get to the other one so I can wear them. I've also started a shawl, and am right now finishing a booga bag in Noro #95. How many of these are out there? Whenever I was trying to decide what to do, a google produced more than enough results. This must be one of the most popular patterns out there!

Here I was not blogging because I hadn't taken the time to get any pictures, but I see my pictures are not loading anyway. I'll get on that and get some pics up soon.

How I installed a zipper

2005-04-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

Zipper installation can be very intimidating. I sweated over the basketweave sweater for weeks; the gradual arrival of warm weather doomed basketweave for the season and heightened my anxiety. Torn between finishing the sweater or giving it to Rob next Christmas, I finally just picked up a needle and started.

1. First, I basted the zipper in place. I used bright red embroidery thread and nice long stitches. I zipped the zipper, held the sweater right-side facing, and started at the top. I tried pinning it in place first but that made the fabric buckle. I did tear out my basting several times before it was perfect, but that's the beauty of basting. I basted along the first row of knit stiches, making sure the edge of the knitting was even all the way down and that the two sides of the knit garment nearly met. I didn't want them to be caught in the zipper but wanted them as close to each other as possible, when zipped together. I then basted the other side of the zipper.

2. I then unzipped the zipper and basted the outer edge of the zipper facing to the sweater. I was less meticulous here and did it more for security than anything else. When done, I zipped the zipper again and admired my work. Once the basting looks great, your sewing will look great too. Bad basting cannot be corrected by good sewing. Baste well, grasshopper.

3. I used invisible nylon thread to sew my zipper. I bought the good stuff at a nice sewing store and it was so insible I often had difficulty finiding it. I almost went blind sewing with it.

4. Starting at the top, on the right side, I used a straight stitch, with occasional backstitches for good measure, down the zipper right around where I basted. I pulled the thread until the knit stitch puckered a bit, then released it. I did not want the stitches to be too tight. If you go in between two stitches, there's a nice space there for the stitch to be pretty small. I also, when on the knit side, made my stitches short, even though the thread was invisible and wouldn't have shown anyway.

5. When I got to the bottom, I cut my thread and started again on the other side. My zipper was too long and needed to be trimmed, but I did not want to do that til it was fully installed. I do not trust my measuring skills, for good reason.

6. When both sides were installed, I removed my basting thread and gasped at the perfection. Do not skip the admiration steps, they are very motivational. When it's 2am and you are torn between sleep and finishing a project, it's the admiration that will keep you going.

7. I then unzipped the zipper and used an overcast stitch to tack down the outer edge of the zipper and then remove the basting. Now your zipper is secure and you can unzip and zip and giggle for several minutes, or longer. It really never gets old.

8. My zipper was about 6 inches too long, so now I trimmed it and wound some thread around the bottom a bunch of times so the zipper do-dad wouldn't fly off down Rob's shirt. This part was easy and made me regret all the time I spent at Joann's only looking at the right length zippers. The zipper world is your oyster.

Here's the finished result (I installed a knit facing to cover the interior zipper facing - another story):

That's it! I hope this helps someone gather the courage to install their own zipper.

Basketweave Celebration Dance

2005-03-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

Basketweave is done. DONE!!! It is such a great feeling to have this monumental project completed. I am so happy with the way it all turned out. The zipper installation freaked me out but looks perfect. Charlene at my LYS suggested using invisible thread, and that made a huge difference. I was able to concentrate on getting it straight without worrying where the stitches were going. I am a terrible hand sewer but it didn't matter since my crooked stitches were invisible!

In the end, I knitted a facing to line the interior of the zipper. I wasn't happy with the contrast between the sweater color and zipper fabric color, and since Rob will not likely zip this thing all the way (althought he can! the zipper works! it's not just for looks!), that interior zipper will always be showing. So here's a shot of that (click for a larger view):

And here's a shot of Rob heading off to work in his new sweater (I stayed up til 2AM to finish it so he could wear it for casual day):

I felt such a thrill to see him wearing this sweater. He looks so fantastic in it! He is so impressed with my work and loves it. He told me he felt very loved when he wore it, which is exactly how I wanted him to feel. Merry Christmas, Rob!

Another FO

2005-03-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

Long after the funeral, for which this sweater was intended to be worn, I've attached the buttons. My own design, I think it turned out pretty well. I would make it again for a girl, as the collar is a bit wide and seems a bit feminine to me, even in these boyish colors. Someday I will write up the pattern! It took only a few days (of frantic car-knitting) to knit because I used two strands of yarn held together. Here's the back (click any photo for a larger one):

Side:

And front:

The sweater is knit from Lana Gatto Labrador, and if anyone remembers, that's the yarn I got at the Super Bowl sale and planned to use for myself. Like most things around here, it went to Marty. Cute though, eh?

Cute for a Granny

2005-03-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to make these littles cuties, after seeing them discussed in a knitting forum, that I ran to Joann's to buy some yarn:

They are egg covers for plastic or Cadbury eggs. I used Paton's Divine to make the bunny soft and fluffy, but used something much less expensive for the chick - not sure what it was, but I'm sure it's acrylic. The eyes, pompoms, and pipe cleaners were super cheap. I was planning to make a whole family of them, but lost heart a bit when my mom saw them and remarked that they were a bit old-ladyish. Are they? I still think they are cute, but don't giggle quite as much every time I pass by them.

Instead of making more egg covers or finishing one of my pairs of something (did I mention I also have one slipper that I made about 5 months ago?), I cast on the Dale cardigan. I loved doing the colorwork chart from the Norwegian mitten workshop, and felt much less intimidated by this cardigan. I'm a bit concerned that it is puckering too muhc, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can pull the stitches into place and that blocking will solve all. I've gotten through all the grey and a bit of the khaki - about 6 inches so far:

SES - Second Everything Syndrome

2005-03-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Here are my most recent cast-offs:

One clog, not yet felted:

One mitten:

I learned how to make this Norwegian mitten at an all-day knitting workshop, led by Beth Brown-Reinsel (author of Knitting Ganseys). It was a wonderful workshop and I learned a ton. It was also the first time I had been gone from Marty all day - from before he woke up in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. Rob took great care of him, even if he did give him cinnamon toast. He even got him down for a nap!

Back to the mitten: look at the palm!

The thumb shaping is a bit off, so I will be re-working it. And here's a shot of the back of the thumb, which I love:

Now with one clog and one mitten, you'd think I'd be working on the second of one of those pairs, right? Not me! I cast on a ribbed sock with my lovely Koigu, and couldn't be happier! I'm using my new 5" DPNs from doublepointed.com and am thrilled with the way the shorter needles stay out of my way. I'm also thrilled with the color selection of this Koigu:

So here I am with one of everything, and nothing to wear!

Sheep in the news...

2005-03-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

This poor guy,

evaded his shephards for 4 years. Finally captured, he has 60 pounds of merino on him! Click here for the full news story.

10 Signs you are an over-ambitious knitter

2005-03-08T13:33:00.000-05:00

1. You plan to knit a toddler sweater for a funeral scheduled for the next day and pack clothes to match
2. You pack 2 additional projects and extra yarn
3. You bring all your knitting needles, just in case
4. You modify the pattern for said toddler sweater in order to complete it in time for the funeral
5. You get home from the trip and unpack 2 untouched projects, extra yarn, unopened needles, and the book you never opened
6. You get home from the trip and finish the sweater that was to be worn earlier that day
7. Your son is the only child not in cold-weather gear, because his sweater isn't finished yet
8. Things like sleep, eating, and bathing become real nuisances that interfere with your ability to dress your child in weather-appropriate attire
9. You really start to think that a toddler would like to wear a vest instead

and the 10th sign you're an over-ambitious knitter...
You wish the drive to Chicago were longer so that you can finish your projects!

Honest, I have been knitting

2005-03-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have been working diligently to complete two rather large projects. Rob's basketweave sweater is knitted and seamed, and just needs a zipper and blocking (Hooray!). I also made "My Constant Companion" from Knitter's Stash. This is a very large bag to knit; once felted, it is still quite large and will easily hold all my WIPs and more. My cat is really anxious to sleep in this bag, so I may be knitting something for her out of the leftover yarn from this project. I used Reynold's Lopi, which felted beautifully. My favorite part of the whole project was the i-cord bind-off, which I did 3 times to get the contrasting color trim.

I also recently made this for a friend. While it is not knit, it is for knitting needles:

I even learned how to use the button-hole attachment on my sewing machine to make the matching pouch:

It was on sale

2005-02-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

That's my only excuse. My LYS - Stitch in Time, in Howell, Michigan - had their only sale of the year this past weekend. (It's somehow tied to the Superbowl although honestly I can't see the connection. But who am I to question yarn that is 20% off?) The yarn is piling up and the projects are not coming off the needles as quickly as I would like. I blame it on Basketweave and my very tall husband. I did finish both the front and back, and am halfway through sleeve #1:

I really want to finish this sweater before winter is completely over, so I must dedicate all my knitting time to this sweater. To keep me going, I will fantasize about what to do with all this yarn that I got on sale:

Want a closer look? Here's what I got:

4 skeins of Manos in this gorgeous lavender. Not sure what I will do with it, but the color really grabbed me:

4 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. A friend recently finished the sweetest baby sweater, and I am anxious to make one as well. With 4 pregnant friends, there will be lots of babies to knit for!

There will be another blue baby cardigan sweater on the needles soon, since when else can you get Rowan on sale?

Did you see the Ugg-style baby booties on the Knitty Gritty? Here are all the materials to make them:

Some yummy chunky Berroco that will be a jacket for Marty:

And finally, something for me, someday... I came upon this hidden pile of Lana Gatto Labrador. I've never seen it before, but as soon as I touched it, I knew I wanted to wear it. It feels soft like chenille, but is twisted. I grabbed all they had - 10 balls at 66 yards each. Now my challenge is to find something that will fit me with that yardage.

The Harlot Strikes Again

2005-01-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

I just assume that if you are reading my blog, you are also reading the Yarn Harlot's blog. In case you aren't, then you are really missing out. Please go there now. I will wait, and not be at all surprised when you never return here. She has fabulous knitting, witty commentary, and more than a year of archives for you to go through. No matter what time it is when you start reading, you will be up far too late. Enjoy!

If you made it back, then you've likely seen the astonishing total raised for Doctors without Borders. I am so amazed at the generosity of the knitting community. I am doing my own part by foregoing wants this week in order to donate as much as possible. I hope you will find your own way to support the people who sacrifice so much to help others in parts of the world we would never dare visit.

Perhaps you also noticed the Harlot's Thrum Along? I finally decided to join in (unofficially), and have made some good progress. The pattern is easy to follow (and even better, it's free), and these mittens are so cute:

More yarn, more projects

2005-01-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

Janine and I left the toddlers with their dads and took a trip to see the boys in Lansing. I highly recommend a visit to Threadbear for anyone in the Michigan area. The place is spacious, friendly, comfortable, and filled to the brim with beautiful yarn, roving, knitting notions and books, snacks, coffee, and fellow knitters. Janine and I spent 3 hours there without realizing it; it's like Vegas, in that there are no clocks and you lose touch with reality - is it night or day? The selection is really fantastic. I don't think they are missing anything, and they are always getting new stuff in. Here's my haul:

What you see in that shot are some lovely koigu KPPPM - a set for new socks and a set for some Fiesta Mittens by Lucy Neatby (Pattern from Threadbare also. The pattern is complicated - there's something called a flying swallows pattern??!!? - but the sample was gorgeous.); some Lorna's Laces sock yarn in denim blue and a coordinating variegated; and a huge stack of Dale Tiur in khaki, natural, and pearl grey. I fell in love with the Dale of Norway cardigan display at Threadbear and I AM GOING TO MAKE IT FOR MYSELF. It contains a lot of colorwork and some neat diamond patterns, and will likely be most most-challenging project to date. Here's a shot from their catalog:

I am having so much fun choosing knitting projects lately. There are some babies on the way, and it's so fun to think of things to knit for them. I recently started, and nearly finished the same weekend, this sweater with a Lorna's Laces pattern:

It's knit with a nice chunky wool and nearly flew off my needles, it knit so quickly. It's in the round til you reach the armholes, with the sleeves knit separately. I love that there will be minimal seaming.

I have made lots of progress on Rob's basketweave sweater. He got most of the back, still on the needles, for Christmas. Since I am no longer knitting it in secret, it's going much more quickly. The back is complete, and the front is at least 4" tall (considering it's 28" wide, that's a lot!). I am irritated that the shoulders have that ledged shaping built in, and I wish they were just straight shoulders with a 3-needle bind off. Hopefully as I become more confident as a knitter I will just ignore the directions I don't like and substitute them with my own. As it is now, I begrudgingly follow them and complain about it the whole time. Anyway, here's the completed back (click on it for a closeup of the basketweave pattern):

Well the baby is still napping, which means I have time to knit.

Happy New Year!

2005-01-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

What's more satisfying than casting off something cool? Why, seeing the recipient wearing the knitted item, of course! How about two people together, both wearing your knitted goods? Top it off with both people being cute toddlers, and here's what you get:

I was finally able to retreive the shot of my dad trying on his new hat, which I knit with a lovely Manos wool - the color name is thrush.

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-29T17:02:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful holiday around here, which included the giving of many knitted items. Here is my brother wearing the hat I made him, previously modeled by Marty:

A camera error is preventing me from retreiving my dad's hat. But here's what I made for my mom:

Accompanying the above item was this note:

Dear Mom,

This unfortunate, incomplete, ill-fitting gift is really an example. It’s an example of:

1. How important it is to do a gauge swatch
2. What you might have received for Christmas, had daughter #1 followed example #1
3. A bolero jacket for a very small person
4. What a one-armed elf might wear
5. My intention to hand-knit something special for you
6. My overly-ambitious knitting schedule (ask Rob what he got this morning)
7. Proof of the saying, “It’s the thought that counts” (hopefully)
8. Your opportunity to choose an item, any item, to be hand-knit in YOUR SIZE (I promise to do a gauge swatch this time) (you can take as much time as you like to choose. I know how you like to browse extensively before you commit to anything)

I received some truly thoughtful and fantastic gifts. The most exciting part is that someone is knitting something for me!!! My mom is making me the Touch Me Scarf out of the wonderful Meunch chenille that is unlike any other. It is a true red and was given to me on the needles - so nice to know that I am not the only one to do that this year! I also got some great knitting books and a check written out to my LYS. Perfect! My sister-in-law gave me a photo printer and my husband got me all kinds of fun stuff - books, wine glasses, silpats, a remote weather station, and the Jeopardy! game. We had a great time with family and friends and look forward to a happy new year.

Merry Christmas!

Activity!

2004-12-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hey some stuff is being knitted around here! I can tell because my needle case is filled to overflowing. On the way to Chicago last weekend, I finished this hat for my brother, Mike:

Then on the way home from Chicago, I finally finished the blue baby hat that matches the cardigan that goes with the pink cardi and hat set for the Kreiman twins, who were born around Thanksgiving. It makes me so happy to have this set finished and I hope they love it. Here's the whole set together:

Not done yet! Look what else got finished:

Gee, I'm not sure if that's big enough. Hold it up so I can see:

Ah yes, almost as big as the child it's for. Perfect!

How many days til...

2004-12-17T18:21:00.000-05:00

Would you think Christmas is just around the corner, if that hat were the only thing I've cast off in a week? Well, it is, and it is.

Life has been so hectic lately and I feel I haven't had any time to knit.

Our good friend Justin visited us for the weekend. When my husband picked him up from the airport, Justin asked to be taken to a place to get his haircut and to buy a hat. Rob said, "Oh, let Tracy make you a hat!" I was thrilled to make Justin something, even if he did insist on black and nothing but black. And it made me feel so great that Rob thought of my knitting as a superior option to a store-bought hat (I am quite confidant that this was the case, rather than he was trying to save Justin a few bucks.)

The hat was knit with Rowan's kid class, a blend of 70% lambswool, 26% kid mohair, and 4% nylon. It has a nice fuzz to it. I invented my own pattern by making a gauge swatch and measuring Justin's head - a wopping 23.5"! I wanted the hat to be a bit smaller than his head, so 22.5" is what I was going for. My gauge gave me 3.5 stitches=1" on a size US10 needle holding both strands together. Here's the pattern that I made up:

Using a US10 (16") circular needle and holding both strands together, cast on 76 stitches. Work k2, p2 rib for 4.5 inches. Knit 1 row, increasing 1 stitch every 19, for a total of 80 stitches (I did this to avoid using a smaller size needle, as I did not have a size 9 handy. If you do, you could cast all 80 onto a sz 9 and skip the increasing).

Work stockinette stitch (knit every round) until piece measures 9" (less if you want a hat that fits closer to the head, like a skull cap. I prefer mine a bit taller so it can be really pulled down on cold days, or worn a bit higher up, as the wearer prefers.)

Begin decreasing:
Round 1: (k5, k2tog), repeat to end of round, k 3 remaining stitches.
Round 2: knit round
Round 3: (k4, k2tog), repeat to end of round, k 3 remaining stitches.
Round 4: knit round
Round 5: (k3, k2tog), repeat to end of round, k 3 remaining stitches.
Round 6: knit round
Round 7: (k2, k2tog), repeat to end of round, k 3 remaining stitches.
Round 8: knit round
Round 9: (k1, k2tog), repeat to end of round.
Round 10: knit round
Round 11: (k2tog), repeat to end of round.

Cut yarn, leaving and 8" tail. Weave tail through remaining live stitches and then weave tail end into wrong side of hat. Presto!

Marty Pants

2004-12-02T15:35:00.000-05:00

Really, my blog title should be Marty Pants. This was our nickname for Marty, because he was so smart and we didn't want to refer to him as a smarty pants. Making pants, or longies, was my original motivation to learn to knit: 100% wool can be waterproofed with a bit of lanolin and water and creates the perfect cover for a cloth diaper - all natural, breathable, all seasons, environmentally friendly, perfect. Some people knit a lot of socks, some a lot of scarves. I knit a lot of pants. Here's the pair just finished for Mary:

Sporty and cute, just like Mary. Hopefully we will get a pic of her wearing them soon. Why didn't I take one today, when she tried them on and I had my camera? Same reason I haven't taken the picture for our Christmas cards, either, I suppose. A little know secret concerning havin gchildren: your brain functions at 50% capacity from the moment you get pregnant until your child is older - no idea how old, but past 2 for sure. I will keep you posted if it ever comes back to full functionality.

Now my needles are free to start some Christmas knitting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-29T18:21:00.000-05:00

I hope all you Americans enjoyed the 4-day weekend. I loved it so much, I knit my niece this:

She came here all the way from Colorado, played wonderfully with my son, and loves wristbands. She'll be getting a few more of them for Christmas.

We had a wonderful holiday here with family. Not much knitting was accomplished, but it was still a great time.

Assisted Knitting

2004-11-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

My good friend and neighbor, Janine (mom to Leo and Mary), recently learned to knit. She chose a somewhat ambitious project for a shower gift, with which I was happy to help her. Saturday night, with a few logs on the fire, children tucked in their beds, and a deadline looming, we finished this:

Admittedly, it was difficult to take the hat off the model to give it to the parents-to-be, but Janine says she did so graciously. All the moms wanted to know where they could buy such a thing. Janine proudly told the shocked audience that she had made it, and then was hounded by requests to sell her work. Not bad for a second finished object! It was fun to help with the seams, as they were so critical for this hat and I have become rather adept at mattress stitch. Great job Janine!

Should I be concerned?

2004-11-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

Hmm, not much being cast off lately, but more and more yarn is entering the house. I am running out of places to stash it. When Purple Heart came last week, I contemplated giving away all our beach towels so that I could use the space they were taking up for my yarn stash.

Have you ever seen the cover of "Knitter's Stash"? I love that look of piles of yarn, just waiting for you to be inspired. I have plenty of inspiration, just so little time lately. The few things that I am working on are gifts for my main blog readers, so how do you blog about that? I guess those FO's will have to wait to be shared. In the meantime, I do have some exciting yarn to share:

Blue-face leicester yarn (Poor Man's Cashmere), hand-dyed by Cass at Holy Sheep! Yarns. There are 2 very large skeins. The solid was supposed to be one of the colors from the 'earthy' colorway, but I think it's a bit darker. I still love it, though, and I have another skein that I could send her to be dyed in the lighter, more caramel-y tones of the earthy.

I also ordered 2 kits from Peace Fleece:

The 'Everyday Cardigan' for me (someday) and,

The infant cardigan for some future lucky child. I love the yarns from Peace Fleece and their philosophy as well.

You're welcome!

2004-11-03T08:20:00.001-05:00

Just a short blog today as the native is restless. I am reminded once again of why I knit for Janine:

Not only has she thanked my profusely and repeatedly for these pants, she has actually taken pictures of her child wearing them and e-mailed them to me.

Don't get me wrong: I love to knit and to knit for others, and I am not in it for the praise. Marty hasn't said a word to me about the several items I have knit for him (in fact, he sometimes cries about wearing them), yet I keep casting on projects for him; I don't knit for the gratitude of others. Yet to be thanked, to have someone really appreciate the knit item... well it's like reliving the joy of that project all over again. And it makes me start looking for more things to knit for that person/family!

So a word to the wise: If you really want to make a knitter's day, go on and on about how much you love what they knit. There's no going over board here. No amount of praise is too much. Seriously.

Happy Halloween!

2004-10-31T01:46:00.000-05:00

The pants aren't blocked yet but I had to try them on. Here is my little lion sporting some new longies:

I can't get over how cute he looks in that lion hat. There is a whole costume that goes with it. He really gets that he is a lion and roars all day. He chases the cat roaring. Today I found him tickling his face with his own tail.

In other knitting, I've been working slowly on a pair of pants for my friend's daughter, Mary (Leo, of the longies, is her brother). They are a great pink Manos wool that I got from Gaspereau Valley Fibres when they were having a sale... I have a kilo of this pink so there is no chance of me running out. There is a great chance that Mary and I will be wearing the same colors this winter. Anyway, this pink is great and I love the very slight variation, but I felt that, as pants, there was just too much pink happening. Something needed to be done. Here's what it looked like:

And here's where we are now:

Better, yes? I am so darn happy with those stripes. Plus they made the whole thing move along quickly. I needed 10.5" of pink, and it felt like it was going nowhere. Add a few stripes and boom! Before you know it, you are kitchener grafting a crotch!

I think the pants will be a bit more sporty looking with the stripes, too. Mary is a busy, wonderful toddler and I think these will be perfect for her. And her mom, Janine, is one of those people who make knitting gifts a wonderful, satisfying experience. Ever since Leo got his longies, Janine has thanked me countless times. She tells me about all the times he's worn them and all the places he's worn them too. She tells me how great they are, how well they fit, how well they work as diaper covers (since the wool has been lanolized, they become waterproof). In short, she makes me feel so great for having knit her kiddo something. She will be on the receiving end of much knitting, unlike others who fail to mention if the item even fit or if their child ever wore it. For all the time it takes to knit something, I can't give people more than one shot at being decent about it. I considered knitting my brother a sweater for Christmas; he's very tall and fit and would look great in just about anything, especially this lovely ribbed sweater. But I know he won't get it. I know he will take it off at night and throw it on the floor. I know he will not realize the hours of knitting and appreciate the love that goes into the work. So, I will knit him a hat in a nice wool and it will keep him warm at work and he will appreciate that just as much as a sweater. Janine, on the other hand, will not be throwing my knit goods on the floor of her kids' bedrooms, and she will realize that every stitch was knit with love.

Pants are done and new yarn lives here now

2004-10-29T08:52:00.000-04:00

Finally I got to cast something off last night! I have been spread a bit too thin lately, with all the projects going on. Working on several things a night has made a bit of progress on everything, without getting anything completed. So I resisted casting on anything new and just worked on these pants:

Not starting anything new was especially hard to do after my recent trip to ThreadBear Fiber Arts Studio in Lansing, MI. I felt a bit dizzy walking around in there, surrounded by so much yarn. There were people knitting everywhere you looked, and treats, coffee, dogs... it was amazing. My husband will be surprised to find me asking to go visit his mom, since she lives near the store. It was difficult to narrow down my selections, but I manage to only take home this:

Mountain Colors alpaca blend (50% alpaca, 50% wool) in Bitterroot Rainbow, with which I plan to make another pair of pants for Marty, and this:
Lorna's Laces shepherd worsted, a bulky worsted weight in colors that make me so happy. The reds are difficult to photograph so trust me when I say this is bright and cheery in red, purple, and orange. It's a superwash wool that will someday be a sweater. You can see I already cast on a swatch. I love how it knits up on my size 9 Lantern Moon needles. I am trying to design my own sweater pattern to make a cardigan for a friend's 3-year-old son.

Should I be concerned at all that more yarn is coming in than is being knitted and going out? I was showing someone my swift the other day and actually forgot an entire basket of hanks that could have been used to demo the swift. That's a bit disconcerting. I do have things in mind for all this yarn; I just need more time to knit!

Pants Progress

2004-10-21T08:36:00.000-04:00

The bulky marine-blue wool pants for Marty are coming along nicely. I cast off the first leg last night. I love how quickly these knit up on sz 10 needles. I did a garter stitch cuff on these instead of the seed stitch I had planned; the chunkiness of this 6-ply merino just didn't lend itself to a nice seed. I love how the garter stitch turned out.

Critical Error

2004-10-19T01:17:00.000-04:00

Here's a hint: When you have so much yarn that you can't really justify (i.e. you are not a fiber vendor) and you don't want to bring attention to those huge piles (which for some reason have avoided comment thus far - and it's not even the entire stash, there are still TWO KILOS upstairs keeping the swift and winder company), DON'T ask your husband to dig through a basket for a blue ball of yarn, no matter how tired you are or how much cooking and cleaning you did that day. Here's what it sounds like:

Me: Honey, can you grab a ball of this blue chunky wool yarn for me out of that basket?
Rob: (dig, dig) This one?
Me: No that's cotton, try the other basket.
Rob: This basket?
Me: Err no that's the yarn I dyed, remember? Try the top basket. It looks like this (hold up pants-in-progress).
Rob: Ok let me see, oh that's a purplish blue, oh there's yarn on this top shelf too? Is it in this... Jesus, Trace.
Me: (shrinking down into the couch, hoping if I look smaller, the yarn will scrunch down with me)

Winding heaven

2004-10-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

Remember that huge haul of manos? Was anyone wondering, wow that's a lot of winding. Well, I was. The 2 huge kilos represented 20 skeins of winding. I can wind a hank of yarn in about 25 minutes. Let's not do the math here; those kilos were going to take a big chunk out of my knitting time. So I used a Joann's coupon to order a swift, and picked up a winder at my LYS. I put them together and ooh la la, winding happiness was mine. I love the quiet whirring; I love that it takes no batteries; I love feeling like a pilgrim woman, using this simple mechanical device that needs no improvements. I was able to wind a 100 gram skein during the commercial break between The Apprentice and E.R. Fabulous! Here's the setup:

I was able to tear myself away from winding long enough to finish the pumpkin hat, which as it turns out is too small for baby Evan's extremely large head. Even after some stretching and blocking, it is too tight. So Marty will enjoy it for the time being. Here's the side view:

I've cast on a new hat for Evan, but after about 4" last night, I realized that it fits me. Luckily that boy has a grandma knitting for him! He may just have to settle for a sweater from me!

Knitting progress occurs while blog progress halts

2004-10-13T14:41:00.000-04:00

I love having multiple projects going. When I get to the point in one where a) I need new needles or b) the concentration requirement is too high for the current situation, I can switch to the other project. So you may not notice that things have progressed, but if 5 thiings all got a couple inches longer, then that's something, isn't it?

I recently cast on 2 new projects that are very fun. Using kool-aid-dyed orange wool and Manos green, the pumpkin hat:

Breaking into my manos haul, Marty's Christmas stocking:

I received my Lamb's Pride wool/mohair blend from the Brown Sheep Company and immediately worked this swatch:

And I finally finished seaming the pink cardigan (yes it still needs buttons):

I also cast on, knit 6 inches, and then frogged a pair of pants for Marty. I realized they were not going to fit and I love the wool so much that I desperately want these to be perfect for him. So, I get to knit them all over again. I love the wool so much that I don't even mind.