Month: May 2007

OK—I don’t really mean it about the evil thing. They’re perfectly lovely. They’re more than lovely. It’s all really a matter of my inability to exercise any kind of self control.

Yesterday I was fantasizing about the Origami Cardigan. Today, I started fantasizing about yarns to knit it in. And, wouldn’t you know it, waiting for me among my email was a note from Little Knits about their current sale on cotton yarns. So, I clicked on the link. Now, none of the cottons waved its fibery little hands at me and called out “Origami Cardigan,” but over on the left nav bar a little link reading “Atacama Alpaca—50-55% Off Sale” was signalling at me like a kitten trying to initiate play (chirp! chirp! paw wave. roll. chirp! blinky-blink.). Cut to the chase: depending on the whim of UPS, I’ll soon be the owner of enough—more than enough—alpaca (in a lovely variegated green shade) to knit up an Origami Cardigan of my very own.

No. Self. Discipline. At. All. Yep, that would be me.

P.S. The Little Knits email also announced that their biggest Noro sale ever will begin next Wednesday. I’m currently doing a textbook review for Sage Publishing, and that money’s going to be spent before it even crosses my palm.

The new issue of Interweave Knits was waiting for me when I got home from Melissa’s yesterday. I am fantasizing about knitting this cardigan.

Pluses:
• obviously comfy
• can be worn loosely or tightly depending on the weather
• interesting enough that it could work as a wardrobe staple for years (I think)
• v-neck (my most flattering neckline)

Minuses:
• not quite sure I understand how to put the pieces together (but I imagine I could figure that out once they’re knit up)
• 1200± yards of worsted weight yarn
• big chunks of stockingette
• the would-it-work-with-my-short-roundish-figure? question.

Of course, the fact that the sample is knit in orange doesn’t hurt—as far as I’m concerned, orange has always been the new black. It would have lovely drape in a bamboo yarn, but buying that kind of yardage could break the bank.

Any opinions?

And in breaking news…
” In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service will warm up for the holidays by issuing Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic winter-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl. These beautiful stamps consist of a dignified stag, a snow-dappled evergreen tree, a perky snowman sporting a top hat, and a whimsical teddy bear.

“In recent years, knitting has become quite popular again, both in the United States and internationally. Inspired by traditional Norwegian sweaters and knitted Christmas stockings, Stahl decided on ‘something cozy’ for this year’s holiday stamp issuance. She used a computer software program to draw her original designs and convert them to stitches and rows. Then she downloaded the information to an electronic knitting machine and used it to knit her creations. The machine’s smaller stitch gauge didn’t provide quite the effect Stahl was hoping to achieve. So she transferred the designs onto punch cards and used a different knitting machine that works something like an old Jacquard loom and has a larger stitch gauge. Stahl scanned the finished pieces into her computer and retouched the photographic images to ensure that all the stitches aligned properly. The result is a set of four colorful and “cozy” stamps that will add an extra touch of warmth to seasonal correspondence.”

Now how about some handknits for next year?

Here’s my little friend Boaz, who will be modeling a pattern I have coming out in MagKnits. Keep an eye peeled for him—and the pattern.

I’ve known him from birth and have the pleasure of spending time with him almost every week. Lucky me!

The Clementine shawl continues apace. I got a few rows done during a concerrt Melissa and I attended last night that featured Jordi Savall, Pierre Hantaï, and Xavier Diaz. (Audio clips available at the “concert” link.) We’ve been big Savall fans for a good while now, but Diaz was new for us—and a revelation. I am not, frankly, a guitar music kind of gal, even when it’s 17th Century guitar, but Diaz won me over in seconds and had me grinning from ear to ear: such life, such speed, such range!

The Tamalpais Hats (patterns in 4/28 entry) gave me a chance to dig into my stash to use some old favorites and try out some new yarns as well. Here are a few of my not-necessarily-systematic observations.

Louisa Harding’s Kimono Angora: 70% angora, 25% wool, 5% nylon, 124 yards per 25 gram ball. This yarn has that typical-of-angoras tendency to release little bits of fluff, so knitting with it can feel a bit like sitting in a field of dandilions on a breezy day (and the fluff is predominantly white, even though the yarn is variegated), but for me its softness definitely counterbalanced that shedding. I was a bit nervous about yardage, since the Louisa Harding Fauve I’ve used in the past seems significantly short of its stated yardage, but had no such problems. The ball band recommends size 6 needles; I actually used size 7 and had satisfactory results. Over time, I’m not sure how well garments knitted in this yarn will hold their shape. The angora definitely has less bounce than wool, so there’s no “rebound” to it. Once you stretch a piece out, it stays stretched. As you can see if you look at the hat I knit up, this yarn doesn’t show stitches well, both because of the variegation and the fuzziness. Would I knit with this yarn again? Yes, but I would choose a very simply project, with the colorway as a focus, rather than the stitches. I don’t know how well they would wear, but I could imagine a very simple, decadent pair of padding-about-the-house slipper-socks made from this yarn or perhaps wrist warmers (which would probably hold up better). At the moment Webs has it for $5.95 a ball (original price $10.95), which makes for a nice opportunity to play with luxury yarn without breaking the bank.

Rowanspun Aran: 100% wool, 219 yards per 100 gram ball. If this yarn were a breakfast cereal, it would be muesli. Despite being stranded, it has a cushy, one-strand feel to it (almost roving-like, if that makes any sense) and much more body that other wools of this weight, such as Knit Picks’s Wool of the Andes. This yarn really comes to life on the needles. The tweedy bits start to sparkle as a piece is knit up, and individual stitches stand out. With great yardage, this yarn deserves a place as a staple in any stash.

Debbie Bliss Merino DK: Heaven! This yarn is a revelation. Yes, it costs significantly more than, say, a DK-weight wool from Knit Picks, but the moment you touch it, you’ll know why. Soft, soft, soft. Soft like Malabrigo, but stranded and with a much more consistent gauge. I can’t remember where I got his yarn (I’m sure I picked it up because of the yellow-green color, which is a favorite of mine), but I know I’ll be buying more when I come across it again. If you look at the picture of the hat I knit in this yarn (Tamalpais v.3.0), which was comprised almost entirely of moss stitch, you’ll see the yarn’s wonderful stitch definition. This would be a great yarn for cables or textured stitches—and your fingers will love every minute of working with it. If you’re in the mood to do something nice for yourself, pick up a few skeins. You’ll have fun just petting them while you decide on the right project.

Knit Picks’ Wool of the Andes, Merino Style, and Shine Sport: These are my “doodling yarns.” I order then a dozen or so skeins at a time, two each of several colors. They’re cheap enough that I feel no guilt throwing out a truly disasterous experiment, which lets me pursue even my wilder ideas worry-free. And when an experiment lands somewhere between disaster and success, I can frog this yarn a few times and reknit it without the final project coming out too shabby. In theory, the Wool of the Andes and Merino Style shouldn’t work together in a single piece, as they’re different weights, but I didn’t have any problem switching from one to the other on the hat (Tamalpais v. 2.0). I would probably hesitate to work up a big project in Merino Style using size 7 needles, but the top of the hat isn’t noticeably looser than its body, despite the change of yarns. I love the silky feeling of Shine Sport (which also comes in a worsted weight). A lot of cotton yarns seem to have a dull or matte finish, but this yarn definitely deserves the “shine” in its name. It is harder to work with than a wool, as any cotton yarn is, so I do notice my hands growing tired when I work with it, and I take more frequent breaks. Bottom Line: If you like designing, these are great yarns for your “rough drafts” that let you save the really good stuff for a final project that’s knit up once you’ve worked out all the glitches.

Let me share a photo with you.

Melissa took this shot of a hummingbird nest in the magnolia tree outside her front door. I’m not sure if that’s a bit of my yarn worked into it—I would like to think it is. On the whole, Melissa’s neighborhood is an industrial wasteland, but look at the miracles that come with even a smattering of trees.