whatifknits

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.

Here’s my Clementine in Malabrigo, looking a bit odd on the needles (but I have great faith in the miracles I’ll be able to work with blocking).

This pattern is a delight to knit—interesting, but simple enough that I can do it while enjoying a baseball game on TV or a book on tape. I’m particularly appreciating the feel it’s giving me for using increases and decreases to shape my finished work. I will never be one to design (let along wear) a knit swimsuit, but if you are so inclined, that teardrop-shaped bit at the end could teach you everything you need to know to make a nicely curved bra cup. (I’ll be waiting for the pics of everyone’s beachwear creations to come rolling in.)

With three balls of Malabrigo, I’ll easily have enough to make a good-sized shawl. I’m planning to use one ball for each half, then to continue knitting both at once from both ends of the third ball, so I get the most out of my yardage.

While walking on a windy beach yesterday, I got the idea to modify the Easy Triangular Shawl pattern into a poncho. I had a rectangualr shawl wrapped around my shoulders and pinned together, so the long ends were keeping my front warm, but I was really wishing for more fabric in the back when the shawl/poncho vision descended. I know the main wave of poncho fever has come and gone, but I haven’t knit one yet, so I will not be forestalled by the possibility of looking “so last year.” I’m guessing I’ll need ten balls of my beloved Soft Delight Extremes, and have put that on my shopping list for when I visit my sister at the end of June.

Last night I gave Sparky a little pompon-type ball that I’d had marinating in catnip for the past several months. You should have seen him go at it! He lunged at that pompon as if it were a particularly trecherous foe and spent a full half hour alternating between killing it and carrying it about in his jaw triumphantly. Spartacus: Mighty Slayer of Puffs!

P.S. On the evil spendthrift front (actually, it was only $11 with shipping from Rosie’s Yarn Cellar), I’ve ordered the Manos Cotton Collection 4 book. I’m in love with the back/white/grey 3/4 sleeve mosaic-stitch jacket. If you click on “View Image Gallery” here, it will be the first picture that pops up. It looks so classy and comfy all at the same time, and the washclothes have gotten me enthusiastic about the joys of mosaic stitches.

Here are a few quick pics to whet your appetites.

Voila—the Easy Triangular Shawl knit up in my beloved Soft Delight Extremes from Hobby Lobby.

Yes, it’s acrylic, but it does amazing things on the needles. I’ll be buying more of it when I head to the midwest this summer to visit my sister. (Like a good knitter, I know to take my largest suitcase, even if I’m only going for a few days. You never know when you’ll run into a great yarn sale.) Obviously, I haven’t blocked the shawl yet and will need to do some tugging to even up the two sides, but isn’t the striping great? The chain-stitch cast off was tedious, but I like the bit of ruffle it adds to the hem. Once I find the right sale, I’m definitely going to be working this pattern up again in Noro. A thousand thanks to CatBookMom for bringing it to my attention.

And now Melissa in version 1.1 of the Tamalpais hat.

(A self-portrait, in case you can’t tell.) The patterns for all the variations of this hat will be posted as soon as I can photograph them. This tweedy green hat is knit from the original pattern, which I’d first worked in a variegated yarn. It had come out nicely, but, not surprisingly, the color variation obscured the pattern, so I re-knit the hat in this fiber. In subsequent variations I played with using two yarn colors, mixing moss and stockingette stitches, making the “mountains” larger, and working the mountains in moss stitch. Because I’ve gotten some feedback that my Santa Cruz Hat is a smallish fit, I deliberately made this pattern larger. It produces a hat that’s roomier, without crossing over into beret-dom. Since I won’t see Melissa and her camera this weekend, I’m hoping to importune one of my local friends with a digital camera to help me get the rest of the pics done and uploaded.

The Malabrigo version of the Clementine Shawlette is on the needles and looking lovely, but it will also require significant blocking. I tend to knit garter stitch borders a bit tightly, so the interior pattern balloons out until I give the garter stitches a good stretch. Does anyone else have this problem?

I’m thinking about doing the Clementine Shawlette from the spring issue of Interweave Knits. It’s a lovely thing, pretty, but not overly complicated. Here it is, knit up by the Local Needle. Here‘s another version from Whoopsy Daisy. And here a version from Ruthless Knitting. What I’m considering is is bumping up the yarn weight and needle size in hopes of generating a full-on shawl, rather than a shawlette. I have three balls of Malabrigo in a great fuschia/apple color combination (the colorway is Melilla, scroll down and you’ll find it). If I did this—particularly if I did it without swatching, which is of course what my itchy fingers are urging—I’d be risking producing something big enough for a giantess. (Or, perhaps, Janet Reno? Wait, no, that’s Will Ferrell…. Here she is! And here they are together.) But I’m still nursing my diasppointment that I cast off my Easy Triangle Shawl as soon as I did, so enormous seems like just the thing.

On another note, you may (or may not) remember that I’d started a felted knit tote version 2.0 quite a while ago. Because it’s 200 stitches around and all stockingette, it’s been languishing in the back seat of my car as the emergency-take-it-out-and-drag-it-along-to-meetings project. Well, yesterday during the weekly Committee on Educational Policy gathering, I got a vision of a way to alter the decreases that will, if I’m right, change the shape of the bag in a pleasing way, allow for a more attractive closure, and reduce some seaming I’d been dreading to a simple three-needle cast-off. Huzzah! I actually took the bag out of my car last night and worked on it while I watched Bill Moyers‘ latest on PBS.

Hooray!

I’m still coughing, still blowing my over-productive nose every few minutes, but—I. Can. Think. I no longer burst into tears when asked to do something more complicated than choose between TheraFlu and Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Sinus. Last Wednesday, determined to teach my Thursday classes, I drove myself to the office, only to discover that getting there wore me out so badly that I was incapable of doing any class planning. A friend gave me a ride home, I called Melissa, and she took the rest of the week off work and set about healing me up (which included walking up to campus to retrieve my car, which I’d left there when I got the ride home).

I’m being dutiful and putting teaching first at the moment, so I won’t have a real knitting post for a few more days, but I promise something good as soon as I’m capable of it. I didn’t knit for the better part of a week, but once my brain started to reemerge from the fog, I went back to the Tamalpais hat, which I’ve now worked up in five different variations (a perfect example of what happends when one starts asking “what if?” questions). More on that and other projects soon.