Zimmerman February Baby Sweater

I knitted this Elizabeth Zimmerman February Baby Sweater as a test run. I'm glad it's not the real gift; although it looks really cute in the pix, I somehow messed up the pattern on the right side. I'm casting on again tonight to see if I can correct in the next version. Maybe it was the number of stitches I picked up under the sleeve?



Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater
I *love* this pattern. It's so clever and knits up really fast.

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I have to confess that I bought 50% acrylic yarn! I can't believe it. It knits up very nicely and who can pass up $5 a skein for a baby sweater?

Notes: I lost count after picking up stitches for the sleeves and my Sea Gull pattern is off on one side. I didn't see this until I was done with the sweater. For the next one, I'm going to try and knit the sleeves in the round rather than flat.

Yarn Related

I have photos of WIPs and finished objects but can't find the time to download them! I desperately need a camera with bluetooth (not sure this is even a possibility?). In the meantime check out this yarn stash! It's crazy!!


http://mochimochiland.com/weblog/?p=111

and a funny for the day:

The Blogger Poll Sucks

So the blogger poll sucks. I can't see what the email addresses are for responses. I guess this makes sense if you're asking things like 'Do you agree with the war'. It doesn't work for polls where I'm expecting to send prizes. I'll run another one at some other point.

More to come later - I'll have several FO's to show. Off to the Yarn Basket now to buy some new yarn for the Swallowtail Shawl.

Relief?

It's been crazy hot here. I mean, last week I felt like I was in an oppressive sauna. The AC provided some relief, but at the end of the day it was still 110 degrees! I am from Greensboro, North Carolina, where summers were steamy. However, I don't think anything compares to the heat in Richmond!

Following in the footsteps of the Yarn Lounge who posted a list of movies that feature cold weather, I pulled out this photo from our first year in Richmond (2004). Isn't it beautiful! Enjoy!

anxiously awaiting ravelry

My Ravelry Status:

* You are #24405 on the list.
* 15728 people are ahead of you in line.
* 1 people are behind you in line.
* 34% of the list has been invited so far

I thought I signed up several weeks ago; Alas, I'm near the end of the list! Can't wait. I need to go buy a new camera just for the occasion!

i've been simpsonized

Tonight I was reading the Purl Parables which led me to Delores and Franklin of the Panopticon. Like Brandy of the Purl Parables, I'm a bit obsessed now with Franklin's writing (thanks brandy!). After reading all about Delores and ordering a T-shirt with her picture, I then linked over to Queer Joe's Knitting Blog which in turn led me to Simpsonize myself. Isn't the internet amazing?

Trellis Scarf

Pattern: Trellis Scarf from Interweave Magazine

Yarn: Art Fibers Alfabeto in #02. 76% silk 19% superkid mohair 5% wool. This is a gorgeous yarn to work with! I actually found it to be easier to work with than the Handmaiden seasilk. I think the small amount of wool helped.

Notes: I made the scarf narrower than the pattern called for due to the fact that I thought I would run out of yarn.

Recipient: me!

Simple Yet Effective Shawl

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
~Mary Anne Roadacher-Hershey~

Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl from Cosmicpluto knits
Yarn: Handmaiden Sea Silk 70% Silk combined with 30% SeaCell
Color: Lily Pond (you can't really see the color in this photo unfortunately. Trust me, it's a gorgeous yarn)
Recipient: This shawl is for one of my favorite aunts who is battling breast cancer.

I'm hoping that the Seacell will provide comfort to her.
What is seacell? From the handmaiden site:

Seacell is a cellulose based fibre made from seaweed. That’s right – seaweed! It is highly breathable and very soft. When worn, your skin’s natural moisture will release magnesium, calcium and vitamin E contained within the seaweed. It has anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to protect the skin. Amazing.

Finally some knitting!

There's been a lot going on this summer! We just finished a ton of renovations on the house just in time for us to probably move away! We're seriously considering leaving Richmond. We'll see what happens but top picks right now are somewhere out west or Raleigh, where we lived for 7 years. No offense to my Richmond readers as I think you all rock!, but after discussing this with a few non-natives, we've all decided that if you're not from Richmond, it takes a while to 'fit' into Richmond...Maybe that's true of a lot of cities; I know my hometown is very much like that. Raleigh and the Triangle area were really different in that regard. So....we're seriously considering going out west or back home to Raleigh. I'm looking at the doctoral program at UNC where I did my master's degree in IS. We're also checking out the jobs down there to see what opens up. If we do make a move it'll be next spring. I have a great house if anyone is interesting in buying next spring :)

On to other topics...knitting! I've completed the body of the KP&S wrap sweater in King Tut cotton. I'm giving up on the Caftan pullover I had planned to make with this yarn. There are just not enough hours in the day to seam up a sweater :). I'm pretty pleased with this so far. The only exception is that I think I need to pull out the cast-off edge as it's curling. I never seem to remember to use a smaller needle there. I guess that's the reason why it's curling? Does anyone know? I also made it a bit tighter than the pattern calls for. Hopefully it'll block out a bit.




I've also completed this trellis scarf from Interweave. It's an Ann Budd pattern that I thoroughly enjoyed! As Melanie at TYL noted, Budd's patterns are extremely clever. I made it a bit narrower than the pattern called for since I thought I would run out of yarn. Alas, I did have leftovers. It's difficult to see the beautiful colors of this Art Fibers yarn in this photo so I'll model it after it's blocked.




In addition to house projects this summer, Ben & I have also kept up with our kitchen garden. Yummies from the garden this year include fennel, heirloom peppers, herbs of all kinds (including chocolate mint which smells amazing), chardonnay grapes, beets, blue lake beans and tons of tomatoes and blackberries. The blackberry bushes are so prolific. If anyone wants a vine, let me know! You can basically put one vine in the ground and it'll multiply by next year.

kitten fun

i do have some knitting done but no photos! argh. alas. you'll have to bask in the cuteness of bloo.

who couldn't love a face like this!



i will eat you the first chance i get




my name is bloo and i kill mice



i can't see you!



officer, i am completely innocent



look ma no hands!