Look around, Leaves are brown

And the sky is a hazy shade of winter. 

Only its 75 degrees outside.  And raining.  What's the deal, nature?  I'm not one of those wussies who complains about the weather, because really, what's more boring?  Aside from listening to someone talk about his workout; that's infinitely more boring than the weather.    No, my issue is a more practical one:  I don't know what to wear. My trusty waterproof jacket and wellies are great at keeping moisture out, and in, as in when I stand on the still hot from the summer subway platform in all that rubber and Tyvek and Gore-Tex(TM) my body temp rises until I'm sweating like a pig at a BBQ.  Waterproof doesn't breathe!  It's too sweaty for sweaters, yet folks still rocking their light and bright summer gear look foolish, as the days have grown short and the light is now more flattering on greys, browns and russets than bright pinks, yellows and greens.  It's put me in a quandary Jack Donaghy! A quandary!

One thing I've not done is slow up on my knitting.  It's still prohibitively warm for me, or anyone else, to wear the things that I've made, but I've kept at it.  My tenacity has had more to do with my wanting to work through some of my stash as anything else.  As of late, it has become more burdensome than inspiring, and so I am lightening my load.  In addition to these various projects, I also took three shopping bags of yarn to the Goodwill and, man, was there a spring in my step when I'd finished that errand.

So what have I made?

Details:

Pattern: Ottilia Mittens, by Mari Muinonen

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman Wool

Needles: 4.0mm

Started: August 21

Finished:  August 27

I've been a fan of Mari Muinonen's patterns for a couple of years now but this is only the second one I've ever knit.  The mittens were fun and interesting, completed while I was dogsitting at a home with cable television, so there was a lot of The First 48 going on in the background.  The yarn (I used maybe 1/4 of a skein) is more from our spring time yarn swap.  I've really been feeling the brown lately, and cables, too.  Actually, what I've been feeling texture, in general, to wit:

Details:

Pattern: Martha Cowl Scarf, by Che (Little Thingies Ravelry Shop)

Yarn: Unknown cotton or cotton/wool blend

Hook: 5.5mm

Started: September 23

Finished: September 24

This was, I believe, my third attempt at making a chunky cowl, and the first one that was successful.  In order to be functional, a cowl needs to keep you warm, but most of cowls knit or crocheted with heavier yarns, and some worked at finer gauges, sit away from the neck leaving it exposed.  This is nonsense! If it's cold enough for me to wear something thick and heavy around my neck, then my neck needs protection.  it's not rocket science.  And yet I continue to see a proliferation of patterns that offer no protection from the elements whatsoever.  It's ridonkulous.

Well, that's certainly not a problem here. 

Crocheted with heavier yarn, the simple and airy stitch pattern prevents this cowl from being too stiff to scrunch , so I can double wrap it 'round my neck and keep cozy and warm.  Yes, please!

This next project was something that had been sitting in my queue for over year, but I never had quite the right yarn for it.  Until I frogged a 3/4 finished and poorly conceived sweater this past summer and found myself with just the right shade of alpaca.

Details:

Pattern: Some Cloudy Day, by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Sajima Alpaca

Needles: 3.25mm/3.5mm

Started: August 25

Finished: September 4

I had originally planned on making these for me, but about 1/2 way through the first legwarmer, I decided they were for Beth.  I'd sent hats to her husband and twins in Sweden last summer, but nothing for her (she's had my handknits before, so it's not as bad as it sounds), and so it seemed clear that she was next in line for a present.  Also, like me, she wears skirts all winter long (clogs, too!) so I knew she would appreciate the extra layer of warmth.  

These are pretty great, and by that I mean the pattern is pretty great.  Like Mari Muinonen, Tiny Owl Knits has designed several patterns that I really like, but this was the first one I'd made.  The lace pattern is easy, but effective and I enjoyed these so much that I promptly turned around and bought one of her hat patterns.  Let's see if I can get that finished before New Year's.

Holla!

After making my second trip to the farmers' market to buy more peaches (get 'em while you can!), I stopped in the Brooklyn Flea to browse and maybe get a little snack.  I certainly didn't expect to find this:

What?!?  Here I've been trying to destash, simplify, use what I have, and then I find 18 cones of beautiful cotton.  Apparently the vendor found them in front of the Met, which is bizarro, but all I could think was "hexagons, washcloths, bathroom curtain."  $55 later, they were mine.  Sometimes you can't let a good thing pass you by.

How do you beat the heat?

Me? I like to knock back a cool one. Or two.

If you doubt that it's hot, just check out the sweat on my brow.  September 1st and 95 degrees.  What?  Did I break my wrist?  No, that's not a cast. Those are just some fingerless mitts I crocheted for myself a while back.

Details:

Pattern: Marry Me Mary, by Janette Millbom

Yarn: unknown (recycled from a sweater)

Hook: F/3.75mm

Started: August 17

Finished:  August 18

I have a lot of dark winter accessories and have been wanting to add some lighter and brighter items, so this yarn fit the bill.  It was 3/4's of a Phildar sweater before I realized I was making the wrong size and didn't have enough yarn to finish the sweater anyway,  so I ripped out and started a couple of projects, this being the first completed.  It's more marled white and tan than it appears in these pictures and I'm not sure about the yarn content, but my guess is a cotton/poly blend.  I'd call it a worsted weight, so I worked the pattern it with a small needle so that the fabric would be dense and stiff.

The pattern is a modified Catherine's Wheel, and I had a really rough time picking it up.  I read the pattern, I read other versions of the stitch, I watched videos.  After about three hours I finally got it down.  It was one of the most frustrating crochet experiences I've ever had, but I felt really good once I finally got it down.  The mitts are crocheted back and forth rather than in the round, so they had to be seamed.  I decided that I wanted a visible seam, and so crocheted them together rather than sewing.

A mi me gustan!

My style, but not entirely

I spend kind of a lot of time on Ravelry peeping at other people's projects.  I do it the way some people read House & Garden or Vogue.  I'm always looking for inspiration and interesting twists on patterns.  I've found that there are some crafters whose work I almost love.  PetraO is one of those.  She has such an amazing sense of color, usually pairing solids with solids (which is totally up my alley; I dress almost entirely in solids or horizontal stripes).  I've been particularly taken with her shawl modifications.  She knits lace shawls according to the pattern and then crochets a border in a contrasting color.  It's the perfect way to take something that could look frumpy or very Renaissance Faire (you know what I mean) and make it fresh, pretty and modern.

So I totally bit her style.

Twice. So far.  

Details:

Pattern: Diamond Knit Shawl, by Lion Brand (free)

Yarn: Sheep Shop Sheep 3 (discontinued) - body; Wollemeise Sockenwoll 80/20 twin (border)

Needle: 5.0mm

Hook: 3.25mm

Start: July 29

Finished: August 2

This worked up so quickly, I could hardly believe it.  The pattern is so well written with short, simple repeats.  The Sheep Shop yarn is no longer available as the company went out of business, which is too bad because it is lovely (it was also expensive, but I got this on deep discount at Webs last fall).  A wool/silk blend it's soft and snuggly against the skin and has a wonderful drape.

Despite the silk content, the yarn gives good stitch definition.  The pink is so pink, so sweet, that I knew I needed something bold to make it less saccharine.  I considered green, but thought it would look too preppy.  I had the red Wollmeise on hand (color is Herzblut, which means lifeblood in German) and decided it would add the right amount of aggression to the shawl.

I had no one particular in mind while I was knitting this, but once I finished the border, I knew it was for me.  Mine, all mine.

 Just a few days afer finishing #1, I cast on for #2.

Details:

Pattern: Diamond Knit Shawl, by Lion Brand

Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted (main); Spud & Chloe Fine (border)

Needle: 5.5mm

Hook: 3.25mm

Started: August 6

Finished:  August 13

This one took me longer to finish, in part because the yarn was less fun to work with.  It's a woolly single ply, so will be warm, but was a bit splitty and not as soft as the Sheep 3.  I think that softness can be overrated sometimes; it's not the only think one wants in a knitted garment, or we would all run about in angora undergarments wouldn't we?  No, that this is woolly gives it substance, makes it appropriate for cold winter days.

Again, I considered a lot of different colors for the border.  A straw yellow was an early contender, but I decided to go with something that would jump out a bit more.  I have to say I really, really like this one, too.  The resulting shawl is less femmy that the first which makes it an appropriate gift for any number of my friends.  I have an idea where I'll be sending this, but don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

Tack så mycket for the inspiration PetraO!

See what I mean about solids and stripes?  I'm dressed like a Kool-Aid multi pack.

Sullivan County, USA

Ahhhhh, open spaces!

I miss them.  When I first moved to Brooklyn, one of the things I liked the best was that it was low-rise, which meant I could see the sky, which meant I felt that I had elbow room which meant I was relaxed and happy.  Over the past 10 years, grody developers have endeavored to turn Brooklyn into a version of Manhattan's far west side: tall glass "luxury" buildings.  This seldom means luxury but always means expensive and higher rise.  Blech.

Anyway, I was treated to a little trip out of town recently with T-Bone and Pierre.  They have a place upstate and we decamped there for a weekend of good food and mellowness.  On Saturday Terence (T-Bone) and I visited a local farm stand. 

The farm stand operates out of an old barn and opens at 10.  By 10:30 there was a line 10 people long waiting to check out - quite a scene.  Terence bought food for lunch and dinner. I bought hippie soap.

It's so beautiful that it's almost comical. 

While we were out running errands (so much faster in a car than hoofing it, as is my norm), Pierre was making curtains for one of the upstairs bedrooms. 

I was impressed by his productivity: two panels in the morning and two after lunch. Sewing gives a satisfaction that's hard to replicate with any other craft. It is fast and efficient and sometimes incredibly simple.  Cooking is wonderful, but the results and enjoyment, are temporary.  Knitting, even quickly, is much more time consuming, and so the gratification is delayed.  But with sewing, one can often start and finish a project in one day, and enjoy it for years to come.  How wonderful is that?


After lunch I took a 2 1/2 hour nap. Mon dieu!  I never sleep so long, but man oh man did it feel good.  Before dinner, I went for a little walk to wake up a bit, and wound up at my favorite little spot around there: Nearing Cemetery.

It's a tiny cemetery, overgrown and not well tended, on a gravel road the middle of the country.  At night it's really spooky (to me, at least) but in the daytime, it's lovely.

Nearing cemetery hasn't completely abandoned; see the American flag on the left?  Someone had placed it at a more recent grave, perhaps on July 4th?  Terence says there are still Nearings in the area.  Can you imagine anything more gothic and romantic that a family cemetery? So neat.

Tal, Brett, Colin and Peter came for dinner that night. They have homes in neighboring towns, and so often get together on weekends.  I've known most of them as long as I've known Terence: 15 years this month.

It was a beautiful evening, so dinner was al fresco. We ate a lot, drank a lot and laughed a lot.

Mad hatting

Ja, it's more hats.  I'm queueing them faster than I can cast on and there's no end in sight.  I started another this morning after finishing one late last night.  It's kind of like that summer I went on an accidental Twizzler diet: for 2 1/2 days I craved twizzlers like nobody's business.  At breakfast with coffee, during the day while sitting at the information desk directing people's calls, and in the evenings with beer.  Nothing else appealed to me.  Then, in the middle of day 3 I hit a serious wall, had a serious stomach ache and the shakes.  The next day, I returned to my normal dietary habits and I was none the worse for wear.  Sometimes you just have to let yourself scratch that itch (unless the itch is to freebase or drunk dial something else absurd, in which someone close needs to slap you and tell you to get it together).

So, here we have the second in my Prince themed hats: When Doves Cry.

Details:

Pattern: Rose Red, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Shadyside Farm Studio Angora with Lambswool

Needles: 3.75mm, 4.0mm

Started: July 22

Finished: July 23

The second time around with this hat, I decided to make the size small.  It turned out small, alright.  Tomo (my gracious model) is petite with a small head and it's snug at the brim on her.  This throws a bit of wrench into my intended gifting plans, but I remain optimistic.  If nothing else, I know an adorable three year old who's sure to grow in to it eventually. 

The yarn is some that I received during my knitting group's great yarn swap last spring.  It is so soft and so fuzzy and so incredibly awesome, like the plumes of little, tiny weeping doves (there's your thematic tie in, ladies and germs).

On the same day that I finished the beret, I started on a pair of hats for my friends Felix and Rasmus.  To call  them friends might be a stretch, as they are only 9 months old, but I am awfully fond of them.  Felix and Rasmus (or FeRas, as their mum calls them) aren't identical twins, but they look enough alike that I have a hard time telling them apart.  Consequently, I have been known to refer to them as "This one" and "that one."  It would be pretty great if it turned out I were always calling the same twin "this one" and the other twin "that one", so that when I'm old and dotty and they called me on the phone I could ask "who is it," and when the man on the other end answered "This one," I would know who he was.

As that day is approx. 40 years in the future, for now our relationship is limited to me making them things and them smiling at me, which is more than payment enough.

Details:

Pattern: Elvish, by Melanie Hoffman

Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted

Needles: 4.0mm & 4.5mm

Started: July 23

Finished: July 26

This pattern is an adaptation (for worsted weight yarn) of the Sweet Baby Norwegian Cap that is so popular (and deservedly so).  In a departure from my usual m.o., I knit these using DPNs rather than the Magic Loop method and I had fun with those pointy little sticks!  The yarn is pretty woolly which I thought was appropriate for children who are half Swedish.  One of the things I like about Scandinavian knitting, both traditional and contemporary, is that it doesn't shy away from woolly, textured wools.  Shit gets cold up there, and some bamboo cotton blend is more appropriate for L.A. than Malmo!  I popped these in the mail today, which may not have been the smartest move since it's still too warm in Sweden for wool hats and the family will be back in New York before the weather turns seriously cold, but I really, really wanted to surprise  their parents.

Speaking of parents, I also knit a hat for This One and That One's father, or Far, as they say in his homeland.

Details:

Pattern: 70s Ski Hat, by Whitney Van Nes for The Purl Bee

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, Patons Classic Wool Merino, Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool

Needles: 4.5mm

Started: July 27

Finished: July 28

I'd made this hat twice before, the year after I started knitting, but didn't remember much about the construction, so the project was fun and felt new.  It's got a neat cashmere band on the inside (yes, I actually used cashmere this time) that you work beginning with a provisional cast on.  Then, when it's time to join the main color for the hat, you knit one row with the new yarn, purl one row with the new yarn, and then knit all remaining rows.  This creates a neat little ridge in the fabric that makes it easy to fold the cashmere lining portion under. 

Now, my friend said her husband's head is "gigantic" and I truly hope that it is, because this hat if h-u-g-e.  It's even big on me, and I have a head the Sputnik could orbit. This, too, went off in the mail today, so I guess I'll find out soon enough. 

Speaking of huge heads, I'll leave you with a favorite clip from one of my favorite movies of the early 1990s:

Toonces The Driving Cat

I've been on a bit of a toy-knitting jag recently, probably because they're quick and fun and provide a good distraction from a couple of longer term projects on which I've been working. But let's not over-analyze this; they're also pretty cute.  The three most recent toys (including the Bates and Crawford families) have all been Rebecca Danger patterns, which are available both on Ravelry and Etsy.  I have to give a shout-out here to Ms. Danger and her patterns, which are really clearly written and include large and helpful photos.  The toys are all fairly simple, cute and a bit funny looking, which is just as a knitted toy should be, to my mind.

I think Toonces here fits that description.

Details:

Pattern: Greta the Captivating Cat, by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi, in Glenwood

Needles: US5/3.75mm

Started: July 26

Finished: July 29

Named for my favorite car-driving cat from 1980s late night TV, Toonces is going to live with Consuelo and David and their on-the-way baby. I made him using a partial skein of Lorna's Laces that was left over from a Baby Surprise Jacket I'd made two years ago.  I hadn't initially planned it, but after I'd been working for a bit, I noticed that the variegated nature and colors in the yarn were creating a great calico effect.  The yarn is soft and springy and, importantly, machine washable.

I was nervous about stitching on his arms, ears and tail because finishing is not my strong suit and there's no great way to hide these stitches, but again, the variegated yarn worked  in my favor masking some of my stitches.  I did make a modification with respect to his tail, and instead of working it in the round, I just made a 5-stitch i-cord.  Easy as pie, and it looks good.