One pair of bear paws and one pair of fingerless mitts. What fun!

one more pair of each to go

I'm trying to convince myself that my mitts don't look like burgundy wrist braces. I still wear my wrist brace occassionally at night to prevent any more wrist soreness and the similarity to these fingerless mitts is a little disturbing. But I will go ahead and make a second pair in, you guessed it, blue. I can't resist. The pattern is so neat and they only take about an hour to make.

The bear paws mitts keep sending me into paroxysms of "they're so cuuuuute!". The boys, however, weren't that impressed until I put the claws on, but now they think they're pretty funny. Maybe someday they'll like them as much as the $3 a pair of gloves I got them at Target. They're too big and have "hip" skater designs on them that I wouldn't have chosen, but the boys just loved them. B puts them on and then reaches out like he's a monster, saying "crrrraaaaaaaazy hands".

gloves and pajamas

I think next year's Halloween costume is going to have to involve unbelievably cute mittens.

Go vote! So we can all get back to knitting. Cause Tuesday is still knitalong day.

Jackie got her Schaefer Anne pooling colors scarf to work! At least for a while. Apparently it stopped working and now is no more, but we must celebrate pooling whenever we find it. To that end, a big woo hoo to Anne as well, who hadn't originally signed up for the knitalong, but got some Blackberry Ridge variegated yarn to work in a pooling scarf. Way to go! And Peggy says she's almost done. I bet we'll be seeing pictures soon.

Weasley time... I've gotten a lot done on mine. Finished the front!

I am so loving how this sweater is coming out. Felted Tweed rules and the "H" is awesome, if I do say so myself. I can't help it, I've got to have a big picture. Speaking of big, these sweaters will definitely be oversized. The boys should get a lot of wear out of them!

Katie finished the intarsia on her sweater too. Tami's almost done with the back. Others? How's it going?

And I heard from Nathalie that she finished a maternity version of my Rosebud pattern. Go see how beautiful she looks in it!

Send pictures of adorable baby looking cute with hand-knitted gift.

I've been doing a lot of knitting recently. I'm on a roll!

all the pieces for weasley one

the back of weasley two

Yes, weasley two is blue. Surprise, surprise. When B saw the back all laid out for the picture, he said, "where da 'H'?" They like the "H"! Thank God for small favors.

I'm having a hell of a time sewing up this pop sweater! Attaching the one sleeve neatly has proven very difficult. I'm not sure if it's the texture of the yarn or the what, but I just have not been satisfied with how it's been coming out. I've ripped out the seam so many times that the piece of yarn I'm using is already starting to get thin! And let's not even talk about sewing in those two little peek-a-boo pieces. I have no idea what I'm doing there. But I am determined to focus on the positive, so I would like to point out that now that the sleeve is almost in, the stripes do indeed match up.

just one sleeve done, so this is the only angle where I'm decent!

Green light to knit sleeve number two. Whew, knitting again - what a relief!

The boys and I made it out to Circles knitting salon in Jamaica Plain for the Friday afternoon moms & kids knitting circle. The boys played in the playroom while I fondled all the yarns and asked myself why it had been so long since I'd been here. I was again very tempted by the awesome selection of Karabella yarns. And there was also the beautiful green Tahki Soho yarn that fellow Knitsmith Colleen is working with right now. But I ended up with one giant skein of Brown Sheep's Burly Spun yarn in black.

maybe a purse, maybe the beginnings of a sweater?

I have to thank Kate and Susan for getting me back over to Circles again. Kate was visiting Boston and she and Susan were doing a yarn crawl through all the various local stores and invited me to come along. I had such fun chatting and shopping with them, that I almost forgot about the kids' swim class! Great yarn, good knitbuddies, bad mommy.

I'm so proud of myself for having made so many of my recent projects with stash yarn. I'd had the yarn for my secret project (all finished and to be revealed this winter!) for over a year. The yarn for the pop sweater almost exactly a year. The leftover yarn for the foxy beret for two years. And the felted tweed for the weasley sweaters was purchased in January. I'm goooood.

Too good, in fact. I blame my recent success in using up stash for some of my hesitation to buy more yarn at Rhinebeck. Another repercussion: I can't leave the house without spending several minutes trying to decide which hat to bring with me - foxy beret? one of the aura lace caps? a wool hat? what about the boys? - that's right, too many accessories! My recent interest in accessories was inspired by my desire to deal with my ever growing stash and leftover skeins from old projects. I have hats and scarves aplenty now and still can't help but see the bag of project remnants as the makings of more accessories. To this end, I bought the new book Scarf Style. The scarves are fabulous and the ideas really inspirational. I'm not even really a scarf person. But I've got to get rid of this stash! My favorite and a definite must-knit is the super funky sleeved scarf/shrug by Teva Durham. Gotta dig through the stash and see what I've got that I can make it out of and then find some 12" circs somewhere. Anyone ever use those crazy little things before?

But first I need to finish those mitts. Got the second pair of fingerless mitts for me done last week at the playground. I knit these a bit looser than the first pair (gauge swatch, what's that?) and really like the way they came out.

Other stash-busting accessories on the fall/winter to-do list:
bear paws mitts - second pair still in the works
another foxy beret - this one in some stashed felted tweed
a purse or two - Cascade 220 still burning a hole in the stash basket
berets for the boys - must knit old Classic Elite Waterspun into cute hats
candy cane and cashmere scarves for ma - she picked out the yarn
many many socks - 4, possibly 6, pairs before Xmas!

Getting ready for the first two pair of socks to be. Variegated and solid Koigu to become socks for my great aunts (yes, the recipients of the now infamous hotties). I don't really like knitting socks, but somehow I've managed to put four pairs down on my christmas knitting list (they do make good gifts). I'm hoping to get a good start on my pair-a-week plan this weekend on my next NYC knit trip. I can't seem to stay away long. This weekend's gonna be all about hanging with my nyc knitbuds.

Jenn, Jackie, and Cari at Rhinebeck

And knitting socks, of course.

Another week, another "H".

And the boys still love them: "I touch it, yeah?" I'm hoping that wanting to touch the "H" will translate into wanting to wear the sweater. I've got visions of them unwrapping the sweaters Christmas morning and slipping them on over their pj's. Please, pretty please.

Other Weasleys hard at work: MA has started a sleeve. Ann finished the "B" on the front of her sweater. And Tami is just about to start the intarsia!

And just when you thought these knitalongs were dead: Peggy finished her pooling scarf. It's incredible! Check out pic #3. No new updates from the Banffers (Helene promises that she'll come through next week!), but fellow sweatpant knitalonger, Wendy, seems to be making a Banff now - check out the sleeves. Cat finished her no sweat pants and the tiniest tea cup ever for the tea party knitalong. And, get this, we've got a spring fling finsher: Deborah finished her beautiful red mohair cardi. Wow - well worth the wait!

Wouldn't it be great if the last week had all been a dream? Bobby could step out of the shower and things would all be the way they were before. I would not be knitting socks.

Here I am just casting on for the first of four pairs. I'm using some beautiful variegated Koigu and Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Dream Socks pattern for perfect short-rowed socks (printed in Interweave Knits Fall 2000 issue and available online to subscribers here). I've never tried this pattern before, but others have lauded it, so here goes.

Heather recently asked in the comments what my favorite sock pattern is. Since I don't really like knitting socks, I don't have a collection of patterns that I've bought or picked out. There are some neat socks in the latest IK mag. But I tend not to wear fancy socks myself, so I've usually stuck to plain old stockinette socks following a trusty old multi-gauge Yankee Knitter pattern or the pattern in Ann Budd's Knitters' Handy Book of Patterns. For hubby I like to make 3x1 ribs along the leg and top of the foot. That's it.

Maybe the dream socks will change everything. Maybe I'll wake up.

It's gotten cooooold here in Boston. This means two things re my garter stitch mitts.

1) I've had the opportunity to wear my fingerless mitts and I can make some conclusions about them. Despite the early wristbrace vibes, I really like how they look (I especially like the short-row shaping) and how they feel. They're comfortable and, surprisingly to me, they do keep my hands and fingers warm enough. They perfect for a short walk holding the boys' hands or for keeping my hands cozy in the car while holding the cold steering wheel. But although my fingers are warm enough, my thumb is a bit chilly. If I make more mitts, I'll probably switch to Bonne Marie's voodoo wrist warmers or Midnight Knitter's mittenettes, both with thumb gussets.

2) No playground knitting. So I've made absolutely no progress on the second pair of bear paws. Thus, no cute photos of boys in mitts today. Instead, I give you 'boys playing Dora Candyland'.

Lovely in the hank, but I start knitting the "dream socks" and it's a ridiculous circular pooling nightmare.

I've tried switching needles and gauge, but it's determined to pool. Ugh! Thank god these aren't for me.

These were to be my travel knitting on my trip down to NYC this afternoon, but I may have to sneak something more satisfying into the knitting bag for the ride. I'll be knitting at KnitNY Saturday afternoon for anyone curious to see if the swirling sock and I can knit and make up. Come join me!

Jenn
Jackie
Cari
Em
Iris
Elisabeth
Jackie
Valentina

A wonderful bunch of gals to knit with on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks for a great time ladies!

I certainly hope you didn't believe me.

I started my big day in NYC by doing a wee bit of shopping before meeting the gals for knitting. I was in search of the perfect yarn to make a bright orange scarf to match the orange lining of my winter coat (see it peeking out in the picture from yesterday?). I was hoping to find some orange cashmere at School Products, but no luck. So I dashed over to Yarn Connection and found so many fabulous things that I was late meeting my nyc knitbuds. I left the store with two balls of scrumptuous Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky in the perfect orange and ran down to meet everyone at KnitNY. They were eager to inspect my purchases and then asked to see "the sock". Although everyone was very supportive about it and tried to get me to pick it up, I only wanted my new Cashmerino. Did I mention that I also bought the needles I needed so that I could start knitting my scarf right away? Heh, heh. So I started and didn't stop until I finished it on the bus on the way back.

I'm home!

Time to unpack.

This weekend, I got to do some in person weasley knitalonging. When I saw her at KnitNY on Saturday, Jenn was just starting her first weasley sleeve. And I was just finishing one.

MA is also working on a sleeve. Ann too! I'm sensing a trend here. Katie says she may or may not be done with a sleeve (kids aren't that easy to measure!). Meanwhile, Peggy is just getting started on her HP sweater, but get this, she admits to having never having actually read the books or seen the movies! Cool.

Attention, attention! We have another finished pooling scarf! Karen's scarf is absolutely beautiful and checks in at 7 feet long! There's a close up pic here.

And the Banffs are back, baby. Helene is 3/4 of the way done. Hooray! And Lisa just finished hers. It's looks super on her! I love these Banffs so much. Someone please stop me from casting on for another one!

- - - - - - - - - -

Update: For those who have recently asked me about the intarsia on the weasley sweaters, here's a picture of the wrong side of the "H".

And here's a link to an "intarsia how-to" page that I put together when I was making little tiger hats a couple of years ago. Hope this helps!

Okay, a couple of people have asked for specifics on my new orange scarf so here's the "411".

Yarn: 2 balls Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky
Needles: US11
Finished Measurements: approx. 45" long x 5" wide (unblocked ribbing)

Cast on 22 stitches. Work in 2x2 rib, beginning and ending first row with K2. Continue in rib until you have about 3 feet of yarn left. Bind off loosely in rib. Weave in ends.

This scarf is so soft! I must have rubbed a dozen or so skeins of yarn against my neck to find one I'd really enjoy wearing in a scarf. I picked up Karabella Aurora Bulky, Rowan Polar, Reynolds Blizzard, Cascade 220 superwash, all in fabulous oranges, and Rowan Big Wool and Brown Sheep Burly Spun in neutrals. They all failed the neck test. The only things I found that were softer that the DB Cashmerino were Aiko Cashmere and Cape Cod kettle dyed cashmere. Both felt incredible and were in the perfect orange. Luckily I'd already bought the Cashmerino, otherwise I'd have been walking all the way back to Boston. In my $200 scarf!

my little blue man

At the Blue Man Group installation in the Boston Children's Museum.

Final pop sleeve underway. Now for my dilemma. I still can't manage to sew together the top front panels of the pop sweater so that the peek-a-boo opening is actually open and the whole thing looks good. I'm considering reknitting the top of the front as a one-piece scoop or heart-shaped neckline. What'cha think?

And another dilemma. I'm chilly and I want another warm sweater in a hurry. I've got a bag full of bulky yarn waiting to become one. Here's the question: to Banff or not to Banff? Do I make another Banff or do I do something different - maybe Simply Marilyn? Maybe a slouchy cardigan? What'cha think?

(update: cardigan pattern info is in the comments!)

This is how the corners of my son's blankie look after almost 3 years of lovin'.

Yikes, I've got to close up those open stitches! While I was waiting yesterday morning, yarn and crochet hook in hand, to see if I could get the blankie all to myself for half an hour, I looked out the window and thought, "heck, if it's gonna be 55 degrees outside in Boston in November, then I'm gonna wear my cardi raye!"

pieces of me

Can you tell that the boys helped take the pictures? I don't think they quite understood what it means to "see mommy" in the display. Kids - you gotta love 'em!

Okay, I picked up the swirly pooling sock again and made it through that "perfect" short row heel. And I'm not liking how the stitches look.

okay, this side looks alright

 
but I sure don't like this side

So people, what am I doing wrong? Am I slipping the stitches the wrong way or doing the crazy backwards yarnover incorrectly or is this how it's supposed to look?? I promise to get over it and keep knitting if you tell me that all short row heels just look like this.

We just got digital cable and I finally have access to the DiY network. TiVo is now dutifully recording episodes of Knitty Gritty for me. Haven't seen it? Here are some descriptions: knittygritty.com; the Austin Chronicle; interview with the host at BewitchedBy.com.

So let me first say that I do like the show. Really. I love the fact that there is a knitting show. The host is good. They get great guests and do an excellent job showing techniques step by step. (In stark contrast to DiY's earlier show Knit One Purl Two, which was both boring and impossible to follow). I'm watching every episode and I'm definitely learning some things. But that doesn't mean I can't make fun of a couple of silly parts of it. Like the "knitsters," who appear to sit uselessly in the background and knit during the show. The only purpose they seem to serve on screen besides saying at the end of the show that everything was fabulous and occassionally asking a prepared question is to reveal how long it actually takes to film a 15 minute tv show. I see how much they've knitted and can only look down dissapointedly at the five measley rows I managed in the time it took me to watch the show. (I do believe that the knitsters are awesome knitters and have much more to do, but in terms of watching the show, they are little more than set dressing. Is it okay that I still kinda want to be one?)

Almost as frivolous as the "knitsters" are the unbelieveably short segments called "knit bits". Here's my impersonation of a knitty gritty knit bit.

- - - - - - - - - -

Doot-doot, doot. Beep, boop, doot.

Hip jazzy music.

Cool graphic.

Beep, boop, zip, zoom.

"Does sock knitting frustrate you?"

"No problem."

"Try a gorgeous cashmere sock yarn to lure you back to the needles."

Doot-doot, doot. Beep, boop, doot.

Cool graphic.

More jazzy music.

Boop, boop. Zip, zoom.

- - - - - - - - -

Heh, heh. Some of the knitbits really are informative, but still they are so brief, I'm always shocked when the music kicks in again. I hadn't even looked up from my knitting yet! They do look pretty fun to make though. Check out the host's collection of behind the scenes photos here.

Silly as some parts of the show may be (let's not get started on the knitty cam 'kay), I still look forward to each new episode. And DiY's Knitty Gritty website is FULL of great info from video clips to technique instruction and patterns. If you can't get the show, or can't stand watching the show, do check out their site!

I hate this sock.

Correction, I hated this sock. I dealt with the pooling. I dealt with the unmatched short rows on the heel. But the foot was coming out way too big. It wouldn't fit and it just looked silly. So I ripped it at Knitsmiths yesterday.

I ripped back to the beginning of the heel so I can re-do it correctly (with the ssp's as slip, slip, purl through the back loop - thanks Melanie!) and I'm going to deal with the size issue by continuing the ribbing over the instep and down the top of the foot (like Michelle does in her favorite pattern). If it doesn't work out this time, it might really have to be red sox for everyone this year.

We have our first finished weasley sweaters! Signe finished hers last week, but she doesn't have a digital camera to share photos with us. Lucky for us Ann does. She finished hers just a few days ago and her little guy looks so cute in his "B" sweater. Awesome job, Ann!

Elsewhere in weasley world, Jenn is working on sleeves and has posted a picture of her beautiful finished "R". Also in intarsia mode is Tami, who is doing a terrific job on her "H". Eklectika has opted for duplicate stitch. She just started her weasley sweater and is already done with the front. She's using a different pattern for a larger gauged yarn. Smart girl! MA has one sleeve done and is on to the front (check out her other awesome projects in her Sunday PicSpam!). Amy Lu is getting started on the back. And Hayden reports that although she is still working on the back, she will get this sweater done for Christmas!

And me? I've been knitting and ripping socks all week and so only managed a start on my last weasley sleeve. I'm going to have to start seaming these up pretty soon. Maybe that's why I've slowed down. Heh, heh.

The boys still want to touch the sweaters each time I take a picture of a piece. Today B asked if the sleeve was going to get an "H". Awwww.

And last but not least, Helene's Banff is almost to the sewing stage. Helene, we should have an intercontinental sewing party!

Thank goodness it worked! I made it though the Koigu sock. Woo hoo!

I made the changes and I love it: the heel (both sides), the toe and everything. Yes, I love it. I enjoyed making it. It wasn't torture. I'm actually looking forward to making another. There, I've said it. Thanks for not saying "I told you so."

Since it's the season for giving thanks, I just want to say thank you to all of you who stop by my little corner of the web and leave nice comments, lots of encouragement and loads of helpful tips. Thanks for helping me through this sock. Thanks for sharing your experiences and projects. And thanks for inspiring me to keep knitting and blogging.

And here's a Thanksgiving story for you. After watching the "Blue's Clues" Thanksgiving special on NickJr. the other morning, I asked the boys what they were thankful for. B said "nope." It's is favorite word of late. But S looked at me and said "I thankful for my blankie." Now that's what I call a Happy Thanksgiving.

Have a happy one everybody!

No holiday from holiday knitting. Got to make those socks!

Here's koigu sock number two, flying off my needles. Somehow my gauge has tightened up and despite my thinking "looser, looser" I can't loosen back up. It'll still fit just fine, particularly because of the ribbing, but I hope my gauge stays consistent after this, because I've got two more skeins of Koigu for socks for my other great Aunt. I don't want to end up with baby socks by the time I get to the last one!

Question: I'm going to have some leftovers from each skein of Koigu. So what do you do with your Koigu remnants? No way it's enough to make socks for the boys. But I really want to use it again. It's such a pleasure to knit with. So koigu-lovers, what do you suggest?

Remember my cashmere sock yarn? It was supposed to get me excited about socks again after my first failed attempts at the "dream socks". Well...

The yarn is the most fabulous cashmere/nylon boucle that I picked up at School Products on my last trip to NYC. It's wonderfully soft and light as a feather. It looks like it could be fingering weight, but when I asked the saleswoman at the store what needle to use, she suggested US4's. Um, okay. So I swatched, and having seen how their samples had bloomed with washing, I decided on US3's and started the sock. It seemed a bit small, I ripped, cast on more stitches, and after a few inches, I could tell it was too big. Don't you hate when that happens?! I ripped again, adjusted my stitch count and away I went.

am I blue?

It's a beautiful sock (the dream socks are easy on the eyes, that's for sure) and it's divine to touch. But notice how it looks a little big? Yup, it's big, like Texas big. This cashmere yarn has absolutely no stretch. It lies perfectly flat, even in ribbing, and did not tighten up or bloom as I had expected with washing. Wierd thing though has happened as I've tried the sock on over and over again. I started trying it on in hopes that it had somehow shrunk and fit perfectly now. No luck there. But now I keep trying it on because it just feels so damn good. It's like having a cozy little shawl draped over my ankle. It's the perfect slouchy sock.

sock, I think I love you

Me likey. This wasn't even supposed to be for me. Hell, it didn't even come out the right size. And now it's my little treasure. Someday, when I'm finished with all the gift socks, I'll have to knit myself another giant sock to go with it.

And I've fallen in love with another sock yarn. (Regular sock knitters, please excuse me, but I've ignored sock yarn for years, having hated knitting them so. Heh, heh.) A couple of my sock class students were using a new sock yarn from Idena called Crazy. It's self striping, like the Regia, but I like the colors and the uniformity of the stripes much better. Plus, it's DK weight. Yes! I've resisted buying some - when am I ever going to get around to knitting socks for myself, um, except making the partner to the sock above - and so have left the last two skeins at the store for two weeks. How 'bout if they're there next time I'm at the store, they're mine? Do you all approve?

It's filled with stashy goodness for YOU! I bought a big bag of yarn in NYC and need to make room for it. Add the facts that I've been overcome by the holiday spirit of giving and that they're just little things and you've got a blue blog raffle!

Details: I'll present each little stash nugget in a separate post today. If you're interested in it, leave a comment to that post by midnight on Wednesday. On Thursday, I'll randomly draw a winner for each one and then announce them on Friday. If you only put your name in for items you definitely like, then no one wins something they're not excited about and you've got a better chance at winning the things you really do want. Cool?! Hey, YNBA'ers welcome! Gifting's okay, right? Wink. Wink. And just email me if you need more info on colors or details.

1 ball Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran in black
It would make a great hat!

(just leave a comment and you'll be entered in the raffle for this yarn - see this post for details)

1 skein Cascade 220 in a heathered purple
Perfect for a Sophie bag!

(just leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered in the raffle to win this yarn - see this post for details)

2 balls Berroco Suede in blue
Enough for the Sueet bag in the spring Knitty or some baby Ugg booties!

(just leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered in the raffle to win this yarn - see this post for details)

2 balls of Cascade Fixation sock yarn - one lavender, one salmon color
Stripey socks, anyone?!

(just leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered in the raffle to win this yarn - see this post for details)

German pattern mags
(sorry, I don't have any english translations)

(just leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered in the raffle to win this yarn - see this post for details)

Finished projects first! Helene finished her big, blue Banff. I might be biased, having a big, blue Banff myself, but I think it's fabulous. And Katie has finished her weasley sweater! It's so like the genuine thing, it even got recognized. That's a real compliment!

Still plenty of people knitting along out there. MA has done a great job on her intarsia "R". Tami's "H" looks incredible! No new pics from Amy Lu (update: now there are - see them here!), but she has set a Dec. 10 deadline on her weasley. Go girl! And me?

My weasleys are all ready for seaming. I declare an official seaming party! I'll be boring you with details of my seaming, so naturally I want to hear all about your seaming too. Misery loves company, right?

And a little more weasley knitting:

wanna see a close up?

Mini weasleys! I must have been infected by some sort of crazy gift-knitting virus over Thanksgiving, because I've decided to use my weasley yarn leftovers to make mini-weasleys for everyone in my husband's family (uh, there's a lot of them!). I'm using the mini sweater ornament pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and duplicate stitching the initial on after finishing the sweater. If I do one a day, I can get them all done in time. So far each is taking about an hour and a half to make. And I'm not bored of them yet. Fingers crossed!

Lastly, a few calls for help. Anyone found the Rowan Harry Potter pattern anywhere recently? Tami, where did you say you found them? Those of you using the Yarn Warehouse kit, what do you think about pattern and yarn? And anyone know of a good source for letter charts for folks who are making weasley sweaters but want to use other letters? Thanks!