pepperknit

Some more New York eye candy, before I leave on Monday and my whole blog becomes a food blog for all I’ll eat in Singapore! (I will knit, too.)

All shots have the Empire State Building in them.

Before spring takes over completely, I’m happily remembering the fabulous snowstorm from two weeks ago. We haven’t had nearly the amount of snow the Midwest has been socked with, so I’m savoring every flake.

I’ve been itching to post here lately, for no other reason than my return to blogging has made me want to do it even more, but I haven’t had much to chat about. I’m knitting only secret projects right now, so there’s nothing to show. I’m working on some non-knitting crafts, but they’re not photogenic yet.

But I have a confession to make. I got to see Pam again. And it turns out she has something of a secret. Because though she’s mentioned the band, I hadn’t realized she was a rockstar.

I missed Empty Orchestra’s show on Thursday, and I hadn’t paid much attention to where their show on Friday would be. Turns out Long Island City isn’t way the heck out on the island, like you might think; it’s just one subway stop out from Manhattan in Queens! When she let me know that we’d completely misinterpreted their location, well, I surprised myself by bundling up and heading right out. (Another secret: When I’ve got it in my head that I’m “in” for the night, it’s normally impossible to get me out of the house.)

Note Pam’s Ravelry T-shirt. You can’t escape the knitting.

Not only did I get to meet Stephen and the rest of the band, but I met some friends of their from Flint who live in New York, one of whom makes instruments (bass). (Yay for crafty folks of all kinds.) And I even ran into someone I recently met—he’d remembered the name Empty Orchestra, was coming by the bar anyway, so decided to check them out and see if I was in attendance.

I have to admit, I had some trepidation about going to a show by myself. But I had lots of time to hang out with Pam beforehand and afterward, and I met enough people that I could have a conversation with a few different people. And I could always hide behind the camera, if necessary. So the biggest secret of all? I had a total blast.

The Twist-Front Top by Adrienne Vittadini is complete! I decided the Met would be the best spot for my photo shoot. It went great, but right as I was finishing up I was informed that if you want to use a tripod at the Met, even one as small as my Gorillapod, you have to check in with Security and get a permission slip. Apparently it’s easy to get permission, but you must seek it. Security guard who told me this? Crabby. No need to get snippy, lady.

I’m thrilled with this knit. Especially after having wanted to make it for more than two years, it’s particularly satisfying to have had it come out just right. Fits perfectly, flattering shaping, great color–what more can I say? I’ll let a bunch of photos tell the story. It was hazy up there on the Roof Garden–ah, October days in the 80s. Oppressive.

I think this top will be great for the winter/late fall under this blazer. The wool of the tank and the necessary camisole underneath (I made a special shopping trip yesterday to get one) actually made me quite warm–it wasn’t just the crazy hot weather. Which means this is a tank top that isn’t just for summer!

Twist-Front Top by Adrienne Vittadini, Spring 2005
Yarn: Brooks Farm Acero, purchased at Maryland Sheep & Wool
Skeins: 2, but I still have quite a bit of the second skein left
Needles: US 3 and US 4, Addi Turbos
Started: Thursday, September 27
Finished: Saturday, October 6
Notes: I did not get the prescribed gauge, but I liked the way the Brooks Farm knit up in this stitch pattern, so I did some math and chose to work the largest size of the pattern. Even with this, I was accounting for a decent amount of negative ease–crucial since this is a lace-based stitch pattern. (Ravelry reviews support this, too.) And the Acero really blossomed when it was washed–grew a decent amount in length and opened up nicely. I think because of the laciness you have a lot of leeway for sizing down. It’s kind of a fluke that mine turned out so very very perfect.

The pattern is definitely for an experienced knitter. This is not to say that anything about knitting this was actually difficult or tricky, but the pattern expects you as an experienced knitter to understand the knitting thoroughly enough that you can accurately process the directions. Let me explain. The decreases that happen along the miter will eventually smack into the lacework. You have to know enough about the lace pattern and the decrease to ensure that you are actually decreasing on those rows (that is, know when to take out a yo). There were some other pattern oddities: When you’re working the two fronts at the same time, they expect you to imagine the work as a continuous piece. So when they say “at the beginning of the next two rows” they really mean “at the armhole edge.” If you decided to work the sides separately (I think it goes faster when you do), you can get very screwed up. While you’re knitting, it’s pretty obvious, but it’s potentially confusing.

The armhole finishing, which I really like the look of, has you pick up stitches, purl back, then immediately cast off. But I think it called for too few stitches be picked up. For the size I knit, it said to pick up 92 stitches, and it felt pinched. I took it out and picked up what seemed like a natural number of stitches, not really counting but aiming to have the same amount on the front and back, and I ultimately picked up about 104.

If I were to do it all over again: I’m very tempted to knit another version in plain stockinette, so that the twist at the front is the focal point and doesn’t get lost in the pattern. If I were to knit this again, either using the pattern or in stockinette, I would:

1. Add a selvedge stitch on both sides. Seaming this up was a little bit of a stab in the dark without them.
2. Start the miter lower and decrease slower, so that the bottom edge of the miter really comes up under the bust. They have all sizes begin the miter 6 inches from the bottom–I’m not sure if that’s really the best way to go.
3. Maybe leave the edges of the miter “live” and use short rows instead of decreases at the edge, so that when you pick up for the left and right fronts, you get a more seamless edge (this wouldn’t work with the lace pattern as written, but would be nice in stockinette, I think).

Recommendation: Do yourself a favor and purchase an undergarment that is DARK, not light, to produce flattering results. A light one will produce too-high contrast. Skin tone undergarments are a bad idea when the pattern is this open, too; you look like you’re naked. I got a brown V-neck camisole at Express for $7.99 on sale. Perfect.

PS: Rachel, I like to think this is another example of, to use your words, “Minty Makes Somewhat Questionable Knitting Patterns Look Hot” (look at some of the comments and–cough–photos on Ravelry and you might see what I mean).

The weather has been all sorts of beautiful lately. Labor Day weekend was somethin’ special.

Finally! I’ve knit something, and I’m here to shout it from the rooftops. Look here, everyone!

This sock was begun on Thursday, and I finished it around 6 today (Monday). Anne-Marie and I decided fairly last minute to get together and knit over beer and burgers on Thursday, which meant I had to find some knitting in a jiffy. I dashed home from work, ran to my sock knitting basket, found a wound-up skein, dug around for needles–any appropriate socky size would do–and ran out the door. Oh, I managed to grab some waste yarn and a crochet hook too, so I could do my favorite provisional cast-on and short-row toe. Over dinner, I finished the toe and did a wee smidge of the foot.

Simple stockinette means easy bus knitting, and I progressed a few more inches on the way to work on Friday. But I’ve got this cross-stitch project, and my obsession for that continues to grow–so in my down time during my parents’ visit this past weekend I worked on that (it’s gotten a lot farther than in that photo).

Until we decided to watch Amelie (cute!) last night. Darn those subtitles–cross-stitch is out of the question. But a stockinette sock is perfect! I decided, quite randomly, to do the Widdershins heel, so I had to look at the computer only a few times. I was way up the ankle by the end of the movie. This afternoon, after my parents left, I headed over to Central Park to enjoy the weather as I finished it up.

I have since uncovered the “matching” sock that this one should go with–it’s the one that killed my mojo last March and of which there is zero documentation. All I know about that one is that the cuff is unwearably tight. A quick glance at the first one and . . . the two don’t match at all. I didn’t take a picture of the original, but it was clearly knit on a different size needle. Don’t know what size. It also appears that I did some shaping, which didn’t surprise me, but today I did shaping of a completely different sort without any regard to the first one. Oh, and I knew full well that the original sock was a short-row heel, but I was going to just have socks with character.

With all these differences, though, I think the original one will be redone, complete with a matching heel. I’m not sure how I feel about the Widdershins–it fits great, but it caused unsightly pooling over the instep, which short-row heels don’t generate. So . . . lukewarm on that heel when using variegateds. Otherwise okay.

Of course, now that I’m between projects again, the cross-stitch is calling my name . . .

She’s just as sweet and delightful, though. I don’t know why, but I had it in my head that Jennie was going to tower over me. Turns out she’s just a little taller than me (or about the same height; we were not on completely level ground for the photo).

I’ve compared these blogger meetups with first dates (not that I know what a first date is really like), but this one was more like falling in step with an old friend, I thought. I was a bit late for our lunch date on Friday, so when I dashed outside and turned and saw her–I don’t know–it was like, “Right! There’s Jennie, waiting for me.” Not “Woah! I just met Jennie!”

Jennie is a fan of all foods that come with rice, so I took her to Won Dee Siam, where I took Rachel many months ago. It’s so tasty and so inexpensive, it’s hard to resist. We were there chatting for a long while–until there were no other patrons in the place–and then we went to Central Park for some knitting and more great conversation.

I started on a baby hat for one of the twins (Jennie suggested cables so I went with 2×2 cables all around, separated by 2 purls, and I knit about 2 inches). Her approach to an afternoon of knitting was different. She did something I’ve seen other bloggers do, and which mystifies me–she knit for some time on the baby bootees, then set them aside and got out her Icarus shawl. I’m a monogamous knitter, so this is completely foreign to me.

She did have a surprise in store–one completed Leyburn sock! Hers is so beautiful. She had a bit of trouble with the heel (making it roomy enough). I am not entirely sure how to guide folks if you have a need for a larger/taller heel, since the short-row heel (the lazy knitter’s heel, in my lazy opinion) doesn’t allow for much height. Maybe do a Widdershins heel flap, so you can get a taller heel? It’s a little tricky to maintain stretchiness with the floats, which is why the pattern has some increasing built in before the heel. I guess increase more, and then decrease it away?

Anyway, the afternoon was over all too soon–next time I’m in Philly, I hope Jennie’s in town!

Since finishing Swallowtail, I haven’t been exactly sure what I wanted to knit next. I swatched for Sahara, and once I did I recalled my intention to knit it with a different gauge, which as you know means extensive math, and well: not in the mood. I decided that doubling the yarn for the Cabled Bandeau is not being true to the yarn, so I’m going to frog that entirely and find new yarn to make it out of. I started designing a new pair of socks, but the Koigu felt really thick and rough compared with the laceweight I used for Swallowtail and the luscious Tess Silk & Ivory I was using for Sahara. I wanted something light, something sweet, something that would feel good to work on and brighten my day. I wanted to work with some soft sock yarn, like the Lisa Souza Sock!Merino. So I did.

A New iPod Cozy
Pattern: My own
Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock!Merino in Peacock
Needles: US 1 Knitpicks Circs (used Magic Loop)
Started: 8pm, Sunday June 3
Finished: 10pm, Sunday, June 3
Movie Watched: Ocean’s Eleven, on TBS

I’m very happy with this FO. So fast, so easy, so practical, and feels like a vast improvement over my last iPod cozy, though that one served me well. In fact, I think I had that iPod cozy for two and a half years. Here it is, in a photo taken a year and a half ago, when it was a year old.

That was knit using an acrylic yarn that actually had some sparkle, which I felt was appropriate for the iPod what with it being white and all. But it’s become really dirty, and stretched out, and though it still functioned fine, I wanted something shiny and new.

This was a great use of leftover sock yarn–used very little yarn. I love the color (this yarn was used to make my top-down+toe-up pair of Pomatomus) and having this in my bag today brought a smile to my face. I used the same “pattern” that I made up for the first one, using moss stitch for the flap and top edging and a bobble for the closure, but of course I adjusted for gauge. Mostly I decided how many stitches to cast on (46 stitches total), used magic cast-on, and knit a tube using Magic Loop. To make the holes for the earphones and the bobble, I cast one stitch off in the middle and on the next row did a yo to both create a stitch and increase the size of the hole. I know current iPods don’t have the earphones come out the middle of the top like that, so you may not even need to know how I did it!

Unfortunately, knitting something so fast means I’m back to trying to decide what to knit next!

Photos taken on the penthouse patio of the woman who hosted the alumnae board meeting I attended tonight on the Upper East Side. I can only dream of someday living in a place like that!

I’m smitten. Why?

Because my skirt is totally awesome, that’s why.

I was walking on air all day long today, suffused with the knowledge that I was wearing a skirt I made, and it came out completely perfect. All I could think to myself all day long was “I made it myself!”

It’s not often that I’m THIS excited about an FO. It’s also not often that I finish something and can wear it the very next day for all to see–lately I’m knitting all socks or baby toys.

I whined the other day about my troubles with the hem. Thursday I went straight home, eschewed making dinner, and instead opted for a quick Subway sub (a comfort food–and with minimal flirting on my part I was charged for a 6-inch when I got a footlong) so I could buckle down. And buckle down I did. In just two+ hours I had both the waistband and hem finished, and I had a completely steam-blocked skirt.

Pattern: The Shocking! Skirt from the Winter 04 Interweave Knits
Needles: US 7
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in gray, black, and “iron ore”
Size: Small (Too lazy to measure; I’m a US size 4 for clothing, and the pattern’s smallest size was perfect)
Started: Monday, April 2
Finished: Thursday, April 19 (Finished all but the waistband and hem on Saturday, April 14)
Notes: Let me first say, unequivocably, that I recommend this skirt pattern to anyone considering making a skirt. The A-line shaping is really forgiving, and the orientation of the stitches means little to no vertical drooping. It’s also a very straightforward project–the ticking row (the red) is perhaps a little hard to grasp if you’re a beginner, but if you put faith in the directions it’ll come out fine. (I made some modifications to the ticking row; see below.) The only other thing that’s tricky is that you knit the whole thing around sideways in one piece, and then you Kitchener the beginning to the end. If you’re not comfortable with Kitchener, well, it’ll kill you to do it over 108 stitches (and that’s for size small). I actually love Kitchener stitch, but it was a pain for me, too, because I did it without looking, and when I was about a third of the way across I realized that I’d been counting the wrap+turn stitches incorrectly, so I was off–I was going to run out of cast-on stitches way before I’d used up the final row of stitches. So I had to take that all out and be a bit more smart about it. (Lolly was with me for this, and she watched me start to crumple when I realized my error, but I was able to fix it that night without much strife.)

Modifications: There were several modifications, and I’m not entirely sure if they were useful or necessary. Useful modifications included spit-felting all joinings of new balls of yarn and even spit-felting some of the color changes (just from gray to red, not at evey gray-black color change! I carried those yarns along the same side, and was careful to wrap them in the same way at every color change.). Here’s one thing I learned: Spit-felting actually works better when you use SPIT. I’d in the past had a little dish of water handy for the felted join, but I’ve since read that enzymes help the felting process, and then when I was on Greyhound to MD last Thursday I had a cherry coke instead of a water, so I used spit instead. I was shocked (appropriately enough) at the results.

Another modification that I personally like is that the bottom hem doesn’t have that purl turning row. I hate the purl turning row on turned-down hems. I much prefer it to look as if the knitting just continues around. Otherwise, it just looks like a cast-on, and I don’t really like the way most cast-ons look. I also made the bottom hem a tiny bit shorter than called for–the pattern says to knit 3 rows, then do the purl row, then 3 more rows for the inside, and you’re done. I did a total of 4 rows (knit) and then sewed it down. (I did the waistband exactly as the pattern specified.) Oh, and I thought about doing something tricky like knitting down the hem and waistband but that was just too precious a technique, so I eventually whip-stitched the damn things down, and they’re FINE.

A big “modification” was my interpretation of the transition from panel to panel. The pattern doesn’t actually say so, but I think one plain row in gray is necessary to work all the wrap+turns, and if you knit this skirt you’ll know why. I think the pattern is a bit vague on this point.

Modification that may have been useless? The extra row of the ticking row. I’ve thought about this for a long time, actually, and I have come around to the fact that my modification was a good decision–I wanted to be able to spit-felt the red to the gray and have the gray begin at the side of the work where the red ended, and the only way to do that was to knit an extra row of red and do the actual ticking with gray on a knit row. (This only makes sense if you knit the skirt, but I hope someone does, so I’ll persist in my explanation.) I found that performing the ticking on a knit row was much easier than on a purl row, as the pattern expected, so the extra row made for easier work, too.

The reason doing the extra ticking row might have been bad is because at the very end, when you Kitchener, you end up with one extra row of gray. No one in their right mind will ever look at the skirt and identify the extra row of gray. But, naturally, I notice it (helps me know how to wear the skirt, actually). If I hadn’t done the ticking row the way I had, I believe that I’d have not had this undesirable extra row of gray. But it only appears in one spot, and ultimately I think it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of having practically no ends to weave in at the end. So, final verdict: Extra row of ticking worth it despite the flaw it yielded.

Now, about the elastic in the waistband. (Pam expressed keen interest in this subject.) Honestly, I don’t have much to say. The pattern called for 1cm elastic, so i got some, and it said to cut it to 1 inch less than the desired waist measurement, so I put the skirt on and then wrapped the elastic around me–I cut it exactly to my desired measurement, though. Ultimately, I probably shaved off 1.5 inches for the final waistband. The elastic isn’t much more grabby than the knitting was, but it gives just a bit of added security. It didn’t pull funny, and it doesn’t dig into my belly. I measured it to ride right around my hips, because I like lower-slung waistlines. I must confess: I didn’t actually sew the elastic to itself to secure it. I just pinned it with a safety pin. (I was afraid I’d wear it all day and discover it was too tight or too loose or something and I’d want to adjust.) So it’s pinned with about 1.5 inches of overlap, and since it wore just fine today, you know I’m leaving it as is and that safety pin is in there for life.

Many thanks to Lolly, who took all the photos of me with the skirt today at lunch! It was a delight meeting up for photo shoot and MoMA–seeing her twice in one week was total happenstance. (Shots of me with that rusty background are in the MoMA garden, where this large sculpture was taking up most of the grounds. It was echo-y in that little corridor-like space, and I totally loved the piece.)

So, I know I’m a fast knitter. I’ve always been speedy, but my time knitting socks on the bus has really gotten me in an amazing groove of late. I knit a whole pair of socks in one week and then another single sock in the next two/three days. I’m nearly done with yet another sock (not a match to the aforementioned one), which is looking as if it’ll be a kneesock (yay!).

But it was all driven home to me today, when two complete strangers took the time to say something. On the bus to work this morning, a woman leaned over and said, “You are SO FAST! I’ve been watching you . . . just . . . mesmerized.”

The best compliment, though, was this evening on the subway home from dinner. A group of hipsters came on–three women and a man–and they were chatting animatedly. Suddenly they got a bit quiet, and I heard the guy say something and gesture with his hands. I looked up, and the guy repeated his hand gesture, which mimicked my knitting movements, and repeated what he’d said: “Like a ninja!”

I replied, “I can kill a man with these moves.”

They had a hearty laugh, and they asked me what I was making. I showed them the simple stockinette sock, and they asked how it changes direction, or if that’s too difficult to explain. I said, “Well, if you increase and decrease the number of stitches in a particular way, it turns the piece.” They got it. One of the women said she knit half a scarf, once. Another joked, “That’s why after Christmas everyone is wearing short scarves. Because a friend learned to knit . . .”

• • •

I am loving all the responses to the contest! I wonder: Are you guessing based on how many books you have, or just how many you think I have? Hmmm. I am not sure if I should say this, but . . . so far no one’s guessed the exact number.

Contest is open til 8pm EST Sunday! Oh, and only one guess per person. I’ll leave you with a shot I took admist the sleetstorm we had here today. My expression says it all, doesn’t it?