pepperknit

Left Unfinished #1

Many of you asked about the many many lovely small skeins of yarn I got as a birthday present. They’re Koigu, sample sizes. A friend had received them but she’s not as much of a knitter as I am. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do with them, but keen observers noticed that I’d arranged them in a deliberate sequence of progressing colors . . . because I’ve got entrelac on the brain. Note that I’ve never done entrelac before, but how hard can it be? For now, though, the yarn is marinating in a box under the couch. First I need to wait for a night when all I’m in the mood to do is wind yarn on the ball winder. (You can’t force nights like that.)

Left Unfinished #2

I had a contest! Remember? I asked for advice for my newly 30 self. The responses were quite varied, and ranged from the mollifying to the enthusiastic. Personally, I preferred the enthusiastic–no way should anyone be worried about turning 30! I had two prizes to give out–a copy of Folk Socks and a skein of Neighborhood Fiber Company sock yarn (I know I didn’t tell you that that was what it was going to be, but that’s what I have to give). My father was regularly checking the comments, and he couldn’t help weighing in on who should win. I had intended to go with some kind of random number, but he was partially impartial enough for me! (That is, it’s not like he knows one of your from another and could have been playing some kind of preconceived favorites. Plus, my blog, my rules.) I’m happy to announce the winner of the book is Nell, and the yarn goes to Serenknitity! (The book/yarn designation was totally random–it’s not as if he said “I think the yarn is best for her” or anything, and to me they’re equally wonderful gifts. I hope you feel the same way.) Congrats, and thanks everyone for playing! I’ve emailed the winners to ask for addresses, but here’s a reminder to get in touch.

Left Unfinished #3

Jenn tagged me for a meme. I’m a month late and a dollar short, but I figured, hey, I’ll play! I’ve done these kinds of things before, but I’ll try to come up with new and interesting things. “Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.”

1. When I’m waiting to meet a friend, I always fear that I won’t recognize him or her. It’s been pointed out to me that I have no experience of having not recognized someone (also: for some reason I think the sole responsibility for recognizing falls on my shoulders), but the worry comes up nonetheless. This happens no matter how long I’ve known someone–20 years or 2 months–and I inevitably recognize my friend from more than a block away by gait alone.
2. Speaking of gait, I am generally very good at identifying someone by just the sound of their footfalls. This skill was first developed in college, when you hear people walking up and down the hall at all times, and it has been since honed in office settings.
3. You know how a strand of your own hair will come unattached from your head and fall to the floor? Only it almost never falls right to the floor–it settles on your shirt and tickles the back of your arm? This annoys me so much that I am constantly reaching around and grabbing at my arm/shirt to hopefully grasp any stray hairs to get rid of them. I don’t know if I’m particularly sensitive to this, but the slightest end of a strand of hair out of place drives me crazy.
4. I’m one of those people who can smell the asparagus in my pee. Apparently–I read this in a book once–the agent that causes the smell is always there, it’s just that some people can smell it and others can’t.
5. I believe that certain artificial flavors–notably “grape” and anything that uses the word “blue” or crazy blue packaging–don’t taste like anything but that color. That is, things labeled “grape” actually just taste purple, and “Sharkelberry Fin” Kool-Aid (which is raucously blue) just tastes like blue. This theory is particularly convenient when it comes to orange things. (ha!)

So there are my 5 weird facts. In case you didn’t notice, they’re all about the senses.

~

OK! With unfinished business out of the way, I can happily move onto finished business. And then some new unfinished business, which will eventually turn into finished business, and–hey!–I seem to have discovered the trick to this knitblogging thing!

I don’t know how I keep doing it, but I have forgotten about Eye Candy Friday for the past few weeks. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been taking pictures!

In the last week, I went to the Met with friends and saw some “coloury” goodness.

I got back into cooking again, playing with everything from complex flavor pairings (click the picture for the recipe) to old standbys.

I had my 30th birthday party, which was so much fun and made me really happy.

I got some excellent gifts, some useful . . .

Some pretty . . .

And one that truly blew my mind.

And since this is my birthday week, I’m feeling generous. It’s time I gave away that extra copy of Folk Socks that I have, and there will be a yarny second prize as well. So leave me a comment with advice for me as I hit my thirties! (I’ve already gotten the eye cream lecture, thanks.) If you already own the book, please say so, and I will not enter you into the drawing for the book. The contest will be open until midnight on Friday, November 23, when my 30th birthday comes to an official close. I’ll do a random drawing once I’m back from Portland, Oregon, where I’m celebrating Thanksgiving.

I went to the grand opening of a new yarn shop on the UES last night. Annie’s Needlepoint now has an accompanying knitting shop on the ground floor–and it’s a beaut. This is my favorite shot; she has a lot more yarn than this.

Tonight’s very special episode of Pepperknit is brought to you by the House of Regret.

1. Do not, if you can help it, wind up a ball of yarn held double, knit up half the ball, then change your mind, frog the whole damn thing, and decide you now want a single-strand ball of yarn.

I didn’t take any pictures of the carnage that was the frogging, reassembling balls, then unwinding into two balls. But it was a nightmare. It didn’t help that I got the urge to frog the Cabled Bandeau at 11:30 a few nights ago, right before going to bed, and I did it while sitting in bed. Which meant that fifteen minutes later, when I realized this was a time-consuming endeavor best saved for another time, I couldn’t leave it. No! I had to resolve the mess of squiggly yarn that was smack-dab in the middle of my bed. I managed to corral it into four balls that I could place on the floor for a Time Out.

I finally had the energy to tackle the rest of it tonight. What once was the start of the Cabled Bandeau (above) now looks like this:

And I’m not sure what it’s going to be. But I’ve determined my gauge–and even washed the swatch! (it’s wet in this photo)–so I can pick from here.

2. Never, ever work the sewn bindoff and then realize something’s not right about the piece. Because picking out the sewn bindoff is an ordeal and a half.

This was that cursed sock from the spring, the one that killed my mojo for more than a month. I recently knit its mate, a fraternal twin, and decided this one needed more than just a new, looser cuff. Tomorrow I’ll get started on the identical twin to the single sock from Labor Day.

Why did I not delve into the fiberlicious opportunities before! The lack of knitting content is easily masked by shots of pretty yarn. This is one of my most prettiest. Alchemy Yarns of Transformation Bamboo, 100% Bamboo, colorway 45C Koi Pond. Though it would have been appropriate to dunk the skein in a body of water and make it a fish, that’s not so “-licious.” Instead, I thought it looked like shiny, radiant, pretty jam.

It’s also appropriately firework-y; happy 4th of July!

Now, it’s been bandied about that I have no stash. This isn’t entirely accurate. I have some stash. But it’s really rather small. I showed it to Lolly and Kris a few weeks ago, and Kris laughed–laughed!–when he mentally compared the basket of sock yarn and 1.5 bins of yarn I own to what he has in his house. Remember at the beginning of the year, when I declared I would reduce my stash by 1/3? Actually not all that hard to accomplish. (And yet, I don’t think I did. I reduced it by, I don’t know, maybe 1/4.)

So I was resolved to buy yarn on Saturday at Maryland Sheep and Wool and feel no guilt. And I did! I spent nearly all the cash I’d given myself to spend, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchases. The “spree” didn’t start out so well–I was so overwhelmed that I passed by a lot of great stuff. My first purchase was, naturally, sock yarn–what I identified as a good deal, from a small company that looked nice.

That’s 440 yds of The Flock Bransonas for $15! This whetted my appetite and got the juices flowing, as it were. Because then I unleashed the hounds. To totally mix my metaphors.

Koigu and Louet Gems in complementary colors; I’m thinking a short pair of entrelac socks or some other colorwork project, maybe.

Black Louet Gems sock yarn–I need some good dark colored socks for everyday wear, rather than the colorful ones I hide under boots or wear on the weekends.

Laceweight wool in bright orange! I left the skeins in MD (the ‘rents will bring the yarn up this weekend, when they come to visit), and I didn’t write down the details. Anyway, I’m eyeing the Swallowtail Shawl (check out two different knitalongs! here’s the IK page) despite those p5tog nupps, and I’m considering taking a look at Victorian Lace Today. For no reason other than that I want to knit some lace.

Brooks Farm Yarn Macero (Mas-Acero) in a steely gray. I’m not sure what I’ll use this for, but there’s something like 800 yards of it, and it’s a worsted weight 60/20/20 wool/silk/viscose blend that feels super yummy.

Brooks Farm Acero, the DK version, in this tweedy green. This is going to be the Cabled Bandeau (Ravelry link, for those who can use it) from Winter 05 Interweave (IK link for others; scroll down). Not many have made this pattern, not many speak very highly of it, but I think I can make it work. This is another thing, like the Shocking! Skirt (also by Veronik Avery!) that I’m skeptical of in theory, but which I think I can make work in reality.

and then, the piece de resistance . . .

Tess Designer Yarns Silk & Ivory in baby pink. This yarn is 50% wool, 50% silk. It’s going to be Sahara. I’m going to buy beads (eventually) to string onto the sparkly section. But for now I’m just going to pet the yarn.

That’s it! It’s actually feeling like a ton of yarn for me. And you know what? I just noticed this: It’s all for ME!! I ‘m so eager to cast on for these projects, I suspect I’ll burn through it in no time flat. I think first up is the Cabled Bandeau. I’m on a Veronik kick, what can I say?

Sometimes you go to meet someone and you’re not expecting anything much, but you find more than you’d ever imagined–more things in comon, more things to laugh about, more things to share. That’s what happened with Pam of FlintKnits yesterday.

Honestly, I only recently discovered and started reading her blog. She’s a skilled knitter and sewer, knits a lot of socks, but she hasn’t really been blogging all that long. I didn’t know much about her, but she said she’d be in town with no plans on the weekend, and I had nothing planned for Saturday day, so I said “sure!” I needed to go to Purl Soho anyway, to get yarn for a friend’s socks, so why not do it with someone else?

And so we yarn-shopped; I bought 5 (five!) skeins of sock yarn. First up is the neutral that one of my best friends requested; she is a practical girl and decided that this kind of beigey color would be most useful for her. She also wants lacy; I haven’t settled on a pattern for her yet.

The light’s a little off, but really, the skeins are this beige. I couldn’t believe there was the exact color she wanted available. But I wasn’t satisfied with this plain vanilla. I mean, I do it for my BFF, but it isn’t a dream to look at. Pam and I kept pawing the awesome Koigu, mostly the burnt oranges, when the chocolate brown caught my eye. Now, I know that’s not really a vivid color or anything, but chocolate brown and I are best friends. With powder blue in the mix (like for the mittens I’m still planning), we’re BFF.

I’m picturing blue toes and heels and some sporadic blue stripes. Stockinette, to make them wearable and useful.

We went down the street to Purl Patchwork, where Pam got fabric for shirtdresses and a shirt (I’ll let her show those), and I gaped around but didn’t buy anything.

Hungry, we thought to go to The Point for knitting and eating, but it was really crowded, so we left without doing much (the sock yarn selection there is practically nil), and ended up at a small French restaurant a few doors down. We were there for the next few hours. No knitting, but some yummy food, including the escargots and two dessert crepes. (Forgot to photograph the crepes!) And LOTS of laughing and great conversation, from Buffy to knitting in the round to the portrayals of women in pop culture.

I had such an excellent afternoon! Next time she’s in town I will demand time to hang out. And who knows, maybe I’ll find myself in Flint or Minneapolis sometime. Knitbloggers make the best friends! BFF, if you will.

I always knew knitters were good souls. I knew they were a generous bunch. And when I was feeling low last week, I knew I could turn to some tried-and-true bloggers, who’ve known me from almost the very start, for some sympathy, emails, and more people to gmail chat with if I needed.

I didn’t expect the amazing responses I’ve gotten–from thoughtful suggestions for what to knit, to taking the time to share personal stories with me, and now? Sending me care packages!!

Laura, knitter over at Stream of Consciousness and editor extraordinaire, gave me THIS:

Two skeins of Koigu KPPPM, featuring greens and browns–maybe a little bit mint-chocolatey, hmmm? The card is a sweet little Hello Kitty card.

Three different kinds of chocolates–featuring a lot of almonds, which I adore, and delicious dark chocolate. Back when I filled out that 48 things you didn’t want to know, it asked about favorite flavors, and I totally neglected my beloved almond!

Gosh, Laura, thank you so so, so so much. I’ll definitely knit something special out of this yarn. Care packages really deliver on their name: you feel so cared for!

(I feel in the interest of not playing favorites, I should say publicly that my old coworkers sent me a care package last week. It featured next to no knitting content (though they did give me a copy of Subversive Cross Stitch), which is why I didn’t post about it. It sure made me laugh, though–it was as if someone walked down the hall saying, “Let’s cheer Erin up!” and they all grabbed whatever was handy to send me. I got plastic toys (some I recognized from people’s desks), copies of funny resumes, and even some allergy medication. Oh, also last week one friend sent a cute bouquet, and another Godiva chocolates! All the love fills my heart to bursting, everyone.)

I leave you with another shot of lights on trees. I found this whole courtyard full of them and made a special detour, despite the freezing, windy weather, to snap some shots tonight.

Thanks for all the comments on the last post! The spam is back under control. But keep commenting!!!

A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. In this Roadblock, that team member must scout the city of Philadelphia to find new sock yarn. Minty took this challenge for her team on Friday, hoping for the best with all the walking even after hurting her back at yoga in the morning. See the route she took here.

The search begins at Sophie’s Yarns, where all yarn searches begin. (Minty lives nearby.) They never end here, however, as the selection is slim and sock yarn in short supply. The owner is incredibly nice and friendly, always interested in what you’re working on (or leaves you perfectly well alone if you want), and she also seems to have a commitment to learning about the business practices of all the yarn companies she carries, opting to keep those with good ethics and not reorder from those whose practices are questionable. All laudable qualities. But the selection simply isn’t there. Two aggressively friendly store cats are pleasant, but for those with allergies (Minty is very allergic to cats), it’s not always welcome. Minty stopped in but was on her way soon thereafter.

From here, it was a trek west, to get to Loop. Minty went a little out of her way by walking down Lombard, mostly because there’s a lot of construction going on on South Street, but also because Lombard is nicer than South.

Minty can’t think of a single negative thing to say about Loop. The space is perfect. Lots of yarn, lots of selection, a crisp, clean, white interior with friendly and hands-off staff who also are engaging to chat with. Minty dropped her credit card on the counter and walked off with five skeins of yarn, all sock yarn (not all destined to be lace socks, however). Her love for this store doesn’t wane with repeated visits, and she would like to start going there to knit but finds that whole thing intimidating and it’s a lot farther away than the couch in the living room. She was making incredible progress on this Roadblock, but still had one more yarn shop to go, Rosie’s Yarn Cellar, just a few blocks north of Loop.

Rosie’s has a very good selection for its incredibly small size, but it always feels a bit dingy to Minty. She noticed that they now have hardwood floors, which was nice to see—Minty rarely goes to Rosie’s, and the last time she was there the floors were carpet. The sock yarn selection didn’t feel as extensive as at Loop, though interestingly the Koigu was $1 cheaper at Rosie’s ($11 rather than $12). Minty regretted spending the extra $2 but ultimately enjoyed the experience at Loop so much more, it was OK. Minty left with only a backissue of Interweave Knits—the winter one with Embossed Leaves in it. She’d searched though the other yarn stores, even Vagabond (a delightful boutique that sells nice yarns and some notions in addition to fabulous clothing—Minty bought the bridesmaid dress she wore two weeks ago there) and not been able to find that one. Old IKs were plentiful around the city, but not that issue. Note that Rosie’s did not discount the backissue, which Sophie’s does. The one woman working at Rosie’s was uninterested in chatting, despite Minty’s mild attempt. The environment didn’t feel particularly welcoming.

Minty raced back home, this time in a cab, because the sky opened up and rain came tumbling out of the sky. Her back was feeling fine, thankfully! She produced her skeins . . .

. . . and was handed the next clue:

Finish knitting your first pair of socks, and proceed to the first Pit Stop!

The yarn! The yarn is here!

Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in “peppermint”

Knit Picks mailed it out on the 9th and I got it on the 16th; that’s one full week of shipping. I ordered it on Sunday, the 5th. So that was a little bit more time than I’d like, and the anticipation was kiling me, but it’s ok! It’s here! I’m ready.

I kind of can’t believe that this little itty bit of yarn is going to make a full kiri shawl. I know it will, I know it’s super skinny yarn, but I’ve never worked with yarn this fine before! It’s a whole new world.