pepperknit

It didn’t even have time to be put into my sidebar as a WIP.

I’m in love with this yarn still. Odd to work with, but so so pretty to look at. The colors are far more purple than apparently can be captured in a photo.

I used the stitch pattern from “My So-Called Scarf,” which is nice and easy and makes the stitches visually interesting–good in a scarf where the metallics will catch the light. I took the day off today (monthly personal days are use it or lose it), so sat and finished it off in no time.

Size 11 Addi Turbos
20 stitches across
Knit until I’d used up both skeins (88 yds ea)
It’s exactly 6 feet long. A little long, perhaps, but whatever.

I took these photos in the guest room because the light is brightest in there, but once I looked at them I realized that I was mimicking Laura’s shot in front of her Chinese scroll. (I emailed hers to dad for translation, but looks like Agnes came through, so nevermind!) I know what mine says, essentially. To see my full scroll click on the shot to the right. This is a traditional message that you’d send with a messenger upon receipt of a letter. From what I understand it basically means “Got it, thanks, we’re all good.” But the reason I have the scroll is because my Chinese name is a part of the saying. The scroll reads from right to left “Ju Bao Ping An” (I may be romanizing incorrectly), and my Chinese name is Ju Ping, which means Peaceful Bamboo (as in serene/tranquil bamboo). No one calls me this ever since my Chinese grandparents died, but it’s still a name I identify with. Dad had this scroll made for me in China, when he was there studying. It was a college graduation gift.

. . . You’d think I’d have more knitting progress to report than I do.

We watched the last half of the Bob Dylan special on PBS after getting home from the boy’s birthday dinner. Loved the footage of press conferences. What ridiculous questions: “Do you prefer a subtle message in your songs?” Then I watched The Amazing Race, which I’d taped.

But here’s where the knitting content goes awry. There I was, knitting along during the Dylan thing. I’m working on the Union Square Market Pullover. I just recently did the split for the front and back. I’m determined to do them simultaneously, but the directions were weird, and I ended up frogging a bit and then working away. The binding off is erratic–2 at the beginning of the next two rows, 1 at the beginning of the next 4, work 2 rounds even, then bind off 1 at the beginning of the next 2–and I must have messed something up, because the front (or the back, I don’t remember which) has two extra stitches. And the whole point of working simultaneously was that they’d be the same.

To figure out what I did wrong will require some time and thinking, and that is simply not possible while Amazing Race is on. Because when it’s on, I’m rapt. Full attention. Heart thumping. No room for knits and purls and 101 stitches or 99 stitches. Yay for their excursion to Fairmount Park!

Hopefully, will have some real knitting progress tonight.

I tried to post about this earlier today, but the blogger photo uploader was acting up, so I’m going to try again. (It’s still acting up. This post has a combo of blogger and flickr photos.)

So I rented a car yesterday and drove out to Atlantic City. It took pretty much exactly an hour, much to my surprise (I’d been under the impression it would take a little longer than that). Luckily, it took my mom less time to get there from Maryland than she thought, so we converged at about the same time. We grabbed some food (right before the line got reeeally long) and then cruised the aisles. Here’s all my booty:

It might not look like much, but some of it cost a pretty penny. We have, clockwise from left:

A small kit for toe-up socks. My sock history is . . . limited. I’ve knit one sock. Not one pair, just one sock. I was unenthused to do the match. But all you bloggers are addicted to socks, so I figure what the heck.

Four bags of Debbie Bliss wool/cotton. Why so much? I have no idea. But it’s two bags of periwinkle, which I think will become an office cardigan, and two bags of burgundy, for which I’m thinking maybe something like a long-sleeve Tivoli. Or I might make up my own pattern, based on the Tivoli. We’ll see.

A 40″ size 3 Addi Turbo. I want to teach myself magic loop.

Two skeins of Wool in the Woods, color H2O. The skeins are upstairs and I’m just too lazy to go look at the fiber content right now, but it’s a simiarl gauge to Kid Silk Haze, only there’s no silk in it. I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. I am not a shawl sorta gal, but the yarn is so airy and light and pretty . . .

And then, the piece de resistance: Two skeins of Kid Slique, dyed by Prism. Came from the Great Yarns (in Washington State) vendor. The color is called “Periwinkles” and is a rich purple. I’m not generally in to purples, but this one called out to me. There were a ton of other colorways, all very very appealing, but I cannot express how happy I am I got this.

In fact, I couldn’t resist it, and immediately wound it up into a ball and started knitting. I have about two feet complete. I’m using the stitch I saw in the “My So-Called Scarf” (and upon doing it, I think I once knit a sweater using something very similar). I think it highlights the metallic in a bed of fuzz. I [heart] it so so much.

I’m headed out to Stitches this Saturday, to go to the Marketplace and get some probably unnecessary yarn and needles and books. Sucks that I have to go all the way out to Atlantic City nowadays–wish it were still in King of Prussia, which is about half as far. Eh, whatever, I’ve rented a car and will zip on over in the morning. I’m going to meet my mom there, we’ll do lunch, and then we’ll shop. With any luck, she’ll buy me some stuff :) Unfortunately, no Jaax this year, and I don’t know if my friend Osprey will be there–I haven’t talked to her in ages. Let’s hope I run into her. The Marketplace isn’t that big, and I’ve always managed to run into people I know there.

In an attempt to be “smart” about my purchases, I’ve been trying to think of things that I’ll be looking for. Because while I know that I’m going to be buying yarn just because I like it, I should think carefully about what sorts of things I’m looking for. For instance:

Yarn to make myself a cardigan to leave in the office. Not sure what style yet, but I can at least think about the kind of color and gauge I’d want in such a garment.

Needles–the Union Square Market Pullover will require dpns in size 3, which I don’t think I have. Also, it’d be nice to start filling out my collection. I also really want to teach myself magic loop, so I should buy a very long circular.

What colors am I looking for? Well, as I mentioned, I’d love something in an icy blue. Browns. Maybe colorful wools to make more Lopi Totes. And that KidSilk Haze that everyone’s raving about? I think I gotta get me some.

This is what I think about in spare moments these days. They’re pleasant thoughts.

Here’s a random shot I took of one of my plants, to keep this post visually interesting. I love the way the new blade is curling up on itself. Elegant.

(I also need a break from work.)

Last night my boyfriend was showing me the copy of The Believer that he’d bought that day. I was looking through it, and discovered that Amy Sedaris has a really funny advice column, and this issue’s topic was “Crafting.” There were various knitting related questions, one of which was from someone lamenting her inability to finish projects. She mentioned a sweater for a college boyfriend that is still incomplete, many years later.

Amy’s reply was something to the effect of If she’d just finished what she started, her boyfriend may not have dumped her and she’d be happily married to him. I told the boy the lore about the curse of knitting sweaters for boyfriends, and said that I felt that Amy had gotten her response all wrong.

The boy pointed out that I’d knit him a sweater years ago (good god, it was about 5 years ago now), but we’re OK. I gently reminded him that we weren’t doing so good at the time (even though we didn’t break up). He mentioned that he still has the sweater, though it doesn’t fit right anymore. What’s funny is that I had just been thinking about that sweater, and was going to suggest that he give it to me, let me take it out, and make him something new out of it. He seemed to like the idea. I feel as if the curse won’t apply, what with being together for going on something like 10 years and pretty much being settled down. Right??

Any suggestions for extremely understated men’s sweaters?

I wish I had some knitting content to share with you guys. Heck, I wish I had something nice to say. But it’s been a harrowing last couple of work days, and I have had next to no time for knitting.

Frustrated. Angry. Fatigued. These are the most apt adjectives for Minty these days.

I’m going to answer the last two comments here in the blog, just because.

Amy: How cool! I didn’t know the fall cable KAL existed. I’ll definitely look at it more closely and then look for some kind of pattern to do. Kepler is a nice one, as is Samus (sp) . . .

Laura: It is in the round, so it does go by quickly (and you’re right, definitely better than st st worked flat), but I’m nearing the spot where I’ll separate the front and back and I’ll have to start purling. (boo!) As for the flap/no flap, I think that the flap will garner more questions than it’s worth. I really like the asymmetrical neckline that it creates, but not the fact that it’s created in that way.

Plus, to be honest, the flap doesn’t look crisp and clean in the finished objects I’ve seen (other than the one in the magazine). Maybe I could iron it out and sew it down or something, but that’s not an elegant enough fix. I’d rather try to figure out an assymetrical neckline once I’m up there, I guess.

Still definitely a work in progress . . .

I’ve only been able to eke out brief amounts of time to knit in the last few days, which is disappointing. Damn the gym, dinner, and freelance work, taking up all my time!

But I’m up to the increase shaping for the USMP. I’m pretty much decided that I will not do the foldover flap, so that means just a whole lot more stockinette with very little shaping. I think the next project will have to involve cables or some kind of stitch pattern. I’ve had enough of stockinette for the time being.

My parents are here visiting (Dad’s running the half marathon as I type), so when the three of us were hanging out before dinner, and dad was reading all the little pamphlets that came with his t-shirt from the race and mom was doing a crossword puzzle, I was knitting.

Amazingly, I’m up before mom is–this never happens when I’m at their house! (And never happened while I was growing up.) But it’s fine, because I can knit.

I’ve made it back to where I was when I realized I had to take out the work. Not much time lost at all.

So I was right! I read about it on the Knitty boards, where someone provided the link to the Knitty issue of Techniques with Theresa that explained this awesome, awesome technique.

It was time consuming to put the stitches on the needle, but I used a needle one size smaller and that definitely helped. I was worried about splitting the stitches, but all told, when I pulled it out, only a few were split and it didn’t affect anything.

I hooked the yarn up to my ball winder and just turned and turned and turned it and when it got to the designated row, it stopped! And then I just started knitting! No frustrations, no risk of dropping a stitch. Yay for the online knitting community.