pepperknit

Wow, I never thought it would happen. But we just started laundry, and he found it tucked in amongst some dirty clothes. Which means it was in his bag the entire time! Phew!

Edited to add: He claims he had already looked in his bag.

I’m truly addicted to legwarmers these days. I brought them to Maryland with me this past weekend even though the weather made them unnecessary. I showed them to everyone I could, I recommended them for a friend who lives in Chicago—I may have even promised to make several pairs for people.

Instead, I made myself another pair!

These are babies, because I didn’t want to do any increasing or decreasing (I’m not quite sure how that would look in brioche stitch). Using the same size 3 needles and a new shade of Manos, I worked 32 stitches for something like 40 rows.

The yarn is my mom’s, and I have more. She made herself a cardigan and had leftovers. They caught my eye in her stash, and I asked if she had any project set for the yarn. She happily gave it to me, and later found another whole skein in a separate stash! This shortstack pair took just one skein, so I can get another pair out of it. I’m wearing them now—it’s a bit chillier back in Philly.

Actually, it counts more as a belated birthday present, but either way I scored big: The boy’s parents gave me a $50 gift certificate to All About Yarn!

My mom had received an identical g.c. from a friend of hers, so she and I headed over on the 26th to spend every penny. It wasn’t hard.

The store was packed, not surprisingly, with people pawing through everything, and quite a few people knitting up new items. I headed straight for the 40-inch circulars, and got myself 4 pairs. Mom got some yarn and a Celtic Aran book. I also went a bit above the gc and got one skein of Manos, which matches some Manos my mom gave me (it was leftover from a sweater she made), to make a pair of legwarmers for a friend.

And about the hat: We believe that he left it at his grandparents’ house on Christmas night. I feel pretty certain he had it when we went there. I stood, arms akimbo, in his parents’ living room and made him search every vehicle of his family, the yard around the cars, every bedroom, and closet. His dad has a suspicion that his sister stole it because it was so nice. I’ve firmly stated that he needs to talk to his grandparents to see if they have it. He was suitably apologetic. But really. He needs one of those clips that attaches the hat to his coat! Basically, I’m never making him a hat again. He can buy one.

The boy.

Has lost.

His hat.

Yesterday I wore Pam. Though I’ve worn it several times since finishing it, I knew my mom hadn’t seen it at all, so I decided I’d wear it on the day I headed to my parents’. It also coincided with the day I got my new driver’s license picture taken! So Pam is going to be part of my identity for the next four years.

Side note about the Pennsylvania DMV: So painless! Because I’d renewed online, I only had to pop in to get my photo taken and the new card printed. I opted not to change any of my information (though I’m taller than I was four years ago—seriously. more than one inch. yoga does a body good), so I was in and out in under five minutes. And the guy was super nice, offered to take as many shots of me as I wanted until I was satisfied. I took the second and final shot—why try over and over again? (But the first wasn’t any good.)

Anyway, we drove to MD. I walked in the door coatless, dragging some bags of presents, and about to go back out for more, and my mom says, “oh! I love that sweater! Is it J.Jill?” And I got to say, “No! I MADE it!” and then dashed outside again, leaving her to stand stunned. She exclaimed “you hate cables!” I have no idea where she got that idea—maybe just because I rarely knit them. Still, she was impressed, and thought it had been store bought, so that was nice.

Additionally, I was at the boy’s parents’ place, and his mom touched my arm and said, “I really like this sweater,” and I think she might have asked where I got it or something, but my brain always kind of shuts down when people compliment something I’ve made, and I spend the length of whatever their next sentence is thinking “don’t shout, don’t sound too gloating, don’t go nuts when you say ‘I made it!’” Does this happen to anyone else? Anyway, right after I took credit for my Pam, my cell phone rang and I had to dash out of the kitchen. (I like to leave my audience time for the info to sink in, I guess ;))

Still working on the sock, but I predict little to no progress today; I’ll be cooking all day. We have an annual Christmas Eve party with my oldest friend’s family. We’ve been doing this since she and I were 5 years old—not every year, but almost.

Don’t feel bad if you prefer dpns! Especially if you’ve tried magic loop but didn’t like it. They’re just not for me. And it’s not a question of tension that irritates me about those last few stitches, it’s purely an issue of physics: The needles are sticking out everywhere, and when I get to the last two stitches they’re harder to access, because they kind of tuck under the next needle. I suppose I should try overlapping the needles the other way, but then tension comes into play—I feel I get more even tension if I start knitting with the new needle under the one that preceded it.

Anyway, for those thinking about trying Magic Loop, it is, of course, a little awkward at first. But the idea that I could knit absolutely anything requiring size 3 needles on just one pair of needles is appealing. With a large needle I can do a sweater—flat or in the round. I can do socks in the round. I can start and finish a hat on the same needles, without having to switch to dpns or having to use dpns the entire time.

To each her/his own, of course. And to tell the truth, now that I’ve been working on the dpns for a little longer, I’m back into a groove with them. I still don’t really like it, but it’s moving faster. (Plus the other issue at hand, the suckiness of the needles themselves, is still a factor.) Anyway, all this to say you can basically get used to anything, but for me, the practicality of just a few large circulars and the simplicity of magic loop (I didn’t have any tension issues with it) outweighs having multiple sets of various sizes of needles.

There was a time when I didn’t know about Magic Loop. During that time, I, like many other people, used these horrible dpn contraptions. Since discovering Magic Loop, I’ve been forcing every project to conform to size 3 needles—the only size circular I bought that’s long enough to use Magic Loop on. (Yes, I have plans to get myself a whole lot more.)

But I’m working on this sock right now. (BTW: Jaax, where the heck are you? What’s happening with our mini toeup sockalong? I’m nearly done with the first sock now!) I was able to use Magic Loop for the body, but the top wants a smaller sized needle. Hence, these sharp little daggers I have encasing my sock.

I’d forgotten just how awkward working with dpns is compared with Magic Loop. Those last two stitches on each needle are a real pain in the ass! The needles are long, so I have to move the yarn all over the place to clear them. And when I’ve finished a row, I drop the needle from my left hand as I’ve come accustomed to doing with Magic Loop, but now a little lance lands on my leg.

And can I just fawn a bit over Addi Turbos? See, I’ve been using Addis for all my projects for a long while now, and I’d forgotten how pathetic some other needles can be. These size 2s that I’m on now—an old pair that I’ve had for years—are kind of flexible (I have no idea what material they are; they’re too sharp to be plastic, I think), and they are not nearly so easy to work with.

Ah yes, bitch bitch bitch. The Christmas spirit is all over my house :) No, I’m all complain-y but I’m not really upset. Just determined to buy a TON more super-long Addi Turbos as soon as I can!

In a side note, I can’t believe how quickly this sock knits up. I’ve only ever knit one sock before (that’s right, one), and I felt like it took me forever. I’m definitely going to be able to knit the other one while I’m visiting my parents this weekend, but I wonder if I should be packing something else, too!

I finished the hat for the boy. And despite grumbling, he allowed me to take a shot of him in it. Note that winter vacation officially began for him on Friday; shaving has gone by the wayside.

Ultimately, I did it in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in a dark grey. The yarn is soft and delicious, the color deep and dark, and though he thought it was going to be too pointy, it’s perfectly round once stretched over his head. (Or is his head pointy!?)

So simple, and finally done. For a while earlier tonight I was convinced I wouldn’t have enough yarn, and was scrambling around the house looking for a similar weight yarn in a more contrasting color. I decided to just go with it, and see what happened. When I brought the yarn through the stitches at the top, I had literally six inches to work with. Phew!

The color is better in this shot.

Post-Script: Why is it that while I posted this to the web, he went upstairs and showered and shaved? Please believe me when I say he cleans up far nicer than this shows! :)

Last night the boy and I went over the list of hats I’ve made him. We can account for 5 (I wonder if there was one other, he is adamant there was not). Only one is extant. I hope that the various others that were left on Septa trains found their way to those who needed some warmth.

I essentially finished the newest hat a few hours ago. It was still on the needles, he tried it on, and it was officially too snug. He wants a little more room. OK, I understand that. I’d measured his head and left some give, but he wanted more. So I took it out.

What started as an olive green hat with some grey accent is going to just be a grey hat. Because, screw it, I’m not going to bother with stripes or the fact that there’s too little green. There is enough grey, it’s cashmerino, and why would I want to knit with anything else!?

No photos—the defunct hat was frogged without pause.