pepperknit

It feels as though it’s been forever since I revealed an FO ’round these parts. I’m happy to say that though I didn’t take a photo of the set, these babies are off the needles and on the hands of their recipient.

A while back, Laura quit her blog for various reasons, of most concern to me her hand’s repetitive stress injury. So sad! And then when she posted this picture to Flickr, lamenting her lack of a pair of Endpapers to soother her hand pain, well, I just had to step up and give my friend a hand.

She mailed me her chosen yarn–red (Koigu) and pink (Idon’tknowwhat)–plus two skeins of blue sock yarn for just me to have (thanks!). It couldn’t have arrived at a better time, because I was about to leave for Portland and needed some plane knitting. I had two legs–La Guardia to Chicago, Chicago to Portland. I cast on (using size 3 needles) in La Guardia and had actually come to nearly finished by the time we landed in Chicago, but I wasn’t happy with how it was turning out.

The pattern calls for a purl “seam” stitch on either side, which you can see in the photo above. I guess this is because the design doesn’t actually fit the width of the mitts; it didn’t feel cohesive to me. Plus when you pull the mitts on, it’s hard to get the seam to sit exactly along the sides, and why have this challenge to getting the mitts on attractively? When I got on the plane to Portland I asked the advice of my seatmates, two sweet women who actually weighed in (rather than smiling politely and turning on their iPods), and so I frogged the whole thing and started over. I had finished the first one–well, up to where I needed scissors*–by the time I got to Portland, and that evening I finished the first one entirely and cast on for the second.

I went into a panic that I had knit the first one so fast, so I made a little side trip to Knit/Purl to buy new yarn in case I needed it. (Of course, I only knit a little more during the rest of the weekend so this trip ended up being more for souvenirs.) Knit/Purl is a delightful store, with a large selection of yarn and books and other supplies, plus their own Shi Bui yarn line. I bought two skeins of baby blue Shi Bui.

That glorious wall on the left is the Koigu. I swooned. I took only a quick walk over there and back to my friend’s place, as it was blustery and cold out. I tried to stop by another yarn shop in the area but it was closed.

Anyway, back to the mitts–I decided to nix the purl seam stitch, just let the pattern jog at one side, and I was decently pleased with the result. I knit the second one on the way home–from Portland to Chicago–and then finally wove in the ends and got it in the mail in the second week after Thanksgiving. Laura received them, and they fit great. See her wearing them here.

*Many thanks to Big Alice for pointing out that fingernail clippers are allowed on flights! I brought them with me on this trip to Singapore and they’ve been a lifesaver, as the pattern I’m working on now involves lots of starting and stopping.

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 know, I know! I’ve been completely MIA for the past month. It’s bad. I miss you! I miss my little blog. But I have been just way too busy–flying to the West Coast twice, Christmas parties, frenzied secret santa knitting, the works. I know that I have all sorts of unfinished business to take care of, plus I also have finished business (objects) to show off (well, just one). And I’ll get to it soon. I will have renewed blogging energy in 2008. I swear.

In the meantime, I’m in sunny, muggy, hot Singapore visiting with my parents–and had the delightful experience of a vacation within a vacation to Thailand (I recommend vacations within vacations to all). So it’s really not feeling much at all like Christmas. Here are some photos to tide you over until I sit down and properly get back in the knitblogger groove.