alice thelma

alice thelma has left the building

2009-01-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Hi loyal followers. I'm over at WordPress now so if you have stumbled upon this blog, please hightail it over to alicethelma.com. See you over there!

My second Cobblestone Pullover

2009-01-11T13:22:00.001-08:00

My second Cobblestone Pullover, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

On New Year’s Eve, we had a rare dry day around here so I packed up the kids with their xmas knits and we headed to Reed College for a photo shoot. I’m a little late in blogging about these FOs but I’m very proud of them, especially the Cobblestone Sweater designed by the oh so talented Jared Flood. It’s my second. I knit the first one about a year ago (see it here on Roland) and I have to say, the second one was just as much fun to knit. If you haven’t made one yet, find a guy, your brother, father, son, nephew, friend – anyone! – And knit one today.

I did stress out a little bit thinking it might be a bit short but Max insisted is was just fine (he’s so easy to please) and I think the sweater will stretch or drape with wear. I didn’t even block it before I gave it to him. The Cobblestone is so much fun to knit because while you’re working away on the yoke, you get to the neck and all of a sudden it’s finished and all that’s left to do is kitchener the underarms. That’s it! Oh how I love seamless sweaters.

Along with the Cobblestone sweater, Max got a Noro Striped scarf (also a Jared Flood design) to replace one he lost (I had no idea), two pairs of gloves and a hat, which he requested. I love the way the all work together. Browns and grays are my favorites but I never thought of putting them together. The bright fuchsia of his shirts and the stripes of the Noro Scarf pull it all together wonderfully. *sigh* I should be a stylist.

It was fun to get outside and wander around Reed and have Hot Lips pizza after. BTW Max is at Indiana University now. Say “Hi” if you happen to run into him.

I knit this sweater from Paton’s Classic Wool Merino and it cost me under $20 – one 40% coupon at a time. It’s a great sweater project for hard times.

Only twelve days to go - but who's counting?

2009-01-08T15:58:00.001-08:00

obama-rama pillow progress, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

A quick hat to knit for these gray winter days

2009-01-07T09:53:00.001-08:00

an unoriginal hat, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

People who follow this blog regularly are familiar with my fondness for the color gray. Or is it grey? I suppose it depends on what country you live in.

I do indeed like gray but even more so when punctuated by a brightly colored (coloured?) accessory. And yellow is my most recent bright color of choice.

The hat modeled is the unoriginal hat pattern designed by the yarn harlot, which I knit up on 10.5US needles with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick&Quick. The hat has a lovely sculptural quality and though quite dense, it's very comfortable.

What can I say about this hat that hasn’t already been said? With only 56 stitches and 36 rows it knits up in a breeze. Don't be frightened by the cables. As a matter of fact, this is my first official FO for 2009. Have you finished anything yet? Do tell.

Recipe for a perfect blueberry pie

2009-01-05T10:53:00.001-08:00

blueberry pie, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

It’s the dead of winter but as chance would have it, I had a couple of bags of frozen blueberries in the freezer from last summer’s harvest. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve made three pies and I’ve been experimenting with just the right ratio of tapioca to sugar and the optimum oven temps to produce the perfect pie. Here is my results:

Perfect Blueberry Pie

Filling:
4 cups frozen blueberries
¼ cup tapioca
¼ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter

Pie Crust for 9 ½ inch pie

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit).

Mix together the blueberries, tapioca, sugar and lemon juice and let stand for about 15 minutes. Assemble pie, dotting the filling with pats of butter sealing the pie with the top curst and place in oven on bottom rack. Bake for one hour.

Yep, that’s all there is to it. The secret was baking the pie on the bottom rack. That technique produced a lovely brown, crispy bottom crust and perfectly formed pie wedges. Wish I could show you, but we ate it!

Still making 24 hour sweaters - actually they're only taking about an hour now

2009-01-03T12:57:00.001-08:00

alice and her finger puppet, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

We had a break in the weather so I took the gang out to our old stomping grounds at Reed College for a photo shoot. The gang now includes a new member who is nameless – I guess I’ll call him Mr. Sweater.

As you can see, my mini-sweater mania has not let up and I have actually found this recent mini-sweater pattern (it's called Cheers!) a little easier and a little quicker than the one I showed you last week. I guess it helps to be using bigger needles (size 4US dpns) and a DK weight yarn. The little green guy knit up in about an hour.

In addition to the tiny sweaters (I’ve made six so far) I did get around to finishing another project, the fetching fingerless gloves which are now on their way to Indiana. Shhhhhh! Don’t they look lovely on Alice? She accessorized quite nicely with the friendship bracelet she made. I guess she is quite crafty after all.

The irony is that both projects have not only the same yarn (Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino 2000) in common, they are both designed by the same person, Cheryl Niamath of Fetching Knits. Both patterns are free so go download fetching and cheers! today.

More FOs from the Reed College photo shoot are coming. Stay tuned!

Quicker toe up socks

2009-01-01T14:16:00.001-08:00

quicker toe-up socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Here is the first pair of socks for 2009 and here is their story:

I have a friend who has been hinting around for some hand knit socks and for the longest time I’ve been staring at two balls of Lion ~~Sock Ease~~Magic Stripes thinking that they would be perfect for dear friend and also to continue my mastery of toe up socks on magic loop.

After a bit of research and encouraged by this pattern, I dove into these socks using the Turkish cast on method. Wow! I don’t know why I haven’t used this cast on before because it’s so simple and quick. Not the least bit fussy. In no time at all, I had two socks cast on and ready to go.

I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of toe up socks and not struggling with it so much. It's coming easier and that makes me happy. :-)

After I had sixty stitches for each sock, I continued in a K2, P2 rib which I discovered from Cat Bordhi’s Sock Soar book. These socks have literally ZOOMED in two days but I need to stop knitting them at home. Home is where I knit the complex projects with charts and instructions, etc. These socks are great for traveling and are going to be the socks I take with me EVERYWHERE and especially whenever I have to wait. You see, I’m notoriously impatient and anyone who knows me well can tell you that. So I always try to have a pair of socks with me AT ALL TIMES.

Oh and I’ve given up coffee for 2009 so hopefully that will help as well – with my impatience. What is your New Year’s resolution?

Knitting highlights of 2008

2008-12-29T11:05:00.001-08:00

Knitting highlights of 2008, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

My main knitting goal for 2008 was to knit twelve pairs of socks, one for each month of the year. Even though I started out rather slowly, fearing that I had bit off more than I could chew, I met that goal back in September (with a burst of sock knitting energy during the summer) and I recently surpassed it by completing pair #13 for Alice on xmas day (it’s pair #30 overall).

This mosaic does not represent every pair of socks or completed project of 2008. There are many more. For 2009, I hope to fill a 6x6 mosaic with completed projects…although at this time I have no particular knitting goals in mind. Perhaps I have decided to go a little easier on myself during 2009…or to shoot more night shots…or to sell more t-shirts.

Please let me know if you have any questions about a specific project pictured. Feel free to contact me at anytime (heavydutydesign AT gmail DOT com).

Happy New Year!

I made a sweater in one day and you can too!

2008-12-26T18:26:00.001-08:00

raglan sweater tree ornament, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Over the years, I have been gradually converting the xmas tree into a showcase for hand knit ornaments. Two years ago my obsession was mini-socks and mittens. Last year I went cuckoo for mini felted oven mitts. This year, I have discovered doll-sized sweaters.

I’d been looking for a way to use leftover sock yarn and also commemorate and remember the beloved socks I have knit from the beloved sock yarn. So I researched free mini sweater patterns on Ravelry and discovered this lovely pattern.

It seemed easy enough and the greatest thing about the pattern is the fact that it’s a TOP DOWN sweater – knit from the neck down. I haven’t attempted that method for knitting a sweater (although I have wanted to) and this was a great chance to familiarize myself with the technique in a miniature way. Sort of like a top-down sweater sampler.

Well the pattern is fun and easy and a great way to use up those bits of leftover sock yarn, beloved or not. I’ve been churning them out at a rate of about one per day. So what are you waiting for? If you start now, you too can knit a sweater in a day!

[BTW If anyone has any advice about making the tiny hangers, from wire I think, I would love to hear your advice/tips.]

Happy Holidaze

2008-12-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidaze, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

All of us here at alice thelma, as well as the staff of our partner blog, Portland at night, wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Snowed in

2008-12-22T16:41:00.001-08:00

Portland at night, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Like most of the country at the moment, we're covered under a blanket of snow. Seriously, it's like the most snow in 50 years. Last night I went out and took some night shots until my fingers and feet were frozen. Today, I put the chains on so I would be ready to pick up Max at PDX when he arrives this evening. Also, made it to the store and took P. to the Post Office.

So I've been productive to say the least.

This weather's been best for knitting. I've been knitting a LOT. Finishing some projects and making good progress on others. Here's progress on the Obama-rama pillow and I also got my sock mojo back. Yes! I'm back on socks.

And what have you been up to during this winter so far?

I love my sweater shaver

2008-12-21T16:21:00.001-08:00

recycled sweater, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Here is another sweater that has been too warm in the past but that I’ve pulled out of the trunk for the bitter cold weather we’ve been enjoying enduring lately. It’s a gorgeous LLBean model. 100% Irish wool and it wasn’t cheap.

My plan was to cut it up, sew it back together, throw it in the hot water wash and felt it thus transforming it into a lovely tote bag. Somehow I couldn’t bring myself to throw a $100 sweater into the washing machine and the recent frigid temps changed my mind, even if just temporarily.

The only problem with this whole scenario is that the beautiful sweater is covered in pills and oh how I hate pills. To the rescue comes my handy dandy sweater shaver that I recently purchased at Target for under $10.

If I’m not knitting, or blogging, you can usually find me shaving sweaters…or socks…or anything covered in pills. Some of the pills on the sweater were too big for the battery operated sweater shaver so I’ve had to resort to an old standby: the disposable razor.

Are there any other methods for removing pills that I don’t know about? Please share with me.

Score! Solid wool sweaters at the Goodwill

2008-12-20T14:29:00.001-08:00

goodwill sweaters, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I hadn't been to my local Goodwill in awhile and what a bounty I found there yesterday! I scored four 100% wool sweaters for $28. Here's a tip for all you bargain wool hunters out there: the best sweaters are in the men's department. Plus you get more bang for your buck - the men's sweaters are actually bigger!

So what will I do with these extra-large sweaters you ask? First, I will offer them to Max because he lives in the Midwest now and he may need them. I won't force him, but if he likes them and wants them, he can have them.

Next I may actually sew them up into tote bags, throw them in the hot water wash and felt them. It's something I've always wanted to try but so far have not been brave enough. Has anyone out there intentionally felted a sweater? Please share your experience with me.

Lastly, I may unravel them and knit something new - perhaps a blanket. They're such lovely colors aren't they?

Urban Aran Cardigan progress

2008-12-17T12:11:00.001-08:00

urban aran progress, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Because the weather has been so miserably cold (see my cold weater adventures here) and we've been stuck inside, it's been a good time to catch up on some projects I've been neglecting.

Jared Flood of brooklyntweed.net, cleverly converted the Urban Aran (from Paton's Street Smart) into a zippered cardigan and I've been wanting to make one ever since I first saw it on his blog. I cast on and began the back months ago (on 9/30/08 according to my Ravelry notes) before I got distracted by holiday gift knitting.

The poor thing sat on the end of my couch, neglected, for months. Well I'm proud to say that I finally finished the back and, with the same needles, cast on the sleeves. Both.

I'm knitting the sleeves simultaneously. Not sure if this any faster or more efficient but at least they will be the same length!

hope

2008-12-15T14:51:00.001-08:00

obama-rama pillow, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Believe it or not, the stealth gift knitting is just about finished although nothing I can blog about for fear that intended parties will see their gift before official gift giving. Maybe the solstice this year? Or possibly Christmas eve? Whaddya think guys?

In the meantime, I have begun my official President Obama Commemorative Pillow, which I'm hoping to have finished by inauguration day, January 20, 2009.

The pillow is based on the pattern called Obama-rama by Laura Birek and when I showed it to my sisters on Thanksgiving they talked me out of the sweater version. Would I ever really wear it, they asked? I decided on the pillow version to proudly display on my couch year round. Who knows - it might become a collector's item.

The photo of the sweater was shot by kristi.nicole and I originally discovered this design through my favorite BC knitting blogger, flying pig knits. It's all based on Shepard Fairey's original poster.

I also changed from Vanna's Choice yarn to Lion Wool-ease which felt better in my hands. The cold snap we're experiencing has made it an optimal time for knitting. Are you taking advantage of freezing temps to knit something nice for yourself?

I'll have more to show you tomorrow. Stay warm!

I'm wearing it! I'm wearing it!

2008-12-14T12:37:00.001-08:00

lopi sweater pattern, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I'm actually wearing the lopi sweater right now accessorized exactly like the model in the picture, with the jeans and denim shirt, except I look like an NFL linebacker. It's toasty warm though. Hope you are too.

How do you stay warm?

2008-12-13T16:04:00.001-08:00

lopi sweater, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I never thought it would get cold enough for this Lopi sweater but the time has come. Here in the Portland-Vancouver area, we are expecting the coldest temps in five years. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr They're even forecasting snow for tomorrow! Next week looks to be clear but frigid - down to the teens! - if you believe weather.com.

I have never worn this sweater which I knit about 10 years ago because I'm always covered in sweat within minutes of putting it on. It was a fun and quick knit made from Reynolds Lopi in the EZ seamless yoke method. The other reason I never wear this sweater is because it's much too big. Because I'm such a relaxed knitter, I now size down, both in needle size and pattern size. So if I want to make a large, I cast on for a medium.

Just something I learned in 28 years of knitting.

Last Fall I threw the sweater on Alice and she looked adorable.

Here's hoping that you stay warm and dry. Let me know how you're doing.

How do I get my sock knitting mojo back?

2008-12-11T08:05:00.001-08:00

psycho socks progress, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

A couple of months ago, I was going gangbusters on socks with a personal goal of knitting one pair per month during 20008. Well I met that goal back in September but since then…well it seems that I have lost the lust for socks. Sock knitting that is.

According to my Ravelry project notes, I started the pair above on October 5 but they are sadly languishing on the needles while I decide on a heel. The socks are for Alice and she picked out the psychedelic color way (hence the name – "psycho socks"). Although they are rather plain and devoid of any stitch pattern, these were (are) to be my ultimate technique socks. I wanted to be able to knit two socks at simultaneously, from the toe up on magic loop. Now the question is heel flap or short row heel? A garter stitch short row heel was suggested to me last night at knitting night.

What do you think? What type of heel should I knit? How do I get my mojo back – just enough to finish this pair? Your suggestions are welcome.

What I'm making for myself

2008-12-08T23:08:00.001-08:00

union square shawl/poncho, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

What are YOU making for yourself? Tell me.

Grizzly socks

2008-12-07T10:50:00.001-08:00

As I was updating my finished projects links to the right, I realized that I hadn’t blogged about this one:

Grizzly socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finished the Grizzly Spring Forward socks a couple of months ago (on Sept 22 according to my Ravelry project notes) sent them to Nell in Bloomington for her 21st birthday and then completely forgot about them. As I was tallying my socks for the year, and installing the links to the right – well that’s when it hit me that I had never debuted them here on the blog.

I call them “Grizzly” because they’re brown – obviously! – but they are knit from the pattern spring forward which can be found for free on knitty. Great pattern! Looks complicated but is easily memorized if you just keep track of the repeats like I do, with a stitch marker.

And you know that brown is my favorite color. The yarn is KnitPicks Essential Tweed in INca Gold. A very lovely soft fiber to work with.

So that’s the exciting new for today. I hear that Nell likes them very much. Nell and Max are currently in Iowa…or maybe on their way back to Indiana. In any case, I hope they’re staying warm.

How do you stay warm?

the further adventures of silly bradley

2008-12-06T09:32:00.001-08:00

the further adventures of silly bradley, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Some of you might remember my nephew Bradley from last July. The kid is not shy in front of a camera. On Thanksgiving Bradley showed me a secret talent of his. He is able to stuff his ear inside his ear and then squeeze it out – hands free!

An amazing magic trick I assure you.

Do you have an ear...er...magic trick?

sad loss for the local knitting community

2008-12-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

I just received this email from Martha Gioia, president of the Portland Knitters Guild:

"Greetings Knitters,

Last Sunday evening Linda Carter, Yarn Garden owner, friend and acquaintance to many knitters, died suddenly. A sad loss to her family, friends, and the knitting community at large, Linda will be remembered as the significant person who brought knitting to Portland, supported charities: red scarf and Heifer International to name just two, and provided support and encouragement to many knitters. There is hardly a knitter in Portland who has not at the very least passed through the Yarn Garden.

As a way to remember Linda our guild is making a donation in her name to Heifer International, an organization that provides livestock and sustainable farming practices education to poor families and an opportunity for a better life. Our gift will be a sheep.

A memorial will take place at the Yarn Garden with details to be posted on their website www.yarngarden.net.

Sincerely,
Martha"

who needs symmetry?

2008-12-03T09:12:00.001-08:00

asymetrical cable hat, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finished this little gem, the asymmetrical cable hat, a few weeks ago but couldn't find a suitable model until just recently. It looks adorable on my neice Juliana don't you think?

The hat is a quickie knit from the book One Skein (by Portlander Leigh Radford) and if you love cables as much as I do, you'll have fun making this hat. The hat construction is straightforward - no dcreases. I used some Cascade Bulky that I bought at Close Knit earlier this year and of course I ran out so I made the pom pom out of white. Then I actually found another ball of pink in my stash!

The hat is really comfy and cozy and also looks pretty groovy on Juli's Dad, my brother Steve.

I'm back from celebrating Thanksgiving with family in the Bay Area. Here's the whole gang.

Only a few people missing but it's always a great feast at my sister's house. Many thanks to Karen and Jeff.

jumping on the noro bandwagon

2008-11-28T20:06:00.001-08:00

noro kureyon, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Like many a knitter on the internet, I have been bitten by the noro bug and if you are a regular reader of the yarn harlot, you know what I'm talking about. My particular project uses noro kureyon #214 and #149 and it's great ~~mindless~~ meditative knitting for the holidaze.

happy thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:23:00.001-08:00

bella, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I'm back in El Cerrito for Thanksgiving just like I was last year and Bella is one year older but no less energetic. I love taking her up the hill behind my sister's house where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge on a clear day. Even though it rained yesterday, today is clear and sunny and our jaunt up the hill this morning was brisk.

The fact is that Bella, who is a border collie, has become a muse for me, providing artistic inpiration with her shiny coat and big brown eyes. She's best captured in a reclining pose, with a tripod or in extreme close-up.

And always awaiting a run up the hill.

I haven't stopped knitting, not completely anyway. More knitting goodness is coming soon. Don't despair! Happy Holidaze everyone!

new t-shirt designs

2008-11-21T10:10:00.001-08:00

blaise knits, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

So I bought my dear friend Blaise some pizza and pop at Rocco’s pizza, slapped some knitting in his hands and had him model the new knitting t-shirt designs. Aren’t they swell?

Blaise told me he was getting married and I was stunned. I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend. Nevertheless, I wish him lots of luck and many happy returns. Sincerely.

fall foliage

2008-11-18T08:55:00.001-08:00

red foliage times four, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Lately I haven’t had much time for knitting or blogging. I’ve been too busy running around Portland, shooting night shots and tending to my new blog. The weather’s been great and I really must take advantage of these dry days before the rain settles in for the next six months.

I finished the foliage hat about a month ago. Really quick, really fun little knit. I know, I know I say that and people get annoyed with me. But try it anyway. You’ll see how fun it is. The pattern is free on knitty.

My friend Patsy was a good sport modeling the hat for me and I snapped the red leaves before they were all blown off during a windy storm last week. I don't usually block hats so yes, it is a little lumpy. Nevertheless I'm very happy with it.

I’m still knitting gifts so I can’t show too many FOs at this point. Oh and I’m off to California next week so my next post will be from the sunny Bay Area.

[PS: Just noticed that this is my 100th post which caught me by surprise. I've always strived to update this blog at least once per week but it seems that I was doing a little better than that.]

back to our regularly scheduled programming

2008-11-11T21:42:00.001-08:00

epic yarn, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Some of you may have thought that I’d given up knitting altogether and honestly I have been quite busy lately starting my new blog and running around town capturing Portland at night. No, I haven’t stopped knitting. In fact I’ve been knitting a LOT but mostly in stealth mode. Yes, dear reader, it’s that time of year when I’m busy knitting holiday gifts and some of the recipients are regular readers of this blog. Shhhhhhhhh.

Outside of the super secret knitting, I’ve been making a lot of hats. It seems that my interest in socks is finally waning and I’m on a hat knitting high. A few weeks ago I lost my favorite hat – my dearly beloved hat. I must have had a black out or something because one moment the hat was on my head and the next, it was gone forever.

Which brings me to the epic hat:

The Noro Hat is very similar to the beloved hat I lost but in lieu of the called for yarn, Noro Kureyon, I used a super soft, super warm acrylic/alpaca blend that someone gave me and I’ve re-christened it the Epic Hat. Epic because it took two and half, almost three balls, of the yarn. Seriously, I didn’t think this hat was ever going to end. But end it did, and it’s wonderful.

On Alice, it reminds me of wood sprite or gnome. It definitely speaks to the German ancestry in me. tee hee.

I originally saw the hat on flickr and it was this photo that inspired me to cast on.

I also finished an Asymmetrical Cable Hat and I’ll blog about that one when I get some good photos. Foliage too. The days are soggy and gray and wet but it makes for great knitting and blogging weather.

announcing a new blog

2008-11-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Funny how inspiration strikes at the oddest moments. hah! I decided to start a new blog today that is dedicated soley to the Portland night. I thought it was more appropriate to give the photography its own blog rather than muddle the kntting theme of alice thelma. Rest assured that I am passionate about both topics.

Please visit and let me know what you think. I love to hear your feedback and I will attempt to have both blogs updated at least once a week.

happy blog-iversary to me

2008-11-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Yep. It was one year ago today that I started this blog and I have to admit that it’s been a source of quiet enjoyment for me. I send the blogs out into cyperspace not knowing exactly where they will land, hoping for some hits and counting on some from my nearest and dearest. It’s all good.

So what to blog about on this occasion?

Between crawling into the Portland night photographing bridges and other sites, constantly knitting, worrying about the election and obsessively checking my flickr stats, I rarely make time to read anymore. I love reading, don’t get me wrong, just don’t seem to ~~have~~ make time for it lately. Based on recommendation from Katrina at my knitting group I checked out Confessions of a Knitting Heretic by Annie Modesitt and

as a result of reading this book I have made a HUGE discovery about my knitting and myself. It turns out that I’m a COMBINATION knitter when all this time, since 1980, since I began knitting, I thought I was a continental knitter (or “picker” as some call it).

Who knew? I had no idea. It’s truly a REVELATION. I mean I’m as shocked as you are.

I guess a clue came last year when someone told me that I was purling “wrong” when really I was doing the Norwgian or “lazy” purl as modesitt illustrates in her book.

It's a lot faster anyway and I'm all about the speed.

Maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but she can certainly discover something new about herself.

Thanks for reading!

halloween nostalgia

2008-10-31T09:04:00.001-07:00

alice and max in makeup, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

The dry days ended this morning and when the weather man forecast a trash bag halloween, I instantly became nostaligic for halloweens past. Can you believe that I even dressed Max as a trash bag one year?

Here are some shots from other memorable halloweens and costumes:

Here's hoping that little goblins stay dry tonight.

Happy Halloween!

fall colors

2008-10-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year.

It’s dry – I can’t even remember the last time it rained.

It’s warm – that’s relative of course.

And the colors this time of year are simply stunning.
I love Fall colors. For some people it’s the leaves. For me it’s the yarn.

Yes I splurged. But the colors, oh my gawd, the colors…see for yourself.

jitterBug, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

We start with jitterBug a truly fabulous merino wool from scotland. This luscious color is called ginger cinnabar and will be knee socks eventually for splurge upon splurge I bought two hanks! The last time I used jitterBug was back in May for my first embossed leaves. First of many.

Next we have a beautiful and smooth merino from Lana Grossa which will be a hat to replace the loss of my beloved hat (boo-hoo), a pattern of my own devising or possibly this little gem.

Picked up some bargain sock yarn at Jo Ann's for $3 each utilizing their 50% off coupons to make up for the earlier splurges. This being October it seems to be national crafting month, with deals and steals everywhere you look.

And then there is blue heron silk merino given to me by the folks at Close Knit to knit a store sample with. I'm honored but also a little stressed out. Can I knit them in time? WIll they be up to snuff? See? Even a knitter of 28 years can still feel insecure. Check out the progress so far on the royal knee socks:

spiral yoke sweater

2008-10-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

spiral yoke sweater, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finished the sys several weeks ago but wasn't very happy with it (am I ever?) It was intended as a christmas gift for Max but turned out way too small (sorry Max!). The gals at knitting night tried to convince me that it looked great on me but I didn't believe them. It felt much too tight and the sleeves were too short.

It did, however, look great on Julie and I convinced her to model it when we were at the beach earlier this month. It was a spectacular day for sweater modeling as you can see.

I followed the pattern in Handknitting with Meg Swansen exactly as written using a size 7 needle and I later realized my mistake. I should have used the dimensions written for the cobblestone sweater which I made for max last year and then I would have [probably] gotten the correct size for him.

The sweater is starting to grow on me now although I would definitely choose a different yarn if I made it again. The left and right pattern twists in the yoke were not easy - but they look nice don't they?

yet another book signing at Powell's

2008-10-14T22:17:00.001-07:00

In a state a high anticipation and fearing a repeat of the yarn harlot mob scene of June 2007, I arrived at the Mason-Dixon book signing early…very early…much too early. It was 6pm and there wasn’t even a chair set up yet and I was the only one in the Pearl room. The only one knitting anyway.

Into the room a lone woman walked. I looked up from my knitting and I asked her “Do I know you?” I thought I might know her from, you know, the Internet…ravelry or something. Well when she mentioned her blog, persistent illusion, I immediately knew it was Judy Becker, the inventor of Judy’s Magic Cast On. I was in the presence of true knitting royalty. And I’m here to tell you that Judy is just such a lovely lady. She is extremely friendly and helpful and informative not to mention a gifted knitter. I immediately felt like I had known her all my life.

judy's magic cast on, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

As we chatted away, the room began to fill and more knitting royalty arrived. Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne, the authors of Mason Dixon Knitting, who arrived with everyone else, are two of the funniest, most down to earth and approachable knitting authors I have ever met.

Ann and Kay brought most of the yummy projects from the new book and talked about the book's genesis and creation. Great stories and tales of Famolares. Didn't know they still made them.

It’s hard to believe that these innocent looking women are the same ladies who sang the following country hit:

poetic

2008-10-13T12:38:00.001-07:00

rockaway beach, oregon, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Two roads diverged in a wood
and I took the one less traveled by
and that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

grün ist die Hoffnung

2008-10-09T15:21:00.001-07:00

grün ist die Hoffnung, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Inspired by The Easiest Way to do a Short Row Heel (link provided by Walrus) I finished the first sock last night. Due to car trouble, I was unable to attend my regular Wed night knitting group *anyway* so I just hunkered down and pressed on and finished the heel.

It wasn’t so bad.

The sock is baggy – even on my size 10 feet – but I’m hoping that a run through the wash should fix that. Pretty good progress, I think, as I’ve also been working on an urban aran cardigan among other things.

Well I’m off the to the beach for the weekend. I'll start the second sock when I get back. Bye!

progress not perfection

2008-10-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

grün ist die Hoffnung, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

For those of you who are not following this sock's progress on Ravelry (and that might mean most of you), here's a quick update before the sock goes on hiatus:

Ok I have now switched to magic loop after finishing the lace-motif-to-sole join and I’m ready to knit the heel (1.5 rows of knit just past this join). The sock is plenty big but I have to confess that I’m not super-duper happy with the results - please don’t look too close. Not sure if I’ll knit the second one, even if I have promised the pair to Marlene.

The whole short row toe and joining of motif to sole is really choppy - you can’t really tell from the photo because I’ve cleverly hidden all the ugly stitches. But right where my bunion is…well that whole intersection is not very pretty.

And I have to confess, for as long as I’ve been knitting…um …well I didn’t do a gauge swatch and I can’t really tell you what it is…maybe 8 stitches to the inch (I’ll go measure exactly and get back to you). I just had the yarn and I had the 0 dpns so I cast it on. Now I’m down to 3 needles, two have disappeared.

Also, I got sidetracked on a new sock project which I’ll post shortly.

october sockdown

2008-10-03T16:35:00.001-07:00

grün ist die hoffnung, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Everyone needs a little challenge right?

The pattern is called grün ist die Hoffnung and the designer is Steffi Linden of Frankfurt. The challenge for October is to knit one of Steffi's designs or a holiday stocking. Since I have plenty of holiday stockings, I opted for this design. I'm not exactly sure why it popped out at me. It's a tricky sock there's no doubt about that. But I'm always looking for ways to stretch and grow as a knitter.

Follow my progress on Ravelry...if you dare.

anatomy of a sock photo shoot

2008-09-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

alice in golden leaves, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

For quite some time I had the idea in my head that the pose in this famous Edward Weston photograph would make a great pose for modeling socks. What poor Alice discovered is that one needs quite a bit of flexibility to execute the pose. I’m thinking that the woman in the original photograph (shot in 1936 by the way) must have been a dancer or some other type of contortionist to pull it off. Alice said the hardest part was laying head to thigh. No matter, I think we came a way with a great shot anyway. Alice needs only to flash her teeth and brilliant smile and she immediately brightens any photo (or room for that matter).

Just a peak into the mind of a great artist (ahem) and where my inspirations/ideas come from.

Alice's smile may even have outshone the socks.

Yes the socks are done.

I finished them in time to enter in Sock Knitter’s Anonymous September Sockdown. Yes I admit I have a problem. I’m powerless over the knitting of socks. The very next day after finishing golden leaves, I started Nutkin but had to frog it this morning. It was coming out way too small, even for Alice. Here’s a look at the progress. Lovely aren’t they?

The same yarn will now become Pomatomus. Cookie's socks seem to use a lot of little tiny stitches. It will still qualify as an entry for the September socksdown. I’m off to cast on now.

[Breaking News: I might make Mermaid Fingerless Mittens instead. I'll keep you posted.]

instant gratification

2008-09-25T11:26:00.001-07:00

Calorimetry, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Earlier in the month I felt a bit dissatisfied staring at all my unfinished projects. In looking for a quick fix and some instant gratification, I made the Calorimetry in less than 24 hours. Adorable isn’t it? Free pattern. Get it. Now.

According to the pattern, “Calorimetry is a scientific term describing the measurement of heat lost or gained.” And where do we lose the most heat? From our heads of course. The pattern appealed to me because I’m prone to wearing headbands these days as I grow my hair out and I had exactly one ball of wool of the Andes in amber heather (as well as a bowl full of shell buttons).

I cast on using size 6 needles even though the pattern called for size 8 and when I knit it again (yes, I’m planning to) I’ll probably use size 5. What I’m hearing from folks on Ravelry and throughout the world wide web is that the Calorimetry knits up BIG. Some say too big. I say it is a bit on the big side, even for me and I’ve got a very big head. The ribbing lends a built in stretch but you can always adjust with the button in the back.

Any-hoo. It’s a comfortable, quick and easy knit. Highly Recommended. Two thumbs up. Five stars.

this one's for you Max

2008-09-20T17:35:00.001-07:00

evergreen high school, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

knit one, save one: a campaign to save millions of babies

2008-09-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

preemie cap, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Last Friday I went to the Knit and Crochet show at the convention center in Portland, Oregon where I browsed vendors and tried hawking my t-shirts. Among the yarn vendors, stood a quiet little booth for Knit One, Save One, a program sponsored by Save the Children. I was instantly intrigued. It wasn’t long before I had knit my first preemie cap, day before yesterday actually, and wondered to myself “Why have I never made one before?”

They’re fast. They’re easy. They use up leftover yarn. They’re for a good cause. They’re for babies. I mean what’s NOT to love about these little caps. Please get involved if you can.

The campaign requires only three things of you: 1) Knit or crochet a cap. 2) Write a letter to the president elect telling him how much you care about the needs of newborns around the world and 3) donate $10 toward a newborn care kit. The deadline is December 31. Visit the Knit One, Save One website or write me at heavydutydesign (AT) gmail (DOT) com if you have more questions.

i love magic loop

2008-09-15T20:17:00.001-07:00

magic loop progress, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

in the loop

2008-09-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

first magic loop socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finally broke down and bought a 40" addi turbo (size 0) and taught myself the "magic loop" method of knitting socks. Wow! I was instantly taken with this technique and wonder why I have never used it sooner. Also, why don't I have more addis? Sure they're more expensive but they are sooooooo worth it.

For the unintitiated, magic loop is a method for knitting items such as hats, socks, sleeves etc. using one long circular needle. It's much faster and more efficient than any method I have used hitherto. The socks pictured above are the embossed leaves pattern that I've knitted twice already - once in green and once in a pale pink Jitterbug. The current yarn du jour is Pagewood Farm 100% superwash merino hand dyed in a luscious color called golden (hence the name of the current pair which I'm calling "golden leaves"). Knitting anything in yellow is a first for me but I love love love this color!

As you can see, I am far from sick of socks. Quite the contrary.

limited edition t-shirts for sale

2008-09-07T19:38:00.001-07:00

alice knitting t-shirt, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Many styles and sizes available for as low as $12.99. Get 'em here before they sell out! Hurry! While supplies last.

I love knitting t-shirts.
I love crochet t-shirts.
ballerina star t-shirts.

happy birthday pops

2008-09-04T07:52:00.001-07:00

opa and alice 1991, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Today is my father's 80th birthday. As far as I know, he's never touched a computer in his life so he probably won't see this post.

All the same, I want to wish him a Happy Birthday.

another sweater, another story

2008-08-31T19:52:00.001-07:00

ez sweater detail, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

In the early 90s I read Knitting Without Tears and discovered the knitting guru Elizabeth Zimmerman. I don’t think I quite got what ez was trying to impart to knitters which was this: gauge gauge, gauge, gauge. If you know your gauge, you can knit anything.

Around that time, the early 90s, knitting wasn’t as popular as it is today. We didn’t have the internet and we didn’t even get our first Mac until 1994. On Hawthorne, a knitting shop in a big purple house was going out of business. Old timers might still remember that epic sale. I picked up the brown sheep wool to make my first seamless yoke sweater for less than 20 bucks!

But I didn’t check my gauge. I simply cast on without much thought and the resulting sweater was way too big. I mean, just look at those sleeves! It's more like a dress than a sweater!

Still I was proud of my achievement as you can see (I like my haircut too).

I ended up giving the sweater to Liz, my sister, and she still has it. And still wears it. I think.

zoom zoom zoom

2008-08-29T00:01:00.001-07:00

For a person who has knit as long and as much as I have…well…I have learned a few things about knitting needles over the years.

I tend to break bamboo especially in the smaller sizes. I mean they just don’t work for socks for me. And in my hands, the aluminum needles get bent.

By far the best needles, the Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz of knitting needles are the nickel-plated brass. Aren't they gorgeous?

zoom zoom zoom, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

So I was extremely excited to discover them at Jo-Ann’s the other day. Pictured are the Susan Bates “Velocity” 29 inch circular in a size 7. Speed is an apt descriptor as the nickel-plated needles are also very FAST. Bamboo are fine for beginners, they actually “grip” the stitches, but when you’re trying to get a sweater finished in a hurry, there’s nothing better than nickel-plated.

I took the new needles and my current mindless knitting to Esther Short Park where the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra was performing a free concert. Patricia, Willa and Rosie also came along and we all piled in the car. Willa and Rosie, pictured here in a rare photo, are practically inseparable.

I entered the drawing for free season tickets but as I was filling out the ticket, I realized it was just another ruse to mine my personal data: Name, address, telephone number and email address. More junk mail I grumbled to myself. I relented, giving only my mailing address. Well guess who won the tickets? Yep, it was my big pink hat and me.

what Lincoln said

2008-08-23T14:53:00.001-07:00

Abe is quoted as saying "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." I want to remind my darling daughter of this the next time she decides to make up her mind in advance. Before you do, decide to have a good time!

green leaf socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Earlier, I took a break from my latest obsession of selling old newspapers on eBay to hunt down a child sized person to model the green leaf socks. A. did a splendid job. It turns out that her mother also has very small feet - a child's size 2! I have never met anyone with such tiny feet, me coming from the land of Germanincaly big feet.

A.'s sister T. also took part in the photo session. There is nothing more satisfying to me than finishing a pair of socks. *sigh*

Oh yeah, look for me on eBay as, you guessed it, "alicethelma". I'm selling all kinds of fun stuff - even yarn!

anyone recognize this sweater?

2008-08-21T13:27:00.001-07:00

mystery sweater from vogue knitting, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

All I know is that the pattern came from a Vogue Knitting magazine, one of the few VK patterns I have ever knit, I made it in the 80s, and at the time, I hated it. Why? I can’t tell you as it’s a perfectly good, well-knit sweater. However, I’m not sure I would make it today, with those crazy sleeves…and the high neck. Damn! I wish I had those old VK magazines. I’d probably sell them on eBay.

I wore the sweater in Europe in 1987 so I’m thinking that I must have knit it that same year too. I remember that with the three-quarter sleeves and cotton yarn, it really wasn’t quite warm enough for Germany and especially a rainy Italy in October but judging from the photos, I think I looked pretty good in it.

In Germany at the MargaretenSee near Lippstadt.

Here I am posed with my beloved Oma and Opa.

Wearing it in Italy with some distant Tolomei relatives.

If you have any information about this sweater, please contact chris at heavydutydesign [AT] gmail [dot] com.

she's leaving home...bye...bye

2008-08-18T18:07:00.001-07:00

it's only temporary, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

No – not forever. Not yet anyway.

Today Alice left for two weeks in Germany. Hope you have a great time baby. I miss you already.

a.t. and the bf

2008-08-16T16:29:00.001-07:00

a.t. and bf, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Yesterday was the annual summer opera in the park at washington park in portland (which may be better known as the rose garden) and it also happened to be the hottest day of the year so far with estimates of the heat ranging from 100 to 103 degrees. It actually turned out to be a bit cooler at this venue making for an enjoyable performance of Lucia de Lammermoor (even tho I know squat about this opera). I dragged along alice and her bf (aka the son-in-law) who spent most of the evening dodging me. That's fine. I'm sure I didn't want to hang with my parents at that age although it's so long ago that I barely remember. :-)

This evening I'm going to treat myself to a nice air conditioned movie. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is actually playing in vantucky. Can you believe it?

It's too hot to knit

2008-08-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Never thought I would say this but...I wish it would rain. There's a kind of symmetry to the weather here. In about six months, I'll be wishing for a heat wave.

my official entry for the 2012 summer olympic games

2008-08-14T17:05:00.001-07:00

cable hat, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

like magic

2008-08-10T16:08:00.001-07:00

baby surprise jacket, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

It takes a lot of faith to make a baby surprise jacket (hereafter know as the bsj). Even though I have made one before, it’s still hard to be sure that you’re doing the right thing. You follow the instructions as closely as you can bearing in mind that they’re written in an offbeat conversational way. You knit away and knit away and end up with an oddly shaped piece of knitted fabric. I’ve heard it described as a manta ray. But then you fold it up like origami and voila! Like magic, you have an adorable little baby jacket.

The only sewing up required are the shoulder seams. oh yeah, and the buttons (read previous post). But seeing as how the baby has already been born, I want to be sure he gets this before he graduates from high school.

The details, such as the pretty little border produced with a bind off in purl, are lovely.

And the best part on this particular jacket was the price. The cost of materials, including buttons – less than $5.

I guess I’m too practical to put an infant in expensive fiber only to have him (or her) spit up all over it. I suppose that’s the German in me.

Speaking of Germany, I'm sending a couple of felted...er...knitted gifts along with Alice who is leaving on the 18th. I'll post a pic soon.

why is it so hard to finish?

2008-08-07T16:23:00.001-07:00

button flange pillow, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finished knitting this pillow over a year ago, amending the pattern and extending it to fit a square 16” pillow (because I could not find a 12” by 16” pillow anywhere). So in changing the pattern, I increased the amount of buttons needed to 6 on each side. For some inexplicable reason, I could not bring myself to sew those damn buttons on. And they’re so pretty, aren’t they.

Well I took the whole project including enough yarn to make a second pillow to my mother last year thinking (wrongly) that it would make a nice project for her. Needless to say, she did not sew the buttons on.

This year, I brought it back from California with me and in an extreme effort to actually finish a few projects, I finally sewed those damn [pretty] buttons on there. It makes a very decorative yet rather loose pillow. I make look for the next larger size pillow form.

it's august and I have a bad case of startitis

2008-08-03T21:54:00.001-07:00

union square shawl/poncho, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I have been eyeing this poncho pattern for a long time and at the same time I’ve needed a good mindless knitting project. Something that I can have in my hands when I’m watching TV or waiting in line and that will take a good long time to complete. Something that I can pick up a year from now or tomorrow, as the need arises. Well this poncho requires 54 inches – almost 5 feet – of knitted fabric so it’s a great long-term project for me. Oh and don’t worry about the cost. I have resolved to buy the yarn one 40% coupon at a time (dye lot be hanged). It’s Paton’s Classic Wool Merino wool in dark grey mix and it’s dreamy. The pattern comes from Melanie Falick’s Weekend Knitting.

My august case of startitis doesn’t end with this project. I think…I’m going…to start…a…sweater! Soon.

sock fashion show

2008-07-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

In no particular order, I give you...

alice in wonderland, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

...my first pair of kneesocks which is getting lots of hits on flickr. I was even invited to join the beautiful socks group. What an honor!

Alice did get a little bit of pitch on the socks but we had a lot of fun. At the same session, I modeled the waving lace socks and while I'm not crazy about my feet, I have come to accept them.

I think I was the only person down at the pool wearing socks but I got to show them off right?

Earlier this month, I finished the self-titled river rock socks which are based on the pattern spring forward.

Unfortunately, the pattern can't be distinguished too clearly from the colors of the yarn, but I plan on remaking this pattern in a solid (in fact I already am). It looks complex but it's actually fairly easy. And don't get me wrong. This is a great merino wool and I would use it again in a heartbeat.

And way back in June, I started, and finished the lovely embossed leaves socks.

A joy to knit, they took me about a week start to finish.

The yarn, called "Jitterbug" from Colinette is sublime. I think merino wool is my favorite and this particular merino was so soft and spongy in a lovely and irregularly dyed shade of pink that it just made the entire knitting experience simply fabulous.

We're off to Last Thursday. Ciao!

one more for the road

2008-07-27T19:08:00.001-07:00

grizzly spring forward socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Yep. I started another pair of socks the other day. These are the pattern called spring forward and the same pattern I used for the river rock socks. The yarn is Essential in Inca Gold Tweed from the stash.

Well I have to admit that I'm getting pretty close to tapped out on socks although I did take time out today to go kayaking on Timothy Lake. I do promise a fashion show of all the completed socks of summer before July is finished. Oh yeah and here is a photo of the finished green leaf sock that I mentioned the other day.

When I finished the sock at knitting nite, Adrienne asked "What's that? A kid's sock?" In my zeal to conserve yarn, I did go a little overboard. Thinking it would fit Alice, it turned out child sized - maybe big enough to fit a five year old. I'm going to finish them anyway. And maybe, just maybe, make another pair for Alice. The embossed leaves pattern is so much fun. tee hee.

fickle

2008-07-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

waving lace socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

yes I know. I'm addicted and I simply couldn't resist casting on another pair of socks. This sock is coming along rapidly and even tho' it's not a yarn I'm particularly fond of, the pattern is a lot of fun. The sock in the photo represents one day's progress.

(Note: the undulating rib sock has been scrapped and is now history.)

I'll show you what happened to the green leaf socks as soon as I can get the color right. I'm taking more care in matching the colors, or maybe just being more anal about it.

Still not sick of socks

2008-07-16T14:05:00.001-07:00

green leaf socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

There are a few reasons that I'm stuck on socks these days. Beautiful patterns for one such as the lovely (and easy) embossed leaves from the book Favorite Socks pictured above.

Secondly, socks are small and in this hot weather that makes a big difference. When it's 90 degrees, you don't want a thick wool blanket or sweater on your lap (although I'm srsly jonesing to make a sweater soon).

Finally, there's the economics. Being on a budget these days, I'm trying not to spend any money on yarn. And even if I am tempted, socks are a smaller investement than say, a sweater. So far I've been using a lot of sock yarn from my stash, starting and stopping different socks and always hoping (and praying) that I have enough.

See if I don't come away with some yarn tonight.

the sock days of summer

2008-07-12T17:29:00.001-07:00

socks of summer, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Yesterday I finished the knee socks for Alice (center) and that makes three pair in one month and seven pair for the year so far. I'm right on schedule! Not bad. Socks really do make fun (and addicting) knitting projects for summer.

Not one to bask in the glory for long, I quickly cast on for the undulating rib sock but I'm not so sure about this pattern...I can't decide if I like it or not. Luckily I used yarn from my stash which will eventually become socks for a deserving sister in one form or another.

Well that was yesterday. Today I went berry picking.

the bradster

2008-07-05T19:56:00.001-07:00

silly bradley, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Celebrate goodtimes...c'mon.

2008-07-05T16:07:00.001-07:00

Fourth of July Dinner, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

You may recognize my sister's table from Thanksgiving. It's a place of big family gatherings and yesterday we surrounded the table again for an Independence Day barbeque dinner. Today we celebrated my parent's 50th wedding anniversary and tomorrow Alice and I are heading back to Washington. Our two weeks in California are up. We'll enjoy the rest of the summer in the PNW.

not enough defiance

2008-06-29T10:23:00.001-07:00

purple hair, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Some time last week Alice asked me if she could put a purple streak in her hair and was disappointed when I said yes. Even more disappointed when I took her to Sally’s Beauty Supply and bought her the purple hair color. And then again disappointed at the results. Well, yes, I am her mother but I think it’s lovely.

Yesterday we saw the Chihuly show at the renovated de Young museum and it was also quite lovely. The museum has been finished since 2005 but I haven’t visited in probably about 30 years or so. The work was beautiful – colorful, intense, dramatically lit – oh yes and quite crowded. Go and see it soon.

Tomorrow we’re off to SF again to see Frida.

In the meantime, the river rock socks are coming along nicely. See for yourself.

knitting in berkeley

2008-06-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

knitting at the Cafe Trieste Berkeley California, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Since arriving in California, I’ve been missing my little circle of knitting friends at Close Knit so I checked out the S&B at Café Trieste in Berkeley which my sister had told me about. What a lovely group of young, talented and friendly knitters. There were lots of beautiful projects and one precious baby to admire.

[As a footnote, I felt as though the man pictured at the far left was making eyes at me and smiling at me throughout the evening. When I mentioned it, everyone ignored me…or maybe they didn’t hear me. I will confirm my suspicions (or my imagination) by hopefully attending again next Wed.]

We observed the sun turned an eerie orange as a result of the many (hundreds) of wildfires in Northern California. The sky here has been a perpetual white smoky haze since I arrived on Sunday.

Lots of progress on socks to report: I finished the embossed leaves pair with about two yards of yarn to spare as well as one each of the colorful striped kneesocks and the river rocks socks. At this rate I may have to run out and buy more sock yarn before my vacation is finished. The gals at the S&B told me about a new yarn shop on Solano Avenue which I’m just dying to check out!

socks, socks and more socks!

2008-06-21T13:19:00.001-07:00

embossed leaves socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I’m back on socks again, working on three pairs concurrently. You’re already familiar with the Embossed Leaves Socks that are coming along quite nicely. I finished the first sock, leaving off 8 rows but they fit perfectly. Now I hope and I pray that I will have enough yarn to finish the second one. Sally has ordered more jitterbug but said it probably wouldn’t come in until August. Aaarghhhhhh!

From my stash I grabbed the Regia that Alice had picked out months (or was it years?) ago. There’s over 200 meters in each of these balls so I figured they would make nice knee socks. Why hide those lovely colorful stripes? However, I grossly underestimated the size of the average person’s calf and again, got nervous that I wouldn’t have enough yarn. I went to the Yarn Garden (shhh) and the sales person suggested using a contrasting color on the heel and toe. Hah! I never thought of that. So I picked up the green and I’ve decided to make an “afterthought heel” – first ever. This is my own pattern if you can call it that. I’m just winging it. Stay tuned. These socks are going to be interesting.

Now to pair three: I saw a pattern called “Spring forward” in the newest issue of Knitty that promised to be an easily memorized lace pattern. Indeed it is and highly addictive to boot. No fear of running out of yarn either. This hand dyed sock yarn from Pagewood Farm yields a generous 450 yards and should make two pairs. The color is called River Rock and, combined with the undulating stitch pattern, it acutally does look like river rocks doesn’t it? It's a splendid back to nature sock.

So we’re off to California for a few weeks and I hope I have enough knitting to keep my busy. In addition to the socks, I have the clapotis – good mindless knitting when I don’ t want to think too hard.

Happy Summer!

falling in love all over again

2008-06-15T13:07:00.001-07:00

embossed leaves socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Instead of calling these “May” socks I have decided to call them pair #5 for 2008. Yes folks, I have fallen in love with sock knitting all over again. At Knit Night I saw another knitter making these socks and it was love at first sight. I simply had to make them myself. And the yarn is superb! Best sock yarn I’ve ever used. It’s a soft and springy 100% merino called “Jitterbug” from Colinette in a pale shade of my favorite color of course. I splurged and what a difference a good yarn makes. Like a good novel, I don’t want these socks to end. I’m trying to savor them but I fear they will be finished in less than a week. The photo shows a day's progress.

The pattern is called “Embossed Leaves Socks” from the book Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave.

In other knitting news I'm dragging on the final stages of the must have cardigan. Are there other people out there who hate piecing together a sweater as much as I do? GROAN. I did manage to get the buttons on, and they do look lovely (if I do say so myself) but I haven’t gotten any farther than that. I do have a self-imposed deadline for finishing this sweater. I would like to gift it to someone real soon.

And finally, here's my latest drawing. The lower part of the face, the mouth and hand, are based on an old photo of MLK that was floating around the studio. Next Saturday is the last class. *sigh* I'm gonna miss it. But, depending on how things work out, I may enroll in a class later in the summer.

first heel flap of 2008

2008-06-09T11:40:00.001-07:00

first heel flap of 2008, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Once I decided to forego the short row heel in favor of the tried and true heel flap, the neglected April socks went FAST and before I knew it, I had one completed.

I guess there is something to be said for the heel flap/gusset combo even though, for purely aesthetic reasons, I prefer the short row heel. I think the heel flap is actually a good choice for this particular sock since it's a very sturdy long lasting heel and this sock is for a man. Also, I'll say it again, much faster for me to knit this type of heel (less frustrating too). Right now it’s about volume and I am two pairs behind in my goal to knit twelve pairs in 2008.

In other knitting news the Clapotis is coming along quite nicely. Not exactly mindless knitting because I do have to keep one eye on the pattern, it’s interesting enough both in color and stitch pattern to keep me engaged.

I’ve also pieced together the Must Have Cardigan and should have it finished soon- hopefully by Wed so I can show it off to the gang at knitting night. In non-knitting news, you can see a photo from the prom at my flickr account. Ciao for now!

farewell

2008-06-02T16:40:00.001-07:00

farewell Max, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Max took off for Indianapolis yesterday but I managed to finish one of the "ken" gloves before he left. I miss him already! I should have the other glove finished before the winter snows come - it's only just the start of June after all.

Overcome with a bad case of startitis, I cast on the clapotis. I envied the clapotis scarf the Emily was making at knit night. I suddenly remembered that I had a stash of wool brought to me from Germany by my brother-in-law last Fall and intended to become a Kauni Cardigan. Not so sorry to say that it's been re-purposed for scarf and shawl making. It's called "Ruby Silk" and it's blend of silk and other fibers. I don't normally go for rainbow colors but at least the color changes keep me interested. See for yourself.

max and "ken"

2008-05-27T11:33:00.001-07:00

max and ken, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Max had requested handknit gloves from me and since he is moving to Indiana, and he's probably going to need them this winter, I decided to get started on a pair. Inspired once again by BT who referred to the free pattern Ken, I cast on without a second thought. These babies are going fast! Knit on size 7 dpns in KP Swish Superwash, I'm already on finger four. I'll have one glove finished before Max flies off on Sunday and that will give me a template for knitting the second one. It's been 15 years since I knitted a pair of gloves and I'd forgotten how simple and straightforward they actually are.

Speaking of Swish Superwash, I finished the Cable Cushion and I'm also sending that off with Max as a housewarming gift. I hope I'm not overloading him and that they'll allow him on the plane without charging him extra. The gray yarn certainly matches the gray daze we've been experiencing lately. I'm sure the sun will come out...tomorrow.

back to square one

2008-05-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

back to square one, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Well the heatwave is over folks. It actually rained this morning – hard! The good news is that the chillier weather brings with it cooler temps and inspires me to finish projects and continue long forgotten ones such as the mitered square blanket you see pictured above. This afternoon I finished a sleeve on the Must-Have-Cardigan and predict I’ll have the other one finished before bedtime. That leaves the fronts to knit…I’m resisting the urge to start any new projects. I'm practicing a little project monogamy right now.

Enjoyed a lovely chili-cook-off-croquet party at Kimbyl and Marilyn's place last Sunday. Cindy who was knitting away in that great big chair reminded me of Lily Tomlin from "Laugh-In". Old people like me will understand. I heard a quote on the radio recently by Lily Tomlin (who will be in PDX next month by the way): "For fast acting relief, slow down".

Socks for Annie

2008-05-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

Socks for Annie, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I realized that I never shot a photo of the completed March socks (I’m way behind on socks, aren’t I?). The socks were gifted to my dear friend Annie on the occasion of her 70th birthday. Yes, 70! Can you believe it? I can’t. We celebrated on April 26th which is actually the date of Lynne’s birthday. Annie assures me that she absolutely loves her new socks and they felt so soft after having been washed.

So here's a shot of the birthday girls at Cha Cha Cha last Friday. Many more outdoor dining days to come - the weather is finally warming up!

Latest charcoal drawing

2008-05-13T09:50:00.001-07:00

Drawing 051008, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Back to knitting topics shortly. Hang in there!

Yet another non-knitting tangent

2008-05-07T10:41:00.001-07:00

Union Station, Portland, Oregon, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Patricia and I went out the other night to shoot some P-town landmarks at night and I have to confess, I had a good time. The evening was warm and (most importantly) dry. The lighting at Union Station reminded me of an Edward Hopper painting. I can’t decide if it’s better in color or B/W.

This photo of the Steel Bridge has a nostalgic feeling of industrial looking photos from the 30s. The bridge was also used recently in Gus Van Sant's latest movie “Paranoid Park” (which we saw on Easter Day). On the lower or river level is a pedestrian and bicycle walk way that connects the westside waterfront to the eastside. I think it might even be called an“esplanade” (Eastside Esplanade?).

All in all it was a fun night out.

The Drawing Studio

2008-05-04T12:37:00.001-07:00

Drawing 050308, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I guess I forgot to tell you guys that I've been taking drawing classes at the Drawing Studio in Portland. Great fun. Intersting class. Phil has a unique method and he often just reads us quotes from Picasso and other artists while we work. Or he'll rant about Bush. It's hard to describe the drawing technique pictured but suffice to say that it didn't start out that way.It actually started out with a big tongue, remnants of which you can sort of see in the lower right corner. There were eyeglasses too...underneath the current eyes.

Regardless - I'm quite pleased with the results. I love working with charcoal. And two hours flew by like two minutes.

Happy May Day

2008-05-01T19:26:00.001-07:00

May Yarn stash, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Well it’s the first of May reminding me that I ~~should~~ could be starting my May Socks but alas! I seem to have stalled on the April pair. Here’s a sneak peak of the intended sock yarn from the stash. Simply lovely isn’t it?

Here are the kids on the blue bridge holding Max’s award winning t-shirt design. Happy Renn Fayre guys!

[Hey this is post #50! Hooray for me!]

The good thing about this bad weather

2008-04-24T10:58:00.001-07:00

Cable Cushion, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

You get a lot of knitting done!

It's a gift

2008-04-21T17:10:00.001-07:00

a gift, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Shhhhh. It's also a surprise.

And here's progress on the shrug.

The shrug is actually finished but I haven't time to take a photo now. I'll have Alice model it when it stops snowing - sometime soon we hope!

Sheer Joy

2008-04-19T18:13:00.001-07:00

Hnin, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

As I'm writing this it's actually snowing here. You heard right. April 19th and it's snowing in Southern Washington. Portland too I'm sure. But my joy is not from the snow. My joy comes from photography and today I had a couple of photo shoots with two Habitat for Humanity families. This is Hnin who is 4, almost 5, and she is lovely. Adorable.

So I really can't complain because the less than stellar weather does make for some beautiful light. Today I'm sharing my joy of photography with you.

April socks with a shrug

2008-04-13T16:00:00.001-07:00

April socks, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finally finished the March socks but before I did, I had already started on the April pair. This is some unknown yarn (Regia I think) from my stash but it’s already exposing an interesting little pattern. I decided to make these socks the old-fashioned way. The way I always made socks before I knew any better (and when I derived more joy from the process). That is, from the top down on five needles, these being size 0 (zero!) again. Surpsingly, they are coming along really fast, even for such tiny needles. Because these socks are desitined for a guy with some pretty big feet (you know who you are) they’re going to take some time and that’s ok. These are now the “traveling socks”. The ones I take with me when I need something while I’m waiting. Waiting in line, or at the doctor’s office which has been happening with some frequency lately.

When I get to the heel, I may have Emily show me how to make a “Sherman” heel. Emily is a young and very knowledgable woman I met last Wed at Knit Night (at Close Knit). Speaking of which I started a little project there last week…

When I got the book Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit in the mail from the library last week, I was immediately drawn to this pattern:

but Alice liked the Little Silk Shrug and it seemed easy enough and cheap enough and a good excuse to try out Rowan Calmer which I have never used before but now I LOVE it. It's not silk but I think it's great. So soft and spongy. mmmmmm

Needless to say one should never attempt a lace pattern, even one as easy as this one, at a knitting circle where one is more inclined to make mistakes while absent mindedly chattering away with other knitters while simultaneously being distracted by all the other projects. (Howz that for a nice run on sentence?). Still, the lace pattern is quite lovely as you can see.

Still monkeying around

2008-04-10T14:04:00.001-07:00

When I finished the Monkey socks over a month ago, it looked like there was enough yarn leftover for one more sock. And there was. Just.

Third Monkey, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

And so I can happily report that two balls of Knit Picks Essential Solid (231 yards/50 grams) will yield three socks of the Monkey variety if knitted as written save for the short row heel substitution and when knitted on size 0 needles in the same relaxed manner that I do. Got that?

I am left with a tail of about 24 inches with which to weave the toe. Amazing how it all worked out.

Note: I think this color, Petunia, has been discontinued. Sorry!

Progress not perfection

2008-04-05T12:17:00.001-07:00

March socks in progress, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I finally got past the heels and I’m in the home stretch of the March socks. And while these are not the prettiest socks I’ve ever made, I did realize that they comprise pair number 20. That’s right folks – a landmark moment. This is the 20th pair of socks that I’ve made since I began making socks back in 2003. Now if you would have told me, back in 2003, that I would be knitting socks on two circular needles, both socks concurrently, from the toe up with a “short row” heel, I would have laughed in your face. Some days I wonder if I was better off not knowing. Ignorance is bliss as they say.

Three steps forward, two steps back (March heel madness)

2008-03-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I spent most of yesterday working on short row heels and while I would like to say that I came away with three perfectly formed heels, I only have one to show for a hard day’s work. Crazy perfectionist in me was ripping out heels at close to midnight – way too late to be knitting anyway.

*sigh*

Here’s a shot of the beautiful heel before I ripped it out. When I was still feeling spry and chipper. Isn’t it lovely?

The problem comes when I join the heel to the instep and can’t seem to eliminate the big gaping hole at the intersection. Help! Does anyone have any ideas?

Alice says the holes are not that bad. She doesn’t even notice them. So why do they bother me so much?

The weather yesterday was ripe for knitting with a lovely spring mixture of snow, sleet and hail. Willa was kind enough to give me some firewood so I spent the evening knitting by the fire. Doesn’t that just warm your heart? I shall repeat again tonight with the exception of turning the lights out at 8.

I did figure out that it takes me about an hour to knit one short row heel. That’s one hour of undisturbed, no distractions, phones-off-the-hook pure concentration. I’m getting better and that gives me confidence. So maybe the practice is a good thing.

Quick! Look! It's the sun.

2008-03-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

The sun came out at Ikea, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Don't blink or you might miss it.

False starts and new beginnings

2008-03-27T18:37:00.001-07:00

Cobblestone Sleeve, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Being the eager beaver that I am, I cast on a sleeve of the Cobblestone sweater on a whim the other day. I thought I had enough of this yarn (Swish/Squirrel Heather) in my stash to make Max another Cobblestone sweater. Well I don’t. I thought I had about twelve skeins but I only have nine.

Not to worry. I immediately dove into my stack of patterns and found Cable Cushion. It’s a copy from a book entitled The Well-Knit Home: Simple Techniques for Beautiful Results.

I've been wanting to make this pillow for sometime now and the Cable Cushion project fulfills my love of cables and also knits up quickly. This little bit was accomplished last night by the fire. Yes, a fire. It feels more like the start of winter than the start of spring these days. I even saw snowflakes this morning as I was driving Alice to school. This weather feels like the curse of spring break that happens every year but luckily Alice’s spring break doesn’t start until next week and hopefully the weather will be nicer. Thanks for letting me rant about the weather. It will change before long. It always does.

More than nothing but less than something.

2008-03-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today I feel compelled to turn away from knitting (only momentarily I assure you) to tell you a little story about my breast.

Back in January I had a mammogram as I do every January. About a week later they called and said they wanted to take another, closer look at the left breast. They detected small calcifications that were pointed out on the digital image. To me, the biggest of the group looked smaller than a grain of rice. It’s nothing I thought. A damn nuisance this whole procedure, I mumbled to myself.

A few weeks after that I ended up having a needle biopsy and let me tell you that was no walk in the park. I layed on my stomach on a table and was raised up like an old car at the auto shop. My breast fell through a hole and they worked on me from below, just like auto mechanics. My breast came out sore and bruised. Now there was a lump where before there had been none. Just a blood clot they assured me.

Thinking that was the end of it, they called with the results. There were suspicious cells and they wanted to surgically remove those cells and the surrounding tissue. A bigger sample would give them a better idea of what we were dealing with. They still weren’t using the c-word.

At this point I balked a bit. I was getting a little scared. They were going to remove a chunk of my breast now. I didn’t feel like enduring another uncomfortable and (in my opinion) bungled and possibly unnecessary biopsy. Reluctantly, petulantly I agreed and my last words to the surgeon were “Don’t mangle my breast.” It’s still nothing.

Well yesterday I learned the pathology results from that surgery. It’s more than nothing but less than something. Apparently the cells have the potential to develop into cancer and I will most likely be given a hormone, Tamoxifen, to prevent that from happening.

More than nothing but less than something, the woman on the other end tried to reassure me. Was she a nurse? I don’t remember. I was stunned.

I think I’m in denial. I continue to believe it’s nothing. I want to know: How can this be happening to me? There’s no family history. Cancer just doesn’t happen in our family. Never has as far as I know. Cancer is an abstract concept. It happens to other people but not to me.

Perhaps this explains my affinity for pink.

Close Knit

2008-03-20T12:40:00.001-07:00

Close Knit Yarn Shop, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I am just returned from Portland and visiting my favorite yarn shop, Close Knit. What makes this place special is not the the awesome selection of fine yarn although the store is literally bursting at the seams, with skeins exploding from every nook and cranny. And it’s not the cozy, welcoming atmosphere even though you could curl up on one of the sofas and easily take a nap. What makes Close Knit special is Adrienne who has got to be the friendliest knitter in all of Portland.

Sally, the owner, is terrific and lovely and also very friendly but it was Adrienne who, a few weeks ago and despite her distress, did not hesitate to patiently assist me in learning the dreaded “wrap 3” stitch from the Must Have Cardigan. Many thanks!

Today Adrienne did not flinch when I asked her to throw the completed and blocked Shetland Triangle over her shoulders and model it for me. She good naturedly sat there as I chattered on like an over-caffienated idiot. The Karabella Vintage Yarn comes from Close Knit and it’s a fine yarn indeed. I think I like red, this shade anyway, almost as much as I like pink.

Please indulge me now, while I present more photos of the Shetland Triangle.

Photos don't do this yarn or color justice. They can't begin to represent the beautiful characteristics of this truly outstanding fiber so please go see it in person if you can.

Getting back to my yarn shop excursion…

On this particular day, I didn’t buy any yarn although I was tempted by the fresh and juicy new colors of Cotton Classic.

I will probably go back and get some soon (for the ongoing mitered square blanket). That golden yellow in particular is really crying out to me. I mean, what kind of fiber addict am I anyway? Hey! Money’s tight right now ok? (When is money never tight? Hmmmm?)

I did finally start the March socks the other day although whether I can finish them before April remains to be seen. I'm not sure if knitting two socks...

or knitting two sleeves...

simultaneously is any faster but at least you come away with a pair. I’m going to call this pair #3 for 2008 and resolve to knit 12 pairs this year rather than one per month. It still works out to the same amount, right?

Today

2008-03-16T13:52:00.001-07:00

Pink again, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I had a long-ish post prepared which described all my projects that are currently in progress but I just scrapped it in favor of my favorite color. What can I say? This photo turned me on the way pink always does. Suffice it to say that I’m in an oven mitt making frenzy and this is one of the mini-mitts in progress. The yarn is Cascade 128, a nice bulky yet lightweight wool that is perfect for felting and which I also got on sale (40% off).
Now it’s time to continue production. I plan to take the oven mitts to market later this month. Weather permitting. I’ll let you know when and where. Stay tuned!

Sew what

2008-03-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

vintage fabric, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Occasionally. Not very often but occasionally I like to sew. I have known how to sew longer than I have known how to knit but sewing really brings out the obsessive-compulsive perfectionist in me. Needless to say, I don’t do it very often. Occasionally.

Well I have committed myself to sewing a few rehearsal skirts for the Union High School production of Bye Bye Birdie. I had this lovely vintage fabric lying around thinking I would make a reversible wrap skirt for myself but decided it was too much work. With the remnants I will probably make some reversible knitting bags instead. In any case, the weather is much too lovely to stay inside and do anything crafty. Everyone is complaining, but I happen to like daylight savings time.

Must Have Progress

2008-03-02T12:03:00.001-08:00

kodie, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

The previously mentioned photo shoot came together just this morning and I want to thank Kodie for getting her pink self all dolled up to model my monkey socks – the February sock of the month selection. Now it’s on to the March socks which I haven’t even started yet (gasp!).

A couple of days ago I wrote at length about my false start with the Must Have Cardigan but look at my progress on the large size in just one day!

Once I had the curious “wrap 3” stitch mastered, the pattern was easily memorized and I zoomed! This is quite possibly one of the most addictive projects I’ve ever worked on. Just one more row…just one more row…just one more row and before you know it, it’s midnight and way past my bedtime. Must get a life…must get a life…must get a life.

Blast from the past

2008-02-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

I finished the monkey socks last night but you'll just have to take my word for it. I don't have any magnificent photos (of these magnificent socks) to show you yet. The official photo shoot is still being arranged.

Even though these socks are knit in a vibrant shade of solid pink, which you know is my favorite color, it occurred to me that perhaps these socks would be better knit in a multi-color, hand painted yarn. I think the multi would camouflage a multitude of flaws (real or imagined) that happen to stand out on the solid color yarn. Again, I'm being much too hard on myself. After all, who is going to notice slight imperfections except for me? That my ssks on the left side look better than the k2togs on the right side? Who really cares anyway? Perhaps that is the exact charm of knitting...that it doesn't look machine made. Isn't that what EZ always said?

  
Now for the blast from the past:

Last weekend, as I was going through some boxes that had been in storage, I came across an unfinished halter top from probably 20 years ago. I'm almost certain that I started it when we still lived in California and we moved to the PNW in 1991.

Well it looked like it would be perfect little top for Alice. All I can tell you about the pattern is that it's from an old Vogue Knitting that I no longer possess. The yarn is cotton in a lovely lilac color with pink and blue flecks purchsed from a yarn shop in Albany, CA that is no longer in business.

It’s a testament to my maturity as a knitter that I could complete this halter in about an hour. It only needed a few rows of ribbing on the bottom and the two back ties. As a matter of fact, I was working on it as the lights dimmed for “No Country 4 Old Men”. So all in all, it only took about 20 years and one hour to make. I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now.

Mississippi

2008-02-26T13:42:00.001-08:00

Laughing Planet, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Alice and I checked out the trendy Mississippi Avenue on Saturday. I haven't been there in years and I must say it's really been built up and gentrified as they say. We had a great time nonetheless indulging in our favorite pastime of going out to lunch. Alice is pictured here at the Laughing Planet just before we decided to sit outside and enjoy the February heat wave.

In knitting news, I finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket – over two weeks ago actually.

It took time to block...

...and it's not an easy item to photograph. My hats off to BT for capturing the blanket's true magnificence with his awesome photography.

In the final stretch to finish the February socks, of course I got distracted by a project I saw on Yarn Harlot's website. I already had the yarn so I cast on and I was off and running. Haste makes waste as they say and after a few mistakes I pulled it off the needles and it's a good thing too! I now see that it's much too small and I need to cast on for the bigger (large) size. I also intend to make it longer which suits me. No matter, it knits up really fast on the big needles and once Adrienne (at Close Knit) helped me with the "wrap 3" stitch, I had the pattern memorized. I am resolved to begin again once I have the socks complete by the end of the week.

In addition I have my "mindless" project of the Shetland Triangle to keep me happily occupied. It always elicits "oohs" and "ahs" from passers by. I leave you now with a parting quote from the ReBuilding Center on Mississippi Avenue which could be applied to knitting I suppose…

I forgot all about this project

2008-02-19T18:49:00.001-08:00

mitered square, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

It's going to be a great big blanket...someday.

Some Knitting for V-Day

2008-02-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

Pink Oven Mitt Cascade 128, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I wanted to make a post for Valentine's Day and pay tribute to one of my favorite colors: pink, of course! It's fitting that the oven mitt sits on the car seat because that is where Cynthia sat as she looked through the oven mitts last night and eventually decided to buy the pink one along with two others.

I'll make more. I always do. However, there's a wee problem. Not only is the j-o-b cutting into knitting time, so is the intense, almost debilitating shoulder pain I've been experiencing recently. Everyone tells me to go to the doctor but without health insurance that's not likely to happen anytime soon. So I'm trying to baby my shoulder by mousing with my left hand, using ergonomics, pain relievers and rest.

Well, actually, instead of resting, I started a new BT project: the Shetland Triangle:

Knit in Karabella vintage cotton I'll confess that this one was a little tricky at the onset despite what everyone on Ravelry says about it being so easy. However, now that I'm well into the pattern, I have to say that's it quite addicting. I know that I've made at least one mistake but Janet exclaimed "Who will see it in that pattern!" and she's right. So I'll not cave into my OCD tendencies to rip it back (this fiber is too slippery to frog!) and do my best to ignore the mistake –if I can ever find it again! Happy V-Day everyone.

PS Today was so spring like that the sensation to completely drop my knitting threatened to overcome me. Happens every year when the weather warms up and eventually it does become too hot to knit but that usually doesn't happen until August heat waves.

I'm knitting as fast as I can

2008-02-10T19:08:00.001-08:00

Buddha, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I hope to have some finished items by the end of the week. I hope! In the meantime, peace baby!

The short row heel conquered...and other knitting news

2008-02-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

Lovely short row heel, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I think I have finally conquered the short row heel technique – doesn’t it look great? I followed misocrafty’s excellent tutorial which made all the difference. Now I’m flogging myself because I think the area where the heel joins the foot again is less than stellar. Seriously who is going to care or even notice except me, right?

Meanwhile, progress on the Hemlock Ring Blanket continues and I’m almost at the border. I’m actually enjoying the endless, mindless and meditative knitting. Don’t have to think too hard about this one...yet.

Yesterday I dropped in on Close Knit on Alberta Street only to discover, to my delight, that they were having a sale. Like I need more yarn right? I don’t but who can resist? The beautiful Karabella vintage cotton is going to be a Shetland Triangle which I am just itching to start. I had been searching for just the right color and it was love at first sight.

And last but not least, a tease. I give you “tentacles”, a top secret project. Shhhh.

Look Ma - It's a swatch!

2008-01-29T18:33:00.001-08:00

Swatch knitting, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I’ve had the Street Smart booklet for a couple of months now but I was inspired (reminded really) by Yarn Harlot’s recent post to dust it off again. I was also inspired by a 25% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket so I rushed over to Michael’s and scooped up all 6 skeins of Paton’s Classic Wool Merino in Natural Mix (for the bargain price of $22!). I literally cleaned ‘em out!

I don’t know why I never used this yarn before because, in addition to being super affordable, it knits up wonderfully. Very springy with a nice hand as they say. Initially I bought the SS booklet for the Urban Aran pattern and I have to confess that I am seriously conflicted. I don’t know which sweater to make first. Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhh! I may dash over to Jo-Ann’s later this week for more Paton’s (it’s on sale - 2 for $8) and now I even have a gift card (Thanks Nell!). There’s a dark gray color that appealed to me and as you may have noticed, I’m quite fond of gray.

Since the last few posts have been heavy on the knitting and quite possibly boring to some, here’s a photo of the three of us on our recent “vacation” in California. Don’t we make a cute little family?

Rip it. Rip it good.

2008-01-27T13:39:00.001-08:00

Frogging the Hemlock Ring Blanket, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Like everyone else, I hate to frog my knitting but the numbers on this Hemlock Ring blanket just weren’t jiving. I kept knitting along hoping that the number of stitches, the pattern, the yarn overs and decreases would all suddenly coalesce and blissful knitting would ensue. However I reached a point where the discrepancy simply could not be ignored any longer. I couldn’t continue. So I had to suck it up, take a deep breath and rip it.

I ripped back to row 41 and started obsessively knitting again. I am now up to row 59. Other than that I managed to finish another oven mitt and make good progress on February socks, I had much, much more that I wanted to accomplish this weekend but alas! We are off to the movies again. Have you seen the Diving Bell and the Butterfly yet? Au revoir!

"Groovy" January Socks

2008-01-26T15:36:00.001-08:00

"Groovy" January sock of the month, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

It’s only fitting that Alice, our beloved January birthday girl, models the just completed January Socks. You’ll notice that she doesn’t dare show her face because she had just gotten out of the shower and hadn’t dried her hair yet. In any case, Kudos to Alice for getting as much mileage out of her birthday as she can. ☺

I finished these socks this morning and while I’m not 100% crazy about the short row heels, I think they came out well enough. We knitters are so hard on ourselves! I’m not crazy about the holes created at the intersection of the heel to ankle but I’ll work on it. Because the pattern is so “holy”, it’s not obvious to anyone but me anyway.

The yarn is Regia, which I ordered from Yarn4Socks many moons ago and this is already my second pair. There’s a lot of mileage in those skeins. There’s even enough left for a third pair I do believe.

Now on to bigger and better things. The weather is positively dreary today but it makes for great guilt-free knitting and I’ve got about 10 projects whirling around in my head – some already on needles and some mere fantasy. I’ll report my progress soon.