Rewind...Then Fast-Forward

In my last post I was frantically trying to finish the Wedding Clapotis. Did I make my deadline? Well, if you would look to the sidebar on your right you will see that it's officially off the needles and in the FO pile! I got the piece blocked Sunday/ Monday and handed it off to my co-worker on Tuesday. Overall I'm satisfied with the way it turned out, although blocking the finished Clapotis was more work than I had antipated.
I've never actually blocked lace and had a hard time with pinning out the edges. Also, the room where I blocked my other Clapotis no longer has carpet -- it was so easy to jam pins into the carpet but you can't exactly do that with a hardwood floor. Boo! Anyway it's done and I am very glad to see the back of this project. It had just gotten to the point where it had become more of a chore than something I was actually interested in doing. Granted, I would have been knitting anyway, but I didn't feel the same connection to the project that I get when I'm working on something for myself or when I'm knitting for someone that I care about. I don't know if my co-worker's daughter will wear it during her wedding reception today and frankly I really don't care. However, I will be sure to post a picture if she does end up wearing it.

Fast-forward to the present. I'm in the process of finishing up the knitting for the French Press Felted Slippers in Patons Classic Wool Merino yarn (Mercury). This has definitely proven to be a relatively easy project, and although you do have to make two of everything the pieces knit up quickly on large needles. For whatever reason my m1 increases on the knit sides have produced gaping holes. I'm a little nervous as to how this will affect the actual felting process, so I may may some adjustments prior to sticking the slippers in the washing machine. I hope to get these done either today or tomorrow.

For the time being, though, I'm going to keep the Thanksgiving momentum going and make Pumpkin Creme Brulee and Sage and Onion Stuffing for dinner tonight.

New Moon Has Risen

Congrats to all my fellow Twihards! We've made it through a year of waiting for New Moon to come out. Everything I've read so far has been fairly positive. Good thing too because I don't think the director and the studio fully realize that even the slightest inconsistency could trigger riots of massive proportions. At this point the only thing that's standing between me and the next showing of New Moon is the damn Wedding Clapotis. The bottom line is I have to finish the knitting and start the blocking process within the next 24 hours. It's definitely doable (yeah, I've said that before) given that I'm well into the Section 4 decreases. Of course, I just dropped ten stitches typing this post so I'm going to have to do some back tracking. Blah! At this point my only incentive to get this done is the reward of a Sunday showing of New Moon. That being said let me get out of here and get my knit on. Team Edward all the way ;)

Thinking Is Dangerous

As I continue to slog through the last few repeats of Section 3 of the Wedding Clapotis I find I'm thinking about potential projects for the coming months. I've gotten it into my head that I want to tackle knitting a lace shawl for my grandmother. No doubt I'm setting myself up for all kinds of torture in the long run, but as I turn the idea over and over in my mind it occurs to me that this is probably one of the few things I can knit for her. Sizing is definitely a concern as my grandmother and I have very different builds, and since I don't get to see her as often as I would like -- she lives in Southwest England -- I'm not really in a position to get her measurements. I do have one particular shawl pattern in mind: the Mystic Light Shawl by Anna Dalvi (aka knitandknag on Ravelry). Carin of Lime and Violet and Round the Twist fame (aka alcariel on Ravelry) worked on this shawl a few years ago in the Jaggerspun Zephyr and seemed to like how it turned out. The added bonus is that the Jaggerspun Zephyr comes in tons of colors and it's super cheap. So...it looks like there is more lace knitting in my future. Oh joy.

Another pattern I stumbled across while skulking around Ravelry is the French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi (aka frenchpressknits on Ravelry). I absolutely love the photos I've seen of the finished slippers. I'm all about form and function and this pattern is put together in such a way that it satisfies both criteria. Yay! These are probably going to get bumped up to the top of the queue because it's getting cold and I need something to keep my feet warm as I roam around the house. Besides, it looks like a quick project. I'm contemplating stash diving on this one, but I may also end up buying some more yarn for this project as I'm already going to be placing an order for the Jaggerspun Zephyr. Yes, thinking is definitely dangerous.

Back to reality and the last repeat of the Wedding Clapotis!

Let's Give This Another Try

Amazing! The first post in almost two years. Let me preface this by saying that I'm not sure how long this renewed fascination will last. Lately I've felt that I have more to express than I'm actually saying, so this is my way of just getting it out there. Chances are I'll be the only one reading my ramblings, but others may be interested to get a glimpse into my bizarre little world.

So...what's the Serial Hobbyist up to now, you ask? Still knitting away furiously. Actually, I find it's the only way I can stay sane. There's a saying that has made it's way on to countless shirts, mugs, stickers, etc. that I can definitely identify with: I knit so I don't kill people. Unfortunately this desperation to preserve what's left of my sanity hasn't led to an overwhelming pile of finished objects. I find myself to be an extremely slow knitter, which often leads to me getting bored with a project long before it's ever finished. I think that probably why I've been knitting more socks recently. Second Sock Syndrome aside, I can typically finish a pair of socks within a few weeks unless something goes horribly wrong. I never thought I would become a sock knitter -- I always intended to go the traditional route and stick to sweaters -- but socks and I seem suited for one another. I think it's largely because there's a lot going on to capture my interest and by the time I get bored with one part of the sock it's time to move on to the next part. Alas, I have no time to knit socks right now. My knitting time has actually been taken up by the Clapotis I'm knitting for a co-worker's daughter's wedding.

Now I have nothing against this pattern. I made myself a Clapotis a year or two ago out of Brooks Farm Four Play and absolutely love it. It's just hard going through that third section and when you're a slow knitter like I am and knitting with the equivalent of dental floss. It seems like the straight rows will never end. I even have to work an extra four repeats on the length to compensate for the extra four repeats I added to the width. Even then I'm not sure it will be a long enough stole (yes, stole not scarf) for the bride. I'm really counting on the blocking to work miracles here because I'm only a one person sweat shop and the wedding is on November 27. At last check the width of the unblocked piece is roughly 20 inches and the length is about 40 inches. I'm so close but it's going to take an incredible amount of effort to make it through the rest of this section.

Wind it Up, Baby!

I can only assume I was a bad girl in 2007 because Santa only brought me one of the things off my wish list. This left me more than a little depressed so I treated myself to a swift and ball winder. Both of these items can be a little pricey, which is one of the reasons I put off buying them, but I found them on sale on Joann.com. Use a 40-50% coupon (go, scour the Internet!), or gift card, to offset some of the costs and you have a terrific value. I am very pleased with my new toys, despite some initial set up problems (be sure to read the reviews of the products -- the feedback is tremendously helpful).
Gone are the tangled hanks of Araucania Nature Wool that were seeping into all parts of my stash. Peek in the containers and you'll find the wool wound, labeled, and neatly stacked. No more knitting off the hank (that happened only once, but what a fiasco it was!) or feeling guilty about asking my LYS to wind yarn bought elsewhere. I feel that I've graduated to a whole new level of knitting.

2007 Project Wrap Up

Wow...the first blog post of 2008. Okay, so it deals with 2007 projects, but I think it's important to take some time and reflect on my knitting accomplishments over the past year. The list of completed projects, though small to some, is tremendous by Serial Hobbyist standards. I even managed to learn a couple of things along the way so it doesn't get much better than that. Here goes:

• Fetching: Like many, I fell in love with Cheryl Niamath's pattern that appeared on knitty.com in late 2006. I ended up making five pairs of these gloves (most of them were knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran), four of which were given as gifts. If you're looking for a quick and easy project, this is it


• Snowman at Midnight Stocking: I became obsessed with knitted stockings in the post-Christmas slump of 2006 thanks to the beautiful creations featured in Christmas Stockings and Knit Christmas Stockings!. Somehow I got this wild idea that I was going to spend the year knitting stockings and have them ready for use by the time December 2007 rolled around. In true Serial Hobbyist fashion, I was only able to complete one stocking: the Snowman at Midnight from Christmas Stockings.

  The Rowan yarn used for the body of the stocking is no longer available, so I used some dark blue Araucania Nature Wool from the stash -- the shades in the yarn are reminiscent of the sky on a cold, clear night. The snowman and snow bobbles were worked from scraps in the stash. The patterns called for sewing the i-cord on to the stocking, but given my aversion to sewing I found it much easier (and cleaner) to knit it on. This technique is explained here.




• Squares for the Hokie Healing Project:
  

  Thanks to Gina of the Mosaic Yarn Shop, knitters and crocheters alike were able to cope with their emotions in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings by lending a helping hand. These 8"x8" squares will be used to create blankets for shooting victims and their families. At last check 8000+ squares had been received from all over the world! Read more about this project here. I was so proud to be part of such a worthwhile endeavor.



• Cable and Rib Turtleneck:
  This sweater was my first foray into cables and garment shaping. I chose to knit the Small size in Cascade 220 (Natural). Information about the pattern can be found here. I actually finished knitting this sweater in April of 2006, but the sewing aversion left it sitting on my blocking board for a year and a half. I was forced to spring into action in June of 2007 when I saw that the cat had thrown up on it! Fortunately, the stain came out (I love Shout!), but I still couldn't wrap my head around the sewing process. Enter Renee from Knits Finished. She was able to sew my pieces together to create a work of art. I love this sweater so much! Not only is it super warm, but I get this tremendous sense of satisfaction knowing that I saw this project through to completion every time I wear it.


• Pea Pod Baby Set:
  What started out as a "Welcome to the World" gift turned into a Christmas present for my friend Jackie's baby girl. Fortunately I knit the cardigan in the 12-month size and the hat in the Large size so Riley should get some use out of both pieces. The set was knit in Elann's Super Cable Aran, a 100% mercerized cotton, in Elm Green. The yarn worked well for the pattern, but it did get slippery at times. The plies split easily, so you really need to watch where you put your needles. The cardigan was finished with six 4-hole 15mm wood buttons (Natural) courtesy of M & J Trimming. I love the way this set turned out. It's simple, yet sophisticated. It's also a great introduction to lacework. I'm really glad that I have another Pea Pod Baby Set left to knit.

Those of you paying attention to this blog will notice the distinct absence of the Ariann cardigan in the list of finished projects. In spite of my best efforts it's still not done. I actually was very close to finishing, but had to rip out close to thirty rows because I hadn't worked the decreases correctly. Interestingly enough it seems that this is the section that people struggle with the most. I'm really surprised that Bonne Marie Burns hasn't posted some sort of FAQ for this project. It certainly would help to clarify things. Sooo... I'm taking Ariann into 2008 with me. This doesn't necessarily make me thrill me to the core, but I do feel that this is a worthwhile project. Let's hope it doesn't drive me crazy.

Update, Albeit Long Overdue

I like my new approach to blogging: post when I have something to say, if I don't...who cares! I deal with enough pressure in my day-to-day life, so it's nice to keep some things low-key. On the other hand (and here's where I start to contradict myself -- it's the Gemini in me), I do like to keep the blogging momentum going, so here's a quick update on where things currently stand with the WIPs:

• Ariann Cardigan: Still knitting away and keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be too small. I was hoping to finish it in September, but now I'll be lucky to finish it before the end of the year


• Pea Pod Cardigan: Haven't touched it since my last post (Boo)


• Petal (Test Pattern): This is the project that has been taking up most of my time. I've been working away at it steadily, but it's pretty slow going. What I have noticed is that this project eats yarn, and I don't think I'm going to have enough of the current color to work the trim around the sleeves, neck, and front bands. I'm going to have to delve into the stash and find a contrasting color. I'm about 70% of the way through the sweater. I'm really hoping to finish it within the next few weeks

In other news, I finally received my invite to join Ravelry after a three-month wait. I've spent the last two weeks exploring the beta version of the site and it is truly an amazing tool! I can't say enough good things about it, especially since it has motivated me to get organized and do an inventory of my stash. No surprise: I have a lot of yarn, about 7500+ yards of it to be exact. Fortunately Ravelry can link to other users who either have the yarns currently in their stashes, or have worked them into fabulous creations -- this should give me some good ideas for future projects. Any-hoo...check out the site and add yourself to the waiting list if you like what you see.