fall socks

It happens every year: fall weather hits like a ton of bricks. Just a couple weeks ago we were playing outside all day in the sand and the sunshine, and now all of a sudden we're donning flannel PJs and closing the windows at night to keep the cold air at bay. Our pool is still open for another week, but no one could go swimming unless they wanted hypothermia.

For the second fall in a row, the start of school means practically nothing to me, save a few dull pangs of nostalgia. If I were still a childless grad student, I'd be spending my afternoons on the lakeside terrace at Memorial Union, reading obscure articles, watching the sailboats, gearing up for a semester of recitals and seminars, and perhaps enjoying a brew with Stuart and other friends. I would still be excited (rather than overwhelmed - that comes later) about the pile of music to learn and singers to meet and recitals to prepare.

Now, of course, life is much different. That's not a bad thing. I sometimes miss the hustle and bustle of university life: the cacophony of a hallway full of practice rooms, the daily conversations with people who totally understand why I get stoked about things like piano trios and German lieder, the dusty library full of old books and music scores, the fresh faces of new students and the comfortable familiarity of returning ones...but then I certainly don't miss the constant belittlement and criticism (constructive or otherwise) of being a music student, either. My cousin-in-law says nostalgia is a disease anyway.

This weekend has been unusually cool and crisp, autumn coming a few weeks early and catching me by surprise, like it always does. Hence the nostalgia. Hence, also, a sudden desire to cast on everything under the sun, as long as it's made with wool. Right now I've got a new hat and sweater on the needles (just ribbing, nothing to look at), and this week I made Daniel some socks:



They even fit!



The fact that they fit now means they probably won't in a few weeks when the weather is genuinely chilly enough for wool socks, but what the hey. I'll save them for Anya and make Daniel some more. And look what a willing model I've got:



How long will that last? I don't know, but I certainly appreciate it now.
He also helped with the photo session:



Pattern: none, just vanilla st st socks with a 2x2 cuff. I cast on 52 stitches on 2.25mm needles. Next pair I'll cast on 56. These are almost snug.
Yarn: Lang Jawoll superwash, 1 skein (50g per skein). There's a bit leftover, enough to stripe up another pair made with leftover yarn. Daniel chose this blue yarn himself when we were at Stitchers' Crossing last spring. This yarn isn't fabulous (will probably pill), but it seems sturdy and he likes the color.

if I weren't a knitter...

If I weren't a knitter...

...Daniel would have to find something besides all my DPNs to stick in the couch and pretend are birthday candles.

...I might have a bit more spending money.

...there wouldn't be a stack of yarn in the basement.

...there wouldn't be a stack of yarn in my closet.

...there wouldn't be 3 unfinished sweaters next to my bed.

...the house would be cleaner.

...there would be a little more room on the shelf that is currently occupied by pattern books. Okay, a lot more.

...Christmas might be a tad less stressful in the gift-giving department.

...I'd spend my nursing time with Anya reading the news online instead of cruising Ravelry for patterns I don't even care about.

But then again, if I weren't a knitter...

...the baby gifts I come up with would be a lot lamer than they are now. (They might also be given in a timely manner.)

...and I wouldn't have anything to do while we watch TV in the evening!

...I couldn't make beautiful things like this:



...and Daniel's feet would be cold:



...I wouldn't have a reason to go to the café with my knitting friends tonight.

If I weren't a knitter, I wouldn't really be me.

vickie howell

Guess what? I just met Vickie Howell! The encounter was completely random, too.

Here's how it happened. This morning the kids and I met my friend Pat for picnic and playtime at Bernie's Beach, which is a park right next to Lakeside Fibers. I didn't pick the place because it was next to Lakeside, believe it or not. I picked it because it was convenient for Pat (she had other errands in that part of town today) and we really like to play in that park. We were there for at least three hours building with the sand, exploring the playground, and eating our picnic lunch. Daniel and Anya got completely involved in building a mound of sand and digging a cave with waterways, then scooping water from the lake.

Anyway, by the time we were done with playtime and eating, everyone needed the bathroom and Daniel was asking for cocoa, so we went up to the café. There was filming equipment everywhere, and people walking around who looked more like TV producers than knitters - not that one can't be both, but these folks were obviously not scoping out the yarn selection. I went to the bathroom to change Anya's diaper and when I came out, I saw her! Vickie was sitting right there and a blond woman was putting make-up on her. I dived right in. "Are you Vickie Howell?" I asked. When she replied in the affirmative, I asked what was going on. She answered briefly that she was filming a promo with Lands End for a charity (I think Warm Up America) and then we had a whole conversation about redheads. You see, it is impossible for me to go anywhere with Anya and NOT have multiple conversations about red hair. (In fact, it was, like, my third one of the day. There's just something irresistible about Anya's hair, I guess.) After a minute I realized I was probably intruding or possibly getting annoying, so I thanked her and left to find Daniel and order our drinks. We got to watch a few minutes of filming from our table in the café, which was neat.

And now I would dearly love to sit down and work on a sock I started last night, but alas, I can not. We're having a dinner guest and I have to scrub the bathroom, make dessert, and clean up the rest of the house.

sunflower surprise

A volunteer sunflower is towering over my front garden this summer. It just opened up into a big beautiful bloom a few days ago. The ones I plant never do as well as this one. I don't know if this one sprung from a rogue seed from the compost, or if it was brought over by an adventurous bunny rabbit or bird from the elementary school garden up the road...but I don't care. It's finally blooming, and seeing those bright yellow blooms cheers me up a little bit when I'm feeling blue. It's like this flower is grasping on to the last threads of summer. Like me.



Knitting content coming soon.

crafty pay it forward

Long ago, I saw the crafty pay-it-forward idea on Katie's blog, and I signed up and received a beautiful bag:



I use this bag ALL THE TIME. It's the perfect size for my wallet and phone and keys and a diaper and snack and small water bottle and even a small on-the-go knitting project if I so desire...and on top of all that, there's the long shoulder strap and front pocket with the funky dots so it's much cooler than a big old MOM PURSE, if you know what I mean. In fact, I've used it so much the strap is coming off on one side and I need to fix it.

Now, much later, I still haven't posted my own pay-it-forward yet (though I haven't forgotten!), and I see that both Jessi and Jenn have done the same thing. Just the impetus I needed! I think we'll do some swapping, yes? So here goes:

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations, so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2. What I/we create will be just for you, with love.
3. It'll be done this year (2009). (Let's hope, anyway.)
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It could be anything! It could be a short story or poem written just for you. It could be a painting, drawing or sculpture. It could be something knitted. It could be baked goods, or something crafted. You don't know when you'll get it (other than it will happen sometime this year) or what it might be! It's for me to know and you to find out!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange or whimsical.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own note to pay this forward. So, there you go: You have been tasked. First five... And... GO!

sprout

We were on vacation with my parents and brother in Door County last weekend, and it was just lovely. We spent a morning at the Whitefish Dunes State Park:






(The tall guy in the red shirt is my brother Joe.)

We saw and climbed the Cana Island Lighthouse:







We also ate a lot of greasy fish and visited a cherry orchard and built a campfire and found many other beaches because Daniel's very favorite part of vacation, besides taking pictures with his camera, was building sand caves with his Uncle Joe. Thank goodness the weather held out!

Even though the last thing I need right now is more yarn, I didn't want to leave Door County without finding at least one yarn shop. On the way out Monday morning, when we dropped off the keys for the vacation rental house, one of the owners of the rental company saw my mom knitting and struck up a conversation. As it turned out, there was a very nice LYS only three blocks away from where we were parked, so of course we had to go. Spin (they must not have their own website yet) is just as nice as any of our shops (nicer than some, in certain ways) in Madison. It's housed in an old bank building with yarn in the old bank vault, tons of classroom space on the second floor, and the nicest staff ever. I was trying to be good, I really was, but I ended up walking out of there with a skein of sock yarn (Malabrigo sock! You can't buy that here in Madtown!), the new Made in Brooklyn booklet, and enough yarn to make one of the sweaters from it. Sigh. I just made my mental knitting queue even longer.

Also, I finished a sweater in time for vacation:



Pattern: Big Lace Pullover from the CEY booklet "Summer"



Yarn: Classic Elite Sprout, about 7 skeins



Needles/Gauge: size 10.5, and I guess my gauge was okay because the sweater fits!



Mods: None, though I substituted yarn. The pattern calls for Pebbles (cotton/acrylic blend) doubled, but I wanted to try Sprout, the chunky organic cotton new from Classic Elite, so I used that instead. It's soft and wonderful.

Daniel took some pictures with his own camera. I like seeing the world from his view, and some of these turned out well in their own quirky way, so I'll share with you:





Can you believe summer is almost over?

may the FO parade begin

Believe it or not, I'm a little backlogged on finished objects here at Mad Knitting. There are certainly times when I'm not knitting enough, or not knitting enough that is interesting, rather - I'm always knitting - to post with as much regularity as I'd like. Lately, the FOs have been happening, but many are for me, which means I can't get good photographs until Stuart can take them, which would usually be over a weekend. Plus, and let's keep this between you and me shall we? Stuart isn't the best knitting photographer (surprise, surprise). He'll want to take a goofy straight-on shot of me standing by a tree and won't try interesting angles or poses unless I suggest all of them and that makes me feel pretty self-conscious if I'm the one modeling the knitwear. (Where's Jared when you need him, eh?) This is why you see plenty of relatively good shots of my kids wearing knitted things, but few of me.

Still, I've got something to show you. Here's that "Just Enough Ruffles" scarf from a couple weeks back.



I made it for my brother's girlfriend, who finished an absolutely grueling 6 months of chemotherapy in mid-July for Hodgkins lymphoma. Cancer sucks, what? Let's hope she's through with it forever.



I used Manos Silk Blend, 2 skeins in a brilliant, deep blue. Funny story about that. I got to the part where you increase for the ruffle, which entails tripling your number of stitches. I was well into the second skein and I said to Stuart, "I'm afraid I'm going to run out of yarn." His eyes grew wide with fear. "Really? But...but...you're selling yarn on craigslist!" he finally gasped. Obviously, he missed the point. I said, "No, no. I'm afraid I'll run out of yarn for this project."

(Well. My knitting friends thought it was funny.)



Pattern: Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits. Great, great pattern. I highly recommend it. (In fact, I've already made a second, but I haven't blocked it yet.)
Yarn: Manos Silk Blend, 2 skeins. Wonderful, delicious yarn. I would never use it for a sweater (it stretches and pills), but it's soft and shiny and gorgeous and perfect for this. I used size 9 needles.
Modifications: None. This pattern is perfect as is.
Made for: MJ, for healing and hope and keeping her neck warm. That's where the tumors were, after all.

Next up (assuming quality photography happens): a sweater for me! Or maybe even two!

rainy day projects

I thought I was going to have a rotten day because it's chilly and raining and the house looks like a tornado hit and I've been in this tiny little funk since Steph and Eric left on Wednesday morning. But instead, it's actually been a good day. You see, there are times when spending a rainy day getting the house clean feels satisfying and productive. There are other times when it's a soul-sucking Sysiphusian effort. Today was definitely the latter, so instead of acknowledging that nagging feeling that I should scrub the bathroom, vacuum the cobwebby corners and de-filth the kitchen, I gave in to my creative impulses instead. Let's call it "creative therapy."

I did some laundry. Yes, that's housework and it's boring, but for some reason I don't mind doing laundry too much.

I baked some bread:



The above loaves follow yesterday's failed attempt, in which I FORGOT THE YEAST. I never forget to add the yeast, which might explain why I gave that sorry blob of dough roughly ten hours to rise before I finally gave up on it and chucked it in the compost.

I made some pajama pants for Anya:



I just wrote and deleted a whole long paragraph detailing my frustrating quest for kids' PJs that aren't coated in nasty flame-retardant chemicals or covered in ugly or offensive gender-stereotyping messages...but I'll spare you this time. The important thing is that I've taken this into my own hands. I found some very nice solid-colored cotton pajama shirts (for both Daniel and Anya) on clearance at Lands End, then bought flannel prints to match. From cutting out to sewing the final closing seam on the waistband takes around a half hour, provided the intended recipients are either sleeping or playing in the kitchen sink or otherwise out of one's way. (Or sitting nicely on your lap without grabbing at all the buttons and switches on the machine. Daniel, of course, is quite enthralled with the sewing machine and serger and loves having the opportunity to turn them on and off, which I let him do if he cooperates otherwise. He likes to see where all the thread goes.)

Then tonight we went to a birthday party (our friend Ben is 3 today) and had a great time. All in all, it's been a surprisingly good day. I'll clean the house tomorrow.

popsicle break

Steph and Eric are here visiting this week. We're having all kinds of fun, which I may report on later. In the meantime, enjoy these shots of the kids having an afternoon popsicle break. I know y'all are just dying for some eye candy!










Steph and I had a mandatory trip to the Sow's Ear, and we've been knitting as well. Stay tuned!

knitting miscellany

1. I still don't have a shawl pin for Sassymetrical, but I've decided it's too short. A little cropped is okay, but this is too much. I have almost a whole ball of yarn left, and I plan to rip out the bottom seed stitch and make it longer. Daniel agrees with me, for what a 3.5yo opinion is worth. Anya thinks it is fun to try on my clothes:



2. The purple cardigan is still sitting in a bag waiting for buttons and the collar to be blocked. I guess I'm dragging my feet because it's just not sweater weather yet.

3. I finished another ruffly scarf, though it needs blocking and the ends hidden. I'll show you both of them soon.

4. I've been feeling impatient lately. I want my house clean NOW. I want to get Jared Flood's new Made in Brooklyn booklet NOW. I want to make another new sweater NOW (even though I don't want to wear sweaters now...) So I started a new sweater in soft chunky yarn, and it's going pretty quick. Here's the second sleeve:



I started with the sleeves instead of a gauge swatch. Because I'm that impatient. In fact, I'm so impatient I still haven't really measured for gauge. I just put the sleeve on my arm and it looked okay so I'm going ahead with it. The pattern is from a Classic Elite booklet, and it calls for a lightweight cotton blend doubled. I went with their new yarn Sprout instead, an organic cotton in chunky weight,and it's really, really nice. I just hope a lace-patterned sweater in chunky cotton looks cool instead of stupid. (I'm optimistic.)