summer of socks

I think I might just stick to knitting socks this summer. For some reason, it's working for me. For example, I just finished these:



Pattern: A Nice Ribbed Sock by GlennaC
Yarn: hand-dyed fingering merino/nylon I bought in Blacksburg, VA. I like how it has some variation, but not too much. I used size 1 needles, cast on 64 stitches, and these socks fit me perfectly. Since it's summer, though, they'll have to wait a couple of months before I'm ready to wear them, just like the cowl.

I just can't muster up the motivation to knit another big project now, probably because it's summer and warm wool sweaters are not so enticing. So for now (meaning the next week or two or month, who knows?) I'll stick to socks. This is timely, because Afghans for Afghans is collecting socks and only socks for their next campaign. Since they need 'em extra warm in Afghanistan, I see this as a good opportunity to use up some odd skeins of DK and worsted weight yarn I have leftover from other projects.

What are you knitting this summer?

teal ptarmigan

Can you think of anything less appropriate for summer than an angora cowl? Me neither, which is probably why I finished knitting this in just a few days, then set it aside for several weeks before finally hiding the ends and blocking it today.



Isn't it lovely? Especially among my not-yet-hit-with-the-tragic-blight basil plants?



I loved knitting this pattern, as I have loved knitting the other Jared Flood designs I've made (Koolhaas and Habitat, though I have many more in my mental queue). They are somewhat challenging, extremely well-written, well-charted, and he never, ever does anything too many times in a row, so I don't get bored. Ptarmigan was no exception.

I never thought I was a person to make or wear cowls, but I think I've changed my mind. They are quicker and more interesting in construction than scarves. Also, scarves tend to come unwound and trail behind me, which a cowl obviously can not do, since it's just a tube you pull on over your head. I'm sold.



Also, I love this yarn, Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure in bright (and I mean bright) teal. It is so very soft and warm and absolutely light as air. I bought it on sale at Lakeside Fibers long ago. In fact, I remember the day quite clearly. I had just found out I was pregnant with Anya, to my very great surprise (and to the great surprise of my doctors as well - failed IUD, if you must know) and I spent the whole day in a fog, wondering how the hell I was going to take care of Daniel and prepare for Songfest '07 and finish my doctorate that year. I remember that I was feeling overwhelmed and panicky and needed to get out of the house, so I took Daniel to Lakeside (he was just a toddler, so hard to imagine now) with the intention only of looking at yarn and maybe treating us to something in the café, and I came home with a small bag of this angora yarn and no idea what to do with it.

Well, three years later I can happily say that my experience at Songfest was a great success (in fact, scroll down to the very bottom of that link and you can hear a piece I premiered there!), I finished my degree in the nick of time (literally hours before Anya was born), my kids are lovely little creatures (most of the time, you know), and I finally figured out what to do with the angora yarn.



Pattern: Ptarmigan, by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure, just over 1 skein, in the color teal. I thought the high angora content would make for lots of shedding, but I didn't have a big problem with that. I was also afraid the fuzz factor would interfere with the definition of the stitch pattern, but I'm pleased with how well it shows up.
Needles: size 7 16" circular, and I assume I knit approximately to gauge. I like how the cowl fits, so I'm not even bothering to check!
New skills acquired: sewn bind-off. I'd never tried it before, but the pattern suggests it for finishing, and I found it to be easy and look very nice.

summer ennui

Lately, I feel under-inspired. I think it's because it's summer, truly summer now. The kids and I are together full-time, now that preschool is on vacay until September, and we're still finding our footing with the new routine. This includes swimming lessons, occasional playdates (that are a surprising amount of effort to coordinate, as it turns out), gardening, and a little too much television. Notice I have not included "time with a sitter so I can teach " or "time with a sitter so I can go to a rehearsal" or, for that matter, anything piano-related on that list. That's because it's summer, and I don't have a lot of work right now.

I found I had better balance over the winter, even though we were feeling cooped up inside. True, I spent so much money paying sitters so I could pretend to be a professional musician that I'm pretty sure I didn't even break even with my various teaching and playing projects, but at least I spent a few hours every week engaging in activities other than preparing snacks, washing diapers and negotiating screen time. At that time, I had a healthy interest and enthusiasm in my crafty pursuits (mostly knitting), and a healthy perspective on things like housekeeping and how the kids are doing.

You see, when there is nothing going on in my life unrelated to being a - gulp - housewife - I get a little neurotic. I get twitchy if the dishes aren't washed immediately after meals, I feel like a failure when the laundry goes unfolded for more than a day, I worry about the kids for no good reason (Daniel just sneezed OMG HE'S GOT THE SWINE FLU, Anya scratched her foot WHAT IF SHE HAS CHICKEN POX), and I waste time doing things like reading Ravelry forums about things I will never, ever knit and op-ed articles about the oil spill that make me feel helpless and depressed.

As much as I love summers in Madison, and as much as I love being with my children, I still think there can be too much of a good thing. Right now, that's what I'm experiencing. I have a lot of joy in my life - I'm not unhappy, believe it or not - but I am currently lacking that magic, healthy balance between home life and professional life. And I have some thinking to do about my long-term goals (as in, what are they?). I guess it's starting to get to me.

This means, when it comes to knitting, that I look at the sock I'm currently working on and I'm relieved I'm only an inch beyond the heel. Because that means it will take me a few more days to finish it, which means I have a few more days to think about what's next, and I have that long to postpone any planning of my next project, that long to think about my next goal. Knitting, or otherwise.

car knitting

Some time ago, maybe in the last year, I finally was able to kitchener a toe together without having to look up how to do it.



That sure comes in handy when you're knitting in the car.

(Now, on to sock #2!)

can't get enough

Jessi and Jenn-Jenn often do "Friday Five" posts. Today I think I'll do my own, a list of things I just can't get enough of, not necessarily knitting-related.

1. Caffeine. Seriously, I've been sleep-deprived since my last trimester of pregnancy with Daniel. I don't remember when I last slept a whole night through. I drink three espressos with breakfast every morning (prepared by my kind husband, who makes the same number for himself!), and sometimes I make myself afternoon coffee, too. I'm thinking today will be one of those days.

2. Swimming. We had a slow start with swimming lessons this week, with cool rainy weather, but yesterday the kids had a fabulous time. There are no lessons on Fridays, so I was hoping to take them to the pool today just to play in the water, but alas, there is a big storm system moving our way and will probably hit in the late afternoon, just when we will want to go.

3. Knitting red stuff. On the heels (yuk yuk) of finishing that top-down tee last week, I started a pair of red socks.



(For those interested, the yarn is by an indie dyer in Blacksburg, colorway "cardinal", and the pattern is very basic, but I'm using Glenna's latest release as a guide.)

These socks are my my quick in-between knitting while I settle on my next big projects, which may very well be a red cardigan (or a dark brown cabled jacket - I haven't decided.)

4. Cables. I love most kinds of knitting, and while I find lace and colorwork aesthetically pleasing, cables are my true knitting love. I love how cables are really quite easy to execute yet look so impressive, I love the texture of cabled knitting, and also I like to wear cables more than lots of colors or holes, to be honest. The bit of knitting below is the beginning of a sleeve/swatch for the brown cabled jacket mentioned in #3 above, but I think I'm going to have to rip it out and try again on a needle one size bigger.



5. My Knit Picks needles. I don't often order from Knit Picks, mostly because I prefer to support local yarn shops, but I've made a big exception for needles. Last fall I bought a whole pile of Harmony needles (the interchangeable set and some fixed circulars) and I haven't regretted it once. I know many people have had trouble with the interchangeable needles not working right, so I checked every needle tip and join right away, and I'm glad to say I haven't had any problems. I like the feel of the wooden needles and the tips are nice and pointy, and I have yet to find anything I like as well in a yarn shop.



Now I'm kicking myself for all the Addi turbos I bought several years ago when I got back into knitting. I can't stand how blunt and slippery they are; they make my hands sore to use them for too long.

What about you? What can't YOU get enough of these days? (Notice I didn't list one food item. I think that would have to be a whole separate post!)

red is hard to photograph

Red is hard to photograph - not that we were even trying so hard, but even so. It's been raining or threatening to all day, so everything outside is wet and the flash on my little P&S was going off, even outside.



Still, these aren't bad pictures, as far as that goes. You can see how well this little sweater turned out, for one thing.



Pattern: Top-Down Leaf Tee from the CEY booklet Round Pond
Yarn: Frog Tree pima silk (85% pima cotton, 15% silk), about 5 skeins, from the stash. I think I bought this yarn when Daniel was a baby thinking I would make him a sweater, and then the gauge was all wrong for it and I gave up. Good thing, because it is perfect for this tee.
Mods: none whatsoever except for yarn substitution. The original calls for Classic Elite Premiere



I love this sweater. It is my absolute favorite color, a deep, true red. And the style is perfectly me: fitted, simple, goes with everything, not too dressy. I would have worn this in high school, I'm wearing it now, I'd wear it if I were 60. Except for gauge and the lace panel down the front, this sweater is identical in construction to the Equinox Raglan I finished a few months ago (another favorite).

Now I just need to get out the nice camera and learn how to use it to its full potential...good summer project, I think!

Can you tell it's my favorite color?

The leaf tee is done and blocked.



...though not yet properly photographed (so the real FO post will wait until this weekend).



I've picked out red yarn for my next big project.



I picked 20 lbs of strawberries yesterday.



And just to shake things up a bit, I started a little something that's not red:



An angora Ptarmigan...can you think of anything less appropriate for summer? But then, who can resist those Jared Flood designs? I sure can't.

and the winner is...

...LizzieK8!! Congratulations! Lizzy, I've sent you a pm on Ravelry. I should be able to send the yarn in the next couple of days.

And while I'm at it, I might as well answer my own questions.

1) What is one impulse buying decision - yarn or otherwise - you've made in the last 6 months that you regret? (And if you really truly haven't made any regretful impulse buying decisions, you are either a liar or a saint.)

I'm actually not that bad about impulse buying myself, and yarn is really the only thing I've got too much of. But my last impulse purchase that I regret is a pack of minty gum I picked up at the grocery store last week. I buy gum maybe twice a year and I always regret it. It's kind of gross and makes my jaw tired.

2) What is one thing you know you should get rid of, but can't?

A good chunk of my yarn stash, obviously. Otherwise I don't have a problem getting rid of things we don't need and can't use. Clutter really irritates me, and since we live in a tiny house with two kids, I go through stuff a lot because there's just no place to put anything extra.

3) What's the last good meal you cooked and ate?

Tonight we had rice pilaf and salad. The pilaf was so-so. It's much better when I have paneer cheese to fry and put in it, but I didn't tonight, so it was basically just rice and vegetables. But we have fresh local strawberries with shortcake for dessert, so I believe that should make up for any mediocrity in the main dish.

giveaway!!

The kids and I have been playing in the basement recently. Daniel has rediscovered his love for playing in large cardboard boxes, and Anya rides around on a ride-on rocket (that she's nearly too big for) and sets up tea parties for herself and her toy puppy. Sometimes we play camping; yesterday Daniel convinced me to set up our small tent (from before we had kids and actually went camping) so they could play in it. We plan to have the basement finished this coming fall and winter. We've worked out the financing and booked a contractor, and we have a pretty good idea what we want things to look like when it's done. It's going to be a pretty big job, actually, with more than half the cost going towards updating and replacing our nearly-60-year-old plumbing, a 30+ year-old furnace and ductwork, a 15-year-old water heater and old fiberglass insulation that is hanging out of the wall in unattractive fuzzy chunks.

Now we just have to wait a few months for the contractor to be ready to start (we're in line after a few other projects). I'm anxious to have this done, but truthfully, we need these few months to get the basement cleaned out to make room for the work to be done. It doesn't hurt to have a little more time to save up some more money, either.

There's also the thing about my yarn stash being stored down in the basement, and it takes up a significant amount of space. The accumulation was not intentional, I swear. It just sort of happened. There is absolutely no way I can use it up in the next six months, but I should try and make a good dent. Knitting lots and not buying any more yarn is a good way to start, and I'm doing pretty well with that (for the most part). Last year I sold a bunch on craigslist, and that felt pretty good. But there is still too much, and some of this yarn has go to go. In fact, I've been meaning to do a giveaway on this blog for quite a while now, but suddenly it's just so hard to part with any of it. Every time I pick up a skein or a bag of yarn I bought long ago, I remember what I was going to make with it, or I remember why I liked it so much in the first place, and I think "I can't get rid of this! Not yet! Because maybe this is what I'll want to knit with tomorrow, or next week, or..." and then back it goes into its plastic tub or lined basket.

I have to start somewhere, though, so I'm going to start here. I have 10 skeins of this:



Elle Elite DK
50/50 wool cotton blend, machine-washable
125 yards per skein
5.5 spi on size 6 needles
color: off-white (pretty accurate in the photo, I think)

I know I won't use it. The Elite DK is really nice yarn (I know because I used it in white to make a Whirligig Shrug for my niece) The color isn't right for me, and what's more, I have more of it in white (which I will use...eventually...for this sweater). I know I could probably try and sell this and get a little cash for it, but the truth is, I got it on clearance online a while ago, so I'm not losing that much, and besides, this way is more fun.

I'll do a random drawing (in other words, ask Stu to pick a number). All you have to do is leave a comment answering the following questions:

1) What is one impulse buying decision - yarn or otherwise - you've made in the last 6 months that you regret? (And if you really truly haven't made any regretful impulse buying decisions, you are either a liar or a saint.)
2) What is one thing you know you should get rid of, but can't?
3) What's the last good meal you cooked and ate?

Just so you know, the first two questions are to make me feel better about myself, and the last one is just because I like to talk about cooking.

You've got until Wednesday, June 9 to leave a comment. I'll announce a winner in the evening, so be sure to comment by 8:00pm CDT.

On an unrelated note, here's a quick progress shot of the red top-down tee:



I think it's pretty close to done, but I haven't measured in a while. I hope to do an FO post for it later in the week.