Idle hands knits

New family addition

2011-10-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

Please meet Sundae! She is a new addition to our family. She was adopted from the Northeast Animal Shelter here in Salem, MA. She is 7 months old now, a very pretty calico girl. She is friendly, purrs very loudly and very often. Loves to be held. Kramer has been an 'only' cat for 8 years (not counting the months he lived with his fellow litter mates) and as you can imagine, he was NOT very happy about sharing his domain. I had Sundae sequestered in the spare bedroom until Kramer started to get used to the presence of another cat. Initially, there was a lot of hissing, from both cats. But curiosity got the better of them and the fact taht they are going to have to live with each other may have dawned on them. Now they are co-habitating with relative peace. Sundae is still a kitten, full of energy and I think she tries to engage Kramer in play. Kramer really wants nothing to do with this and most of the time simply runs away from her. This leads to a brief chase by Sundae but Kramer puts a quick stop to this with a hiss. But all in all, things have gone quite well. Pretty good considering she has only been here for 2 weeks! I have forgotten how energetic and crazy kittens are! I think Kramer is baffled by her energy and I often find him staring at Sundae as she goes wild chasing imaginary mice and birds. Another thing I find funny about her is that she likes to sleep belly up.

Look at that face, how cute is that? And here are the two cats somehow managing to tolerate each other:

Dahlia cardigan lace panel

2011-09-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

I made some progress on the Dahlia Cardigan since last week. I finished the back panel of the cardigan. The cardigan will eventually look something like this.

The lace panel hasn't been blocked yet so you can't quite see the full lacy effect. But anyway, it's coming along nicely.

Kramer on the other hand is being a pest. He has taken to knocking things off of the coffee table whenever he feels like he needs attention and I'm not giving it to him. He loves to claw and chew papers...but only when I'm around, clearly just doing this to get my attention. Watch the following video. I just love how he completely ignores me and does what he pleases. The look of defiance at the end is CLASSIC.

Title revamp and new post

2011-09-11T10:33:00.003-04:00

Again, I let this blog lapse. Summer knitting has been slow, yet summer sped by so fast. Having moved here from NC, just having few days of 90F weather and oppressive humidity simply did not make it feel like summer ever arrived here. Not that I mind. I can cope with mid 80s weather just fine. The summer felt SO easy here compared to what I had become accustomed to in NC. But now that the mornings and evenings are getting chillier, it seems wrong somehow. However, cooler weather means more motivation to knit! The last time I updated this blog, I was working on the Olivetti Cardi. I did finish that, yey!

Please excuse my pajama bottoms. I pretty much followed the pattern exactly. You can see the details of the project on the ravelry page. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, so squishy.

I have started on another cardi:Dhalia Cardi.

The pattern is published in Interweave knits Fall 2011. You can see photos of what the cardigan should look like here. I love the lace panel at the back, it will be a perfect fall cardigan. It also has an interesting construction where you start the knitting of the lace panel and then go on to knit the rest of the body and sleeves sideways. Should be a fun project! I'm in the middle of knitting the lace panel as you can see here.

I'm using Classic Elite Woodland Yarn. 65% wool and 35% nettles. What is nettles you ask? Here is what wikapedia has to say. Basically it's plant material. The nettle adds a bit of sheen to the yarn. A bit scratchy but I think that's ok for outerwear and it does seem to soften a bit after washing. We shall see how it goes.

I'm still working on the Juno stole. I'd like to finish it soon, so I can wear it this fall. I've never knitted with 100% silk yarn. I'm assuming it blocks....it better. Unblocked lace is not pretty.
I'm going to try to be better about posting.

Spring/Summer yarn sorting

2011-06-19T11:33:00.008-04:00

Has it really been 3 months since I posted? I've really been slacking. I have to admit, I haven't knit as much as I want to in the last 3 months. Been busy at work and I'd come home pretty tired. I find myself sitting on the couch with the TV on, knitting needles in my hands as I struggle to keep my eyelids open (and it's only 8:30pm). But I think things have settled down a little bit so I'm going to pick up on my knitting. I decided I needed to inventory the yarns I have in my stash. I really don't have a large stash at all. I have a tendency to use the yarn as I buy them so I haven't accumulated much. The sorting didn't take long at all. Here is what I cataloged and uploaded onto Ravelry.
I have bits and pieces of yarn left over from completed projects which I didn't catalog unless there was at least a full skein left.

While my knitting progress has been slow, I have been working on 2 projects. One of them is the Olivette Cardigan. I'm using Debbie Cashmerino Aran yarn for this project. I love how squishy the yarn is. The project is rather out of season but I'm close to being done so I'll keep at it.
As you can see from the top right corner of the picture above, Kramer is ever present, keeping a close eye on my knitting project, or rather keeping an eye on all the yarn ends that he may need to bat around later.

I'm also working on the Juno shawl/stole. I'm using Madelintosh Pure Silk Lace yarn. It was an impulse buy at Yarn in the Farms in Beverly (a town over from me). The yarn was so pretty and silky smooth (it's silk..duh) it mysteriously ended up in my basket. I usually like to have a project in mind when I buy yarn (that's probably why I don't have a huge stash) but for this one, I had no clue what I would knit but just had to have it. The yarn is variegated so I thought a relatively simply pattern will be great for it.

This is another reason my knitting has been slow lately. His Furness loves to command attention.

Uh-oh, I might be in trouble

2011-03-09T19:45:00.002-05:00

The Boston North Shore Yarn Crawl is this weekend. I think the idea is that you visit a number of yarn stores in the Boston North Shore over the weekend. These stores will have specials I think and you get entered into a drawing for goodies if you participate. Read the info about the yarn crawl and participating stores here:

Boston North Shore Yarn Crawl

I almost don't want to go because I can see $$$$$$$$$ flying out my wallet, however, this is a great opportunity to get to know some more local yarn stores.....hmmm

I haven't posted in a while but I've been knitting, maybe not with as much gusto as before, but I'll be done with a sweater soon which I hope to post about soon!

This goofball is 8 today!

2011-03-09T19:36:00.001-05:00

Snow snow snow again

2011-02-01T21:19:00.003-05:00

We are getting another 8-12 inches. It's getting tiring really. I'm sick of seeing the gray mounds of snow that doesn't seem to go away. Apparently, the whole snow removing ordeal has been a problem around the New England area. No place to put the snow. The snow mounds are just growing blocking the view around the corners, a real road hazard.

Anyhow... I finished knitting the Aestlight Shawl. It looks so much better in real life than the pictures. It's a simple yet very pretty construction, I love knitting it. The yarn I used is Madeline tosh light. Really nice to work with. I'm going to have to work with other Madeline tosh line of yarns. I love their colors. The details of the project can be found here.
Now I'm done with the shawl but not quite ready to tackle another sweater so I decided to start a pair of socks instead. I'm using Cascade Heritage Paints yarn, knitting the Leyburn socks. I love toe-up sock knitting and using Judy's magic cast on for the toes. It works beautifully every time with very little hassle.
It's been a while since I knitted a sock. I could really use warm cozy sock to wear with my fuzzy warm boots I got last weekend. I already wore the boots today after work while clearing the 6inch snow that accumulated on my car during the day. It took me twice as long to get back home.

No pic of Krames. I haven't taken a lot of pictures of him lately. I'll have to do that soon.

Snow day!

2011-01-12T21:29:00.003-05:00

We were hit by another snow storm today. Work was closed and I spent quality time knitting and sipping warm beverages all day long.
This is how much I got done by the end of the day.
I'm knitting the Aestlight shawl. I've knit this shawl before but I've given it to a friend. I still love the construction and look of the shawl so I decided to knit one for myself. This is knit with Madeline Tosh Merino light. The yarn is more variegated than what I used before but it's not a mix of crazy colors that I think it works. It's white with a mix of light brown and a very pale shade of blue. It's a single ply fingering yarn. While it doesn't have quite the bounciness of the Malabrigo sock yarn I used the last time, the yarn is soft and almost has a shininess to it that I like. After sweaters and cardigans, this is a quick knit that I needed. I should be done with this shawl very soon and I can't wait to wear it.

Knitting, however was not all I did. I did go outside after the worst of the storm was over to clear off my car and also shovel any snow that blocked my car. When the snow is ploughed, the snow gets pushed behind the cars in the parking lot and the cars get blocked in so I had to shovel the pile of snow away for me to be able to get out. I wasn't going anywhere today, but I know we have work tomorrow and I didn't want to deal with it in the morning. Also, the temperature is dropping and all this snow is predicted to freeze over, which would be harder to deal with! Here is how much snow I found piled on top of my car:
All in all, we had over a foot of snow. But once the snow fall ends, they clear the roads pretty quickly.

Seneca pullover

2011-01-09T18:46:00.004-05:00

Yey, another sweater done and first FO of 2011. It's Seneca pullover designed by Jared Flood. I seriously heart Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed patterns. Beautiful patterns, great photography. Details of the project can be seen at my ravelry page for this project here. It's knit with Berroco Palace. The silk mixed with merino makes this yarn so soft to the touch but maintains enough stitch definition that the cables pop up nicely. I really liked knitting with this yarn except for some knots I found but all in all, lovely to knit with. I like wearing it but I have a feeling this yarn may pill quite a bit. We'll see. After two projects of sweater/cardigan which required a lot of seaming, this was a nice change. The body is knit in the round, bottom up with sleeves knitted on to the body. Some parts of the transition between stockinette stitching and cabling looks a bit sloppy, but that's probably entirely my fault not the pattern's. All in all, I'm very pleased with the sweater.

I'm currently knitting Bridgewater shawl, another Brooklyn Tweed pattern. But I'll write about that when I make more progress.

You know when you get a song stuck in your head? Well, I blame Gwenyth Paltrow and her appearance in Glee. I have that song "F*** U" by Cee Lo stuck in my head. You can see the video here (So you know, this IS the uncensored version so if you are easily offended by 4 letter words, do not click). I find myself humming that song but singing out the F-you part. I really have to watch where I am sometimes. I don't particularly like the song, it's just stuck in my head, it's so catchy!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-02T14:45:00.003-05:00

Wow, I have seriously neglected this blog! I hope everyone had a great holiday and wish you a fantastic 2011. I don't do new year's resolutions, because I feel like if you have a good idea you should do it right away, why wait? But I did tell myself to eat a little better this year. Then today, on the second day of this new year, I couldn't resist a large summer berry tart that had a creamy chocolate filling topped with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Yum. Hey, berries are good for you right?

I have been knitting during my blogging absence. I finished the Marseille pullover:

Knit with Cascade 220. I love the deep red color. The size of the neck opening knit as the pattern states was a littler larger than I liked so I ended up sewing up the edges a little to close it up. I like it much better now. I love the cable patter, so pretty. The ravelry page for this is here.

Here is Mr. Krames. He is doing well. He will be 8 in March and I feel like he is getting more and more demanding of pets and attention. He was never a lap cat, more a leg cat who would come and drape over my outstretched legs. But now he has sat on my lap, and every evening sits really close to me and demands that I have my arm stretched out so that he can lie down with my arm curved around him. And of course my hand placed just so so that he can lay his pretty little head in my palm. He has also learned to slap my face when he wants me to wake up. I kid you not. He will meow and meow and then I feel his paw tapping my face until I wake up. What a brat!

Next time I post I hope to have another sweater I'm knitting done. We'll see.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T15:14:00.007-04:00

from Halloween central...Salem MA.

A friend of my came up to visit from Boston yesterday so we walked around downtown Salem. What a zoo!! Tons of crazies. This was during the daytime...I can only imagine how crazy it is at night. Here are some of the sights:The streets were so crowded, loud and people dressed up in full Halloween gear. We wanted a little peace and quiet so we walked into the Peabody Essex museum. I hadn't been there yet so we went around the museum. It's bigger than I thought, lot of Asian and Asian inspired arts that sailors/travelers/merchants brought back from the East. Salem is not only witch town but used to be an important maritime port I hear. It was all in all a nice museum though one 7 year old child begs to differ:

Sorry it's blurry, but it says "kid, 7 years old. I liked it, but is sort of boring" Some kid had written that in the guest book at the museum. It cracked me up. I could just picture some parents dragging the kid along as they tried to absorb some culture while all the kid wanted probably was some candied apple and fried dough that they were selling outside.

I got some knitting done as well. The Trellis cardigan is all done. I like the lace pattern and it fits pretty nicely. The details of the project can be seen here.

Too bad it's too cold to wear this now. I'll have to wait until spring. I'm now working on the Marseilles Cardigan. Cool cables don't you think? The yarn is good old Cascade 220. The sweater will be nice and toasty for me to wear over the winter time.

I will end the blog with some furry cuteness.

Finally an FO

2010-10-24T13:12:00.004-04:00

FO=finished object for those of you who don't knit. Finally finished something. My Selbu Modern hat:I used left over yarn from my Norwegian Rose socks. You can look at the ravelry page for some details but I used Brown Sheep Nature Spun fingering yarn. I knit the rim of the hat with size 2 (US) needles instead of size 0 as directed and switched to size 3 needles to to make sure that my hat will fit on my big head. I made a small boo boo at the crown that I didn't realize until I washed and blocked the hat. I may fix it if it bothers me too much. I'm still working on the Trellis Cardigan. Currently knitting the sleeves, then the pieces will be seemed together and I will be done. I'll have to work on that this week!

Krames is his usual self:

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-06T14:03:00.003-04:00

We've had some great weather over this Labor Day weekend. I have the windows cracked open and a really nice breeze flows in to cool the apartment. I spent the weekend just doing some chores, knitting, watching the US open, enjoying overall relaxation. I finished these socks last weekend but I hadn't posted about it so here it is. The Norwegian Rose socks are done. It was a fun knit out of the 'Toe-up socks for everyone" book by Wendy Johnson. It took surprisingly little yarn that I have a little over a skein of the each color left. I think I can use them to knit a hat to with these yarns so that is my plan. You can see the details of the project here. I only recently discovered that you can make a ravelry page to be visible to people who are not members of ravelry.

I have been mostly working on this Trellis Cardigan using the Louet Gems sport yarn that I bought last weekend at Newbury yarns. I'm working the back right now. The pattern is pretty straightforward so far.
This picture below shows the color of the yarn more accurately. The yarn is soft and really nice to work with. I'm liking it so far. This cardi is going to be great for fall.

Kramer says "hai" I love the way he has his front paws crossed. So prim and proper.

Trip to Boston

2010-08-28T18:01:00.003-04:00

Today was such a nice day, high 70's, low 80's, sunny. I decided to drive into Boston. I got into Boston around noon and parked my car at the Boston common Parking garage. I went over to Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall to grab some lunch.

I had a lobster roll and a glass of beer..heck, it's the weekend, I was unwinding.

It was my first lobster roll, and I know it's a 'thing' to get around Boston, but I wasn't googoo gaga over it. It's tasty and if someone offered it to me, I'll happily eat it but it's not something that I would crave......I would rather eat a whole lobster with some butter over the lobster roll any day. It's basically a bun filled with lobster salad (mixed with mayo based sauce). It did go down well with the glass of Sam Adams and I was a pretty happy girl.

Next I headed over to Newbury street where all the fancy shops are and stopped by Newbury yarns. It's a cute little yarn store with lots of nice DK/worsted/bulky weight yarns, but I didn't see many lace yarns and basically no sock yarns, unless I didn't notice, but it isn't a big store. Anyway, I got myself some Louet Gems Sport yarn. Really pretty 'french blue' color and I have a project in mind for them. It sort of matches the blue color of the Norwegian rose socks I'm working on. They feel nice and soft and I can't wait to knit with them. They give you this nice bag with your purchase, perfect to carry around little knitting projects.

I also walked over to Copley square and did some window shopping but didn't get anything. I ended the afternoon by stopping by Chinatown. It's small, but it's chinatown, you know what I mean? I didn't stay for long, but next time it'll be nice to stick around and maybe have some Dim Sum or something.
I was pretty tired from all the walking (also rode the T) so I left around 4pm. I stopped off at Medford just north of Boston at a Japanese food store to grab some essentials that I needed then came back home to a hungry kitty. The trip to Boston took about 40min each way by car. Next time I think I'll try going on the commuter rail from Salem station. It supposedly takes about the same amount of time and the cost of going in to the city-commuter rail fair vs. parking/gas is about even if you are 1 person. With multiple people, it would be cheaper to just go by car. All in all, I had a good day.

Kramer in a nutshell-new simon's cat episode

2010-08-19T07:57:00.002-04:00

This was Kramer when I was packing for the move. He would feel the need to inspect each and every box I used to pack. Not only that he tried to rip off the packing tape off of all the boxes after I packed them.......I'm glad the move is over.

Love Simon's cat

One week

2010-08-14T17:04:00.002-04:00

It's been a week since we moved. I think Kramer has made himself at home don't you think?
I've spent the week settling in, getting to know the area a little bit and managed to do some knitting too! I finished the black rose socks that I started over a month ago. It's a simply pattern really, but as you can imagine, the amount of time I had to knit was severely limited in the past month and I also worked on other things like finishing the Huron sweater that I posted about earlier. I'm pretty happy with the socks. I wish the lace panel was a little more clear, but the sock feels comfortable and the purple color of the yarn is so pretty. The yarn is Ms. Babs Yummy Superwash Sock and Baby yarn-2ply. It's a nice bouncy yarn, the twist of the plies are really obvious in this yarn if that makes sense. Anyway, here they are.
These should keep my toes nice and toasty during the winter.

Made it to MA

2010-08-11T14:00:00.003-04:00

Made it! I've unpacked and slowly settling in, exploring the neighborhood. Kramer is doing well. He didn't eat, drink, or use the litter box the whole trip (24hrs total, including an overnight stay at my sister's). But once we reached, within about an hour or so he was exploring the apartment, used the litter box and nibbled on some food I'm glad to say. As you can tell from this picture, he intends to get to know this place well. He has figured out how to open cabinets and drawers and he needed to make sure everything is in order.
My sister was here to help me settle in. Before she left, we managed to have a nice lunch where I indulged in LOBSTER!

Last weekend in NC

2010-08-01T16:46:00.004-04:00

I've been busy finishing stuff off at work and packing at home. I've made good progress though. Almost everything is packed except for things that I need for the next several days like clothes and coffee maker. I must have my coffee maker. I'll be spending sometime cleaning up the apartment as much as I can such as the fridge, oven, bathroom etc so that after the movers are finished, all I would have to do is to vacuum. I've been knitting during breaks in between packing and cleaning. I finished the Huron sweater, which is great because I was able to pack it away and not have to carry it with me. I think it turned out well.(The whitish dot in the middle of the sweater is not there on the actual sweater, I think something was on the camera lens)
There are some short rows worked in at the back that allows the back to be slightly longer than the front and over all, better fitting. Overall very nice pattern from Brooklyntweed. I used Cascade 220 heathers yarn. I didn't closely monitor how many hanks of yarns I used due to the chaos that is the move.
I also finished one of the blackrose socks:
The lace pattern isn't as obvious and clear as I like, but the socks feels nice and it goes quite fast.

Kramer is sensing some change occurring around the apartment. So many boxes, none of which is his to play, which I think is throwing him off a little bit. Here he is checking out an empty shelf.

Been a while, been busy...

2010-07-18T19:39:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted in a while but that's because I've been super busy. If you don't already know, I'm relocating to the Boston area early August. I've been busy arranging the move, finding a place to live etc. etc. This weekend I found a place, movers are arranged and things are moving along. Last weekend, I was in San Fransisco attending a wedding so as you can imagine, it's been hectic. Very little knitting has taken place but here is what I have. This is the Huron sweater. I'm at the yoke now, knitting the fair isle pattern around the shoulders. I don't know that I'll get it done before my move.....

During my travels, I started a sock called the blackrose socks that was on knitty in 2008. It's a super simple pattern so great for travel knitting. I'm using Ms. Babs "yummy" hand-painted sock & baby yarn-2ply superwash. So far it's been a delight to knit with. Bought the yarn last year after thanksgiving when I visited my sister from "knit happens" in Virginia.
Despite being busy, I do try and squeeze in a few stitches here and there to keep myself sane. I'm excited that I have a job lined up............a real job. And yes, the Boston area is COLD but hey, I will actually wear the warm sweaters that I will knit up! Yey for that!

Kramer has no idea his world is about to turn upside down. He hasn't known a world outside of this apartment since 4 months old (he is 7). Hopefully, he will handle the change well. Keep your fingers crossed!

Norwegian rose socks

2010-06-27T10:47:00.002-04:00

One sock down, one more to go. It's been fun knitting this. I'm holding the two yarns in each hand, that seems to be the easiest for me and I'm finding that my continental knitting skill is getting better and better. The corrugated ribbing at the top of the socs is a bit of a pain but I managed. I couldn't decide if I should hold the yarn to be purled in my left or right hand but I decided to purl with my left (continental). The constant switching of the yarn to the front and back is so much quicker when you knit continental. I find the sock a bit hard to put on because the stranded knitting doesn't allow for the fabric to stretch but I don't think knitting the sock looser or with a larger needle would have helped. The fit is perfect once I get the socks on that I really wouldn't want it bigger. So I decided to live with the slight difficulty of getting the sock on to have a perfectly fitting sock.

Kramer loves look out the window, especially when a pair of birds fly about right outside under his very nose every morning. I found this pose quite amusing. He looks like a little human being resting his front legs (arms) on the window sill, gazing out into the world.

Here is Kramer on the patio. He rushed out when I walked out to take a picture of my sock. I'm sure he would have liked to see and try and catch the birdies that always taunt him so. Alas, it was a little too late in the morning and the birdies were not around, although much to my chagrin, they have left tons of poop on the patio.

Clapotis and color work knitting

2010-06-13T17:32:00.004-04:00

It is done. It's nice and fluffy and light. I was getting kind of bored with knitting this so I left it a little shorter than I first planned. But it's still long enough to wrap around the neck and have the ends hang nicely down the front.

I also started working on another sweater. It's called Huron sweater by brooklyntweed. I'm at the vast sea of stockinette section before the yoke color work begins. I'm knitting it up with Cascade 220 Heathers yarn bought from WEBS on a sale! It was such a bargain, I couldn't resist.
While I work on the vast sea of stockinette on this sweater, I started on a pair of socks called the 'Norwegian Rose socks' from the book Toe up socks for everybody.
I really like the pattern and I've never done much color work so this should be interesting. The blue color is a bit off in the picture. It's got a little more purple-blue than what the picture suggests.

I have to think of a nice pair of shoes to wear to go with these socks!

Not the sharpest tool in the shed

2010-05-31T19:33:00.002-04:00

I was watching 'Jeopardy'. Before I changed channels, 'Wheel of Fortune' came on. The first game progressed to the point where the board had this up " TREASURE _AP". The guy answers "Treasure BAY!!!!". uhhhhmmmm no. Consider playing some other game?

The clapotis bandwagon

2010-05-31T16:59:00.002-04:00

yes I'm officially on it. I'm knitting this with Lana Grossa Evento. 65% cotton, 35% wool. Worsted weight yarn but the yarn is really light and airy. When you hold up the yarn to the light, you can see right through it. The purple is the cotton and the black is wool. The wool and cotton aren't exactly plied together. Rather, the wool is really fuzzy giving the yarn a look that may suggest some mohair content. But no mohair. The fuzzy black wool tends to stick the stitches together making the dropping of the stitches a little cumbersome, but I really like this yarn for this. The scarf/shawl is super soft to the touch.

I've knit quite a bit this long weekend, not ready to go back to work tomorrow, but if I must, I must.

Farinelli gloves with bling are done

2010-05-24T20:51:00.003-04:00

Tada! I finished the gloves. I love how they turned out. The yarn I used is Louet Gem fingering wt. yarn. I used 6/0 beads, hooking the beads as I knitted the yarn overs that make up the center diamonds. The beads were slid onto the YO stitches using a crochet hook, then knitted as shown in the tutorial on knitty. The fingers were separated and set up as indicated in the instructions. Knitted 10 rounds of stockinette, followed by a round of purls, a round of knits, and then bound off while purling in the following round. This created a garter stitch edge along each end of the fingers. See the picture in my previous post for a closer look at the fingers. Hopefully my sister will like it.

Farinelli gloves with bling

2010-05-14T08:53:00.004-04:00

One glove, one more to go. I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. I will post details of the changes to the pattern when I finish the other glove.

I don't care about glove, I just want to catch those birdies outside: