9:52 am - November 19, 2013 - AngelaH

Good mail day

I don’t know how, but somehow all the knitting-related things I ordered in the last two months arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Granted, there were not many things, but still. My sister was visiting for the day and both times I went to the door to let her in (when she arrived and after she moved her car) there was another package. Seeing as she was also in town (in part) so I could teach her how to knit a hat, it felt a bit like fate was telling me to spend my day off knitting. Ahem.

This means I’m pretty much set for the holidays now. I was planning to pick up The Yarn Whisperer anyway, since I own everything else Clara Parkes has written and have found it invaluable to my development as a knitter. I pre-ordered her book way back at the beginning of October, and while on Amazon I saw that I could also pre-order Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, which sounded so entirely excellent that I added it to my cart before really thinking twice (I’m pretty sure I read an excerpt somewhere, too, but I can’t think where now.)

The yarn is a real treat. It’s Gynx Self-Striping Strong Sock in the Christmas Bells colourway, and it is for my Christmas socks. Every year, after all my gift knitting is finished, I knit myself a pair of socks over the holidays. Generally, I cast on right after finishing my gifts and try to cast-off before New Year’s Eve gets underway. It’s a general guideline, though, and last year I cast on my holiday socks before my last gift was finished because I needed some social knitting to do around my family. I thought about knitting myself something fancy this year, but since these socks will be mostly knit while in transit or sitting around with family, it’s better to work on something that won’t require constant attention. With such fun stripy action, I’m thinking this year I’ll knit myself another pair of Jaywalkers.

Do you have holiday knitting traditions?

Category: Knitting Tags: books, Gynx, planning

10:58 am - November 12, 2013 - AngelaH

A quick update

I e-mailed my parents this morning to ask them (nicely) to stay clear of this space between now and the holidays. Assuming they don’t want to ruin Christmas, they will do just that, which means I’ll be able to post about their gifts without worrying.

Anyway, I can’t be quite so sure about my sisters, who may cave to the temptation of knowing only to then be filled with regret (we have never really been holiday snoopers, since the surprise is so much fun, but if things are left out in the open…). To that end, if you’d like to see the finished Saltburn socks, they are here. I’ll do proper posts for all these gift knits after the holidays, but in the meantime, I’m keeping finished shots on Ravelry where they are safe.

I finished Saltburn on Sunday and, since there’s a deadline looming, cast on immediately for the next project in my queue (the one in my head, not the one on Ravelry). I wanted a break from socks (I’m still knitting Charade, but it’s nice to have different things on the needles) so I cast on for a shawl. My mum, after seeing my Oaklet shawl, requested a little shawl like that for Christmas. She made this request in February, so it’s entirely possible she’s forgotten all about it since then, but I didn’t.

Casbah in Ruby Red (best guess, since she doesn’t label her skeins)

I debated a lot about colour. My mum wears a lot of colour, so I thought maybe a neutral would be the most versatile, but after talking to my dad about it I went back to my original plan and colour it is. I picked up this gorgeous skein of Handmaiden Casbah when I was in Nova Scotia in the summer and it has been waiting for the right project to hit me ever since.

Knitting a shawl for someone else can be tricky. For my mum, I wanted something pretty, but not fussy, and something deep enough that it would cover that little exposed V of skin that v-neck sweater and button-down shirts leave, but not be so deep as to cover her entire shirt. Basically, I wanted it to be easy to wear and something she could dress up or down, and also something I’d enjoy knitting.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on one pattern. My first thought was the Travelling Woman shawl, which has easy to wear lace, but I thought it might not have long enough wings to wear easily. I then settled on Bakau (I love the edging so, so much) but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that maybe it’s more me than my mum (watch for this turning up on my needles in the near future). I also only have one skein of this yarn, and I’m not sure that’s quite enough yardage.

I am so taken with the squishiness of the garter stitch.

Then, I started seeing the Charm shawl by Juju Vail popping up all over the place. I’ll admit that I wasn’t convinced at first, but it grew on me and once I cast on I was smitten. It’s knit side to side, has a clever construction, and it’s pretty. I’m knitting the small version, but I might make it a bit deeper than the pattern suggests and just note the weight of yarn I need to hold back for decreasing, which means I’ll also be able to use the whole skein.

What do you think? Am I totally over-thinking this or do you get like this when planning gift knitting?

Categories: in progress, Knitting Tags: gift knitting, shawl

5:53 pm - November 9, 2013 - AngelaH

In my project bag

Ah, project bags. I love them, and when I saw this post (via this one) about the call to show what’s in them, I couldn’t resist. We were out and about today, but here’s what I had tucked into my purse.

I have a couple of these stuff sacks from MEC. This is a 3 litre one, which is perfect for socks, my others are 5 litres, which fits just about an entire sweater.

Inside this one, I don’t have much in the way of extras. I try to keep all my notions in one place so I don’t lose them, but when I’m knitting socks I throw my tape measure into whatever project bag I’m carrying with me. Besides that, a finished Charade sock and the second one in progress, I have the ball band for the yarn (Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Mushroom Hunting), and a little note to myself that has the basics for Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes, which were the last project this bag held.

Seeing as I have a bunch of other things on the go, I’ll go through the rest of my project bags in the near future. What’s in yours?

Categories: in progress, Knitting Tags: socks

9:10 pm - November 4, 2013 - AngelaH

Socktober debrief

Yes, yes, I know it’s November, but I am certainly still knitting socks. I managed to finish just one of the pairs of socks I set out to knit last month, but since I knew my plans were a little on the unrealistic side, I’m not too broken up about it.

Stepping-Stones.

To recap: I finished the Stepping-Stones for my mum and mailed them (she received them about a week later and said they fit perfectly and were keeping her warm, which is excellent feedback). I really like this pattern, and I have several stashed yarns that would perfect for more pairs (maybe this time for me!) once the mid-winter chill sets in and my feet really need something extra.

I’m farther along now than I was when I took this picture.

All the other socks remain outstanding. I finished the first Saltburn sock and am a cuff and two repeats into the second. I’m knitting these at the rather absurd gauge of 10.5 stitches per inch, so it’s slow-ish going. Why so tight? Well, as with most charted patterns, the jump between sizes is specific (in this case, 9 stitches). I’m knitting the medium size on a smaller needle (rather than the small size on a larger needle) because generally speaking the tighter the gauge the longer they’ll last. I knit a pair of socks at 11 stitches to the inch and, almost two years and a ton of wear later, they’re still in amazing shape. But yeah, it’s slower.

Mushroom Hunting is a perfect, perfect name for this colour.

I’m not as far along on L’s Charade socks – just half-way through the foot of the first sock. These were my transit knitting, but then I started a really good book* and wanted to read both to and from work (for a while there I was reading on the way there and knitting on the way back), so they got put aside, through no fault of their own. The more I knit this colourway, the more I love it, and with only a couple of inches to go before the toe, this sock won’t take long to finish.

So, there you go. In aggregate, I guess I knit four socks, but since the sum greater than its parts, that only adds up to one finished pair. In a surprise twist, though, I did finish the Riverbank cowl! It’s lovely and, while I don’t have and proper photos to post here (and won’t until after it’s gifted), I’ll post some on my Ravelry page once I get around to taking them.

This month looks like more socks, plus a shawl, and since it’s getting ever colder, I might have to take a quick break from the gift knits to whip myself up a hat – I’m thinking this one. What are your November plans? When I left the house today I was wearing hand-knit wool socks, sweater, shawl, and mittens – are covered in wool yet too?

*Edited to add: I fully meant to tell you what the book was – sorry! I was thoroughly captivated by A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It is so, so wonderful, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Categories: in progress, Knitting Tags: gift knitting, socks

9:07 am - October 29, 2013 - AngelaH

A change is as good as a rest

No, I did not cast on for a sweater, despite all your encouragement (what a bunch of enablers!). Instead, with the holidays in mind, I cast on for another gift, this one in a worsted weight yarn for guaranteed speedy progress and a little break for my hands.

I really love this super-dense ribbing.

And you know what? It totally worked. This is Riverbank by Melissa Thomson, which is fun and textural and knitting up super fast. It actually feels a bit like knitting a sweater since I’m using the same yarn as I used for my Woodstove Season cardigan (though in a different colour) and there are a about as many stitches per round. It’s actually the perfect compromise, with the added bonus of meaning I’ll be finished one gift by the end of the week.

SweetGeorgia SW Worsted in China Doll (which guarantees I get the David Bowie song stuck in my head every time I pick this up.)

Of course, it’ll be my speediest gift knit, which means I should probably have saved it until the end, but oh well. It kept me busy and entertained during a very grey and rainy Saturday while L was away, and even though I don’t really wear cowls I’m kind of thinking I’d like one of these for myself! There’s no risk of my stealing this one though, since it’s the exact colour of my winter coat, and that’s just a little too matchy for my taste. Maybe in grey…?

Categories: in progress, Knitting Tags: cowl, gift knitting, SweetGeorgia

10:00 am - October 25, 2013 - AngelaH

I don’t know why I’m surprised

Every year – Every. Year. – at the end of October the same thing happens: the temperature falls, Rhinebeck happens (and I don’t go), and then what feels like a million gorgeous sweaters show up on Ravelry, making me want to knit sweaters, which is perfect, because it’s cold. This is also the time of year when I realize it’s almost NaKniSweMo (national knit a sweater month), and I get all excited about taking part.

Except. Except by now I’m starting to feel the weight (just a little) of my grand holiday knitting plans, so I can’t actually cast on for any sweaters, but I can probably justify swatching. When I realize this, every year, I vow to start my holiday knitting early next year (like, in-June early) so that I’m far enough ahead that I can take November off to knit myself a sweater. And then I feel a little guilty about wishing I was knitting for myself instead of for my family, who all really appreciate hand-knits and generally make requests months in advance.

You’d think I’d learn, right? But no. So instead of casting on immediately for a new sweater I am dreaming. My dream is that I finish my holiday knitting by the end of November so I can cast on for a sweater in early December. (It’s not a very profound dream, I realize that, but there it is.) I’m having a bit of an Amy Herzog moment, so she (or, her designs) feature rather prominently.

Four skeins of Falkland in Dusty Miller.

First, I got home last night to find this gorgeous, gorgeous yarn waiting for me. It’s Falkland (80% British Falkland merino, 20% bamboo) from Kettle Yarn Co. in Dusty Miller (do you read Linda’s blog? It’s great.) I requested a custom order, since she didn’t have enough of what I wanted available in her shop, and she didn’t even blink!

I wish there was a way for you to squish this yarn through the screen. There is so much spring to it, and it is so, so soft, with just the most subtle shine from the bamboo. The colour is subtle and warm and it’s exactly the sort of thing I would happily wear everyday. Thus, I want it to become the kind of sweater I can wear everyday. I did a lot of searching for a suitable pattern, but in the end, I think I’m going to use this to try out Amy’s new Custom Fit system to configure a pullover. For the first time in my life, I’m excited to swatch because it will allow me to figure out what fabric I like best, rather than try to fuss around and get a certain gauge. I can’t wait!

After that, I’m thinking I could use another warm and cozy cardigan, and Amy’s new Acorn Trail design is so me I can’t believe it isn’t in my closet already. I love the texture and the play between the cables and the lace, and yeah, I love it. My plan is to knit it up in Madelinetosh Vintage (which just arrived in the shop and, despite my efforts, I was unable to resist) in Tart.

Seven skeins of Tosh Vintage in Tart, more than enough for any sweater I want to knit.

I find reds tricky to photograph, but this is a sort of deep, smoky red. I worry a little that it’s too variegated for this pattern, but that’s another reason to spend some time swatching (either it’ll knit up more or less as a solid, or it’ll be more striated, we shall see.)

So, consider this a preview of what’s to come over the next few months. In the meantime, back to those socks. I’m hoping to be half-way through the second Saltburn by the end of the weekend – what are your weekend plans?

Category: Knitting Tags: Kettle Yarn Co, Madeline Tosh, planning, sweaters

9:59 am - October 22, 2013 - AngelaH

My favourite time of year

Every fall, L and I make a point of choosing a day and going on some crazy walk around part of the city to look at all the fall colours. One of the best things about Toronto is that its downtown is criss-crossed by ravines, which are open to the public and allow you to walk between very different parts of the city without having to deal with (or often, even hear) traffic. It’s like a secret world, and it’s really, really lovely.

We walked down the Beltline Trail to the Evergreen Brickworks, an area that used to be a quarry and brick factory but a few years ago was repurposed into a public park with interpretive trails, event spaces, and community classes about gardening, green living, etc. It’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to get to for years, but never have, and Sunday was the perfect day.

View of the city centre from the back of the old quarry, with the Brickworks buildings in the foreground. You just just see the CN Tower over to the right.

View of the city centre from the side of the old quarry, with the Brickworks buildings in the foreground. You just just see the CN Tower over to the right.

It rained just about all day Saturday and then for most of Monday, but Sunday was one of those glorious fall days when it’s hot in the sun and cool in the shade (ideal sweater weather!) and all the colours pop. So, so lovely. L mapped our walk after we got home and we wandered for about 8.5 kilometres (a little over 5 miles) and considering that most of it was in the woods, that’s not bad considering we never left the city.

Knitting-wise, I took full advantage of our rainy Saturday.

For once, it occurred to me to take before and after shots at the beginning of the weekend.

The first Saltburn sock is a couple of repeats away from the toe, so I should be starting the second one this weekend. Charade is also marching right along – something about two-row repeats feels super speedy, despite 72-stitch rows – and I’m really enjoying watching the colours progress. There is definitely some colour spiralling (too soon to say whether it will flash or just maintain this steady turn) at this stitch-count, but it’s slow enough that I don’t think I mind. I’m just an inch or so from dividing for the heel of the first sock.

How was your weekend? Is it fall where you are?

Categories: in progress, Knitting, Out and about Tags: gift knitting, photos, socks, Toronto

9:10 am - October 18, 2013 - AngelaH

Stepping out

I always overestimate how long it will take to knit up worsted-weight yarn, which means it’s always a nice surprise when I finish earlier than expected! I cast off my mum’s Stepping-Stones Tuesday night and, if I hadn’t decided to block them, they would indeed be in the mail already.

Ta-da! My mum likes tall socks, so I knit these to 7 inches before dividing for the heel.

Instead, after taking a couple of quick all-finished shots, I looked down at the socks and realized they had some cat hair/miscellaneous dust on them. That’s pretty normal for a pair of socks, either here or at my parents’, but it hardly seems like the condition they should be gifted in, so I threw them in some Soak, thinking they’d dry pretty quickly.

But, it isn’t summer anymore, so instead of drying in less than a day, they’re still quite wet. It’s been a damp and alternately humid and chilly few days, which is not ideal drying weather. Canada Post doesn’t run on the weekends, so it won’t make a huge difference delivery-wise if I get them in the mail on Monday instead of today, but mentally, I’m feeling days behind (instead of ahead, which is more or less where I am, I guess.)

I should note here that schedule is a relative thing, and something that exists solely in my head. I have an idea of more or less when things need to be started and finished in order to not get caught up in holiday knitting stress. Some amount of that seems inevitable, but I would like to be finished before heading to see my family (last year I had part of a fair isle mitten, two thumbs, and a hat to knit when I boarded the plane; I got it finished, but it was close). I’ve learned, though, that it’s best to take stock after the weekend rather than before. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, and while that kind of sucks, it also means I’ll probably get to curl up with my knitting and hang out with L at home, and that sounds not so bad to me.

What does your weekend look like? Are you starting to feel the tug of a gift-knitting schedule?

It is a testament to both the excellent dyeing at indigodragonfly and Clara’s pattern that this yarn didn’t pool in these socks. I love the way the colours moved around.

Details
Pattern: Stepping-Stones by Clara Parkes
Yarn: Indigodragonfly Superwash DK in Fringe Over Troubled Water
Needles: 3.25mm
Notes: I have now knit this pattern in both a solid and a variegated yarn, and I’m happy to report that it works beautifully for both. These photos are bit a dark (see my earlier comment on the weather this week) but the stitch pattern actually does show up pretty nicely even in this dark multi-coloured yarn. I also really like how clingy this stitch pattern is and how easy it is to remember. The only mod I made to the pattern was to use my normal slip-stitch heel in place of the stranded heel given in the pattern. Ravelled here.

Ps. Thank you all for the amazing suggestions for man socks! I cast on for Charade yesterday, and while I’m only in the ribbing (which I’m making extra deep), I’m already loving the way the yarn is knitting up. I ended up giving my Cranberry Biscotti socks to L as they were a bit too big for me and not only are they a good model for what will fit him, but he wore them today, which means I need to bust a move on these ones (when he starts wearing wool socks, you know the weather is cooling down).

Categories: finished, Knitting Tags: gift knitting, Indigodragonfly, socks

9:55 am - October 15, 2013 - AngelaH

Heels and toes

It’s mid-October, so I thought a Soctober update was in order. Mostly, I think, I’m on track.

My first priority this month was to finish these Stepping-Stones socks for my mom, and I’m only a couple of inches from starting the toe decreases, so if all goes well they’ll be in the mail by the end of the week.

Indigodragonfly Superwash DK in Fringe Over Troubled Water. I changed skeins part way through the foot of the first sock, so I’m interested to see if the difference between socks is noticeable.

If you’ve never knit socks or are looking for a speedy pair, I can’t recommend Clara ~~Hughes~~ Parkes’ pattern highly enough (I can never get the name right on first type – this is why). These socks knit up quickly, are more than just plain stockinette but don’t require too much attention, and are a free pattern to boot. This is the second time I’ve knit these socks and I know more pairs are in my future because, honestly, in Canada we need thick socks. I also plan to knit the large size in lighter-weight sock yarn, because I like the way it breaks up the colours in variegated yarns.

Second on my list is Saltburn. These are the official start of my Christmas knitting, so I can’t say too much about them. I will say, though, that I’m planning to shorten them. The recipient like ankle socks, and while those aren’t super practical in the winter, I don’t want to knit socks so high that they won’t become part of the regular rotation. To compromise, I’m knitting the cuff as written and then three (rather than five) chart repeats. The leg is 3.5 inches right now, which is probably as high as they need to be, so when I pick these up again I’ll be dividing for the heel!

The white is Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in Natural and the blue is Jill Draper Makes Stuff Splendor Sock in Cobalt.

That makes these socks just about 1/4 finished, which is a nice surprise. I usually knit the legs of socks to somewhere between 5 and 7 inches, and only knitting to 3.5 makes these ones feel super speedy!

I’ve been trying not to get ahead of myself planning- and execution-wise, which is something I absolutely tend to do, especially ahead of the holidays. I’ll cast on four things and then wonder why I’m not seeing any progress. This year, I’m trying a more measured approach and working on no more than two projects at once: one that requires attention and one that’s more mindless. Saltburn is my current attention-requiring project, but since I’m almost finished my mindless Stepping-Stones, I decided it was time to wind the yarn for the next mindless knit.

Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Mushroom Hunting. I can’t get enough of this colourway.

I haven’t yet decided on a pattern for L’s socks, but I’m thinking they’ll be something kind of plain. The yarn is gorgeous all by itself, and he’s not sure he wants anything fancy, so I’m going to keep it simple: 72 stitches knit up as… well yeah. I have three basic options, I think: a) 1×1 ribbed cuff into 3×1 ribbed sock; b) 1×1 ribbed cuff into 1×1 mistake rib (one row 1×1, one row knit); c) 1×1 rib cuff and stockinette.

What do you think? Do you knit man socks? What gets the best reviews? I’ve knit lots of socks, but never for L, so I want to try and get this right.

Categories: in progress, Knitting Tags: Dragonfly Fibers, gift knitting, Indigodragonfly, jill draper, socks, Socktober

9:32 am - October 8, 2013 - AngelaH

Pure planning bliss

I am in something of a planning sweet spot. Something about a) finishing a big project and b) the approaching holidays has combined to create a space for planning and knitting that is making me both ambitious and realistic and so, so happy. I’m not saying I don’t get stressed about gift knitting (talk to me in the second week of December), but right now, when everything seems doable and fun and it feels like there’s lots of time? Right now, it is fun.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Artifact, destined to be this hat.

One of the things I like best about this time is planning pattern and yarn pairings. I like to think about what colour(s) someone will like best, what pattern will suit their style and their needs, and what will be an engaging knit. All of this necessitates spending some time looking at patterns on Ravelry and also buying yarn (oh darn) and, of course, this inevitably leads to me finding patterns and yarns that get added to my post-holiday, for-me knitting, which is fun to plan and think about too.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Almanac and Foothills, which I plan to use for this hat in January.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Almanac and Foothills, which I plan to use for this hat (for me) in January.

Last weekend, my friend Wendy and I went to New York for the New Yorker Festival. We went two years ago and loved it, so it was really fun to go back. The festival lineup was great and we had a tough time narrowing down our choices (as much as we’d like to see everything that’s a bit expensive and also, when in New York, it’s fun to have time to do other things too). In the end, we went to the New Yorker MOTH night, a panel on immersion journalism hosted by David Remnick, saw Susan Orlean interview Christophe Waltz, and watched Philomena (staring Judy Dench and Steve Coogan) followed by an on-stage interview with director Stephen Frears. It was great.

Anzula Squishy in Rootbeer – I am have a bit of a shawl moment right now, and I think this would gorgeous as the Sagano Shawl by Laura Chau. Thoughts?

Would a trip to New York be complete without a visit to Purl Soho? Probably not. So we went twice: once to look, and once to buy. I’d planned ahead a little and picked up some yarn for L’s annual hat as well as a couple of treats for myself, which is, I think, a perfect balance.

A practical purchase. Last year, I got quite a gash on my finger from all the knitting with sharp little needles. This year, I’m prepared.

How was your weekend? Are you already planning or do you prefer to wing it?

Categories: Knitting, Out and about Tags: Brooklyn Tweed, New York, planning