Parade of Berets

I have been on a beret binge.

First, I made one for Blondie. She has been so great ever since I moved here, truly like a sister. I told her I would make something for her, and so we went to the yarn shop. We originally planned on a scarf, but she was drawn to some alpaca wool that told her it wanted to be a beret. (She had some scarves already, but no beret.) Sadly, she has been camera shy so far...her's is deep purple and similar to Kirsten Dunst's in Elizabethtown.

Next up was my friend Berkeley, who is finishing her master's degree in engineering. I felt that she needed a congratulatory present...especially since she is 1/3 or my new rock band...but what to get her? While we were at Disneyland a few weeks ago with Blondie and Mama Liszt, she noticed the prevalence of berets. She mentioned that she would love to have one, and I pointed out that I could make that possible as her grad present. When we got back to our neck of the woods, I drove her over to Knit This, Purl That. She was noticeably overwhelmed by the variety and sheer volume of choices. She selected a lovely dk wool in variegated rainbow colors. Very South American/ethnic/Berkeley vibe yarn. So, using a pattern that I had previously used from Knit Cafe, I whipped up a beret for Berkeley.

Finally, Jester. Her birthday party was actually the night Berkeley, Blondie, and I returned from Disneyland. I had TOTALLY not had time to go shopping, the poster I planned on getting her had to be ordered online, and I was flummoxed. Then, I remembered what I was doing for Berkeley, and wrote a note on Jester's birthday card. It promised her a trip to the yarn store, a hat/scarf/or wrist warmers, and coffee. She chose a chunky merino wool blend in shades of magenta and red. She also wanted a beret. I ended up adjusting the Knit Cafe pattern to suit a much larger gauge. (In fact, I had to frog most of it when I was nearly done, and re-knit the whole thing, otherwise Jester would have been channeling Strawberry Shortcake! it was HUGE!!!)

The ironic thing is that I finished Jester's beret before I had had a chance to give Berkeley her's, so they were delivered the same Sunday morning. I ended up wearing my alpaca/silk beret to church that night, so that we could be the Beret Triplets! (Blondie was out of town, or we would have been quadruplets!)

So...Who is next? Anybody else feel the need to beret it up? Or, perhaps a more appropriate way of putting it: Voulez-vous un beret?

Blimey! I Forgot About The Blarney!

So, after posting about the Bremerton Bamboo Stitch Socks, I realized that I never posted about the completed and beautiful Blarney Socks! HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THESE GORGEOUS DARLINGS?!?!?

I worked on them during the spring grad school residency...and let me tell you, it is NOT easy to juggle circulars, yarn, and a cable needle on the bus.

I also worked on them while I had laryngitis last spring...thanks to Dad.

I am more proud of this particular pair of socks than any other pair I have ever made. In fact, I think I am more proud of them than I am of anything I have ever knit period!

Part of my pride comes from the fact that I developed the design myself. I took the pattern for the braids from my stitch-a-day calendar. I then infused it into the basic sock pattern that I got out of one of Mom's sock books. (I would give credit to the author, but I honestly don't remember...either Schurch or Bordhi...) So, while it is not an entirely original-from-scratch design, it is an original hybrid! (Kind of like rose breeders who don't try to reinvent the wheel...I cross pollinated!)

Anyway, I finished these before I moved...I think in May. Wish I had posted then. I took the pictures then.

Laughed Aloud...Literally!

So, my new local yarn shop (new to me, not to the area) emailed a video out to everyone on their mailing list. I opened it during a break from my homework and literally started laughing so hard that I slipped off my chair. How embarrassing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

Parting Gifts!

I recently moved to another state. Before I left, the wonderful ladies at my church gave me a going away party...complete with parting gifts! There was definitely a theme...orange, coffee, and knitting! I was very touched and loved everything.

Among other things, I received a beautiful ball of sock yarn in colors that reminded them, and myself, of the local area. It was GREAT yarn. Unfortunately...sometime, somewhere, between swifting it and moving...the ball band went the way of the dodo...I don't remember which amazing yarn it was...

I knew that it would be a pair of socks. I knew it needed to be a special pair of socks...more than just a 2x rib. At the same time, the variegation meant that an involved or intricate stitch pattern would be inappropriate. So, I went with a bamboo stitch. This stitch is very architectural and structured, so it shows up even through the color shifts. It is also one of my favorite stitches for scarves. (It is a simple YO, K2, PSSO, P2, repeat.)

I got to work on them during my first day of training at my new job. I worked on them diligently for WEEKS. (Granted, a pair of socks should not take WEEKS...but cut me some slack...I had a lot going on!) I had set a deadline. I had to have them done by the time I went back for graduate classes. And guess what? I actually made it! I wore them on the plane back! The end results were stunning! As is readily apparent from the pictures. (I only wish I had had the opportunity to show them to the ladies...but then, that is why I blog!)

Capping it off!

My friend, Sk8, wanted to learn how to knit. An admirable desire. He also wanted a beanie to wear to the skate park. (He has, I believe, a sponsorship from a local skate shop for competitions.)

I went to my stash to find circular needles and yarn. Now, here's the thing, usually when I donate yarn to people's first projects, it ends up being a skein of cotton dishcloth yarn. (Big deal, I am out $1.99...) Hats and scarves are another issue. I like using the good stuff for garments...so I usually have them buy their own. But Sk8 is a boy. And boys don't exactly rush to their nearest yarn shop or craft store. So, I was going to be providing the materials. Luckily, while I do have a lot of nice and expensive yarn, I also have a bin full of not as nice yarn. Sk8 picked out some steel grey acrylic yarn...I believe it was Caron Simply Soft...but I am not sure...the ball band was lost.

We measured his head...twice. I did a gauge swatch...which is unusual for me. I cast on for him, and then sent him on his way. But we had a problem. After he had knit several inches, and it had been several months, we realized that the hat was HUGE. It would be an ideal beanie for an elephant. So, he gave it to me to "fix." This meant I ended up ripping it ALL out. (Poor Sk8...all that work...unraveled!) I ended up re-casting on, adjusting the gauge again, and finishing the beanie.

He loved it! (And, he tells people he made it...which I won't argue...even though, technically, not a single stitch in the finished beanie was knit by him.)

Visual Aids

I just might have too much time on my hands...

For my graduate storytelling class, I decided to do a retelling of Jan Brett's story called The Mitten. The story basically consists of a little boy dropping one of his mittens, which is found by a variety of woodland animals, who all crawl inside it to warm up. When the boy finds the mitten again, it has been all stretched out since everything from a mole to a bear warmed up inside it. The joke at the end is the size diference between the boy's two mittens. I needed a visual aid, and so decided to be creative and cut the animals out of felt. Then I needed a mitten to put them in.

A normal human would have gone to the store and purchased a mitten. I am not normal. I am a knitter. I knit both mittens. I found a simple and straightforward pattern online, and made two mittens. I didn't worry about the gauge at all. I used white Lamb's Pride Bulky and size 9 needles for the big one, then Blue Sky Alpaca Silk in white on size 2 needles for the little one. The pattern was lovely, and very clear. I will have to try it sometime with real mitten yarn.

Anyway, it was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Also, now I have a really nice visual aid should I ever actually become a children's librarian...or I could be nice and give it to my elementary school teaching sister who had The Mitten as a child.

We'll see.

A Yarn For Every Knitter And A Knitter For Every Yarn

I was walking through a yarn shop the other day and saw what to me was a HIDEOUSLY HORRID yarn. (Said fiber will go unnamed so that no one is offended and I don’t get sued by the manufacturer.) I thought to myself, “Who would buy that, what on earth would they do with it, and why would they even want to?” I kid you not, mere moments later another patron walked through the door, made a beeline for the shelf, and scooped some up. Apparently, she LOVES that yarn and uses it to make some sort of purse. (I still can’t envision that being at all attractive…) This got me thinking though about yarn personalities.

If I were to lay several balls of yarn out on a table and invite the knitters close to me to choose a skein, each would be drawn to a different fiber. This is because not every knitter likes every yarn. We are like addicts with drugs of choice. I can with almost 100% certainty predict what is going to turn on my friends:

NorCal Gal would immediately pick up something soft, probably worsted weight, machine washable, and blue.

Mom would go for a self-striping sock yarn in jewel tones, or perhaps a new color way of dishcloth yarn.

The Aunt would want something cheery, a novelty yarn that she could use in a garter stitch scarf, most likely a chunky weight.

I would look at the ball bands and pick an unusual fiber…or alpaca, anything in alpaca, and probably orange.

Princess or Prada would grab something glitzy and glam…fuzzy or sparkly…and then hand it to me since neither one knits.

This way every yarn eventually gets knit…just not by every knitter.