My cup cake!

Hi Megs

Your father thought the same thing. Don't think he was impressed. Mine took me about 1 1/2 hours solid - watching Cracker on CBC (2 hour series from BBC). I just followed the pattern and dug in my yarn scrap draws. It was really fun and I was surprised you make it in all one piece. My next one may be a little more original - puffy and I have some white eyelash yarn that I think I will use for the icing. It is addictive! I braided the stem for the cherry.

I have been trying to find the new VK but Toots doesn't have it yet - I was in town on Saturday. I did get VK knit.1 - shouldn't have - not a thing I like in it and the knitted "real" heart is totally over the top - nuts. It was the only knitting mag they had and I was in knitting-mag withdrawal. Will look when I am in town picking up my finished shawl. Don't know why it takes so long for magazines to come ALL the way to Yarmouth.

Getting late,

Love ya, Mom XOP

Cupcake!

Hi Mom,

6 hours later (including an excursion out for brunch & some shopping on Haight St) I'm finished with my first cupcake! It's kind of fat and wants to tip over every now and again but a cupcake it is. I used the version of the pattern that has you working a Kf&b, K1 for the first icing row to make it puff out, plus I added an extra K row on the base before the P turning row so overall it's pretty huge. The 'sprinkles' are push-pins, so this is my new pin cushion. Nathan isn't really sure why I knit a cupcake but I like it!

I think I will try another with mint icing next, going without the extra row on the base just to see what the difference is. These could be addictive...

Megan

PS I got a copy of the new VK while we were out. The patchwork sweater with the fairisle squares could be interesting, but I think I'd make it shorter overall and choose a more interesting yarn for the plain sections. Nathan liked the sweater with the huge "skating rink" cables, but I think that would be a bit overwhelming on me. Have you seen the issue yet? What do you think of it?

Great ways to keep warm

Hi Mom,

Your shawls look great! The lace green one will be really beautiful - you are lucky to have so much help to block it out, that really could have been less than fun otherwise. I remember you working on that when you came to visit us last February (for our very successful wedding dress search) and again in Sedona for the wedding. That has been a long work in progress, but it will definitely be worth it the first time you get to put it on and show it off.

I love the idea of making huge lace shawls like that, but I never know when I would wear them. I did make the Flower Basket shawl that was popular when it first came out in Interweave a year or so ago, but it sits unworn even though it is so pretty. I guess I'm still trying to work out how they would fit in my wardrobe.

The brown shawl looks really lovely too - simple but beautiful in its own way. That one will definitely keep you warm on these chilly nights! .

It has been cold here as well - or at least cold for San Francisco. It was 39F last night - just above freezing - and Southern California has even gotten snow. So cold overall that a state of emergency has been called. Nice to stay in and knit!

I am speeding away on small projects right now - I usually have one small speedy project and one larger slow project OTN to balance each other out. I can't handle having more than two at a time as I get stressed out that nothing is getting finished! But having small projects going means I can feel that things are getting accomplished. And I have already finished my first fully started and completed in 07 project, a pair of armwarmers from a Blue Sky Alpaca pattern (I love their yarns, even if I usually use them for baby items - this time I got to make something for me!) Here is a picture of them in progress earlier this week. They are now both done and soaking in the sink waiting to be blocked. Can you tell I had a lot of sitting around time waiting for appointments this week? These should help to keep me warm under my sweaters while the chill persists, although I think I'm going to get the most use out of them this spring with short-sleeved blouses and shirts. They should be perfect to balance the mix of sun and fog that makes the weather here so much fun!

I was going to start socks next, but I'm still working through what pattern to use with the Fleece Artist merino. So instead I think I'm going to use up the extra pink and green yarn as icing for cupcakes from this pattern. A local yarn store which I like but don't go to that often - there is another one between here & there that is just easier to get to - has made a call for knitters to make up these cupcakes to be donated for a window display. I think I'll make one and see how it goes. At the very least it will be a cute pincushion, and give me an excuse to use up the leftovers. Something to play with this Sunday!

Megan

PS Nathan would like to add that he did wear the sweater yesterday and it was warm. And the difference between male & female zippers is how they connect at the bottom - men's connect to the right, women's to the left. Take a look at one of Dad's jacket's and you'll see. The question now is, with the general limitations of zipper selections out there, if there are male zippers out there to buy for the 'hobbyist' seamstress. Any ideas?

Got it Blocked

Hi Megs,

The blocking of the lace shawl went very fast. Much faster than expected. Sarah, Samantha, Joan, Doris and I pulled and spread and pinned and got it spread out to a 53” square. The original pattern, Frost Flowers & Leaves from Meg Swansen’s A Gathering of Lace used 4mm needles and I used 3.25 mm needles. Using 4 mm needles the shawl was supposed to be a 72” square but I didn’t want it that large. The pattern is by Eugen Beugler. I made it from Jamieson & Smith laceweight Shetland in pale green. I am going down Monday morning before the store opens to unpin it. And it will be done!

I don’t think I can count this as my 2nd FO of the year since I finished it in November but with all the Christmas stuff going on, didn’t get around to blocking it until last night. I started it October 3 2005 – it took over a year. This project cost me more than the yarn. I had to buy extra 3.25 CN by larger and larger lengths because it kept growing. I liked doing the edging – never done an edging like that before. It took forever because I was picking up a 12 stitch edging over 1380 stitches.

It finally is cold here. Yesterday it was up to 8C (sorry, don't know what that is in F) but today it is actually below freezing - about -3C and spitting a little snow. Maybe we will have a little winter after all. Grass is still green and they are still playing golf in Pubnico. Yesterday I confirmed that we have two pair of cardinals. They all showed up at the same time and we also had a flicker at the big feeder in the back yard. Nice.

Love ya, Mom XOP

My hand spun shawl

Hi Megs,

The socks are great – the colour interesting. Never heard of fading like that – and I have knit with a lot of yarns. Did the label mention anything about it – like not colour safe? Nice anyway but not the colour you bought.

I didn’t know there was a men’s zipper and a woman’s zipper – go figure! Is it the way it connects at the bottom? Not getting this. But “smiling” Nathan looks great in his sweater. And it fits him. As we heard on the radio, men like plain sweaters – not like the one I was going to make your brother. You brought me to my senses!

I finished my triangular shawl. My first FO of the year. It turned out very nice. I wore it to the Garden Club this afternoon. The pattern is Simple Garter Stitch Prairie Shawl, from “Folk Shawls” by Cheryl Oberle. But, as we discussed at Christmas, there is an error in the pattern. If you do the “repeat rows 19 & 20” six times more after you reach 277 and you have done the yo’s at the top stitches, this takes it off on a wild tangent with more holes. Skip that repeat part and go to “knit 12 rows" - but knit 16 rows of garter stitch (it has to be the same width as on the sides) and increase as the ends of every other row as you did when you did the diagonal but not the yo” and it works! It makes sense when you see it. I guess so far in 2007 we both have our frustrations with knitting – mistakes and fading.

The yarn I used is two ply dark brown marino hand spun by my friend Doris Cook. It was so soft before I washed it but after – just so soft and light. I think I am going to have to learn to spin! Doris says she will teach me.

And tonight is the big night – I am going to block my lace shawl with lots of help from Guild members. A few of us are meeting at Hands on Crafts tonight – they have a carpet on the floor big enough to accommodate the thing. We are going to move the display cases around, put a sheet down and pin and pin and pin. I guess I should have gotten some new blocking wires – but those have not hit Yarmouth yet so we are going to do the old method. The last row of the scarf had 1,380 stitches it started with 8 stitches – and then the boarder. Have no idea how big it is going to get when we block it. I will let you know how it goes.

Love ya, Mom XOP

First finished objects of the year

Hi Mom,

Well, I finally got the camera out and managed to get Nathan to agree to a photo shoot so that I can show off my two first FO's of the year! Not bad for the second week of January (even if they are both technically pieces that I started before 07 began).

The first thing I finished were my Monkey socks, another one of Cookie's great patterns from Knitty (just like the Pomotamus socks I made for your birthday last fall). I am really happy with the result - these socks came together really quickly, and I love the pattern - even if I do wish I had taken a picture BEFORE I washed them. Why? Because sadly the vibrancy of these bright fall colors - the rich greens, yellows and pinks that called out to me when if saw the skeins hanging on the wall at Greenwich Yarns in the Marina - totally washed out in the laundry. The lighting isn't so good, but I tried to capture the difference between the finished socks and the small ball of leftover yarn. So sad!

I also gave in and used the zipper we bought in Yarmouth to finally finish Nathan's cardigan. I had spent the last few days searching local fabric stores here in the vain hope that a zipper of the right style and length could be found in a green that matched, but to no avail. Every single store had exactly the same Coats & Clark zipper in the forest green that we first found. Can we say corporate monopoly? The khaki green I had to settle for is ok, but still not quite right to me. Possibly in part because it's a women's zipper! Which I didn't notice until Nathan pointed it out. Oops!

But all the ends are tucked in now and the sweater is now safely tucked away in the dresser - Nathan is afraid to wear it in case he stretches it out (and in case someone notices that it is the wrong kind of zipper I think) Hopefully we can show it off to the world this weekend. Here he is in it - he swears he is smiling in the photo!

The new sock yarn you have sounds yummy. I am still working up my ideas to use with the two skeins of Fleece Atist sock yarn that I got in Canada. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with!

Megan

Good Pattern

Hi Megs

I do like this pattern. Once you get into its rhythm it seem to go fast. Yes, the sock pattern, Retro Rib Socks, is from Interweave Knits, Winter, 2004. I really like working with the Briggs and Little fine sock yarn, dura sport 1 ply. It is 80% wool and 20% nylon. It is a little stiff when you knit with it but when you wash it is so soft. I find that being a little stiff actually makes it easier to knit and love the feel of it through my fingers.

I fouond an absolutely wonderful sock yarn from my lys, Hands on Crafts. It is Alpaca Plus, made in Canada, as is Briggs and Little (we do good things here). I got a rich dark brown and a very subtle green and purple. Reminded me of your wedding colours. As you know, I don’t (or didn’t) knit socks but with the “twin sock” method and some wonderful yarns I think I may make more. Also, socks are very portable.

Well – off to my rug hooking group (The Carpetbaggers). Am still working on my frog purse – a little nuts. Guess I really am a knitter that hooks. Takes me forever to finish a hooked piece – not so portable – but a nice diversion from knitting when I have time to sit still.

Love ya, Mom XOP