Knitting plans: New mittens and hat

I received a new coat for Christmas from my dad, who was horrified not pleased that I was tooling around in only a down vest. So, I have the coat equivalent of my cheerful pink vest in a cheerful turquoise.

I knew I’d be knitting the accessories to match in bulky or superbulky yarn, because I’m a post-graduate student with a full-time career as well, and I’d like to wear the hat and mittens this winter. I chose Knit Picks’ Wool of the Andes Bulky in Caribou.

The mittens’ pattern was inspired by the mittens Bella wears in Twilight and New Moon (Ravelry).

As a companion hat, I chose one I’ve been wanting to knit for a while: the Irish hiking hat
(Ravelry).

Looking forward to seeing these chunky cables appear on my needles!

Review: Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans: More Than 50 Beautiful, Affordable Designs Featuring Berroco’s Comfort Yarn

Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans: More Than 50 Beautiful, Affordable Designs Featuring Berroco’s Comfort Yarn by Norah Gaughan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Splendid. Could only be improved by the addition of a spiral binding.

View all my reviews >>

Knitting and your pets

Noro love

I am in love with Noro Silk Garden. The color is astounding, and the texture of the wool spun with silk is so attractive. I’ve only made two small projects with it (a slouchy hat, and a cowl), but it’s already one of my favorite yarns. If only it weren’t so dear in price…

Project 1: the Slouchy Copy Cat Hat

I used Terra Jamieson’s pattern; it only took one skein of colorway 225.

I think I need to block it a little further, since a big, Irish head + slouchy = not so slouchy.

Project 2: Noro Brioche Cowl

This pattern was self-engineered; I chose a lace pattern from a Barbara G. Walker stitch dictionary, added a garter stitch border on either side, and knitted two skeins of Noro Silk Garden, colorway 272, until I had just enough yarn to bind off. Then I twisted the entire strip once, and sewed the two ends together, creating a Möbius strip.

• Noro Silk Garden @ yarndex
• Noro Silk Garden @ Ravelry

Yarn used in forensics

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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.

Self-perception: Lesson learned from a sweater pattern

I purchased some cotton spun with angora some time ago, as a bargain bag (several skeins together). I’ve been saving it, not certain what to create with this amazingly soft yarn. Finally, I decided on a simple sweater: the modified drop-shoulder pullover from Ann Budd’s wonderful book, The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges.

I chose to enhance the sweater with a lacy trim from the same book, and a gull wing lace inset created by Elizabeth Zimmermann.

It did not dawn on me until I was already working on the armholes for the back section: I had made it too large. I’m curvy, so I need sufficient positive ease in order to feel comfortable. Okay, honestly, need isn’t accurate…want is. But I had made the sweater too large, even for ease’s sake, because I had convinced myself that I’m larger than I am. I didn’t believe the measuring tape, and apparently preferred to believe the voice in my head, and so…here I was, with a sweater that, if completed, would be two sizes too big for me.

So I sheepishly admitted to myself that my body is much smaller than I perceive, and frogged the sweater. I’ve now completed the back, and am about halfway done with the front. Rather than a banner of a mistake, I shall wear this sweater as a banner of pride, a reminder that we are all better, more attractive, more capable, than we think.

• my sweater at Ravelry
• the actual pattern, without my modifications, at Ravelry
• Knitting Daily: Measuring Yourself and Your Clothing
• Knitting Daily: About Measurements and Ease
• Knitting Daily: Measuring Yourself: Bust, Waist, Hip

How about starting a Beautiful You notebook? Start by writing down what you THINK your measurements are, before you break out the measuring tape. This information might be very enlightening after you’ve found out what the real you is–you might find out that you were knitting for an imaginary gal and not for your real self at all!…Oh, and there’s only one rule: Absolutely NO unkind words or thoughts about your body are allowed. Remember: my grandpa says you are beautiful, and he’s my grandpa, so he’s gotta be right! (Sandi Wiseheart, Knitting Daily)

Knitting Math: Waist-Shaping

Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.

I think blogging is more dangerous than knitting, personally.

Granted, knitting involves pointy sticks, but blogging involves spam, grammar police, and “Internet celebrities”.

How our minds work: Library books

Larry and I hit the main library branch today; the list of checked-out books give a nice illustration of our mindspace, methinks:

• The Museum of Hoaxes * Alex Roese
• The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics * R. P. T. Davenport-Hines
• Electric Motors * Rex Miller
• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid * Bill Bryson
• Gonzo Gizmos: Projects and Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek and Return of Gonzo Gizmos: More Projects and Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek * Simon Quellen Field
• The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking * Kimberley Adams
• Glass Blowing: A Technical Manual * Ed Burke
• Killer Kids: Shocking True Stories of Children Who Kill Their Parents * Clifford L. Linedecker
• The Mothman Prophecies * John A. Keel (re-read for me)
• Mothman and Other Curious Encounters * Loren Coleman
• The Daughters of Juárez: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border * Teresa Rodriguez and Lisa Pulitzer
• Sins of the Son * Carlton Stowers
• Amigurumi: Super Happy Crochet Cute * Elisabeth A. Doherty
• Folk Bags: 30 Knitting Patterns and Tales From Around the World * Vicki Square
• Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church * John L. Allen
• American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty * Michael Cuneo (re-read for me)
• Relics * Joan Carroll Cruz
• Evil Among Us: The Texas Mormon Missionary Murders * Ken Driggs

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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.

Twittering on 2008-02-26

• Knitting a hat that will soon rest atop the head of @jxpx777. Love it. #
• @jsnell, or, going the ’80’s route, M.A.C.: The Movie. #
• Health insurance company recommendations, y’all? #
• @jxpx777 , congratulations on the excellent exam score! #

Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.