Athos

Did you guess D?

Athos

by Norah Gaughan

Vol. 2

Size 9 and 7 bamboo circular needles

7 skeins of Berroco Linen Jeans

Color Washed Denim

I have to say I loved the Linen Jeans yarn. I was afraid when I noticed it was a tape yarn, but the LYS had a sample of the finished sweater on display and it looked so pretty that I couldn't resist. The yarn was great to work with. It is a linen blend and perfect for a summer sweater. It slid along the bamboo needles with out any struggling. It didn't split at all. Nor did it slip of the needles easily, and it drapes beautifully. It really was a fabulous yarn to work with. I can't say enough good things about it. (I guess that's obvious.)

I was going to try and do as much of the pattern in the round as I could to avoid seams, but then I chickened out. That was why I had to read up on seaming. I found a good seam tutorial on the web from Knit Simple Magazine here. My gauge was off, so I compensated by making the smallest size.

Overall I'm happy with how it turned out, and I learned a new technique (seaming).

Gotta run, I hear the dryer buzzing me!

Test Your Knitting IQ:

A self proclaimed knitaholic travels 35 mph to her LYS that is 5 miles away and finds out everything is 25% off, and she has a $5.00 off coupon too. She then proceeds to buy 10 skeins of this

Berroco Linen Jeans

and one booklet

Norah Gaughan Volume 2

and then returns home at 50 mph.

She subtracts doing 1 entire house of this

and 5 loads of this

She adds 1/2 hour of reading this

What will she end up with?

A. A great summer sweater that she can dress up or down in a color she loves.

B. A messy house and family members asking about the "underwear situation".

C. Less money in her wallet despite the fact that everything was on sale and she had a coupon.

D. All of the above.

Answer to be revealed tomorrow.

Dog Daze of Summer

We are really enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere that summer brings. We've been staying up later, and therefore sleeping in later. We've been watching baseball games. We've been grilling casual dinners, and eating them outside on the deck. We've been enjoying the fresh summer fruit and berries, and the flowers that are popping up in the garden. Oh, we love summer. Even our dog is more relaxed!

She doesn't like having her picture taken either.

Have a great weekend!

Elinor Tunic

Pattern: Elinor Tunic from Interweave Knits Summer 2008

Designer: Wendy Bernard

Yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed, main color 515, 500, 506, 537

Finished! Very quick and fun to knit. The color work looks more complicated than it is, you only knit with one color at a time on each row. The other color is slipped onto the needle from the previous row. Easy to follow instructions. I chose not to add the beads onto the side seams. The only problem I had was that the red yarn bled a little during blocking. All that being said, I just have to say I hate pictures of myself. I didn't think about that when I started this blog! I really need to find a model.

Sneak Peek!

Here is a sneak peek of Elinor. She is blocking right now. What a quick knit - no sleeves! I love Wendy Bernard's designs. They are usually top down and seamless with minimal finishing. That is my kind of project. I'm not so good with the seams.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Last Day of School!

WHOOPIE!

We are celebrating with my son's favorite - Whoopie Pie's! He is so happy.

Things I've learned about buying stash yarn:

1. I will never have the right yardage I need for a project in my stash.

2. If I do have the right yardage, it will certainly not be the right gauge.

3. If, by chance, I have the right yardage and gauge, then the color will be all wrong.

4. If, by some miracle, the yardage is right on, the gauge is perfect, and the color is beautiful, then without a doubt I will have lost interest in making the project.

5. Even though I've come to know these facts, I will still continue to buy stash yarn for future projects!

It gets me every time

I don't have any knitter friends, and I keep forgetting this tiny but important fact. Recently while having coffee at a neighbors house, I blurted out that I had finally knit a pair of socks. I was feeling pretty good about this achievement, so I never expected to hear the roars of laughter. In my defense (and remembering that it was not long ago I thought knitting a sock was insane) I quickly tried to explain how knitting is cool - the "New Yoga".

Nobody bought it!

Then the other day, totally by accident, I let it slip to some friends that I started a knitting blog, and immediately realized my mistake. After the loud roars of laughter settled down, one friend inquired, "What do you talk about - dropped stitches?" Surprised she even knew what a dropped stitch was, I again quickly began my rehearsed defense, "You know knitting is considered cool now." more laughs... Another friend asked, "What do you knit, blankets?" There are some really great blanket patterns out there, but I knew she meant the acrylic type from the 1970's. It was right then and there I knew I was trying to win an uphill battle, and reminded myself of why I started a knitting blog.

You guys think knitting is cool, right?

Rowan Summer Tweed for Elinor (Interweave Knits Summer 2008)

Check out Gay's version.

Good Mail

I won a contest over at Diary of a Mad, Mad Housewife. It was her first year of blogging anniversary. She sent me this great package - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's new book (signed by the author) and some really pretty Denise Sutherland note cards.

She is actually the one responsible for me starting this blog. It is all her fault! She emailed me after I posted a comment on her anniversary blog wanting to know if I had a blog. I thought, wow, she must think I'm really funny and wants to read more, but then I remembered I had only written something lame like "happy anniversary". Anyway, I told her that I was thinking about starting one, but didn't really know how. She directed me to blogger.com and 15 minutes later I had a blog. That's how I do things. She must have thought I was "Mad". Little did I know that I had won her contest, and that was why she had contacted me!

If you haven't checked out her blog, you really should. She is a brilliant comedian. She can find humor in the everyday challenges of parenting. One of my favorite posts was this one. I emailed the link to all my friends! She has that talent of capturing humor in a photo. So, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine (she prefers wine), and check it out!

Thank You MadMad!

Drawstring Raglan

Pattern: Drawstring Raglan from Interweave Knits Summer 2008

Designer: Margery Winter

Yarn: Berroco Seduce

Needle: Size 6 Bamboo

Overall this was a quick knit. I did have to drop down a needle size to get gauge. The yarn is beautiful, but was a little frustrating to work with. It slipped off the Addi Turbo needles, and then was a bit hard to work with on the bamboo. Kind of like a "Goldilocks" thing. I knew I would like the end result, so I just kept reminding myself of this whenever I got frustrated. These pictures are not the best. Son took them. He was in a hurry, because it was over 90 degrees outside and with the humidity felt like 100, and he wanted to cool off after a long, sticky day at school (AC was broken). When I told him I thought we should retake them, he just shook his head. Does that mean "no", or does that mean he thinks I'm crazy? Probably both.

Heat Wave

It is officially a heat wave here in the Northeast. This is the third day in a row with temperatures over 90, and it will continue tomorrow too. It is really hard to knit when the weather is like this, but I managed to finish the Drawstring Raglan except for a few ends that need to be woven in. I will try to take pictures later today.


I did do a quick and fun project over the weekend. I saw it on Creative Juice, the DIY Network show. I always wanted to try it, even bought the cookie cutters and liquid dishwasher soap, but somehow never managed to do it. (Nothing like a new blog to get you to be creative.) Anyway, you dip cookie cutters into liquid dishwasher soap. I used Cascade. Then stamp onto a t-shirt that has cardboard layered inside to protect the back. Dark color shirts work best. You let it set for a half an hour, and then wash and dry the shirt.

Here is a close up of the shirt.

This would be a great project to do with older children. The liquid dishwasher soap can be a bit messy and does contain bleach. It would be a nice alternative to the Tye-dye t-shirt.

Stay cool!

FO!

Okay, so I was one of those knitters who said, "I'll never knit a pair of socks. That's just crazy." So you'll be surprised to see my FO.

Meet Jaywalker.

Pattern: Jaywalker

Designer: Grumperina

Yarn: Schachenmayr Kaffe Fassett 4 ply mirage fire

Result: What a great pattern. She really knows how to design. The pattern was very easy to follow. There were no fussy stitches. I used a You Tube tutorial for the kitchener stitch. The final product looks and feels great! I'm converted. Now I want all my socks to be handknit wonders. Grumperina gets five stars.

*****

thank you everyone for all the great comments. i really appreciate it. the hooked wool rug on my header was bought at a local antique shop. i just love it and thought it would make a great header. it is not signed anywhere so i don't know who made it.

Hormones

Okay, so I've been lurking in the blog world for about six months now, and feel I know many of you through your shared stories. It only seems fair that I give you a glimpse into my everyday life. So, here it goes.


Me: Son?
Son: WHAT?!!!
Me: Um, I.., I.., I was just wondering if you would like a cupcake?
Son: Oh, Okay sure.

10 minutes later

Son: Mom?
Me: WHAT?!!!
Son: I love you.
Me: Oh, okay, I love you too.

10 more minutes later

Me: Son?
Son: What?
Me: Um, I forgot what I was going to say.

10 more minutes later again

Me: Oh yeah - I remember. Did you do that, you know, the stuff the teachers give you to do at home?
Son: Homework?
Me: Yeah, homework. Did you do your homework?
Son: (shakes head and walks away)

Does that mean he didn't do his homework, or does it mean he thinks I'm crazy? Probably both!

It's those damn hormones. Well, back to knitting. Tomorrow I'll post a FO. I just have to find my camera!

Getting Started

Well, I finally did it! I've been toying around with the idea of starting a blog, and finally did it! Now the pressure is on to come up with interesting posts. Oh well, there is no turning back now!

Here is what I'm working on now. It is the Drawstring Raglan from Interweave Knits. I really am having problems with the Seduce yarn the pattern calls for. This is putting it politely. But, I do think I will be pleased with the final product (keeping my fingers crossed).