Jon's Knit Blog

Remember This?

The Big Gay Wedding Afghan lives! Now that the happy day is mere weeks away, I'm remembering that I'd do well to be working on this festive (yet monochromatic) project. And luckily the mohair didn't bother me all that much this evening.

Maybe because I was in such a good mood from having spent a lovely evening at the Metropolitan Opera. I love opera, and tonight was really a highlight of my opera-going career. Wagner's "Die Walkure." Sheer musical bliss. It was 5 hours at the opera house, but all I can say is, I've been to 3 hour operas that felt longer. I can't think of much higher praise than that. Well, maybe the fact that I think I had a music-enduced orgasm at one or two points, and multiple goose-bump moments... so that's not a bad evening at all!

Half a Poncho and a Bottle of Beer, Please.

Front or back? You make the call... I'm thinking probably the back, since the front will probably look even more fabulous since I know what I'm doing now (not that I didn't know then, but I just wanted to say that).

Anyhow, look what I found at a store in Ohio. I probably should have bought two so that I can open one to drink; I just think it's better as a collector's item, don't you?

The beer enjoyed posing with the poncho half. The poncho half, of course, got ridiculously drunk and probably will be hung over in the morning. Naughty, naughty yarn.

A Photoless Return from Ohio

And we're back.

I had a nice trip. I got a few inches done on my current Sock-In-Progress, which is in Lorna's Laces Black Purl Shepherd Sock; watched "13 Going on 30" last night with the 'rents, and knitted the whole time, in half-light. Was proud. Fucked up and had to tink back -- but only a bit!

I have to say something to the lovely and talented Kay:

I have a few afghan squares still sitting here! And I was a big loser and had to work so I couldn't make it to your sewing party which made me really depressed!!!! So I have to get the squares to you and I would love to help knit up a couple squares one afternoon if you need a hand.

What else? I am very proud to say that I didn't acquire any yarn or yarn related accessories on my trip to Ohio. I almost bought some needles -- they had those clear plastic ones that are colors, do you know what I'm talking about -- but they were in sizes I don't use very much so I left them on the shelf.

The other nice thing to note is that my ex-aunt-in-law really loved the French Weave hat. It fit her well, and she loves the feel of the yarn. Well, she should... after all, they do call it "Feeling!"

OK, more knitting tomorrow. I've been up since before 8:00am this morning, and you can see what time it is, can't you?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

And She Grows...

This is a few more rows on the poncho, but with it (her?) spread out so you can see what's going on. I made up the pattern/construction myself, and I'm pretty proud of it so far. I hope it ends up working the way I envision it!

I think I'll wait til it's all finished to provide the first official Jon's Knit Blog Poncho Pattern, but if you can figure it out already and want to Ponch-oa-long, feel free.

I'm in Ohio for the weekend (see my other blog for details on that, as well as a couple shows I saw this week, if you want); I'll see you all soon, though! I'm going to try to not acquire any new yarn this trip. I really am!

Poncho-In-Progress

Meet my sister's poncho-to-be:

And a close up of the fabric:

It's Colinette Zanziba and Giotto (purchased at Knit Happens), in a drop stitch pattern.

I was surprised by the number of people who assumed in the comments that the hat is a stranded/fair isle type of pattern. It is not. I think I mentioned, and I thought one could tell just by looking, that it is a slip stitch pattern, "French Weave," from Barbara G. Walker's "A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns," which I picked up a few months ago at Knit New York. It's a very easy slip stitch pattern, too, in my opinion. It did not require nearly as much work as it probably looks like it required.

Anyhow, that's today's progress report. Hope you enjoyed it!

Introducing Hattie McHathead!

The hat's done.

Here's the view from the top:

And to make things even more useful, I am going (again) to be in Cleveland this weekend, so I will go by and give it to the recepient in person, which will be a nice moment.

Now, which of the many, many projects will be picked up next? I want to have the Enigma scarf done by October 13, and the Big Gay Wedding is on October 30th, so I guess I need to work on the Afghan, much as I don't enjoy the mohair. I want to get the Colinette poncho done for my sister, too... and there's always the prospect of Blue Cable-y Goodness looming. Egads, I have too many WIP's.

Crowning Glory

I have to say, I like French Weave from the wrong side a lot, too:

As far as the hat goes, I'm on the crown decreases, see? I decided there's no good way to decrease in the pattern so I'm just doing basic "watch-cap"-y decreases, but doing SSK because it's easier than K2TOG, at least for me. And damnit, it's my hat design.

Speaking of designs, I actually have had someone express interest in the Cable-y Goodness design. I can't tell you how flattered I was, especially since I never really thought of myself as much of a knitwear designer, even though I do enjoy the knitting immensely. But now, I'm like, how cool!

Anyhow, regardless of whether I am a knitwear designer or simply a knitter (who blogs, of course,) I'm always having a good time if I am knitting... even when I'm cursing the yarn or tinking back 250 stitches (like I did this evening when I realized I flubbed part of the French Weave pattern). And I think I do at least a little bit better on each successive project I undertake. And isn't that what it's all about, ladies and gentlemen?

Feeling... Nothing More Than Feeling...

Still loving this yarn! Knit a few more reps on the cancer hat, and now at the dilemma level of figuring out the decreases. Eh. I'll play with it and make something up.

I love this yarn so much, though... so can you blame me for buying six skeins on eBay for about the same price as 2 skeins at the LYS? Woo hoo!

All I Ask Of You

Dear Reader of Jon's Knit Blog:

I love you for coming to my blog, make no mistake! There are two things I highly encourage you to do.

Thing one: Feel free to comment more! Comment early! Comment often. (But vote only once).

Thing two, and the real reason of this post: I see from my counter that we're rapidly approaching our 10,000th hit here at Jon's Knit Blog, and we would highly appreciate that if you happen to notice that you're the 10,000th visitor to this site and, assuming you know how, that you would take a screen shot of the site with the counter at 10,000. I know, it seems silly but I did it with my "other" blog, so I should probably do it here. I will also add that this blog got there much more quickly than the other one did, and I have all of you to thank for that. I am so thrilled and flattered that so many people seem to come here each day to see what I'm up to.

Speaking of what I'm up to, today involved a meeting and then a long, incredibly huge dinner. Wow, it was amazing. All I can say is, if you are in NYC and like great Italian food, make sure to check out Beppe on 22nd Street between Broadway and Park. It's an incredible place and I love it.

That is all, at least for now.

Knit Happened. With a Vengeance!

So I made it to Knit Happens on Wednesday in time for a delivery. I got to watch Kristine and Holly have fun.

I said it must be fun to work there since every time the UPS man arrives, it's sort of like Christmas. Especially when things like this come out of one of the boxes:

Those are poncho kits from Alchemy. I love love love the yarn but wasn't so crazed about the pattern they have with them. I know, I know, I could have made up my own pattern, but since I already have a pile of Alchemy Synchronicity sitting here in the process of being made into a sweater, I figured that I should buy something different... and of course, being a Colinette whore, I found this:

That's Zanziba in Florentina and Giotto in Fresco. I'm making a poncho for my sister. Yes, the same poncho that I already bought other yarn (twice) for. But this is so pretty! (And nice to knit, and looks so nice in the drop-stitch pattern I started...)

And Kristine was on the phone with Debbie Bliss while I was there, so I got to have her say hi to DB from me, which was cool... and Kristine showed me some cool things.

All in all? I have to say that Knit Happens is a highly recommended LYS. Plus they have a great Greek cafe just down the block so you can stay and knit all day without expiring from hunger. And for those of you from out of town, note that it's only two Metro stops from National Airport!

Knit Will Happen.

Guess where I plan to be less than 12 hours from this very moment!

Woo hoo! Stash enhancement time! And I've heard real nice things about Miss Christine. And how can you beat the fact that it's Wendy's favorite yarn store? I guess you can't...

He Said No.

Well, he actually said he's going to be out of town this weekend, but he said maybe some other time.

Well, it's better than "Never ever ever ever ever," which I have heard, too.

The question now is, how long do I wait to reply to his email so I don't sound desperate.

Anyhow, I got some more done on the hat last night, but nothing really photo-worthy. I'm off now for another annoying day at work...

Le Jazz Hot

So I watched a fair amount of TV this evening while working on the cancer hat - the new WB show "Jack and Bobby" which I liked, though I thought they gave away a bit too much in the ending, and I watched the first half of "Victor/Victoria," which, I must confess, I had never watched before.

"Le Jazz Hot" brought chills to the little hairs on my legs. Or maybe the AC was on too high...

Anyhow, I made decent progress on the hat, considering that I was spending as much mental energy on the TV as on the needles. Luckily, the pattern is very easy once you figure it out.

I doubt I'll finish it before I get to Knit Happens later this week, but who knows. The main reason I have doubt is that the decreases are going to be a little tricky to make up, given the pattern repeat and such. But I have a couple ideas and I'm sure it'll work regardless. But if anyone has experience with a similar pattern and crown decreases for a hat knit flat, please let me know.

And don't forget to be thinking of your project for the Impossible-Along!

Because Someone's Gotta Post at 4:38am

Well I got to work on the hat for my dad's brother's ex-wife who has lost her hair to cancer. She's the grandmother of my dearly beloved nephew, as I said, the one for whom I knit the Elephant Waistcoat.

Anyhow, I picked French Weave from Barbara G. Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and got to work.

(Sorry the photo came out sorta blurry -- the camera, as you can see, decided to focus on the wrong-side stuff in the background rather than the right in the front...)

It's easier than messing with the SSP stitches I'm going to have to use for the next steps of the lace scarf, and the yarn (Feeling!) is among the softest I've ever used... so much nicer than the superwash Primo in the Blue Cable-y Goodness. So I'll finish this and then start the next piece of the cables... And I do want her to have it soon. And I'm thrilled by the yarn - it will be a great yarn for use next to bare skin. I can't imagine how it could be itchy. Quite honestly, I just keep wanting to touch it, and I'm this close to buying yarn to make myself a sweater. If I didn't have so many other projects on deck, I would be buying it on Monday.

Godspeed, Good Email

So I sent an email to the boy I think I like... I invited him out to dinner next weekend!

Wish me luck, ladies and gentlemen. I'm gonna need it, given my dating track record, which is worse than the Red Sox record in the World Series...

A Day for Sharing With Pictures

Largely due to the fact that I didn't get anything done today except for knitting, I have lots of knitting to show for myself!

1: I finished the first blue sleeve:

I am extremely concerned that I will not have enough yarn for this sweater. I am not sure where the receipt is, but I'm sure that I bought more than 32 balls of Primo. I only have 15 left, and I'm only half-way done with the sweater: the back and one sleeve. I'm going to have to find more. I hope that the dye lots are not far off from each other. Yikes.

2: I used up all the non-tangled Enigma.

(PS: This photo really gives the best reproduction of the actual color of the Cable-y Goodness sweater, which is the background upon which the scarf is posing.)

The reason I felt particularly compelled to use up the remaining Enigma is that it was wound onto the center stem of my yarn winder, which I needed to wind the yarn for

3: The cashmere lace scarf bought on eBay begins. I think I spent more money on the Lantern Moon needles than I did on the yarn.

In other news, wanna hear something weird? I've gained some weight lately, and I was at the doctor's office yesterday. He asked if I knew how much I weighed, and I honestly replied that I had no idea. I made a guess, though. The doctor put me on the scale... and I was only 3 pounds off from my guess! If I had weighed less, I guess that would have been cool... as it was, the doctor said "No carbs" for the next six weeks, at least.

Grr... Knitting without chocolate? I don't think that's even human.

Retail Therapy

So I went to the doctor... nothing unexpected, but I did treat myself to a trip to a LYS afterwards. Nothing too exciting, but here's why I got:

That's 6 skeins of Manos Cotton Stria (on sale, no less! 50% off!), Lantern Moon needles (US5, initially for the cashmere scarf kit from eBay), and two balls of "Feeling," a 70% wool, 20% silk, 10% cashmere yarn which I am going to make into a hat for my dad's brother's exwife (grandmother of the recipient of the Elephant Vest). She needs a hat, as she lost all (most) of her hair, sadly, due to treatment for breast cancer.

I'm off to see "The Boy from Oz," after which I'll come home and knit... now, I have to decide, do I finish the sleeve, do I play with the hat yarn, or do I start the lace scarf? Decisions, decisions...

If Straight Men Could Knit...

My mom sent me this email forward, and it's just too funny. It's not really safe for work, either... If straight men could knit, this would be the result.

Anyhow...

I knit 6 more rows of cable-y goodness tonight, which brings me ever so much closer to the end of the sleeve. Hopefully not to the end of the yarn pile! I am not sure where the receipt for this yarn is - it's not in the bag with the yarn - but I do know that I only have 16 balls left. I will be very unhappy if that is not enough! Especially since I bought the yarn some time ago and I can't imagine that I'll be able to find the same dye lot...

In other news, this guy who I knew in college randomly sent me and email and a phone message today. We graduated from college 10 years ago together... and now he has a wife, three kids and a dog. And I have a messy apartment and, I think, a couple of mice. Wow, who wins that one? (The weird thing, though? I was totally out of the closet in college - and I thought this guy knew that... so why is he asking me if I have a family?)

Actually, I (most of the time) really like where I am, although I can assure you that I'd like to be dating someone. I met someone very interesting recently, though, and I'm hoping to take it in a good direction. He's really cute, he's very smart, he lives less than 10 miles from where I do... all of which are useful things. With my track record, though, the odds are slim... but I'm trying to be optimistic!

Anyhow, I should have a little fun tomorrow: I have a doctor's appointment at 2:00pm (a check-up, nothing bad is going on), and the doc's office is like 3 or 4 blocks away from String so I may stop in there. I need some US5 needles in wood for the cashmere lace scarf kit I bought on eBay and I know this store has a good supply of Ebony needles, so that's a plan. I don't really want to do too much yarn shopping, for two reasons. 1: String is not a cheap store and 2: I'm going to Knit Happens next week. Oh, and 3: I have more than enough yarn for more than enough projects right now... but I still want more! More! More!

Have you figured out that yarn shopping keeps me in touch with my inner megalomaniac?

Fair Warning

I got a lot done tonight -- 12 rows of cable-y goodness. Only 26 rows til the sleeve is done! Still a front and another sleeve, but progress is a good thing.

Anyhow, I was thinking about my stash at some point this afternoon, and I had an idea. It's a long-range planning type idea which is why this blog entry is titled "Fair Warning." Because I'm giving plenty of notice that I think we should have a really special knit-a-long beginning the First of the Year. Yup, January 1. Gives you plenty of time to plan, procure yarn, and get it together for this: On January 1, I will cast on for Icon, a Kaffe Fassett design, using the yarn in the pattern (in "Kaffe's Classics") - discontinued Rowan yarns bought on eBay.

So I hope that you'll all come forward with those insane Kaffe Fassett or Alice Starmore or whatever other impossibly complex pattern you've always wanted to do... and we'll do it together.

I'm thinking of calling it the Impossible-Along... and I hope you'll join me. And I'm giving you plenty of time to figure out what your impossible dream will be!

Not Gonna Happen!

So you may recall that the intended recipient of the Blue Cable-y Goodness Sweater is celebrating a birthday on October 15th and hoped to get his sweater then.

Although I'd love to give it to him, I can tell that at the current rate of growth, there's no way it'll be ready by then. And I told him as much this evening. Like I told you last night, this sleeve takes a long time to grow... and I have figured out that I have about 38 rows left to get to the appropriate length... which will probably happen late this week, luckily. But then I'll still have the front and another sleeve to do... not to mention weaving in all the ends, finishing, neckband, etc...

Sounds like someone's getting a cable-y sweater for Christmas!

Blue Pile of D'Oh!

So at least it looks nice in this photo:

But what you can't see here is that I mis-cabled, yet once again. I realized it at the end of the cable row I had just finished, so I tinked back some 50 or 60 stitches to mess-up spot. And as you may well know, tinking over cable stitches is not fun.

When I got to the mess-up spot, what did I realize? That the error was not in the row I was currently working. It was in the prior cable row - 6 long rows ago.

I decided to pretend it's not there... yet once again. After all, if he wanted a perfect sweater, he could have bought a machine-made one in a store. This way, it's hand made and special.

And maybe it'll inspire me to try Aven's miracle cable fixing technique.

My other issue of the day (I have a lot of issues, shut up!) is that I don't understand why my camera won't take an accurate photo of the color of this yarn. It's actually a brilliant ultramarine/royal blue. Nothing like the corn-flower-y color that keeps showing up when I try to photograph it.

Anyhow, the intended recipient of this blue cable-y sweater is having his birthday on October 15th. I can't imagine how I could have it done by then. It's amazing how slowly this sweater grows, even when I feel like I'm getting a lot of work done on it. (i.e., you know how long I've been working on this sleeve -- and it's only 19 inches long. It won't be done until I get to 24 inches. D'Oh! Well, I guess the fact that I knit a Norwegian sleeve and spent a lot of time out of town or doing double duty at the Convention means I haven't spent as much time on it as it may seem...)

The Growing Enigma

Why look, it's actually a knitting photo!

Yes, this is the yarn that's hopelessly tangled.

I actually cut it today and started knitting the de-tanglified part. But there is still a nasty lot of it that's really seriously tangled up:

I will either have to spend a good deal of time and energy getting this part un-tangled, or I will have to find another skein of Colinette Enigma in Morocco. Probably the latter is the more appealing choice. Because we all know how much I love to buy yarn. Maybe Kristine has some I can pick up in a week and a half when I'm in DC... because you know her shop is on my list of things to do down there.

The other thing I'm thinking about is buying some of this for which to make an Aran-y sweater. Not that I don't already have enough WIP's going on. Still, there's something about making a traditional Aran in a traditional yarn. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this yarn? Snow Goose Aran? They say it still has the lanolin, etc., which to me makes it sound like a great yarn to make an Aran. That's the only problem with mail order for yarns you don't know personally!

Anyhow, here's a photo from the Republican National Convention:

Yes, that's George W. Bush on the podium. Hey, just becuase I was there and took the photo doesn't mean I don't think he's a stupid bastard... but still, isn't it kinda cool that I got to be there and take the photo?

I Didn't Mean To, But I Lied!

I guess that's sort of political of me!

Anyhow, I was going to come home and knit this evening, just like I told you.

But I ended up getting a pass onto the floor for the speeches at the Repulsive National Convention... You can read about what I thought here.

Quite an odd evening.

Ugh... I need to go shower and get the stink of Republican BS off of me...

Tonight, Tonight!

So yesterday I was working, either at the Convention, or at my "regular" job, from 9am until after midnight. Yes, you can be sure that I'm rather tired!

But today, I'm just working the Convention, and only until 8:00pm. So after that, I get to come home and watch television - probably, programming that the Republicans would not enjoy - and knit. Sweet, blissful knitting... Ahhh.

I'm so looking forward to it - and to one of the main reasons that I do knit. I just find it so de-stressing. And the more I knit, the better I get at it, so the more I enjoy it... it's a lot harder to be stressed by something you're actually good at, know what I mean?

Anyhow, this also means that there's a pretty decent chance that I'll have something interesting enough to photograph at the end of this evening's knitting session... so you have something to look foward to tomorrow!