Inside-Out

I’m not a fast knitter.  I’m a plodder really, though I get the job done in good time.  ” Slow and steady wins the race ” I always say.

Well, there’s news !  I am going to be travelling to Vancouver BC this coming week, for some days.  The event is a Ninetieth Birthday party held in honor of my father-in-law, and… and well… I purposely held off thinking about this travelling thing, because really, I am so adverse to travel ~~ ( those who know me , can attest to the extreme, to get me over the county line is a big spree !) ~~ so I put it out of my mind the weeks coming up to it, in order to not brew and stew and work myself into a terrible state. Now it’s the week of said travel, and I can’t any longer put it out of my mind, especially as I am immersed in a last-minute knitting project that will hopefully be finished for the Man Of Honor during the visit.

You see, I want something to knit while I’m there . . . something mindless, like rib or stocking stitch of something . . . nothing too big, or two small . . . something that will keep me calm among the numbers of folk for the time I will be there (okay, two days , three nights , three mornings… you bet I have counted!) …. something very portable, and lastly, something that can be finished there.  Mind you, these are all wonderful people, intelligent and jovial and downright interesting people, yet I need my knitting to keep  ’sat at the table’ with them, to best Have A Good Time. This hermit gets plucked from her hermitage and needs tranquilizers ! Stitches are my drug of choice. Stitches keep me calm, composed, and confident in the presence of others.

Okay, back-story out of the way. So I’ve thought and thought, which sort of knitting can I be doing in constant motion , as if there is a deadline, and have a decent excuse to be doing so? Well, something for the Birthday Fellow of course !  But, well, the Birthday Fellow lives in a near desert climate, so well, knitted hat, scarf, gloves, or even a vest, are not something he could appreciate. He gave away his sweaters decades ago.  However, there’s always socks! Everybody wears socks, right?  Socks are the gift to beat all gifts, and I am determined to make him a pair !

One problem,  I only know top down sock knitting , (have only knit three pairs ; two pair in succession finished last year at this time, and, kilt hose I knit two years ago) and this is going to be difficult.  I must have the tricky business of the heel flap & turn, and gusset decreases, and toe decreases, and intolerable Kitchener stitch out of the way.  How can I make this work?

After some thought, I’ve come to a conclusion !!!

Inside-out sock knitting !  I don’t know if its been done much with socks, but I figured out how to provisional cast-on just above the heel flap, knit two rows of 2/2 rib, and get down to business of knitting the foot section  ~~~ two at a time, separately, on two circular needles each~~~ then mount the live loops of the provisional cast-on back on to needles, and knit the leg up (later)  .  Yup ! This is it!!!  This is my answer to a very complex quandary.  Here I am,  on Monday, just into the gusset decreases. I’m confident that by my departure on Thursday morning, I will be through with the whole foot, and when I am a midst the crowd , I can take out my ‘very important knitting ‘ and just smile and K2P2, engaged with the company of others, until it’s time to top it off with a big red stripe !  I am prepared for this trip with the perfect plan.   Here are the two critters in progress (I know, I’ve been on a grey & red kick lately) …

inside-out , two-at-a-time, sock knitting

I’m improvising from three different sock patterns, and using some stash sock yarn, in colors ‘jackrabbit heather’ and ‘firecracker red’ . (That bright yellow-green is the provisional cast-on crochet work which will get unravelled and removed when put on to the needles going the other way (ankle up) when I’m there.  My father in law will like them I think . I hope.

Well, it’s a beautiful morning up here on the mountain, the birds in full chorus, the sun high in blue sky already, but with a cool breeze, and I’m off for a good knit-walk to rattle off some rows on these socks !

Catching Up

There’s been plenty going on since I’ve finished my epic sweater tee projects and mailed them off last week.

I have finished another prototype, a  tam (below),  which I’m  putting together in a pattern for as a set of two styles  ~ a bonnet and tam ~ but which needs more wrinkles ironed out first, as it still is a little on the floppy side.

Here it is . . .

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I am near ready to submit the pattern !

I say yippee !!!

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And … but….oh… look !

Kaystir has been knitting Tartan & Tweed Mitts on the sly,  and as I was lurking on her Ravelry projects page yesterday, I spied them ! I will be uploading these to the mitt gallery  . . .

Kay, I love the yarn you used and the very unusual and very different affect you achieved with it. I thank you very much for knitting them and being a part of our little mitt-along. ::claps wildly::

Molly’s Montreal

She knit up so springy, and wadded up into such a condensed fluffy pet-like thing I couldn’t imagine to fit a woman. But to my fascination and surprise,  when under the water she went, when into the warm bath she melted and mellowed and soaked, hidden under the crackling shampoo bubbles, and collapsed into her true self… she transformed.  Ah, but then I rinsed her thrice in clear water, and pressed her against the porcelain sink wall as the water trickled out…. and out… and out.

And then, you know that moment when you first lift the wet heavy lump of smooshedness from the porcelain… that moment… when you feel how the wet yarn becomes weak against gravity, and you then know just how strong and sturdy, or just how delicate she is going to be? Well, let me tell you ! She rose up from the porcelain no longer a springy wad of sassy puffy loops, but now fully sprung loops, alluring, glistening with wet color, and completely relaxed into her full length and width. No question she will be the right size enough now.  How could I have doubted?

What measured  barely 28″ in the bust, just off the needles, slightly crumply,  tighter  gauge, is now loosely blocked out (just shaped, no pins) to the exact measure I wanted of 33″ .  Magically when swinging about off of the flat blocking towel, I’m sure she will bounce back to about  31″ and have just the right amount of negative ease in the bust that a fitted tee ought to have for a modern young woman. Her true nature blossomed before my eyes into that wonderfully delicate, almost lacy creature I knew she’d be, yet a rugged one to marvel. She is indeed a most lightweight summery knitted top to behold.

Her sleeves are not fitted, but something like the pant legs of sailors trousers ~~~ wide and airy.  A breeze can blow through this three-quarter sleeved tee and be dried like freshly scrubbed ship deck in the sun out at sea, in all of about ten minutes.   Refined , yet rugged, and wouldn’t completely die if she accidentally went through the wash. Yet she prefers the handwash treatment, and loves to dry fast out in the sun.  I’ve had a lot of education with these pin-striped tees, I’ve learned what a versatile thing which is skinny sock yarn, knit on tiny needles or big ones !  Once upon a time I thought I wouldn’t like knitting tops with it, but I love it now !!!

Molly is actually the young lady to whom this lucky tee will belong. I am soon to parcel up this wee tee and post it to her,  off to Montreal.  ((  ” Off to Montreal ”  sounds like a fast-paced French Canadian reel or something. ))  It is cropped a lot in the waist length from the original tee, and then longer sleeves (which skirt-wearing Molly requested)… a bit loose in fit and knit in the opposite direction from the live loops of provisional cast-on, to just past the elbow. Though it looks bigger & boxier than the original, I assure you, it is smaller all around.

The perfect top for a visit to the beach on bicycles, for a picnic.  Molly’s Montreal is a modified version of Jenjoyce’s Pin-Striped Sweater Tee , the previous post and the pattern prototype, (which got sent off to her younger sister Maya a week ago). The pattern is at the moment, undergoing editing, and will be available very soon !!!

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Details on Ravelry HERE

Edit in :  I am convinced the decreases in the rib at the neckline need an overhaul… so am presently working on that to write into the pattern.

A Well-Mannered Sweater Tee

Presenting Jenjoyce’s Pin-Striped Sweater Tee !

If you cast your mind back to these posts , you’ll understand that I’ve been brewing & stewing, writing, test-knitting and refining this design for several months now, having knit one after another.   I’ve been having some major knitting epiphanies and feeling very excited about it all.

Notice how it drapes so well on the chair ? That is because it is a fairly delicate creature, with polite,  well-mannered and refined character ~~ yet rugged , made of durable sock yarn, and ready for adventure !

This tee is knit with fingering weight sock yarn on size #6 needles, and it has created an exquisite sheer quality one doesn’t see unless it is held up against back-lighting.

And it is a very fine fabric indeed, so when it is folded, it lays in a discreet , low-profile sort of way. It just screams springtime! And summer too!

Pour yourself a cold drink, and pour yourself into this delightful knitted top, it has just the right amount of negative ease, as it possesses impressive resilience. Not to mention cheerfulness unique about itself, what with all those tiny stripes melting into one another. It just invites compliments from every angle !

It has raglan decreases at the shoulders (even through the neck ribbing), is totally seamless as it is knit in-the-round, has  single row color changes (pin-stripes as I call them) , provisional cast-on bottom and sleeves,  and . . .

miles of 2-stitch cord bind-off , finishing a single rib , wide, but not too wide, which makes a lovely neat, sophisticated edge.

A well-mannered sweater tee indeed, and it’s being posted to Vancouver very soon, to live with Maya !

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Project details on Ravelry HERE

Edit in :  I am going to turn my knitting notes into a pattern for this tee ! I’m also convinced the decreases in the rib at the neckline need an overhaul… so am presently working on that to write into the pattern.

Incoming Pin-Striped Mitts !

 

Another finished pair of  Pin-Striped Fingerless Mitts !

These were made by Enquery  (aka ‘ Moz’ aka ‘Morrie’) and the photo she just sent to me. 

Just look how  utterly pretty and spring-like they are !!! Lovely knitting in gorgeous colors of wool too !

Thank you Morrie ! xx

( project details on Ravelry here.)

How About A Cafe Frigetto !

I’ve been going a bit wild with the pin-stripes lately, as you know,  and to fuel me through the tedium of miles upon miles of 1×1 rib, 2-stitch cord bind-off finishing, I’ve been keeping company these afternoons with my new drink I call ‘cafe frigetto’.  Its espresso, ice, more ice, and real cream (yes, heavy whipping cream, not half & half), and it’s ~~~~ frigid cold ~~~ and delish !!!!  It has helped stave off my afternoon hunger , and has zero carbs.

Here’s how : In a pint glass filled to the top with ice, pour 2 or 3 shots of fresh brew’d espresso over, stir vigorously until ice stops melting and then more ice to the top. Lastly, a generous amount of heavy cream poured over it all…sinking & swirling down…never quite making it. Nectar !!!

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Dizzy

I am dizzy… dizzied… committed to a state of dizziness.

I am whirling with yarn vertigo, bewildered, confused about the real world, heedless of responsibility, an obsessive and foolish knitter.  Why I want to knit & write a pattern for this pin-stripey tee  escapes me. What… why… would anybody want to wander into this maze of madness ? ( A pattern???  Well, we’ll see if I live to write one ! ) Those friends who may wonder through what crack I have fallen, in what woods I may be lost and disoriented, I have not forgotten you. I am hopelessly tangled up in endless labyrinth of tiny stripes since early last December.  I hope to find my way out, and be back in the world by this time next week ~~~ a goal !  From inside of my knitterly fishbowl, I wave.

Leeks & Scallions !

This is not really a knitting post, nay. In order to cheer myself and this space here up a little, I’ve decided to begin sharing my garden a bit. Especially as this weekend , and last, and the one before that, I’ve worked like an ox in the garden. My hands are riddled with cuts, thorn punctures, slivers, scrapes, and my nails are very dirty. And I am sore, sore, sore…. and tired, tired, tired… but I am so fired up !

So here are two jars of the first of this year’s harvest from the garden ~ one of leeks, and one of scallions. There is a bounty of these now, as I planted them from seeds at the very end of last summer, then proceeded to ignore them all Autumn & Winter, and they just grew and bunched and multiplied somehow.

This morning early before the sun was high, I was out taking all the leeks and scallions out of their bed, an old rusty bathtub ~ (yes, that would be a ‘leeky tub’) ~ and dividing and replanting. Maybe not the way it was suppose to be done, but I’m learning my way ! I’m so proud to have harvested these. I’m big now on mastering the garden’s best friend ~ the alliums !

Pause

I’m pausing from my busy day, taking a break from the knitting I’m immersed in, and disregarding any deadlines. Truthfully, I’m just having a little fun experimenting with the different photo gallery features. Photographing still more yarn of still another project I’m (still) in the middle of isn’t really necessary, but I do like these playful & whimsical circles!

I mustn’t forget about the f u n !

So anyway, these are going to be one sweater tee (which three-quarters of the way through now), and another which will be a sweater tee … um…long-sleeve-ified. I know I’m not making much sense blathering on right now about it, you’ll see soon enough. I just wanted an excuse to show you some sock yarn through little circular windows !

Back From Thrift Shop

Today practice was called off, and I decided to just … what the heck… run into town and go to my favorite thrift shops. It has actually been quite a long while since I’ve been ! I managed to find this…. a steal … $5 for a ever-so-slightly moth-eaten Harris Tweed Jacket. I have ideas for it, though I’ll be taking scizzors to it eventually, to make something else from it (I drool for hand-woven tweed)… and of course…carefully remove and transport the label.

Then, there was the usual back room bin of hangers I always rifle through, looking for the old cleaner advertisement ones, and I found a bundle of seven for 50 cents, wherein there were three nice ones to add to my collection.  I’ve been doing this for quite a few years by the way,  collecting them for literally pennies, from the same shop. I actually only have two which are repeats of the same  cleaners !  You can see some of  here , one of my quirky collections I might say… note 4 digit phone numbers !

April Walking

Emma and I have been doing some spectacular knitting-walking amongst the wildflowers recently. It’s been a bit windy lately . . .

but thoroughly lovely this April  !

Thought you might like to take a walk with us . . .

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Mini Tee

In between knitting bonnets and planting a spring garden, I have been diligently slaving away like an ox on two more Spring Pin-Striped Sweater Tee’s, in fingering weight sock yarn,  in a size 34 and 32 for some big kids. (Jeff’s nieces who live in Vancouver, as we’re going to visit them in May.)   In addition to the original pair I made around the vernal equinox (first day of spring) for my nieces in 28 & 32,  I will say, that I am going dizzy with the little tiny stripes, miles of them, unending. I will be going for more long knit-walks in the next weeks to get these critters off the needles, because as of yet, I am only 1/3 along the way of the first... panic!  I am refining the instructions with this last two tee’s, so that I might hopefully have a pattern of some sort together in another few weeks (cross fingers) before summer.

But wait, that’s not it ! I never showed you this one, knit a few weeks ago. I had opportunity to quickly knit (read ; rabidly knitting for two days, ripping & knitting over, ripping & knitting over again) a wee tee for a darling wee girl.

Totally improvovised, ever so slightly bell-shaped, I couldn’t even say as to what I did, as I just needed it done, and made it in 2 days with some left-over sock yarn I had handy . . .

Here’s Mini Tee,

((event being a very recent Easter hunt))

on a Super Mini Model . . .

I was rather suprised that the colors worked !  How cheery and old-fashioned even !

 ”Firecracker Red” and “Tranquil”

color combo really came together for us.

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Project details on Ravelry HERE

A Balmoral Bonnet

Balmoral Bonnet http://jenjoycedesign.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/a-balmoral-bonnet/

This is a typical Balmoral Bonnet style, nothing really unique about it.

Though by knitting it, I’ve experimented with shaping, improvised and learned how to ‘line’ a  band seamlessly by doing a provisional cast-on, improvised a horizontally ‘travelling’ i-cord (I honestly don’t know what to call it)…. and learned concentric decreases!!!  Oh what fun it’s been figuring all these things out ! (Including learning to use the various photo gallery features as this and in previous post!)

This bonnet is actually a prototype experiment in shaping for something else I’m working on that is a secret. (I am sorry to have to hold out, but it will hopefully be worth the wait!). I made a fast & flimsy toorie (pom pom) and popped it on it just for the photos. Overall, I’m wondering if the rim is a little too wide, and thinking it’s a little on the floppy side, having done a deal of straying from a ‘written’ tam shaping. But, with this prototype I am striving for the classic Balmoral bonnet – slash – Tam O’ Shanter shape.

What do you think?

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Details about project on Ravelry HERE

Mitt Fiesta !

As the credits say at the end of this movie video ~ thank you ~ everybody for your test-knitting contributions, I couldn’t have done it without you ! Your mitts are just all so lovely, I couldn’t help but make a little movie out of them!

And now . . .

a photo gallery !

(be sure to hover your mouse over photo to see caption,

or click to see a full sized-gallery)

Corazenia’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Corazenia’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Socksformum’s Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

Debbiedas’ Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

GDoran’s Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Mitt Fiesta !

Enquery’s Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Pin-Striped Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Pin-Stiped TuTu Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Color-Stranded & Pin-Striped Mitts

Snohomish Carol’s Pin-Striped Mitts

SnohomishCarol’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Enquery’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Brookfarm’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Brookfarm’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Enquery’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Kaystirs’ Tartan & Tweed Mitts http://www.ravelry.com/projects/kaystir/tartan–tweed-fair-isle-fingerless-mitts

Kaystir’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Jenjay’s Mini Pin-Striped Mitts

Jenjay’s Tartan & Tweed Fair Isle Mitts

Jenjay’s Pin-Striped Mitts

Jenjay’s prototype 1 mitts

Jenjay’s prototype 2 mitts

Jenjay’s Mens Pin-Striped Mitts

Jenjay’s Pin-Striped Mit Mania

Jenjay’s Mitts for Lizzi

Jenjay’s Mitts for Give-away

Jenjay’s Stranded-Color & Pin-Striped Mitts

Bizzi Lizzi knitting in the wild with her mitts from Jen

Again…. Thank you !

 

Lupinus Albifrons

Lupinus Albifrons.  Known as  just ‘ lupine ‘, it is one of the more populated native wildflowers of Northern California, and in April fills the mountain meadows, between grape vines in the rows, and trail-sides with deep blue & purple variegation.  A small woody shrub when mature, however, where grass is mowed annually (as in the vineyard rows here on the mountain)  and where seed is planted from the wind, you’ll see it popping up everywhere as young single stemmed flowers . . .

I luckily had just the perfect yarn handy when I became inspired from my walk of last week.  I had a bunch of green which I over-dyed from grey wool which  perfectly illustrates the ‘silvery’ grey-green leaves of the plant. The rich deep blue and purple played illusive games however with the camera, which wasn’t able to distinguish the two, and both came out as blue tones in most of the photos. But here it is , un chullo, for my brother’s birthday tomorrow!

I absolutely go wild photographing still-life knitteds ~~ its just one of the things I love doing, in every light possible , which enables me to make an assemblage of photos that catches different tones and characteristics  of the yarns and knitted shapes . . .

The detail with which I experimented for the first time on this chullo hat, was to add a running crocheted chain just inside the typically chullo-esque double-crocheted edge, to neaten up the edge.

I love to make my chullo hats a bit of a hybrid with gnome hats by decreasing into a point, then finishing with a braid extending off of the top . . .

They blossom into a hat with a lot of character and playful whimsy . . .

The crocheted edges  tame the curling tendency of the stockinette stitch. . .

Braid finishes being made on both ear flaps . . .

(the purple really pops in this photo below !)

Un chullo,  inspired from the lupine flowers  in the fields of Northern California.  To be given to my brother tomorrow, and there could be nobody more appreciative than he, who wears them everyday , and who is also a botanical wizard !

NOTE :  I have taken notes as I knit this one, so if anybody is interested, I could assemble a pattern of sorts from it.

Details on Ravelry HERE

Well, I’m off to walk the mountain with Emma, but I will leave you with a little slide show of the early morning walk of last weekend, from which this chullo’s lupine photos were taken . . .

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