My Sleeves are Too Short

Totally Gratuitous

2009-09-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

No knitting, since I have no photos of the items for which I have ballbands, and no ballbands for the items that I've knit.

The beginning of school is always bumpy, and my excellent organizational skillz go out the window (from my perspective. Everyone else is like, "Wow! You're so organized! Can I have a copy of that handout?")

So, to make up for it, here are two photos of Milo from our trip to St. Louis, where, yes, I did wear the Shawl of a Thousand Lives, twice (but not around him, since he's grabby).

My Mr. Man is quite the Big Boy these days. Seersucker shorts, pants, and argyle vest courtesy of my mom, who is from Grosse Pointe via Greenwich and can't help herself.

Ada's Hat and Donuts

2009-08-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago, the Nonlinear Family minus Ada came over for a no-cook brunch. Portland was in the midst of an unbelievable heat wave and even though Friday morning was the first time we emerged from the basement in the morning and didn't burst into flames, I still didn't want to cook anything. We made a trip into St Johns for bagels and donuts, cut up fruit and had yogurt and granola, and though John did turn on the stove to make coffee, everything else was uncooked (by me).

This hat was made from the leftovers from the Necco Wafer sweaters I made for the Nonlinear Twins (here), and was the perfect post-shawl knitting, since I could actually watch TV while I worked on it. It's the same Knitpicks CotLin, knit up at 5.5 sts/in on a US 6 kneedle in 4-row stripes. The top braid is 24 strands of yarn (4 each color) so it's pretty substantial.

I know this isn't a Mommy Blog

2009-08-05T14:42:00.001-07:00

A few hours ago, I sent the following to my pal, Nora, who suggested that I save it for 10 years because at that point I should be far enough removed to find it funny. Milo has always had eating issues and I have developed amazing skillz when it comes to catching barf. I didn't know my skills went this deep.

Milo, if you're reading this, know that this made the list of Grossest Things That Have Happened To Me. I expect some day that all things on that list will involve you in some way.

Hey Nora

Milo is full on in the tantrum phase. We thought we had more time before that happened, but nope. It’s like the clock changes to 5:30 pm and horns come out of his head and he’s inconsolable. Also, he took a tumble on Monday AND on Tuesday at daycare, and he has a huge bruise on one cheek (face meets concrete stairs) and one across the bridge of his nose and under his eye (face meets ground, also First Bloody Nose!)

Aaaanyhow, he had one hellofa tantrum Monday in the basement because I wouldn’t let him run with scissors or some such and he screamed for 30 minutes and the whole time was drooling and his nose was running and it was pretty maddening because there was nothing I could do about it. So, right about 6, he gets going again, and I pick him up and say he needs to stop because when he stops we’ll go have dinner. And he starts to gag on all the nose nasty he’s been swallowing while screaming. And we’re in the basement, so I rush over to the laundry room (concrete floor with drain) and I’m almost there and he BARFS DOWN MY SHIRT. Only there’s a little barf on the outside of my shirt and I feel like that’s it because there’s no barf on my boobs or my bra and then he barfs again all over the carpet and the cuffs of my pants and I stand up and realize that the inside of my shirt caught a cupful of barf and I didn’t know it until I stood and smooshed it against my stomach. And he’s still screaming and there’s barf on the floor and OH MY GOD how do you get a shirt off that is full of beef vegetable gerbers that he ate 3 hours ago. So I put him down and yelled at him but good, which by the way doesn’t get him to stop crying and I get my shirt off and I try to get the barf off the floor (so the cat’s don’t...ew....) and I’m scrubbing the floor in my bra and pants (which are barf-free, amazingly, except for the cuffs) and I’m grossed out and he’s screaming and John’s not home and I still don’t have my dress for the wedding next weekend and I’m probably not going to get tenure and I think, “I feel like Nora would understand how frustrated I feel right now.”

I also had a glass of wine with dinner later, because I felt like I deserved that, at least.

Stephanie

Here. Squint to see the Beads

2009-08-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of the shawl, and if you squint, you really can see the teeny beads. I promise. All 400 of them are there. The color is more accurate in the second photo -- the shawl is a buttery yellow.

Swallowtail Shawl

2009-07-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

To get the story on making this shawl, scroll down or click here.

It was a little unfair for me to write the whole post about finishing the shawl without posting photos, so let me remedy that.

Vital Stats
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006 issue. Modified by adding 10 extra repeats of the budding lace pattern, substituting beads for nupps, and then later a knit row with 4 yarn overs and 4 kfb increases to make up for some bad math.
Needles: John's grandmother's metal straight US 4.
Yarn: Cobweb weight alpaca from Blacksheep Gathering in cream. About 600 yards
Beads: Size 11 Czech beads in pale sage, applied one at a time using a size 14 (3/4 mm) crochet hook. Probably 300 of them.
Finished size: 62 inches across the top and about 44 inches deep. In other words, it's pretty large for a shawl, but it's perfect for me. Lucky!

I'll take some outdoor photos when it's a little cooler out. These were taken on my office floor, because there is a/c in here, but I do realize that you can't really see the beads. They're there. I promise. I'd show you a picture of what it looks like on me, but it's alpaca, it's 300 degrees out, and it would stick to me.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics. I assure you mine are far greater" - Einstein

2009-07-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

A quick recap:

A few months ago, John says, "Why don't you knit something nice for yourself?" and I think, "He's right. I should do that." I stash dive and find 2 skeins (580 yds each) of cobweb weight alpaca in a pretty cream color, and start looking for a pattern. I think I'd like a shawl to throw over my shoulders at John's cousin's wedding on Aug. 15th. I need something with a short, easy pattern repeat so I can work on it while watching Milo. I settle on the Swallowtail Shawl, which I made for my mom (in an aran weight).

Things progress nicely. I finish 14 repeats of the Budding Lace pattern and realize that the thing isn't going to be big enough since I'm using a smaller-than-called-for yarn. I need to add repeats, but a little figuring and looking at the 3 rows of border lace and I realize that however many stitches I add (at 4 increases every other row), that number has to be a multiple of 6, 8, and 10. That makes 120 extra stitches increased, or 10 extra repeats of the Budding Lace pattern. I trust this will be sufficient to make the shawl big enough (keeping in mind that I am 6 feet tall and have broad shoulders). Of course, without taking it off the needles, I have no way of knowing how big the thing will be, and there are 195 stitches on the needles, so they're not coming off. Blind Faith. I had it in abundance. So much so that I had a lifeline thread 60 rows back, and I didn't tie it and at some point Milo gave that bright blue lifeline a good tug and about 2 inches of one side were stitches without a net.

Hey Nupp! You can SUCK IT. Love, Stephanie
With the budding lace pattern (24 repeats) down, I started on the Lily of the Valley lace #1. The first row is all knit save 4 increases. I purled back. Then I set up for the nupps and amazingly all the numbers came out right. On the purl back row, I had to purl 5 together at each nupp to make the little bobble. Somewhere well past the halfway point (so, say, around 200 stitches in, I was doing this little maneuver, and the yarn broke. In the nupp. Not the working yarn. The part already knit. I didn't cry. I didn't even say anything unladylike, though I did tell John he needed to sit down and be quiet and not offer suggestions because he didn't know anything about it. (Sorry, John.) The shawl went into time out while I decided what to do.

A day later, I was ready to face facts: there would be no nupps in this shawl. The yarn was way too fine for rough handling. Also, I was not going to unravel the thing back to the lifeline that didn't go all the way across. No, I was going to do something way more rational. I was going to pick up all 319 stitches in the knit row 2 rows back.

One thing about me: I don't take kindly to being told that I can't do something. WHen I was in college, I saw this advisor and he said I wasn't serious enough to be a math major at the University of Michigan. He may have been right, but he shouldn't have said it, because a week later I went to the chair and declared myself an honors math major. About a month later I met another female student who'd been told by the same advisor, "Women don't major in honors math at the University of Michigan." About a year later I made a pop-up book called, Calculadies: The Women of Mathematics. No, I never emailed the guy to tell him what happened to me. I did sit in on his class about a decade later when I was in Ann Arbor, and when he asked me who I was I told him I was a graduate student from UCLA working with some of the top guys in the field. I may have given him the middle finger under the desk while I said it.

Now, nobody said I couldn't pick up all 319 stitches, but John, who provided coffee and stopped talking when I said, "Honey, I'm counting," did say, "This might not end well."

But, after 8 hours (4 long Milo naps) later, all the stitches were picked up and I was on my way. I was slowly going blind, but I was on my way nonetheless.

I know! Beads!
The next day I placed a call to my knitting buddy Elaine, who is a crafter and an artist and has good suggestions. Mostly I wanted her to confirm that I could NOT put the bobbles in the piece, and to agree that maybe I could put beads there instead. You know, because I'd never done that before and it was a good time to try something new. Elaine knows how I roll with knitting, and agreed I could add beads. She even told me what size to get (11) and lent me her crochet hook (.75 mm -- yes, you read that right). So I went to get 400 size 11 beads, and the woman at the bead store, when I told her what I was doing, said, "Oh, I don't think you'll be able to do that," which was all the push I needed to plunk down $2 for the beads and get to work.

Here's the thing: each bead has to be placed individually on the (very delicate) yarn using a hook so small that I had to use my thumb to feel which side had a hook on it, because I could not tell by looking. Also (and we did not consider this), the hook needs to be held in the right hand, which then completes the manipulation to get the bead threaded. I am left-handed. This process felt very much like I was doing it with an oven mitt on my hand. Each row took about 2 hours to complete, and I clicked the row counter with real gusto every time I finished one. I needed something to live for, and watching the dial go up by one was all I could look forward to. Even the purl rows started to take forever.

However, I got through all 20 rows of the two Lily of the Valley lace, and put that tiny hook back in the container and felt thoroughly proud of myself. Take that! Unsupportive Bead Shop Employee!

The Wrong (Multiple of 8) plus 19

One lace pattern to go. 16 rows of lace, then 2 more rows and I'd be done. I started the Border Lace with 2 stockinette rows, and then on row 3 of the pattern, I realized I'd made an error. See, way back when I added those 120 stitches, I added 15 multiples of 8, and though I am not a number theorist, I do know that 15 is an odd number. The pattern repeat was 8 stitches long. So my bad math waaaay back before the nupp/bead fiasco meant that I'd added 7 pattern repeats to both sides, but had 8 extra stitches lying about in the middle. That wouldn't do. I realized this only after I got to the middle of the now nearly 400 stitch row, and had to unknit, in a lace pattern, that half of the row. That took about an hour. I added a stockinette row and increased 8 stitches across it's length. That seemed fair. Now I had the right (multiple of 8) plus 19 (presumably) and I proceeded with row 3 of the border lace. Only when I got to the middle, I had 6 stitches left, which didn't make sense.

(I'd like to take this moment to point out that I have a Ph.D. in mathematics, but not one in arithmetic. However, I still knew I'd done an OK thing, and that it should have worked out.)

At this point, I could either burn the thing or unknit the half-row AGAIN and count everything. Also at this point, I did say some rather nasty things to the shawl. And when I finished unknitting and counting, I realized that I was spot on.

I knit row 3 a third time, and things came out OK. I knit the second half of the row, and that was OK too.

I worked another 9 rows or so without incident, but the ball of yarn was getting very, very small.

The 30-minute Ball Wind
Six (SIX) rows from the end, the ball of yarn gave out and I realized that yes, I would actually have to wind the other 580 yard, very delicate cobweb-weight skein (which I was now referring to in very nasty terms). It took 30 minutes and was painstakingly slow. Also, you know who likes the ball winder? Abby. The cat.

The yarn broke once, but it was far enough into the ball that I decided it would only have an effect on the NEXT person to use the yarn. I added it in and kept knitting.

In which the shawl gives me the middle finger under the table
I got through the last bit pretty easily, actually. The rows were really, really long and took forever, but whatever. Nothing compared to picking up 319 stitches or keeping the cat away from the ball winder.

In the past, my lace bindoffs have been a little tight, so I went up a needle size. This had a nonstandard bindoff, presumably to make it stretchier, but I got the pattern down and started in on all 443 stitches. And before I got halfway, the working yarn broke. I'm not even making that up. John was there, and saw my head explode. I grabbed that tiny crochet hook and undid the complicated bindoff a few stitches (I was getting REALLY good at unknitting lace), reattached, and in one blessed sitting, bound off the damn thing.

John was sitting next to me when I got to the end, and he said, "Have you thought about how the yarn is going to stand up to blocking?"

I forget, what was the fuss about?
I'm glad I get to report that this ends well. The ends were easy to sew in, though there were many, many of them (in my opinion, a lace piece should have a beginning end and an end end and no ends in the middle. Elaine. Nod if that makes sense.) I picked up each scallop with waxed dental floss and ran floss across the top. I doused it in the guest room sink, blocked it on the guest room bed (using the floss to pull it tight) and unpinned very carefully to make sure I didn't catch any yarn in the T-pin. It's lovely.

I'd show you, but none of the computers I have at this moment have a working interface with my camera. Seriously. But it's really, really beautiful.

319, Actually

2009-07-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

There are 319 stitches on my needles. I forgot to include the 4 increases in the row I was picking up -- I mean, I remembered to pick them up, but not to include them in the count.

In any case, I've counted, recounted, re-recounted, and purled back to make sure. I think I might be good to go.

OR the whole thing is going to unravel, and I will follow suit.

Patience

2009-07-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Milo doesn't understand the word, "No." He thinks it means, "Keep on doing what you're doing, and be sure to turn around and smirk at your Mama when you're doing it." It doesn't seem to matter if he's doing something annoying or dangerous, the response to, "No," is always the same. And what can I do? He doesn't talk, so I can't get a response out of him. I try reasoning, but really, he's 14 months old and probably doesn't get reasoning yet.

So all I can do is be patient and hope that someday he gets why he cannot climb on the somewhat flimsy play table. I mean, if he doesn't figure it out by listening to me ("It's not going to support your weight.") then he's going to figure it out "The Hard Way."

It's taken me over 6 hours to get a lifeline threaded 4 rows back, and then to get the stitches onto some US 1 and 2 needles. Now I'll need to move everything over to my US 4. Then I can start knitting in the hopes that I haven't accidentally dropped a stitch.

Patience.

We Shall Not Speak of This Again

2009-07-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back, John suggested that I put down the baby sweaters and hats and make something for myself. We're headed to a wedding in St. Louis in a few months, and I thought it might be nice to have something lacy for over my shoulders during the ceremony. I asked around, looked through my stuff, and decided to make myself a Swallowtail Shawl (which I'd link to if I wasn't so pissed off). I made one for my mom on a larger needle a few years ago, and I had some cream-colored cobweb weight yarn in hand for my own. MOST of it has a 6-row repeat that's easy to memorize, so I could work on it while watching Milo.

I got done with the 14 pattern repeats, but decided that it looked really small. (I am not a narrow-shouldered woman). A little math, and I saw that I'd have to add 10 pattern repeats to make the numbers work out. I put in a lifeline and kept going. After 6 of the additional repeats, I put in another lifeline.

One day, while playing, Milo grabbed the knitting and pulled the second lifeline halfway out. (I knotted the first, but not the second. Why? No idea.

Whatever. I kept going.

I finished the 10 extra repeats, bringing me to 315 stitches to start the first of 3 border patterns. There are nupps. I've done the thing before, and so I know that the nupps are problematic. As far as I can tell, I did everything right on them, using a needle 3 sizes down on the purl row and all. But about 3/4 of the way back on the first purl row, the yarn broke. Not the yarn I was working with, but the yarn in the nupp.

I have not yet shed tears. I am trying to be calm. But I have no lifeline. The yarn would be ruined by a huge pull-back. I have the all knit setup row for Border #1, and it's 3 rows back.

Right now, I'm going to try to pick up the stitches. All 315 of them. I know if I miss one, That column will unravel and, well, as John said, "It will be like the last season of The Wire. It's not going to end well for anyone."

Sweaters for the Nonlinear Twins

2009-06-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

At John's urging, I'm going to try to post more regularly here. I have been knitting, but life has gotten so busy with all the Running! and Pointing at the Cats! and Eating Graham Crackers! (And then there's the math research, and the worrying about tenure, and keeping the house clean and the yard weeded and and and....)

So, without too much comment (because this math in front of me isn't going to do itself, though I wish it would), some photos of my Milo modeling the sweaters I made for the Nonlinear Twins

The sweater pattern is Necco Wafer from the spring 2009 issue of Twist Collective. The yarn is Knit Picks CotLin worked on a US5 needle. I made the 12 month size (so it's a but snug on Milo now, but will fit the twins next winter-ish), and followed the pattern closely for the blue sweater. The purple one is different only in that I did 4-row stripes rather than 2-row stripes, since it halved the number of ends I had to sew in. (On the blue sweater, there were FORTY ENDS ON EACH SLEEVE). I also made the purple sweater in the round to the armpits rather than making it in two pieces and seaming. I don't feel like babies need the structure that seams provide.

Other than the ever-present feeling of being rushed and busy, things are going really well in our house. In truth, I've never been happier. But then, look at this photo, taken 15 minutes from our house, where we were picking raspberries.

How could I not be happy?

Click Here to find out how!

2009-05-13T19:40:00.001-07:00

That 70's Hat

2008-08-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not all about the hats these days, but the other project I'm working on (slowly, slowly) is both huge and a Christmas present, so...more hats!

This is Whitney's 70's Ski Hat from The Purl Bee. Sort of. I picked out this pattern and took it, plus leftover yarn from a sweater for Milo, when we went to the hospital. Of course, I got very little knitting done there, since I was on massive painkillers and, by the way, had this BABY to look after.

I asked John if he wanted a blue hat or a red hat, and he chose red. I mostly followed the pattern, using Cascade 220 superwash and a US7 needle, but instead of lining the bottom with cashmere, I just used the 220. It's not that I think John is undeserving of cashmere, but 1. I wanted to use up the extra yarn, and 2. I wanted the hat to be machine washable.

So, for his hat, I used a provisional cast on with 90 stitches, increased 10 stitches evenly right before the turning row, and when I knit the inside to the outside, I just took care to evenly space the extra stitches. And when I was done, I thought, "I still have enough leftover to make Milo a blue hat."

It's basically the same, but I cast on 72, increased to 80 at the turning row, and changed the stripes to 3 rows green, 2 rows yellow, 1 row red. I also knit 13 rows of "inside" fabric (before the turning row), and then 7 rows of blue before I started the striping.

I love them. And when I finished, John decided, he'd really rather have a blue hat. So much for using up the stash. I'll have to go get more blue.

The guys were kind enough to pose for me, despite the sweltering late-July heat.

The top photo cracks me up, in part because it looks like John is auctioning off our son. Disagree? What if we put them on TV?

He's all Ron Popeil. Set it and Forget it. (Via PhotoFunia)

He Doesn't Even Mind THIS Hat

2008-07-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

Posting is going to be slow for a while, I realize. While our child sleeps well at night, he's not so consistent with the napping during the day. Either I learn to type and upload pictures one-handed, or I post sparingly. For now, the latter is a better option.

BUT, the big news is that I have been knitting. Not a lot...not as much as I'd like to...but some.

I actually started the small size of this hat in the hospital, but made only an inch of progress, then he grew and it was clear that he'd need the bigger size. I think the pattern still needs tweaking, though. I'd like the hat to be a little deeper, for one. Unfortunately, as it stands right now the pattern repeats work out perfectly, and one full additional pattern repeat will make the hat too deep, so I'm not sure what the solution is. One thought: the hexagon pattern has 6 rows of yellow between the greens. Maybe if I made that 5 rows, and then added another pattern repeat, the hat would be just slightly deeper...about 1/3 to 1/2 inch. I don't know. I'm going to have to play around with it a bit.

And oh yeah, he's cute, but he's going to need therapy if I keep insisting he wear a turtle on his head.

That's a totally gratuitous baby photo. Indulge me.

I made the above scarf for our OB Nurse Practitioner. It's the Branching Out pattern from Knitty, and because there are only 5 rows of lace, it was the perfect project for the times when Milo would sit in my lap and alternate between fussing and catnapping for a few minutes. I've made this scarf before, but not with fingering weight yarn, and though it took quite a few pattern repeats (48) to make it long enough, it came out really nice. The yarn is...well, I have no idea where that ballband went (Cheri? Can you name that yarn?) in the "Greens" colorway, and I used US 5 needles for the lace, and US 7 needles for the 5 rows of garter stitch on either end. I blocked it pretty severely, and it ended up about 75 inches long and 5 inches wide. Yes, it was hard to give it away.

And...as I finish typing this, he's waking up, ravenous.

He Doesn't Mind the Hats

2008-05-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, for the first time since we left the hospital, I picked up needles and knit about 4 inches on a very simple lace scarf. Milo will sleep for about 40 minutes after a feeding, and I've also managed to get him to sleep in the sling, so though I rarely have two hands free, there are times when I think I'll be able to get a little (very little, very simple) knitting done. The sling is asymmetrical, though, and that means that one arm seems shorter than the other. This may affect tension.

I have nothing to show for my meager efforts of last night, or...nothing interesting anyway, so instead, I'll share more photos of my offspring, who, despite a raging case of baby acne, is the Cutest Little Thing.

(Perhaps not so little. At his 6 week checkup, he weighed in at 10 lbs, 4 oz. He'd gained a full pound in the two weeks since his last appointment. Though he is riding the 50% wave in weight, dude's up off the top of the height chart. This does not surprise us in the slightest.)

So, here's some proof that he's smiling, and that he is loved by knitters. The yellow hat is from his Great Great Aunt Renee, and the green one is one of mine. It's a little big, and he looks distinctly like Mushmouth when it falls down over his eyes (but we don't say that too loudly in case he has a fragile ego).

A New Sweater (for Milo)

2008-04-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Since we got home from the hospital, knitting has been about the last thing on my mind. I haven't picked up needles, looked at patterns or blogs, or thought that I could actually get my act together to make it to knit night. Milo is doing well, but we're on a rigorous feeding program to help him get back to his birth weight, which means that neither John nor I can be away for more than about 45 minutes. Today I walked to the corner -- about 20 yards -- and was too tired to make it any further. I'm recovering slowly from the C-section, and right now the hardest things are getting up the stairs, getting off the couch without using one of the arms, and not picking up the cats (or anything else except little Milo). My mom has been cooking, and my dad has been doing the dishes, which are two (of many) things that the doctors say I cannot do for another 5 weeks.

I should be back and knitting (and posting more regularly) soon, but until then, I may have to tide you over with photos...

Here's a sweater I finished on the 14th, just after we tried accupuncture and burning mugwort over my pinky toe to induce labor. The pattern is the Knitting Pure and Simple top-down raglan, and the only changes I made were the following: 2x2 ribbing on the sleeves, bottom, and collar (instead of 1x1), a crochet chain and zipper on the edge of the fronts (instead of a button band and buttons), and I made the collar twice as high and folded it over to make it stand up a little more. I'd never tried this pattern before, but feel like everyone else has, and I have to agree, it is just about the easiest sweater I've ever made, and there are endless variations I can see that would make it really fun to make over and over.

The burnt orange and green yarns are both Berocco Pure Merino, bought when Lint closed last summer, and it's become one of my favorites. The tan yarn is some leftover Ksar by Bouton D'Or, which is a little fuzzier than the others but mixes in just fine. I used a US 8 needle for everything but the ribbing, which was probably done on a US 6, but at this point, who remembers details like that? It's the 6 month size, so it should fit in a month or so.

And now, because I'm so totally smitten, here's some Milo for you.

Saturday, April 20. Day 4, at the Hospital.

Tuesday, April 22. Day 7, at home, in his moose onesie from Aunt Laura.

Milo Conrad

2008-04-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

We're home, finally, after 5 days in the hospital. More soon, when I'm lucid, but we wanted to introduce our son, Milo Conrad.

He joined us on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 1:06 pm.

8 lbs, 9 oz, and 20.25 inches long

Kicking and Screaming, and we could not be happier.

41 Weeks, Exactly

2008-04-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

John and I are headed to the hospital in about 4 hours (midnight on 4/16/08) to be induced. I'll be exactly 41 weeks, a total of 7 days late, and about as uncomfortable as I've ever been.

And I was in graduate school for 8 years, which was PLENTY uncomfortable.

Our little guy is cooked, and just doesn't seem to know that it's Time To Show Up. So we're going to give him a little push and hope for the best.

We'll post news as soon as we can. In the meantime, think good thoughts for us.

40 Weeks, 4 Days

2008-04-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Still Pregnant. And because he's now 4 days late, baby's getting another sweater. It's blocking now, and needs a zipper, and I'll post a photo as soon as it's done.

To take my mind off things, John and I went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn yesterday. It was nearly 80 degrees in Portland, the sun was out, and for a while, I forgot about being frustrated and tired. I loved it. It made me happy.

We haven't taken a ton of photos of me pregnant, mostly because I don't find them to be that cute. It's only really recently that I've looked decidedly pregnant, in the sense that I get knowing smiles from older women as I waddle by. Until a few weeks ago, I looked more like I'd really enjoyed quite a bit of cake (which I have, but also, there's a baby in there.)

After wandering around the fields for an hour, we took in the crafts, and bought some handspun wool for a winter cap for John -- in two of his favorite colors, grey and dark grey. And because we spent $13 on the handspun, we only had enough cash left to buy one bratwurst, which we shared, and which was delicious.

I Want To Make All of Them

2008-04-07T15:56:00.001-07:00

So, for a birthday present for myself, I bought these two little kits from the Crafty Alien website. I had no idea how much fun I'd have knitting up these little critters. Plus, I got John to help with the hand-felting, which neither of us had done before -- when buying something you don't need, it's always good to try a new skill, no?

OK. Maybe that's just my excuse for buying both of these kits. Yeah. New skill.

They're about 4 inches high, now that they're done and felted, and yeah, they do have a kind of alienesque quality to them, but they're still cute and soft. More importantly, they make me smile.

She's got 39 different kits on her blog, and I want to make all of them.

Spiral Hats and Some Booties

2008-04-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

Craig, who made some of the cutest little socks for our little guy, gave me the rest of the yarn from the socks to do with as I pleased. I think brown and blue are the "in" colors for boys now, since we've got lots of clothing in variations of brown, tan, blue, and navy. The good news is that these are colors that look good on fair skinned, blue-eyed, pink-cheeked babies and on the olive-skinned, brunette babies, and The Creature is going to be one or the other. I'm hoping for a red-head, but since my red hair comes from a bottle, and John's hair is so dark that the one time we dyed it, you could only tell because his scalp was purple underneath (sorry, sweetie), I'm unlikely to get my carrot top.

Nonetheless, Craig left me 3/4 of a skein of Elsebeth Lavold's Cotton Patine in oak and misty, and instructed me to have some fun with it. I'd used it before in a weaving project, but had not knit with it. It's very soft for 100% cotton, and there was very little splitting, so I'd definitely use it again for a knitting project.

I made the hat with the blue brim below for our little guy, and the hat with the brown brim and the booties for a colleague's little boy, born March 15. I had 2 feet of blue left when the knitting and seaming were done.

The booties were done on US4 straight needles, and the pattern is another from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. The hats are my usual hat pattern, done on two US5 circulars (because I don't have US5 dpns), though I did the spiral knitting technique explained by Grumperina here. It's a cool technique for jogless, 1-row stripes. Since I had two colors, I had a little easier than she does with her 4-color socks. After knitting the ribbing, I knit half a row (one circular) in blue, then knit the second half of the row on the second circular needle in brown, and continued to knit in brown until I made it to the end of circular needle #1. Then I picked up the blue and knit one full round, then a round of brown, and so on. There are no jogs, and the only place you can really tell that anything strange is going on is in the first little row, which is half blue and half brown.

I don't think the baby is going to mind.

Baby Sweaters with Matching Hats

2008-04-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

We're still waiting. It's awful, sitting here, waiting for the little guy, wondering if he's OK, and thinking (irrationally) that I'm going to be pregnant forever. Have I mentioned the discomfort? How about the exhaustion?

The good news is that we're going for a walk this afternoon, me and John, and that always makes me feel better.

So, once winter hits again, the little guy will have many sweaters (as he is beloved by several knitters already), two of which were made by me. With matching hats, because is anything cuter than that? I don't think so.

This one is from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding, made of Lion Brand Organic Cotton (OH MY GOD SO SOFT) on US 7 needles. The hat is my own design, meant to match the sweater. The yarn is fantastic and knits up fast, but is terrible for seaming. I should have used something a little firmer, but instead, spent hours cursing. It's more my style, anyway.

This one is from Nature Babies, made of Cascade Superwash wool on US 6 and US 7 needles. The hat is a discontinued colorway of Bollicine's Holiday yarn. I'll admit that I initially intended to make matching stripey pants, but the idea of sewing in even more ends was enough to make me abandon the pants entirely. Maybe I'll make some plain ones later. Maybe our kid will be King of No Pants. It's hard to say.

Think laborious thoughts for us. I don't know how much more of this I can take (though I am glad to finally be able to sit up and knit again. For many months I was too tired for that. Now I have super-powerful Must Make Clothes nesting hormones to keep me going.)

Baby Blanket

2008-03-31T19:46:00.001-07:00

Ollie sent me the blue yarn in the photos below, along with a pattern to make a baby blanket. I had the white and yellow, and got some white and blue checked flannel for the back.

The pattern is a stockinette version of the log cabin blanket in Mason Dixon Knitting (by the way, are you reading their blog? Because if you're not now, you should be soon.), with a garter edging (yellow) and attached I-cord (blue). All yarns were held double throughout. I did a crappy job sewing on the backing, in part because my machine stopped working and I was really frustrated. But the baby won't notice. He'll never even know to be critical.

The rest of you...I don't want to hear about it.

Update: Still Pregnant

2008-03-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

September 28, huh? That would have been about week 12 of this pregnancy, and now I'm closing in on week 39. I'm exhausted. And crabby. And totally ready to be no longer pregnant. I hear this is normal.

Let's look at some knitting, rather than complain about my sore hips. Over the next few days, I'll post some photos of recent projects, and I'll get back on track with this space.

Below are some photos of the egg/chicken toy from the most recent issue of Craft Magazine. I used size 6 needles rather than size 5, and used Lion Brand 100% wool. I felted it a little in the machine.

This little thing makes me laugh, and since there's been a lot going on, I've been carrying it around with me for those times when I need a good giggle.

Long Term Project

2007-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't been around for a while, and it's actually because I haven't knit anything in about 6 weeks. Maybe 8. I've been working on the same hat for all that time, and every time I sit down to work on it, I think I'd feel better lying down, and I do that, then I can't knit anymore, then I fall asleep.

And at least when I'm asleep I don't feel so nauseated and tired anymore. Or maybe I do, but I'm asleep so I don't know it.

But my absence from this space, and my lack of knitting, are both explainable.

I'm pregnant. 12.5 weeks. Due April 11. I'm excited, yes, but still feel sick enough that it's tough for me to make it through a work day. I've been sleeping on the floor in my office so that I can make it through my noon class. The exhaustion has been the hardest part for me to handle, since I'm used to being high energy, and I'm not used to collapsing on the couch at 5 pm. I'm told that this will pass, and that I'll start feeling better soon.

I have a pattern for a sweater that I'd like to make myself (from the cover of the latest Interweave). The sweaters at maternity stores are, no surprise, too short in the arms. And of course I'd like to make some hats and sweaters and booties for the baby, but I can't knit lying down (yet).

In any case, John and I are very happy (when we're not terrified) and I'm doing OK.

And in case you were wondering, I crave potatoes and mall Chinese food. Panda Express, actually. And the smell of coffee or fresh vegetables makes me sick.

Baby Kimono, Take 2

2007-08-10T10:29:00.001-07:00

It's actually taken longer for me to get re-organized, but I'm finally settling back into my routine here. The re-entry is the part of travel that I hate the most. I just downloaded 67 photos off of my camera (and that was a few days delayed because I could not find the cord), and am wondering why I took 17 photos of Shags, my brother's enormous cat. Oh well.

I worked on only one knitting project on my trip, and finished it up yesterday since the last bit required the sewing machine. I made this baby kimono before, and there were some issues I wanted to address.

Last time, there were two aspects of the kimono that I disliked. one was that the decreases didn't queue up nicely and made for an ugly border between the garter edging and the rest of the sweater. Second, when I picked up stitches for the garter edging, there were some small holes that got left behind.

Connie suggested that I knit through the back loop when picking up stitches to avoid the holes. Just that little twist in the yarn is enough to fill the space. She was right, though I wish I'd done it every time and not just where I suspected the holes would show up. I decreased right on the edge instead of one stitch in from the edge to avoid the unruly line of slanty stitches, and made sure to decrease only on the right side so that I had a little better control over the direction of the slants. This did the trick.

This is the finished sweater with the sleeves trimmed and sewn in. You can see that the hole issue and the decrease issue have both been solved. Last time I pinned the trim to the top of the sweater, and a dryer sheet to the bottom so that the sweater didn't get dragged and stretched by the feed dogs on the sewing machine. This worked fine except that it was really hard to pick the dryer sheet out of the fabric when I was done. This time, I used plain tissue paper, and it worked just as well, but was much easier to remove.

Here's the finished little sweater, trimmed and waiting for the arrival of its intended recipient, due in September. There will be a little matching beanie, but I'm still working on it.

The specifics: Harvey's Baby Kimono from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms, in Plymouth Yarns Dreambaby DK. I made the 6 month size, and it took just under 2 balls. Needles: US5 and US 6. Trim and buttons from Button Emporium and Ribbonry (I think I got 2 yards, and have about a foot left.)

I'm Back

2007-08-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back from California, where I visited my folks and went to !MathFest! (and yes, it's exactly as much fun as it sounds).

Not much time for knitting during the week that I was gone, and since I've been back. I've been reorganizing and cleaning up the house and my email inbox, so I've got nothing to show you. I will, however, post some nearly-finished objects soon.

Classes start in three weeks, so I imagine that all of my projects will slow down as I get ready for another school year.

Ok. NOW it's done

2007-07-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

The ends are sewn in, all the edging is done, and Isabella is ready to wear. And it's beautiful. The finished fabric is very soft, not at all itchy, and drapes very nicely.

Some details, for those who are interested. I used Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in a very pale grey-blue-green that I think is called "woodsmoke". The yarn is 65% wool, 35% silk, and comes in a hank of 192 yards. It's intended gauge is 5.5 sts/in on a US 6 needle, but that's a far cry from what I got it to do. I knit the whole top on Bryspun rubbery needles in a US 2/2.75 mm at a gauge of 6.75 sts/in and 12 rows/in.

Want some scary math? That means that one inch of progress around the torso was, on average 3300 stitches. With my pattern modifications, that means that from hemline to armpit there are about (and I'm rounding) 46494 stitches. That doesn't count the part from armpit to shoulder. I told you it was scary.

I made lots of pattern modifications, none of them too severe. I knit a cross between the large size and the extra-large size, so I had to change some numbers to make the top fit me. I knit it with zero ease in the bust, waist, and hips, which meant some creative increases and decreases to make the numbers work out. I knit the pieces flat, but see no reason not to knit this in the round. I added 1.5 inches of length in the torso, for a total of 14 inches from turning row (for the picot edge) to the armpit. I also added an inch for the arm hole, taking it to 10.25 inches.

There are some changes I wish I'd made. I'm not thrilled with the neckline design, and am worried that it's going to be a little floppy. Someone on Ravelry knit this with a V-neck, and I think I'd like that a little better. We'll see how it looks on. Also, the Silky wool, while it's amazing to knit, is awful for seaming. It's a very light yarn, and it breaks with just a little tug. However, the yarn is wonderful for lace, and the little flecks of silk make it heathery and lovely.

I would have finished this yesterday, but I am leaving town and wanted to make a skirt to match. I can knit at my destination, but may not be able to sew. Now, both are done, and I'm very, very pleased.

Dear Neighbor,

2007-07-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

I know you're busy. We all are. If your life seems really overwhelming at this time, I'm really sorry. I'd invite you over for cookies and tea if I knew you. I'm sympathetic regarding the demands on your time. Really, I am.

However, we'd really appreciate it if you'd take the few seconds necessary to pick up your dog's crap once he does his business in our parking strip. One time was "you forgot the plastic baggie" but now you and your poochie pal have made our yard a regular rest area, and the land mines you two leave are getting out of control. I don't think it's too much to ask for you to bend over, pick it up, and dispose of it somewhere else.

We're friendly, and John doesn't really want to turn the hose on you from inside the house, but he will. Oh yes, he will.

If I find out who you are, though, I'm going to pick it up myself, and leave it on your front porch. Maybe the hood of your still warm car. I'm meaner, but I'm also the one who keeps stepping in it.

Thanks for considering this in the future, neighbor.

Stephanie

We now return to the usual discussion of yarn, knitting, jam, and gardens. Thank you loyal readers.

I'm NOT Calling it Almost Done

2007-07-25T10:39:00.001-07:00

I'm getting there. As you can see in the photo below, I've made tremendous progress on Isabella. You haven't seen in-progress photos in part because they're really boring. It's 6.75 stitches to the inch, and 12 rows to the inch, so on average, a row has about 150 stitches, and those long stretches of stockinette were great for TV-watching, but boring as hell. I figured you didn't really want to see fifteen posts that all said, "I knit for four hours last night. I made an inch of progress. See?"

No doubt the front was loads more fun to knit than the back for two reasons. 1. The lace panel made it slightly more interesting. 2. Once I split to the right half of the front, progess seemed faster. There are about 1/3 the stitches, so, four hours of knitting led to THREE WHOLE INCHES of vertical progress.

I said it seemed faster, not that it was faster.

I've got a few ends to sew in, the hem to sew up (exposing the nice picot edge), and then have to knit the armband edgings and hem them. I've got a 2 hour flight (plus all the airport sitting beforehand) on Friday, so this little top will be done soon.

Do I like it? Yeah. Does it fit? Perfectly. Are there things I would do differently next time? Absolutely.

Remind me of this when I take up glassblowing

2007-07-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I took John to the CRAFT/PDX block party on Sunday, hosted by the newly-located Museum of Contemporary Craft. It was hot, humid, and crowded, but it was wonderful. Yes, there were lots of folks there making things with boxes of junk -- you can find that all over Portland. I have a much deeper appreciation for the crafters who take years to learn how to learn the ropes of their craft, though. (That is not to say that those people who make stuff out of junk aren't talented in their own way. Ugh. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.)

There were people spinning, some on drop spindles, and some on wheels. There were weavers too, showing little kids how to make blankets with strips of fabric.

There was the guy taking cylinders of wood and making them into wooden balls. Check out the photo below. His hat is made of wood. And he made it himself. Out of a hunk of wood. He also made the balls and bowls in the photo below.

I'd say that for the sheer danger of it, the glass blowers were the most interesting to watch. That being said, the vase in the photo below was destroyed seconds after I took the photo, because he accidentally spun it into the side of the oven. I just don't think I could take that kind of pressure.

Too bad. It could have been awesome.

Let's see...what else....I managed not to kill the garden, and indeed we've been eating from it for several weeks. The herbs are doing the best by far, but, we've got zucchini, scallions (I know I should weed this, but we're eating them and soon I can just turn it), and inklings of tomatos and corn.

I'm going to have to learn to can tomatos, I think.

Are you sufficiently distracted from the fact that I haven't shown you any knitting in weeks? God, I hope so, but I do promise a photo tomorrow or Thursday. It will be worth the wait, for sure.

An Elegant Dinner Party, Indeed

2007-07-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

I've got a very busy weekend coming up, starting tonight with the Etiquette Dinner for the Young Entrepreneurs Business Week students -- all 77 of them, plus their mentors. They've been on campus all week, though I admit I know nothing about the program except that it's for high school students who are interested in business. Tonight is the final event of their camp, and I'm as nervous as I was last time I did this. Again, I'm the instructor, and this time it took extra preparation because...well...I know about etiquette in general, but nothing about business etiquette. I met with a faculty member from our B-school, who lent me a book. Of course, reading the book made me MORE nervous, because there is more to remember than I possibly could, and I don't want to say anything incorrect.

I think I'll start small, and maybe try to get them to stop chewing gum. That would be a tremendous start. Then I'll focus on wearing clothing that covers your underpants. That holds for men and women both, I think. How to greet someone in Iran? That can wait until later. Maybe I'll have them ask George W. Bush about that sometime.

So, since the knitting on the Minnesota Trip Top is pretty dull right now, and not worth photographing, I decided I'd show you the china that's now sitting in my basement. I don't have a catalog of all the pieces here, but know that I could have a very fancy dinner party for about 20 people, and nobody would be eating off of our "everyday" plates. No. Not at our house.

The oldest pieces, I think, are French, by Haviland. (At least I think Limoges is in France.) This is "The Princess" pattern I mentioned the other day. I believe it belonged to my great-grandmother, but I can't find a date on it. I'm guessing it's pre-WW1.

There's a bunch of Royal Bavarian (Hutschenreuther Gelb), but I can't find a photo of it online. I also don't have a date on that, but think it must be pre-WW2, since I'm not sure that much china was coming out of Germany to the US after 1945 or so.

Then, there are tea cups and saucers (and maybe other pieces, but I haven't opened all the boxes) in the "Granny" pattern frm Booths in England. As far as I can tell, this china was made between 1930 and 1946, though I'm guessing closer to 1930 since it seems very art deco to me. I can't find a photo of a tea cup, so here's a plate:

Finally, there are lots of pieces of Fostoria, with Versailles Etching in Topaz. They're American-made, and there is a somewhat salacious family story that goes along with them, about some family member marrying the nursemaid after his wife died. There are lovely crystal plates, some goblets, a huge platter (probably 19"), and probably some other pieces.

There was a lot more than this, but it got smashed in shipping from Michigan to California after my maternal grandmother died in 1991.

No, we don't have a China cabinet.

Wait. You came to see knitting? I don't have a good progress photo, so go look over here at one of the most amazing works of lace knitting I've ever seen.

8 Things, The Mind/Body Edition

2007-07-19T13:39:00.002-07:00

A few days ago, I agreed (volunteered) to get tagged byNora with the "8 Things About Me" meme, and after thinking about it, have decided to gank her theme and go with a Mind/Body Edition.

It's actually not easy to come up with 8 things that I think nobody knows, especially given that people who read this know me from different parts of my life, and there's the lingering worry that someone from work might read it, and it's a knitting blog, so shouldn't it have something to do with yarn?

I decided that if each reader learned one more thing about me, then this would be a successful exercise. Plus also, I don't really have time to think of 8 Mind/Body secrets. I don't even think I have 8 of those.

1. (Mind) I'm a crier. If there were a Nobel Prize for crying, I could be a contender. It's not that my life is terribly sad and it's not that I have anything to cry about. There are shows I am not "allowed" to watch (anything with 'Makeover' in the title, Everwood, Baywatch (yes, Baywatch) ) because I weep. When Benji won So You Think You Can Dance last year, I was wrecked. The song Corcovado does it every time. If you say something nice to me, I have to bite the inside of my mouth. I'm also a sympathetic crier. I cry when people around me cry. I'm also a proponent of "a good cry" now and again. I do have a "There's No Crying in Mathematics" rule, however, and have stuck to it, even in the worst situations.

2. (Mind/Body) I go to the gym 5 days a week, and work out for about 90 minutes each time. I wish I could go back to running, but I don't have the time to do what I want to do (another marathon). Ironically, I am not the least bit athletically inclined. I hate team sports because I feel like I suck and then fail my teammates.

3. (Body) As a child, I was a gymnast (bet you wouldn't guess that) but quit when I was 11, at a height of about 5'6". I was too clumsy and too tall to continue. It didn't upset me. I wasn't good at anything except stretching. I am still very bendy. Properly warmed up, I can touch the floor with my whole hand and bent elbows. This has led to problems, since my tendons aren't quite as tight as they could be. I sprain my ankle a lot, and I have a metal screw in my right shoulder to hold it all together.

4. (Body) I prefer to wear heels that are about 2 inches high. I've never once thought with any seriousness that it was unnecessary, and I've always liked the noise that heels make on concrete and tile.

5. (Mind) I am very good at mathematics, when compared to the general population. That being said, I have never been able to understand a tax form, and it takes me more time than it should to add and subtract. It's often assumed that I'll be able to divvy up a bill or calculate an accurate tip. My secret? I round and estimate in favor of the server. Isn't that what everyone else does? In my defense, I claim that adding is not mathematics.

6. (Mind) My geographic sense is atrocious. I'm sure I could place all 50 states, but am not really sure where anything else is, especially once places are outside North America. I think John has drawn me a map of Israel, Jordan, and Turkey 30 times, and I know I couldn't recreate it or find it on a map. When driving, John turns opposite of the way I navigate him. More than 50% of the time, not listening to me gets us there.

7. (Mind) I have the sense of humor of a 13 year old boy. Fart jokes are always funny. Other words for poop crack me up. I can't get enough of Will Farrell movies. I am a little ashamed by this, but I come by it honestly -- we watched Blazing Saddles a lot when I was a kid.

8. (Body) I have abnormally long fingers and small feet. I wear a 9 1/2 in shoes, much like my college roommate, who was 8 inches shorter than I am. You wouldn't notice my fingers unless I demonstrated with the middle one, and I'm happy to do that if you really want to see. I promise I won't mean it.

9. (Mind/Body) I am a creature of habit. Nobody notices when I get a haircut. I have 2 cubbies of yarn in burnt orange. My summer shoes are all the same. I just got new glasses, but you probably won't notice. I have the same breakfast every day, and live on a fairly rigid schedule. I don't like it when my schedule gets messed up. I am flexible then, in body, but not so much in mind.

Wait. Wasn't this supposed to be 8 things? What's up with having 9? Truly, the reason is I got to 8, and realized I hadn't mentioned yarn. There you go. Burnt Orange Yarn. Lots of it.

Photo Update

2007-07-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

Because I'm really short on time these days, I'm going to have to make this a photo update, with more words when I finish writing the papers that are going to help me get tenure.

I made some awesome meringues on the 4th of July. These are some of my favorite cookies, but Portland, Oregon is not generally conducive. If it's not too hot to turn on the oven, it's raining and I'm left with soggy cookies. These were perfect.

I couldn't post a photo of this until she received it in the mail, but my sister got the following for her birthday:

She requested a "melange of or-ange", and you can see, that's what she got. I cannot tell you how anxious it made me that the diamond pattern on the straps of the purse are 90 degrees to the diamond pattern on the bag itself. The only way to fix this would have been to buy two more yards of fabric, which I can't afford (and had I not pointed it out, dollars to donuts you never would have noticed. Except Elaine. I know you noticed. ) Letting it go was really all I could do.

Last week was amazingly hot here in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, just after my parents arrived, the Fox "News" folks were on our driveway, asking to interview me about the heat. To this, I responded, "It's hot. What else can I say?" They asked if I had A/C (I don't) and right after I told them I didn't want to be on TV all sweaty, they asked what I was doing to stay cool. Hm. Not standing on my driveway, for one. (I was knitting in the basement, which is cooler than the rest of the house. I told them they could tape me knitting, but that it would make for very boring "News.") Nora smartly pointed out that if I had agreed to be interviewed, none of my friends would see it anyway...it may have been my one chance at fame, but I'm sort of glad I said no.

The kittens had their own ways of staying cool. Abby slept on my knitting (which meant she had to keep getting up. Abby is not so bright), and Jake did what Jake always does when he gets too warm.

Despite the oppressive heat, Mom and I went to Sauvie Island and picked berries.

I felt obligated to pick only from the top part of the raspberry and marionberry bushes, because I can, and because lots of people can't. The thing was, once we started, we didn't want to stop. We kept finding larger, juicier berries that needed to come home with us. When we finally forced ourselves out of the berry patch, we had 8 pounds of berries. EIGHT POUNDS. And it was way too hot to make a cobbler. I have some great neighbors who "helped me out" and took some, and what we really could not eat became blueberry-raspberry-marionberry jam. Yes, it's delicious.

My folks brought up a lot of stuff for us, including my great-grandmother's china, a pre-WW1 Haviland pattern called The Princess, and some of my paternal grandmother's embroidered pieces. They're amazing. The red one below is probably 16" by 16", and is virtually the same on both sides. The others are smaller. I'm not entirely sure what to do with them, but will think of something. In the bottom photo, you can see the front (right) and back (left) of one of the pieces.

And finally, the Minnesota trip top. Progress is good. I'm 11 1/2 inches into the front, and have started the lace pattern that goes up the center, so it's not all stockinette now. This is good. I was going a little stir-crazy. My hope is that once I put half of it on holders for the front, that it will zoom by. We'll see.

Time to get to work.

Gone Chopin. Be Back in a Minuet

2007-07-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

I realized last night that I've disappeared for a week without explanation. Not that there would be any reason for worry, and not that any of you reader would. (That's a little self-deprecating...there are at least 20 people clicking over here daily. But still, in my mind, Nora stops by regularly, and I check over a few times, and even though I know the statistics, I am amazed that people stop by. Hey! Thanks for stopping by!)

I've been at home since last Tuesday, first getting ready for my parents' visit, then hanging out with them, then cleaning up. And surviving the heat by hole-ing up in the basement with a pile of yarn and bad television. Progress? Oh yeah. Loads. Photos forthcoming, when I get back to work tomorrow.

I've got 2 papers to revise/write in 2 weeks. This means that you will get to see me have not one but TWO mathematical meltdowns in which my emotions go from "this isn't that bad" to "my work is total crap" to "nobody is going to read this" (which is mostly true, given that there are about 10 people worldwide who care about what I've done) to "OK. it's gone and there's nothing I can do about it" to my personal favorite, "I am a total fraud and they're going to come and get my Ph.D. and burn it." I should be a raving lunatic by day 10, which gives me 4 days to straighten up before I go to the Bay Area for a conference. Oh, and write my talk for that conference.

But the days off, in the heat, were a lot of fun. It was nice to stay away from school for a few days. It was fun to hang with my mom and dad, and it was rewarding to get back on track on Friday when I finally went back to the gym for a hard workout. I am a creature of habit.

So, if you've been checking in, I'm back.

Happy Anniversary

2007-07-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

John

Two years ago today, my dad wore his new suit and had a cast on his leg.

He and my mom walked me to you. You messed up your vows and kept talking about my faults, and my faults, and my faults until we both got the giggles and collapsed into each other, laughing.

And then we walked back down the aisle together, towards the reception lawn. And then the sprinklers went off, all over the tables, the food, the DJ's equipment...and we had to hire the Victorian harpist to play while the DJ set up her back up stuff. Remember? She sang Andrew Lloyd Weber tunes and you and I couldn't stop laughing about the sprinklers.

There's no other way that I would have wanted to start my life with you. It's been a comedy of errors, but nobody would expect anything different from the two of us.

Thanks for taking such good care of me, for putting up with my crazy, and for understanding when nobody else does.

Modest Goal Met, and Then Some

2007-07-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I finished the back of the Minnesota trip top, a full month after returning from Minnesota. The yardage on Silky Wool is amazing. I did the entire back with two skeins and a tiny bit of a third, and I lengthened the thing 2 1/2 inches (1 1/2 in the torso and 1 in the arm hole). I should be able to finish in 5 skeins, so I'll have one leftover. Is the rumor I heard about the Elsebeth Lavold people discontinuing Silky Wool true? It's a fabulous yarn...I'd think they'd have more sense than to do that. I immediately cast on for the front, and have little more than a hem done, but it's a hem more than I had before I started. My appreciation for the simplicity of the piece is still lingering, though I'm really looking forward to the lace bit.

I also got the turtle hat pattern written and sent to a few testers. Two volunteers (Sharon and someone whose email may start with "cleereman") have given me email addresses which bounced. If you're still interested, leave me a comment with your contact information.

So far, it's only sized for premie (12 3/8 in) and 6 mos (16 in), but I could expand it to an 18 or 20 inch hat. Do you think an older child would actually wear a turtle hat? Or would the Portland Hipsters be interested? They could wear turtle hats while participating in a game of Adult Kickball.

The wee first turtle hat has been sent off to a little girl born very early and very ill. She's survived about 10 weeks, which is 5 weeks longer than predicted. Her prognosis changes all the time, and all we can do is hope for the best and hope that her will is stronger than her disease.

I have visitors this week and so will only be around briefly, but I'll post some photos of finished work as I find time.

Sometimes a little at a time is enough.

2007-07-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have reached a point of zen with the Minnesota Trip project. The back is a huge field of stockinette, on US2 needles, at nearly 7 stitches to the inch. I am not a petite woman, and there's a lot of back and forth. Progress is slow, and as I said last week, I wasn't feeling it because I got no sense of accomplishment from it. I'd knit for hours, measure, and feel like the thing had gotten shorter. (In truth, I misread the tape measure.) I walked away from it for a few weeks, and came back over the weekend and made some major progress. Now I've got the armhole decreases done, and it's plain stockinette for a few inches until I add in the short rows for the back of the neck.

But the rows are shorter now because of the armholes, and it's hot outside, and I can knit peacefully in the basement, where it's cool and a little damp. The cats don't sit on our laps so much in this weather, so I like to think that I'm knitting far less cat hair into the top than usual. I'm enjoying it. Yes, the progress is still slow, but it's so beautiful and I'm now at the point where I can't wait to wear it.

Yes, I still have the front to go, but it's got a lace panel which I assume will keep me more interested.

My initial intention was to make the top more tank-like by narrowing the shoulders more than suggested, but after reading the schematic, and measuring some of my own garments, and looking at the Ann Budd book on designing sweaters, it occurred to me that the pattern was written for someone far narrower in the shoulders than I have. Without making any changes at all, it should (and I should know better than to predict this) turn out exactly how I want it to. We'll see.

I'm not sure how I got here, to the point where I am so happy to be knitting a row, then purling a row, without caring about how little difference each row makes (about 1/12 of an inch. I said I don't care, not I don't know). It's fun. It's relaxing. It's keeping my mind settled as I plan my way through all the other chaos of my life.

I'm so glad I didn't give this one up when I got frustrated. I'm setting modest goals. I'd like to have the back done by the end of the weekend. I have 100 minutes tomorrow to knit (while my students take their final). I usually break up grading with a few rows between problems. And by doing this one row at a time, one stitch at a time, I'll get to where I need to be.

When I Am In Charge Of The World...

2007-07-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

...I will use capital letters with impunity. With Reckless Abandon.

...I will not have to spend an hour of an already packed day picking up my "extra pay check" and taking it to the bank. It's only "extra" if I get above and beyond what I'm owed. It's not "extra" if there's some screw up and I make one tenth what I should, and only find out that someone forgot that last zero when my bank emails me about overdrafting my checking account. Also, the bank tellers won't read me the riot act about their "courtesy" overdraft protection fee of $10. I know that my employer should pay it. I only asked if you would reverse the charges to see if you would. You could have said no. Saying yes and then lecturing me only makes me madder.

...All sewing projects I make will come out this cute:

And also they'll cost under $3. (The fabric is from the swap I went to in April, and cost $0.25. The trim is vintage, and was about a dollar. I wanted to learn about making bias tape turn around sharp corners. The neckline of a child's dress seemed reasonable, and the whole project would have taken 2 hours, had I not sewn and resewn the bias tape (4 times total. Shoot me.)

...I'll sew things together right the first time.

...Weekends will be spent relaxing with John, who did TWO four-hour bike rides, one each day. (I'm more than slightly jealous that he can do that and NOT come back with a vicious sunburn.) After the bike ride on Saturday, we walked into town and got treats at Pattie's Home Plate, part soda fountain/greasy spoon, and part garage sale. All in one shop!

On Sunday, when he was really pooped, we spent most of the day in the basement, watching no fewer than SIX episodes of Dr. Who. I got much sewing done, and knit the Minnesota Trip top almost to the armpits.

The fabric is amazing. Soft. Dense but Not Stiff. Now I just need to calculate some changes for the arm holes and I'll finish off the back. (You can get a lot of stockinette done when you're sitting in a cool basement watching TV.)

...There will always be chocolate in my house.

...I'll have some self-control when it comes to eating said chocolate.

...Abby will not make off with a new hat design, leaving trails of yellow yarn all over the first floor of the house. (It's cheap cotton yarn, and the hat was unharmed though it may have picked up some of the huge furballs that are roaming the floors.)

...All Things will go According to Plan.

Sometimes I Forget That I'm a Smart Person

2007-06-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

There was the time I made cookies, and got a phone call halfway through, which was sufficiently distracting that I forgot to add the eggs, and made 6 dozen totally inedible chocolate chips.

There was the time (ok...times) that I got on the wrong freeway, or the wrong bridge, because I was thinking about going one place and actually trying to go another place.

There's this one woman in my field, and every time I speak to her, I morph into Little Miss Profane and have only one time in all the times we've spoken about my work said anything remotely intelligent. I have, on the other had, used the F-word every time we speak.

I'm reasonably certain that most people are afflicted by this disease where we temporarily forget years of schooling, or a lifetime of common sense, and end up feeling foolish. On the good days, we can laugh it off. On the bad days, we should just go to bed until such a time comes when we can laugh it off.

I've been making good progress on the "start and finish a small project." Connie responded that grad school felt a lot like the feelings I expressed earlier in the week. If you could just have a few small projects to complete, you could feel like you were making progress. But, instead, you've got this monstrosity of a project and can be reasonably certain that it's going to take a while. Two whiles, even.

I mean, plants can solve this problem fairly readily. Want a small plant project? How about ten blueberries? (That's all we've got this week, but they sure are yummy.)

The corn has it figured out: let's set a modest goal of "knee high by the fourth of July". The zucchini takes a "let's conquer the entire vegetable patch" approach. The cilantro seems to be growing straight up. The tomatos went from sprouts to bushes almost overnight. In the garden, these small problems are solved effortlessly.

Sewing offers greater satisfaction in less time than knitting (most of the time...when I remember how smart I am) It was an easy decision to sew something small and useful. My trip to Fabric Depot was fun (though it's so hard to make decisions), and once all the pieces were ready to go together, I was working happily in the basement. And it was fast, and I have this fabulous new purse to show for it:

I learned all sorts of new stuff, too. Interfacing. Fusible fleece (to make the handles squishier). Sewing on piping. Magnetic closures. Box Stitch.

It was totally satisfying, and it was just what I needed.

I had some leftover stripey fabric, and some leftover polka dot fabric, and some interfacing. I found a lobster claw key fob thingy in the garage, and decided to make a little key purse with a handle that I could clip to the purse (or to whatever, really). Bought a zipper, stitched it all together. Turned it right side out, checked to make sure the zipper worked (it did), that all the seams were sewn and reinforced (they were), then realized that the strap was sewn between the lining and the outer fabric. I don't how how I missed that. I like writing 'the strap was sewn' because the passive voice makes me less accountable for forgetting, once again, that I am a smart person.

Unfinished Business

2007-06-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm having a spate of strange feelings recently. I can't tell if it's boredom, sadness, frustration, or some combination of these things (and probably other things). No, I can't explain it. Let's try, then, to explain why it's not reasonable. That might help.

I love the things I am knitting right now. The lace scarf is progressing, and it's getting more and more lovely as it gets longer. The colors are swirling around each other. The lace is interesting, and I'm close to having the chart memorized. I know the one thing keeping me from having it down is that there are two purl rows with some lace stuff, and I can't remember which row has the p2tog and which has the p2tog-tbl. It's going to be beautiful, though.

As frustrated as I am with the Green Gable, it's going to be a nice top once I get it right. I have not unravelled the decrease rows yet, and am going to wait until I figure out how to fix the problem. The yarn, Cotton Frappe by Elsebeth Lavold, is amazing.

I started working on the Minnesota project again -- the one I took with me to the conference in St. Paul. I'm using Silky Wool on US 2 needles. The fabric is denser than I thought it would be, but it's really nice. I'm actually surprised by how soft it is, though I can't say why I'm surprised -- it's silk and wool, not twigs and barbed wire. But, it's slow-going, and as much as I want to wear the garment, I'm feeling a little bored with it. (You should know that the back is about half done, so I've made a ton of progress since I photographed the mere hem I had in Minnesota.

They're all what I would consider long-term projects. Nothing that I'll finish in a few hours or even a few days (unless I quit my job.)

Then there are the real-life projects I have going on, all of which are long-term as well.

What I really need, though maybe I need another project like I need a hole in the head, is something I can feel successful about in a relatively short amount of time. I've got plenty of materials, and maybe the frustration is that I want to be inspired. Feel inspired. And I want to finish something.

Hey! Look Over There!

2007-06-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm distracting you, so I can grab one of your french fries when you're not looking.

Look! Jam! Jam-o-rama Jam! Jimmy Jammy Jam Hands!

There's strawberry, strawberry-raspberry, raspberry-apricot, and apricot. And the strawberries and raspberries were picked by Nora over on Sauvie Island.

Despite the fact that it was hot (Nora. That's hot. Too hot to touch. Did I mention it was hot?), we both tasted the stuff that wouldn't fit in jars, and can attest to the deliciousness of the jam (now no longer hot, but it was hot).

Can I distract you further?

Jake! Look! A sunbeam! A warm (but not hot) sunbeam! Jake! Look over there! Jam!

Now that you're sufficiently distracted, I can tell you (quietly) that I'm going to have to rip out about 24 rounds of the Green Gable. And I'm going to have to (somehow) manage to get all 240-something stitches back on the needle. Why? Who the hell knows.

I know I changed the pattern, but I also know that my math on this one was absolutely correct. The waist decreases in the original pattern happen like this: knit 6 inches after the armpit, then decrease 2 sts per row every third row 7 times. This means 21 rows, with 2 decreases every third row. And in the pattern, that means 3 inches-worth of rows. Fine. I can do that math.

I need to decrease 6 inches of circumference from chest to waist, or 36 stitches. I get 9 rows to the inch, so if I want to do my decreases in the same place as in the original, that means I have 27 rows (3 inches). And lookie there! 27 divided by 3 is 9, so I can do 9 decrease rows, and also, 9 goes into 36 4 times, so I should decrease 4 stitches every third row. And I can pair them at the underarm, and this should work.

EXCEPT that when I execute this really (I must say) very well-formed plan, I get decreases so sever that it looks like my sweater is a very wide sock toe. As far as I can tell, my chest-to-waist ratio isn't too far from the norm, but my body certainly doesn't come to a point about 6 inches below my armpit, and then angle in precipitously. But then, we don't have a full length mirror at home, so I could be wrong about that.

Look! Jam!

Lacy Underalls's Scarf

2007-06-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the Seawool, worked up into the beginnings of a scarf. I tried several lace patterns from Barbara Walker before I settled on this one. The first one I tried, Japanese Feather, was beautiful, but the lace was obscured by the color changes in the yarn. I needed something more open, since the color repeats are pretty short and got muddled in large patches of stockinette.

For the first 2 1/2 repeats of the pattern, I was worried that the light green and blue would pool on one side of the scarf, and that the dark green and browns would be on the other side. It turned out, though, that the greens drift across the scarf nicely. I also like this pattern because of its bias pull, which makes the center line a bit sinuous when it's blocked out. You can almost see my provisional cast on -- I have not yet decided on how to begin and end the scarf. I'm thinking that since the part that is already knit looks so much like seaweed (which was unintentional. Lucky me.), it would be nice to put something wavy at the bottom of the scarf. I tried a few things (one of which had yarn overs on the purl side and the instruction "p3tog-through back loop", which I deemed nearly impossible, or at least something I didn't want to do. I'll figure out the beginning and end when I get there.

The seawool, by the way, is just about perfect for this scarf. It's light and drapey (and I haven't blocked it yet). The colors move nicely, and it's incredibly soft. I did another 2 pattern repeats last night. I expect it will take about 30 to get the length I want. Maybe 25.

Project ADD

2007-06-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Let's just do a quick recap. Today, on the needles, I've got the following.

1. The Green Gable, and I'm at the sixth of nine decreases for the waist. I'm going down 4 stitches every three rows. This still means I have umpteen-thousand stitches to go before I'm done.

2. The Minnesota project in Silky Wool on US 2 needles. The BACK is about 6 inches from the bottom hem, which sounds great except that it's a bottom-up sweater, so when I say 6 inches from the bottom hem, I mean that I've knit for 6 inches. And that I'm making the back first.

3. John's vest, using US 0 needles (for the ribbing) and US 1 needles for the front and back. I can describe what I have as "a hem".

4. Cabled sweater. Still on sleeve #2, but front and back are not started.

Projects 1, 2 and 3 are what Cheri calls "zen knitting." I don't have to pay attention. I just work plain old stockinette and occasionally throw in a decrease. It was great to have the Green Gable with me on our excursion Saturday to the Dixie Mountain Grange Strawberry Festival, because I could knit in the car, which meant that I could knit and not count the number of stitches I still had to go. So, it's great to have all of these easy things going on, right? And they should get done quickly, because it's just relaxing and easy and I don't have to put too much thought into it.

Except that I get so bored. So so so bored.

Yes, it's easy. Yes, it's relaxing. Yes, I'm making progress (albeit very slow progress). Yes, I know that the only way to finish a project is to, you know, work on the project. But my mind wanders, and I think about this loveliness:

and I have to think of something to do with it. And I have to do the thing that I think of. Immediately.

(That's Fleece Artist Seawool, which I think is roughly a DK weight, and it's wool and seacell, which comes from seaweed, or kelp, or something like that. (Now, if you click that link you'll get to a site that purports the benefits of wearing seacell. The minerals from the sea get into the seaweed (or kelp or what have you) and then those minerals get spun into the fiber, and simply by WEARING the fiber, you absorb the minerals from the sea. You'll notice that they say nothing about absorbing the toxic waste and oil from Exxon Valdez that's also in the sea. This is because seaweed can differentiate between the good stuff and the bad stuff, and it only absorbs the good stuff. Because plants are smart like that, and have our best interests at heart. You've been warned.) )

This is the softest stuff, and it's in the colors of seaweed, which is, I think, why I liked it so much. (Also the brown. I love me some brown yarn.) After many false starts (which I'm calling "swatches" even though I intended them to work out), I've decided on the main stitch pattern, and I've done about 5 repeats of the motif so far. Yesterday was Day of Stupid Movies, and as we watched Caddyshack and Animal House, I got a lot of non-boring knitting done. I stopped it with the Seawool every pattern repeat to do some rounds on the Green Gable, which made working with the Seawool like winning a prize.

It's amazingly soft. You wouldn't even know about all the wonderful non-toxins that it absorbed from the sea...that's just an amazing bonus.

OH! And if you asked for the turtle hat pattern, I haven't forgotten and I'm not ignoring you. It's coming.

Green Gable Progress: If I'd Used the Right Yarn, I'd Be Done By Now

2007-06-12T11:25:00.001-07:00

First, the yarn, Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Frappe, is fantastic. The color, which is sort of light olive (but called "shrub") is neutral but not bland. The little flecks of brightness make it an interesting knit, even though I'm stuck in the Stockinette Hell of the middle of the sweater.

Second, the pattern, Green Gable by ZephyrStyle, is fine and easy to follow, though I had to rewrite the whole thing to fit the gauge (both row and stitch) of my yarn.

Third, once I got the sleeve stitches on to waste yarn, I didn't have the problem of the stitches refusing to slide around the cord, so I went back to work on one 24" circular instead of two.

HOWEVER, I'm at the really boring part, almost to the waist decreases, and even those won't add that much excitement. It's just 'round and 'round knitting. At 6 stitches and 9 rows to the inch, it's more than 14,000 stitches from underarm to where the decreases for the waist begin. This tells me one thing: I SHOULD NOT BE COUNTING THE NUMBER OF STITCHES.

I'm about 4 rounds from that point, and then I do some decrease rows, then knit for a bit, then some increases (which aren't in the pattern...hmm...) then knit some more. I may have to stop to put in the sleeves or something, just to keep my interest.

The sad thing is that I'm somewhat (though totally unreasonably) convinced that I'm not going to like the finished top. I don't have a good reason for thinking this. I like the lace panel at the top, and raglans do my broad shoulders justice, and I'll certainly have red hair when it's done, so the color will be good. I'm going to keep going. It's good TV knitting.

I'm Back

2007-06-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

And I'm exhausted.

We completed an entire course in the discrete wavelet transform in just under 3.5 days. I'd get back to my cell in the evening and be too tired, even to knit.

I realize that the project I brought was not the best one for this trip. If I'd had something with shorter rows, something with bigger yarn, something I'd done before, I could have knit on the breaks. But my project has almost 7 stitches per inch, and at least 133 stitches per row, and even though it's mostly back and forth easy stuff, there were decreases, and I had to kep track of stuff. Enough stuff that knitting for 5 minute breaks seemed like a bad idea.

On Saturday, we finished at noon and I decided to walk around the Grand Avenue shopping district, which had been advertised as lots of small shops and restaurants on a nice street. It's 25 blocks long, and the map had my home at the end of block A. I got dropped off at block I, and I figured I'd walk a bit, then catch a bus back. They claimed busses ran every 15 minutes.

Hey, so, there's a yarn store on Grand Avenue. On block U. For those of you who don't want to count that on your fingers, that's 13 blocks. It was 80 degrees and humid enough, but it was a yarn store. Did I have a choice? Well, no, though I did have a choice to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and apparently decided against that, because I was taking a bus back.

Except the bus never came.

The yarn store was nice but not spectacular. Worth the walk for the handpainted stuff I got, but the walk home was very, very long. I'd play little games with myself -- tried to think of as many foods as I could that began with the letter of the block I was walking. I looked at the mansions. I looked at the gardens. I did NOT think about how bad my feet hurt.

Most of my walk was along Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Even the ugly houses were selling for 600K. Part of my walk was on Cretin Ave. That's not a typo.

I'd like to think that the city planners were making some joke, putting this street next to a college campus. It's like they decided it would be OK if the signs got stolen weekly. It's almost as good as the intersection near where my husband grew up: 69th and Honest Pleasure.

In any case, I'm happy to be home. John and I did some weekend cleaning yesterday, I took photos of the yard, I graded exams and homework, and did laundry.

Tomorrow: Green Gable progress.

Taking This Blog on the Road

2007-06-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

I did math from 9 am to 4 pm today. I like doing math. A lot. And that was too much. And it's only the first of 4 days of the workshop. As much as I'd like to write something coherent, I'm not sure that it's possible, so how about a list?

1. I'm being put up in a dorm. Know what that means? No falling asleep watching television. Nope. This is the Spartanest of Spartan rooms. Don't believe me? Here's one half.

I'd have cropped the picture, but I think that big bare white wall really exemplifies my situation. If only I had a Bob Marley poster, or that poster of Kramer from Seinfeld that everyone had up when I was in college. I'd totally tack it to the wall and use toothpaste to fill the holes when I leave. That toothpaste trick? It really works. Really.

Oh, and the bed? It's got one of those sanitary matress covers made of rustling plastic or maybe rubber. Either way, it's really hot, and I'd take it off (and promise not to wet the bed) but I knew a guy in college who got scabies from his mattress. Scabies. In his bed.

But maybe my room is bigger, and you're just looking at the one part of it? Nope. Here's the view from the doorway.

2. See that giant tome on the desk? I'm supposed to read through chapter six tomorrow. It has lots of pictures, though.

3. Last time I came to Minnesota, it was April. I brought wool sweaters and slacks and boots and thick socks. It was 70 degrees and sunny, and I ended up at the Mall of America, buying clothes that I wouldn't boil in. Good thing that Mall of America was there, I tell you. Well, this time, the forecast was 70-75, possible showers.I wore khakis on the plane and brought knee-length skirts to wear during the conference. This seemed reasonable, given the forecast.

Today it was about 55 and pouring rain.

The same tomorrow, probably.

I only have the one pair of pants.

4. This isn't really a problem, since it's a math conference. I was at a three-week one in July in Park City, Utah, where it's like 100 degrees in the summer. There was a sign that said, "Put off doing your laundry for three more days: Buy a conference T-shirt!" Needless to say, wearing clothes more than once (or five times) without laundering them isn't frowned upon so much.

5. There are 12 people here. There are 2 women, including me. There is never a bathroom line for women at a math conference.

6. Isn't this a great opportunity to do some knitting? I mean, it's a long flight, and then with the no TV thing, shouldn't I have planned something that would take some real time? You'd think so. You'd think I'd have time, except there's that two hundred pages of reading that I need to do by 9 am.

And the flight? It would have been an ideal time to knit, except that the plane was full and the guy next to me was not at all deterred by the fact that I do math for a living. It's pretty much (but not certainly) a guarantee that folks will not speak to me once I let them know what I do. This guy was intrigued. Also, he likes math. Lots. And he knows someone who used to teach math at my university (the world is very very very small). But then he started talking about his work and there really wasn't any stopping him. You'd think you could only talk for a few minutes about selling adhesives, but no. It was a 3 1/2 hour flight. I'm pretty sure he could have talked for longer, but I called John when we deplaned. He did tell me the full story about the invention of Post-It Notes, and I managed not to say, "I already know this story. It's called Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion."

I did knit some. A hem. About an inch. In 3 1/2 hours.

7. The campus is very beautiful. The nearest yarn store, though, it about 5 miles away. Rats.

And a Hat to Match

2007-06-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm all about matching.

When I was in high school, my dad got me a box of FOURTEEN pairs of purple socks for Christmas. Why? Because he'd had enough of my bawling when I laid out my outfit the night before and the socks that I had that Matched Perfectly were nowhere to be found. Lost. Eaten by the dryer. Whatever. It would routinely reduce me to tears. This was the early 1990's, and the Gap was all about "socks to match" and let me tell you, that always worked on me.

I'm much more lax about this now -- heck, sometimes I wear the wrong color neutral socks on purpose, because variety is the spice of life. You know. A beige taupe top with some green taupe socks. I'm cutting edge that way.

Self-mockery aside, I had just enough yarn leftover from the elephant kimono to make a little beanie. I thought about putting trim on the brim, but that would make it not stretchy, so I settled for a little tab of elephants. Enough to say, "these go together" without being overwhelming. So, though you've already seen the sweater, I took another photo last night of the pair before I put them in the box.

Here you go.

The hat is a classic beanie, but I made a little tab of garter stitch so the elephant trim IS actually holding something down. It's real cute. Sadly, I am missing the shower as I'll be coming home from St. Paul, MN that day, but I'll let you know what they thought when I find out.

Solving the Problem

2007-06-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

You know when you learn something new, and you just want to share it with everyone you know? Well, here goes.

Last week, you saw the fronts of the baby kimono, with two glaring problems.

There are holes in the garment where I picked up stitches to add the garter stitch border, and the decreases along the sides of the Vee neckline don't line up in any orderly way, even though they're all directional and all leaning the correct way.

I know I said I'd leave it and not worry about it, but I can't leave something that glaring and not worry that my Mad Knitting Skillz would be called into question. Normally, I'd reknit, but given that I'm going away for a week and don't have that kind of time, I opted for a cover up.

I went to the Button Emporium and Ribbonry downtown. They're serious about buttons there. Don't make jokes. Buttons and ribbons are Not Funny. Not At All. It's a bizarre shop, but an awesome one, and I got buttons for the front, and some ribbon which the lady assured me could be machine stitched to the knit garment.

Now, I know I have only been knitting for two years and all, and I only learned to sew last summer, but the idea of running my knitting through the machine freaked me out. Knits stretch, and the last thing I wanted to do (to the knitting AND to the machine) was to have some ply of yarn get wrapped up in the undercarriage of my Brother machine, ruining everything. But the lady, she told me it wouldn't happen. She said it would be just fine. Promised.

Also, should I mention that I'd need to sew straight lines on a quarter inch piece of trim? Hello? Have you seen my curtains? I can't sew a straight line on anything!

But, in my usual way, risking the machine and the kimono, I decided to give it a try. I asked Bob at knit night, and he gave me the excellent suggestion of pinning the whole thing to a dryer sheet. It was ribbon, then knit, then dryer sheet, so the sheet was on the machine, not the kimono.

I swatched. It worked. I ran upstairs and showed John, who was excited (actually excited...not even fake excited...not even, "Here she goes again" excited). I tried it on the sleeve. Yeah. It worked. Totally worked. I had to go really slowly, and I pinned about every quarter inch (partly because the neckline is curved), and I stitched on the top and bottom of the ribbon.

I don't know how I'll manage not to put ribbon on everything from now on.

Pictures. Righto.

Now, picking out the dryer sheet afterwards was no picnic, and my mom claims that tissue paper also works. (I'll swatch and test this and get back to you.) I'm a little ashamed that I'm covering up errors rather than fixing them, and I appreciate all of your suggestions on fixing. Next time, I promise.

The deets: Plymouth Dreambaby 4 ply in blue grey, 100% non-natural, but I wanted it to be machine washable. US5 and US 6 needles. 4 x 3/8 inch brown buttons, and 1.5 yard of 1/4 inch elephant trim. 12 month size of Harvey's Baby Kimono from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Lousia Harding. Changes to pattern: none, though I added the ribbon and put 4 buttons on the front so that it could be buttoned either way. There are 4 white buttons on the inside as well, behind the brown ones.

Let me say this: I am Pleased as Punch and Lucky as a Leprechaun that this worked out. There would have been tears otherwise.

Let me say this, too: Last week, when I was photographing the turtles, the President and the Provost of the University walked by but ignored this faculty member, lying on the ground with knit turtle hats. Today, they stopped me and asked, "Why are you in the dirt taking pictures of baby clothes?" Ummm...I don't know how to answer that, but wonder how it's possible that my timing is THAT bad, two days in a row. Dang.

Know what's better than one turtle hat?

2007-06-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

That's right. Two turtle hats.

Here we see them, two turtles, lying in repose on a large rock on a sunny, hot day, as turtles are wont to do.

Last weekend, mom requested a baby hat for a new arrival, and since the first turtle came out soooo little, I decided to take the opportunity to try to get the gauge worked out. The light green one, the first, has a diameter of only 12.375 inches, barely big enough to fit around a premie head. The new one has a diameter of 16 inches, which is much more reasonable for a baby. The pattern is written out longhand, and maybe I'll type it up this weekend.

Hm. So, who wants to test my pattern for me? Leave me a comment with your info if you'd like to make one -- I'll trade you the pattern for your comments, and maybe a photo of your finished hat. (I'm thinking if anyone takes me up on this, I'll be way more likely to write down the pattern soon. See? I know how to light a fire under my own butt.)

So, this second hat is going to a family I don't know. My mom works with a woman whose son lives in NE Portland, and he is about to have a baby. I'm supposed to go over there and drop off this gift for the shower, despite the fact that I don't really know the woman my mom works with, much less her son, much less her son's very pregnant wife. Imagine how you would feel if a six-foot woman holding a knit turtle hat showed up on your porch and said, "You don't know me, but this is for your unborn child." It's going to be awesome.

Now, if you know me at all, you know I can't leave it at a hat. Babies need clothes, too. This took about 15 minutes, and it was, in my opinion, a quarter of an hour well-spent.

Because what's better than two turtle hats? A turtle hat and a turtle onesie.

Has Anyone Else Had This Problem?

2007-05-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

So, I'm making a few baby items in between rounds on the Green Gable, which is getting longer very slowly. It's 9 rounds to the inch, and about 250 stitches per round, so it's slow going even when my hands are whipping out stitches.

Mom called and asked for a turtle hat, and since I have to get the gauge right before I write up a pattern, I said ok. I did have a photo shoot with a friend's baby, who at 8 weeks was JUST small enough to fit the teeny first version of the turtle on her head.

I'm going with a slightly darker green this time, and think I have the gauge right to make a 16 inch hat. The one pictured above is a teeny 12 3/8 inches around.

I also picked up the book Natural Knits for Babies and Moms at lint and am making two baby kimonos for work folks due soon, and later in the summer. So far, the kimono pattern is straightforward, though I'm a little confused about the sleeve, which has no decreases to make a nice cap. Maybe babies have such shallow shoulders that it's not necessary? Maybe it's meant to be a little bit drop-shouldered? Hard to say, though. I've got one sleeve done, and will probably try my hand at sewing it in before making the other.

All told, I'm only about 70% satisfied with the result. I used a very soft (though 0% natural) yarn which is not only machine washable, but also goes through the dryer. The first baby is Gender Unknown, and so John picked out a very nice grey-blue, good for girls and boys. I decided on the 9-12 month size, since it's hot here, and baby won't REALLY need a sweater for a while. Plus, babies grow. I've pretty much decided that while we don't know the gender, I can still make a decision on the wrapping direction, and I think I'm going with the boy cardigan. It's easy enough to change later, if they're not happy. So that's all fine. What's not fine is this:

(It's hard to get a picture of this, so bear with me, and bust out your reading glasses if need be.)

There are two things that I'm really NOT liking about the body of the kimono. First, if you look to the right and left of the garter stitch border, right alongside the border, you can see the line of decreases. I was really careful to get them all slanting the right direction, but they still look all wonky to me. I tried blocking, but they won't line up in an orderly queue, and I'm real annoyed about it. I realize this is a little unreasonable, and that it really doesn't matter, but I'm annoyed that the pattern is set up so that the decreases lie right there, and I'm annoyed that I didn't notice until it was all sewn together. (I don't know if I'm annoyed enough to rip it out. It's not MY baby, after all.)

Second, what's up with those little holes at the pick up edge. You can see them, right? They occur between bindoffs that make the front slant upwards. I'm thinking about using some extra yarn to tighten them up. Does anyone have any other suggestions, or a way to avoid this in the future?

Today: get buttons!

Relaxing

2007-05-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

So, a brief check in to tell you how my relaxing is going.

Awesome.

Friday I got my haircut and we went out to dinner.
Saturday we went downtown and I graded papers in a coffee shop while John worked, then we headed over to Lint for some yarn. (John is patient. He brought work into the store and sat quietly and didn't complain.) We decided to do some yardwork at 2:30, and the neighbor came over and said, "That would be easier if you used a rototiller." We don't have one of those (and dad, we don't want one, ok?), but our neighbor does. He fired it up, and then he did it for us, which is good, because he's a big guy, and his brother-in-law (who helped) is a bigger guy, and they were getting pulled around by this thing. John would have embarassed himself. My arms would have been ripped from their sockets. Over post-rototiller beers, the neighbors invited us over for grilled pork chops and corn and potato salad. I mean, who's gonna say no to that?
Sunday we did morning chores, got the house cleaned up, got lunch at New Seasons, watched a movie, and I knit while John played video games. I sat in the bog green chair. I napped. I did not think about work.
Today we slept in until 9:10. Decadent. I have some grading left to do, but it's minimal, and then there's some knitting to do, some sewing, some gardening, some baking...all of which makes me happy that I've taken some time for myself.

I'll be back tomorrow with new knitting.

Actual Conversation at Breakfast

2007-05-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Me: Today is my day to prepare to relax.

He: Uh. Most people just relax.

Me: I know, but if I don't get everything done today that I would do if I were at work Friday, Sunday, and Monday, then I'll be thinking about it and I won't be able to relax.

He: Uh-huh.

Me: And I really need to take a break, so I'm going to be working really hard to day preparing to relax. Then maybe I can relax.

He knows at this point it's best not to argue, to continue to act interested and as though I am making sense, and to tune me out.

I have 10 homework assignments left to grade (down from 60 this morning...there was a backlog, and 10 exams to grade, but then I'll be free for the weekend. AND we get Monday off, and I didn't even know it was a holiday (workaholic?), so it's a Surprise Holiday for me. I'm all prepped for next week, and if I come in to work at all, it's going to be to pick up a paper for some "light reading" on singular integral operators. But look at me, not taking it home in the first place! Because I'm prepared to relax!

Oh, and my annual self-evaluation is turned in, speaking of light reading. They ask me to reflect and I do. For forty pages. And for those of you wondering (Julia, and well..that's probably it), I included a copy of "Ada June" in the supplemental materials section. Because technically, it is a publication.

Eat Here and Get Gas

2007-05-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

I took a short break from knitting this weekend, since John and I decided (at 4 pm on Saturday) to put in the vegetable garden. We're coming to realize that we're not really yard people. Neither of us has any interest in mowing grass, nor do we really care about sitting in our yard. We have no kids, so we don't need to have a place for them to play (plus also, there are parks nearby). And did I mention that we both hate mowing grass? We really do.

It's pretty clear to us that previous owners cared even less about the appearance of the yard. It's a big house on a small lot, so there's not a whole lot to work with. The front and side of the house are a mess, and they'll stay that way for a few more weeks. You know how you have that neighbor and when you think of that neighbor you think, "I really wish they'd at least trim the weeds back from the street." Well, we're the people you're thinking about. For now. I mean, the front and the side? They're gonna take professional help.

Last Tuesday I took the weed whacker to the "back strip" -- it's about 4 feet wide and 40 feet long. The weeds were past my knees. PAST MY KNEES. We don't go behind the garage very often, and our next door neighbors (who have as perfectly manicured a yard as you can imagine) are just too nice to say anything. So, I whacked down the tall crap and started uprooting the weeds from the plot we use for a vegetable garden. I worked for two hours, and when I stopped, I'd cleared about 2 feet of the usable 15, and I'd filled a garbage can. The 45-gallon kind.

There are no before pictures for a reason, folks.

So, Saturday, John and I got the starts we wanted, and between 5 and 7:30, I pulled, he shoveled and turned and raked, and we planted.

Another thing: you should not dig in our yard without wearing leather gloves. The main component in our soil isn't dirt, or sand, or weeds, or worms. It's broken glass. Seriously. I don't know what previous owners did with the yard, but I do know that they drank a LOT of bottled beer, and they chucked the bottles out the kitchen window and into the back strip. For, like, 50 years. (When we had the juniper removed from the front yard a year ago, we found out that they also enjoyed a fair amount of Schlitz Malt Liquor. The tall weeds were the least of their problems.)

We have really low expectations on crop yield here. Basically, if we get a few tomatos that taste like tomatos should (and not like they usually do when you buy them at the Freddy's), we'll be happy.

Along the back fence we have 3 rows of corn, and there are 4 tomato plants (3 varieties) under the kitchen window. Along the chainlink fence, we have 4 types of peppers: Thai hot, Anaheim Chili, Hungarian Wax Hot, and Gypsy Sweet. Yes, I put the Hungarians next to the Gypsies. This would have caused my grandmother to yell, "Vee are not like zee Gypzees! Vee are Hungarian, but not like zee Gypzees!" (Which is of course why I did it.) At the end of the peppers we have some scallions. In front of the peppers, we've got some herbs: parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, and chives. Against the house is some rosemary and some zucchini plants. Mostly, I want fried zucchini blossoms.

This was a lot of work. Really. So, when we finished, John wanted to get burgers in town, and I was too tired to resist greasy fries. While waiting in the parking lot at Burgerville (because they make it all Fresh!), John pointed out the sign at Our Daily Bread. This was the place we went for dinner our First Night in Portland. We were tired. We had no stuff. The house was hot, and there was no hot water. Our Daily Bread was open, and we didn't know that it would be filthy. I ordered a turkey sandwich and was served meatloaf and mashed potatoes that bore no resemblance to actual potatoes. The whole time we were there, we were wondering, "WHAT HAVE WE DONE? WHAT ARE WE DOING IN PORTLAND? THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE."

But it wasn't, right? I mean, now we can look back on that dinner and laugh, and be thankful that we don't eat there. Ever. Not even when we're doubled over laughing at their sign.

Done! (With Two Small Things, but Still)

2007-05-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week around here, what with the start of summer classes coinciding with a nasty cold for me, which has turned into a nasty head cold for John. He's much more stoic (and much less whiny) than I am. Somehow, because I get sick so infrequently, I feel sort of justified in whining about it to anyone who will listen, and by listen I really mean not walk away. (When I'm not sick, I feel justified in whining about other things.) Last night, on our drive home, we made the decision to get very spicy Thai soup with lemongrass for dinner. This is a temporary fix at best, but John does sound so happy when he says, "This soup gives me the sweats!" in the same tone that anyone else would use to say, "This makes me feel so warm and content all over!"

And if you add to that the fact that the woman I wanted to be America's Next Top Model didn't make it to the final two AND Melinda Doolittle got voted off American Idol. Whatever. As Alex said to me and John, "American Idol is clear evidence that direct democracy doesn't work." How else could we explain Sanjaya?

But you're here to see knitting, and since I've had some down time (by which I mean time while I was too tired to think about what I was supposed to be thinking about), I've got some finished projects for you. The other good thing? I get to cross TWO things off my "on the needles" list! And I haven't added any (yet)!

Nora - The following is Ada's birthday gift. If it doesn't fit, tell me and I'll make another one that does fit.

This little summer top is the Monica pattern from the Spring 2007 issue of Knitty. Details? Cascade Sierra Quattro in bright green and light blue, at 5 sts/in on a US6 needle. I changed the pattern slightly, with seed stitch border instead of garter (because my mom once said that she thinks seed stitch is "the cutest"). I knit both pieces in the round, so there was no seaming except to join the straps from the front to the back. I crocheted an edge on the bottom out of remnants of Cascade Pima Tencel. Then, because it looked plain, I embroidered some stems and sewed on some buttons from my "I have no idea where these came from" button jar.

This was definitely the easiest thing I've made in a very long time. It's essentially two tubes, one twice the size of the other. The pattern is totally clear, and joining the ruffle to the body was serious fun -- I'm never convinced that these things are going to work out, and then they do, and I'm thrilled.

Now, after I finished the knitting on this guy, the green yarn was sitting on the "coffee table" in the basement, next to some yellow ribbon yarn, and I had this thought that if you put them together, it would be turtle colors. (Try explaining that one. When I mentioned this to John, he said something like, "I'm pretty sure turtles are not yellow." Then he walked away, knowing I was going to do what I wanted, regardless of his naysaying. Always Naysaying! Go sit in your tower!)

Last January, while playing around with the patterns in the Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries, I came up with a hat using the Hexagon pattern, and made two little girl hats for some friends. Remember?

This seemed like a good place to start. Figuring out the decreases was simple (though of course I didn't write it down), and the spacing "came out" so that I got a yellow patch at the top, and it's symmetric and appealing. I added a tail and legs by picking up some stitches and folding and 3-needle binding off, and then picked up a circle of stitches for the head, and made that, and there was JUST enough green yarn leftover to stuff the head. Sew on an eyes and a mouth, and really, who doesn't want a turtle hat? And what is wrong with them?

It was an on-the-fly design project, to be sure, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and will write up the pattern. But before I do, I'd better have someone else measure the gauge. Yeah, I didn't do that, and this hat would really only fit a newborn. Fortunately, even newborns need hats.

Also, do you think I need to trim the lavendar?

Project Update

2007-05-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I left a few things off the list of projects last time, so while I can cross things off, I've got more to add. Maybe I should work something into the sidebar.

Last week, Yvette suggested that I try working on the Green Gable sweater on two circulars instead of one, and that this would save me a lot of the annoying scooting of yarn up over the join and down and around the cable. I'm using the needles I had on hand, so one is bamboo and one is plastic, but it's working wonderfully. I'm using the same technique as I did for the socks on two circulars, and progress is much faster now that I'm not spending (wasting) a ton of time moving stitches around. And, since the needles are different, there's no chance that I'll pick up the wrong one at the wrong time. So, Yvette, I owe you a big thank you! (Progress is still slow, but at least it's moving in the right direction. The big "take it off the needles and try it on" moment is just around the corner. However, I'm not sure I really want to KNOW if it fits -- if it doesn't, I'm not sure that I'll be finishing it, given that I'll have worked it to the armpits TWICE without success. There's also the fact that if I take it off the needles to try it on, I have to get all 458 stitches back ON the needles.Yuck.)

The new, very cute design project is finished, but will only fit a newborn. (I didn't swatch.) Wanna photo? How about a teaser:

More soon, once I have a pattern and some action shots (I need a newborn to model.).

Predictably, as I made it through the end of the year and the start of the summer, I picked up some sort of nasty cold. I'll be sidelined for a couple of days, which for me means coming in to teach and write, then taking long naps in the afternoon. It's not such a bad life, if you can manage with all the coughing.

Future Goals.

2007-05-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've gotten quite a few emails of support that seem the verbal equivalent to giving a marathon runner a dixie cup of beer at mile 16. (You cringe. I cringed too. But you know what beer has in it? Sugar. And Carbs. And when you've still got ten point two miles to go, and there's a volcano between you and the finish line, and you can't go around it, sugar and carbs are a fantastic combination.)

The deadline for a big report that I need to write was moved forward 2 weeks, and is now due...umm....Tuesday. I'm not sure I can do as thorough a job as I'd like to in the next 4 days, given all the other things I'd already planned, but maybe it's a sign that I cannot obsess over these things. Right now I'm in the midst of making my list of future goals, and wondering if I can include as a future goal "make shorter lists of future goals." Seriously, folks, how much time do I think I have?

But that's the thing, isn't it?

When I started knitting, I told the lady at JoAnns that I was not going to work on more than one project at once. She laughed, and I was briefly offended. I mean, I thought, she must be really out of control if she can't focus on a project, get it done, and then start something new. What was her problem? I am the epitome of control. I will have only one project, and I will not be distracted from it.

And now, though it pains me to do so, here is a list of what's currently on needles in my house.

1. Sleeve #2 of a gorgeous wool cabled sweater. I am tempted to sprain my ankle so that I will be forced to sit all day and finish this. And the front and the back, which are not started.

2. One row of a mohair lace scarf. I thought I'd have more time on faculty development day.

3. John's vest. At 8 stitches to the inch on US0 needles, I have no more than a hem. Of the front.

4. The Green Gable. Almost to the armpit.

5. A new hat design, because when inspiration strikes, I'm unable to stop it. Maybe I'll finish that soon, and submit the pattern?

6. Not on needles, but I have a half-completed sewing project.

7. Several things that need finishing that I'm too embarassed to mention.

So, I may have to include in my list of future goals the following : Finish Something. Finish everything, then start something new.

Of course, making goals that I know I won't achieve won't make me look too good.

Are You Done?

2007-05-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

People keep asking me if I'm "done" with the school year, and I'm not entirely sure how to answer them. The academic year ended last weekend. Tomorrow is my 2nd Filing Anniversary, marking 2 years since I got the Dr. title, which I traded in 2 months later for the Mrs. title, which I traded in a few months later for no title at all. (Occasionally I get a letter addressed to Mrs. John S., which amuses me, but not as much as the ones that come addressed to Mrs. Stephanie Anne M. S., Ph.D, which I find totally obnoxious. Anyway.) Done, it's sort of relative.

It's like, do you say that you're "done" knitting something because the knitting is done? The finishing can take just as long as the knitting, right? So you're not really "done" with the object, because you're not finished with the finishing.

Confused yet?

The best answer I can give is that the last school year is over, but this week I had a presentation on Tuesday, another one tomorrow, and summer classes begin Monday. This leaves me wondering how I'm going to teach 100 minute math classes, since I generally don't want to do math for 100 minutes straight. A few short breaks? One long one? I'm playing it by ear. I'm giving a talk in 10 days on something way out of my field. Done with that? Nope. Haven't even started.

The Green Gable is right where I left it last week but I got a brilliant suggestion in the comments that I try 2 circular needles. I made socks this way in February, and am happy to give this a shot.

The knitting for my friend is done (and finished, too), but I've gone back and forth with the embellishment. I think I've settled on something cute, though.

Here's something that's been done for a while, out of the F.O. archive. I almost kept this for myself, but sent it to Julia in the end, since it was made from yarn leftover from her vest.

The pink yarn is Berocco, the brown is something else, and the pattern was made up as I went along. Needles? No idea. Gauge? Yeah. Right. I'm pretty sure this was a portable project made when other larger things were on needles.

That's Quite a Response

2007-05-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sure it's because of the Ada June pattern over at Magknits, but this little site has seen a huge upswing in hits in the last week. Something like 80 hits a day, with an average visit of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. So, if you're here because of Ada June, I hope you like the pattern and the outcome, and I hope you'll send me a photo of your own finished one (or two, three, or ten.)

The present for my special friend, pictured yesterday, is done. Well, the knitting is done, but there's enough rolling of the end that I decided to try blocking it before I decide if it's going to be finished as is, or ripped out and reknit.

Maybe someone reading this can help. The pattern is mostly stockinette, but calls for 3 garter rows at the bottom, presumably to stop the rolling. I am not such a fan of the plain garter stitch, so I switched it to seed stitch for 2 rows. Two is not three. I know this. In my experience, seed stitch doesn't roll, but it can (and in this case, does) cause a fold in the fabric where I switch from seed to stockinette. And folding, in my book, is as bad as rolling. I'll try a crochet edge on the bottom, and hope that it will sort of tighten things up and make the fold stop, but I'm not optimistic.

The Yarn Harlot is talking about "To Rip or Not To Rip" today. I didn't read all 214 comments before mine, but I voted for ripping out the back of her sweater. As is, the ribs on the front will not match up with the ribs on the back. This would drive me completely insane, so much so that if someone were to compliment me on the sweater, I'd have to lift the gigantic collar (which covers the offending offset) and show them that the ribs don't line up. I mean, batshit crazy. I'd wear it, but it would be equivalent to wearing shoes with a thing between my big toe and second toe. And that gives me both the heebies and the jeebies.

But why don't I just peddle my brand of crazy elsewhere, eh?

So, if this little item keeps with the rolling/folding, I will probably undo the whole thing (yes, ends are already sewn in. My bad) and reknit it, after doing a few swatches to figure out the best way to get the seed stitch to lie flat. Smaller needles might work. I knew that when I started, but didn't have the right size needles to do it, and it was a Monday, so all the yarn stores were closed.

No need to point out that I could have waited until Tuesday. I've already been there.

I'm going to leave you with a photo from my past, since today I'm going to part one of commencement ceremonies, and "get" to wear a robe so puffy that I have to walk sideways through doors. It's one of the perks of staying in school until you're 30. I believe the two of us were making "Jenga" faces.

Tired of the Scooting

2007-05-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

I'm taking another break from the Green Gable. It's NOT that I don't like it, and what's more, I actually really want to wear it. The problem is not that it's just boring stockinette, either, because all of the other projects I've got are boring stockinette, and they're not causing the same angst.

Here's the problem: I'm making the thing on a circluar needle that is probably too short, and because of that, the stitches are all bunched up and don't slide around properly. Every few stitches I have to stop and scoot them around to the tip of the left needle, or off the back of the right needle. This is irritating and takes time. I've already switched to more slippery needles. I don't know what the solution is, but I'm REALLY close to the point where I take the sleeves off, and there will be more room then. I think I have about 10 more rows to endure with the scooting.

In the meantime, I've been finding solace in a project for a special friend, and learning a new technique at the same time.

That's some Cascade Sierra Quattro, and it's really nice and soft. And spongy. It's from a pattern, but as usual I took the idea and made some modifications. I'm hoping to finish it up this weekend, but have lots of school stuff to do. We'll see. Or, I'll see, and then you'll see.

Ada June Mentioned on Craft!

2007-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

CRAFT Magazine has a blog, and they've linked to Ada June. I'm thrilled, naturally. Thanks to Nora for the link:

Craftzine.com

Ada June is Up!

2007-05-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sometime last spring I turned to Elaine at knit night and said, "I wonder if I could make a hat with a flower knit into it, and then with a felted flower on top." At the time, I'd only done a few rows of an intarsia scarf (that I have since unraveled).

Over spring break, I figured out how to write and read a chart, and remembered a conversation I had with Melissa at Lint about the slantiness of decreases. Kristin at Naked Sheep helped me decide where to put the decreases, and within a few days of the picture in my head, I had a hat.

Let me say this: it was my first full intarsia experience, and once I started the colorwork there were ELEVEN bobbins of yarn attached to the piece, tangling together, making a mess. Now, I'm a really high strung person, and I need things to be neat and orderly, and here were these eleven bobbins in two different colors, wrapping around each other in knots.

I take this as one of the big learning experiences of my life. As I sat on the couch, I tried to focus on one stitch at a time, unwound bobbins as I needed to, and decided that the tangled mess was going to be OK.

When I'd made 3 of them, in 3 different sizes, I asked Nora and Kristin if I could use their kids as models for some photos of the hats. They showed up on campus, ran around like mad, and sat for as many pictures as they could manage. The sun was out. That doesn't happen too often here. Not in April, anyway.

The pattern is free, and you can get it over at MagKnits.

My advice, when you go to make one, is to have a glass of water (or wine, or coffee), relax, and untangle as you need to. The big mess will take care of itself.

Fabric Swap

2007-04-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Linnton on Saturday for a Fabric and Notions Swap Meet.

It's really amazing how much crap people keep around. I'm telling you this: had I been in the market to make a huge afghan out of very cheap, very old acrylic yarn, I could have done so for under $10. I understand the urge to buy more yarn or fabric or whatever your choice of craft obsession needs, believe me I do*

but this was pretty amazing. There was a woman who had piles of remnants of polyester plaid fabric, and a pair of friend who together had "kits" for about fourteen quilts that they never made. Because neither of them is a quilter. There was a woman who was selling fat quarters of shibori dyed fabric, and she used things like binder clips and spice jar tops with little holes in them. As intrigued as I was by that, I could not bring myself to buy it, even if it was only a dollar.

In the next few days I'll be in and out, checking email and not, since it's finals week and I'm under the gun. When I get back on track, though, I've got some awesome projects coming down the pipeline.

John sat me down this weekend and helped me to make a list of things I have to do in the next two weeks, and things I want to do in the next two weeks. Believe it or not, there is a little (very little, though) overlap. He instructed me (nicely) to try to keep a good balance of both lists going. He knows I'm a multitasker and a stress case. It is moments like this that I realize how totally lost I would be without him.

*Jake often sleeps there, even in the summer. You'd think his thick fur coat would be sufficient, but apparently not.

I Really Should Try Knitting Lace

2007-04-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm buried. Seriously. The end of the term is always like this. I have a pile of papers to grade in the next 3 hours, I have final exams to write, edit, and copy. I have students asking questions and making demands. (And I'm learning that I'm not fair because I won't say exactly what will be on the final. My solution, for future classes: no sample exams.) And after the exams are taken they need to be graded. Then grades need to be calculated (what did people DO before Excel?) and entered. THEN I hav emy annual self-evaluation to write, a talk to write (and give) and I'm teaching this summer.

One thing at a time, Steph. One thing at a time.

Not a whole lot of knitting is going on, to be sure. So, in light of that, I thought I'd look through my backlog of photos of finished objects, and post a few. It's an interesting lot, actually. Well, interesting to me, as I look back at what I've done.

I grouped a few lace photos together to share. I'd been knitting about 15 months when I decided I was ready to try. Elaine and I were at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, and I admired all the lace and...it was time. I'd been told it was hard, and that you had to pay close attention and (gasp) keep track of what you were doing. Despite some evidence to the contrary, I'm usually prety good at those things.

I'd done SOME knitting with stitch patterns. Nothing hard. Time-consuming, yes. I made my mom a clapotis for Christmas 2005, a mere 8 months after I started knitting. It wasn't bad, and I loved dropping the stitches, but it took about 60 hours and used about a mile of bamboo yarn. Not really lace, but certainly lacy. When Laura was having a hard time, I picked up some stash yarn (from OFFF) and made her a narrower one. I remember taking it to the yarn store and sitting with a bunch of women older than me, and talking to them about what she was going through. One of them asked if it would be ok if we all put our hands on the scarf, and put some good energy into it for Laura. I wasn't sure what she meant, but we did it. (Now I wish we had something for that woman, who needs our good energy at this point. Can it be sent back that way?)

I got a used stitch pattern book at Powells and decided, one night in March 2006, to knit a lace swatch out of some stash alpaca. I knit until I made a mistake, cast off, and it looked like a little pile of mustard yellow (again with the mustard yellow!) trash, all clumped together. Nothing. It looked like nothing. Not a swatch. Not lace. Just a wad of yarn.

Then I blocked it.

And I was converted. The truth is that I have very little use for lacy things. I get them caught on doorknobs and hooks and velcro. I really tried to convince myself that I needed a lace scarf, but in the end, I couldn't. However, need is different than want.

At Black Sheep, I got some laceweight alpaca yarn, and decided to make myself a scarf. Of course, the first pattern I picked was about as hard as you can imagine, with a k7tog (that's KNIT SEVEN STITCHES TOGETHER) five times. In a row. I really tried to get my needle through those seven stitches (five times) but it didn't matter how I contorted my body. I couldn't do it. I tried smaller needles, larger needles, and briefly considered (then abandoned) the idea of BUTTERING MY NEEDLES to get them through seven tiny loops at once. I didn't want to admit defeat, and still haven't. I think of that project as one that has been put aside until I have less stress in my life.

Here's the thing, though. I don't LIKE it when I can't do something. I get angry, and depressed, and more than both of those things, determined. Probably that first pattern was just too complicated. Probably I could knit lace if I had something better for me. Last October, I made this, the Swallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits. (In a discontinued Rowan yarn that I really loved).

This went to my mom, for her birthday. I will say that taking that photo was pretty awkward, since I put the shawl into a tree on campus, and at the same time a bunch of faculty walked by, and I found myself trying to explain why I was doing so. I stammered something about needing to stretch it out, and needing something tall, and there was this tree, and yes I have work to do, and...."

At Christmastime, I knit this for my department's secretary, out of the leftover yarn from Laura's skinny clapotis. The pattern is extremely easy, and can be found here.

I love it when she wears it. Makes me feel fantastic.

So, here's the thing. I have yet to knit a lace piece for myself. And I still have that alpaca yarn. And I still haven't successfully knit seven together five times. And I'm buried.

And just like I started knitting when I was under a great deal of pressure...I think it might be time to pick that thing up again.

A Little Bit of History

2007-04-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I completed my first knitted object. I'd expresed a small interest in learning to my mom, who sent me a Klutz kit with some blue yarn, some US8 needles, and a few funky (ugly) buttons. I taught myself using the book -- it was clearly written for a 13 year old girl, so everything made perfect sense -- and cranked out the hat in a few days.

It was probably not the best time to pick up a time-consuming hobby. My dissertation was due in a few weeks. I was planning my own wedding, and as usual, not asking for help. I could not knit and make corrections to my manuscript, and I could not knit and fold invitations, so I put all of that aside for a few days, and I knit. I remember having to concoct a way to remind myself if I was on the knit side of the hat or the purl side, because I had not yet figured out that they look totally different (that wasn't mentioned in the book). There was something with the way that I left the needles at the end of the row. One configuration meant "start knitting" and the other meant "start purling". I swatched and measured my gauge, a perfect 4.5 stitches to the inch. I did not measure my head, and was lucky that the hat fit my giant noggin. (It's like an orange on a toothpick.) But I was so proud of that hat. The seam is terrible. I didn't read about mattress stitch and just whip stitched the thing together. I wore it around the math department and told everyone that I'd made it. A hat. My own hat. Nevermind that I was also wearing shorts and a tee shirt. It was Los Angeles in April. And also, did I mention that I made the hat myself?

After this one was done, I made a non-startling decision. I needed more yarn. Lots of it. Immediately. It would not do to finish my dissertation and then get more yarn. No sir. I needed to make a trip to JoAnn's. (I didn't know about yarn stores yet.)

The next two hats came in quick succession, first the blue and white, which was sent to my sister-in-law, and then the yellow, which I made for my sister. I wanted her to have something that she could throw in the washer, and I knew that wool and washers didn't mix (though I didn't know why), so I made both hats out of this squeaky baby boucle acrylic. The orange stuff in Laura's hat is bamboo boucle, and I was so excited because I also used a crochet hook to make a chain, which I then stitched on and made into little flowery things. Without instructions. I thought it looked like a lei, and that was my intent, but in fact, more than once she's been told that it looks like a birthday cake.

Shortly thereafter, I found a yarn store in Brentwood. They were sort of friendly, and sort of snobby, but I deferred to their vast knowledge of knitting. They told me that stockinette stitch rolls and garter doesn't. They told me about the different sizes of yarn. They understood when I said I needed yarn in a color that could only be described as "borange". You know. Brown and orange. For Alison. I knit this one for her birthday, and I remember knitting it at a carwash in Palms, and a lady asked me about knitting, and I told her I really couldn't answer any questions, since this was my fourth project ever, and I'd been knitting for about a month.

Then Kati had her baby, and I went back to the Brentwood store and got some pink shoelace stuff, and felt that adding a little bow would be saucy.

What happened next was no surprise to anyone who knows me at all. I was obsessed. Couldn't stop with the knitting. Stopped painting my fingernails because it cut into knitting time. Stopped at a yarn store on the way to Santa Barbara, so I'd have knitting for the days before the wedding, and for the honeymoon. And the rest...well...it's yarn history.

Be Sweet

2007-04-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

We didn't eat Hostess treats when I was a kid. In fact, I'd never had one until the day I submitted my dissertation, and came back to my office to find that Brooke (who was always alarmed to hear the list of things I'd never shoved down my gullet) left me a fancy root beer and some Ho Hos. And they were disgusting. Absolutely awful. It was like eating brown cardboard wrapped around plaster of paris. I ate them both anyway.

While my parents were here, mom bought me some yarn at Close Knit. It was ridiculously expensive, but beautiful. The company that produced the yarn is called Be Sweet, and their yarn is vibrant and soft and wonderful to work with, and I'd do it again if I had more discretionary income. Nonetheless, one ball of Slubby Mohair and one ball of Brushed Mohair, both in peach, plus 42 inches of satin ribbon, produced two very cute baby hats.

The pattern I used (more or less) is here, though I cast on more stitches for the second hat. I've got about 1/3 of the mohair left, and about 3 yards of the slubby.

The thing is, these hats look an awful lot like a Hostess Sno-Ball.

It Even Fits the Kitchen Sink

2007-04-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

John was the one who took the sewing machine out of its box. Not me.

For my 30th birthday, my mom gave me a sewing machine and a notions box filled with all sort of things that I might need to get started making my own clothes. John and I were living in a small-ish apartment in Los Angeles at the time, and the machine stayed in the box. When I was making things for our wedding, I thought about how nice it would be if I could sew some simple things, but I hadn't sewn anything since earning the Fashion, Fitness, and Makeup badge in Girl Scouts (when I was in junior high), and we didn't really have an extra table or anything. When we moved to Portland, the sewing machine and acoutrements stayed in the basement until about a year ago, when John got the idea that he could sew his own messenger bag.

Keep in mind that John had not used a sewing machine since his childhood (when he made beanbags with his grandma). He also wasn't saying that he'd find a pattern for a messenger bag and then sew it. He meant that he'd look at the features of the bags he had, and figure it out using, well, origami. His goal was to make the bag out of one piece of fabric, with nice, square seams and bias tape (which I'd never heard of) for the trim.

John and I are alike in that regard. We think, "What would happen if..." and then go off and give something a try.

His first bag, made from scraps of red (from a tool bag he thought he'd make, and I'm not sure he ever did) and some leftover fabric from the wedding. The apple is in there for size comparison.

Later, I had this idea while we were in Fabric World,

(scary, no?) I got some hemp furniture strap and asked John if he thought we could weave it into a bag. He was certain that we could. He did all the sewing on this. It's enormous. Really. It fits my knitting, my books, my purse, and it's missing one thing: a key fob. Man do I hate digging for my keys.

He finished that last spring. The knit blanket was for Graham, and is made of Sugar-n-Cream cotton in the modified log cabin pattern.

Last night, John finished his second messenger bag, complete with double D-ring strap and buckles. This one is navy and yellow, and the first one is royal blue with bright orange. They're waterproof because there's a layer of truck tarp between the two pieces of fabric. This means that they also make an awesome rustling sound when you move.

Here's the thing: now I'm totally jaded on buying knitting bags. There are some REALLY nice ones out there, but I look at them and think that John could make one for me for less money. Also, there's something really cool about taking my husband to the fabric store when he's as excited as I am about buying fabric. I wish you all could have seen his face when he discovered the hunting section at Mill End. The idea of bright orange and yellow inner fabric on his bags made him So Happy.

Waiting for The Little One

2007-04-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Some glitch in the adoption process means that we're still waiting on the little one who was supposed to be part of a friend's family last Thursday. It feels to me like waiting for a baby to be born, except in the case of a pregnancy, there isn't so much of a possibility that the baby won't arrive at some point, ready to be loved. I'm irritated. These are wonderful people who want so much to share their lives with this little guy. They've spent weekends with him. Afternoons holding him. He's part of their family in spirit if not in reality, and their friends are waiting to embrace the collective three of them and hold them up and say, "See? See? Good things still do happen." We're not giving up hope. We can't actually. There's so much humanity involved now.

The hoodie for the little one is done, and I've been going back and forth about posting a picture. It seems premature now, even though a week ago things seemed so certain. But, even in the face of this snafu, whatever it is, our friends carry on and hope that this will work out. So here it is.

The details: It's the smallest size of the Santa Cruz Hoodie from Knit Two Together by Mel Clark and Tracey Ullman (yes, that Tracey Ullman), made of GGH Aspen in Navy and Burnt Sienna. I used a US 10 needle for the edging and a 10.5 for the rest, and it knit up at 3 stitches and 4 rows to the inch.

This one knit up quickly. How quickly? We got the yarn last Tuesday afternoon, I worked for about an hour and a half Tuesday night, I was at work all day Wednesday, but knit part of Thursday morning, and was at a conference Friday and Saturday all day, and still had it done by the time I got back from the conference Saturday at 11 pm. And I knit a hat during the final keynote speech. So, VERY quickly.

I am without energy to do anything but sit and stare at the screen (after the conference, then the Etiquette Dinner (more later on that) and Founders' Day today), so you'll hear from me again after I get rid of the purple and yellow circles under my eyes.

Where I've Been

2007-04-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

1. In my officeat school, frantically trying to get my crap in order. It's been a crazy week, and even with no school on Monday, I'm behind. Though, I am pleased with my progress on class prep, and I'm all ready for the conference I'm attending tomorrow and Friday. Talk written, swap stuff collated, directions printed, registration confirmation in a folder, carpools arranged, class notes for sub in his mailbox, quiz printed, journal prompt sent....I find that though I hate working under pressure, and that I'm not so pleasant to be around when I'm this stressed, I do get things done.

2. At home, cleaning.

3. At home, picking out paint for the home office. It was battleship grey, and the previous owner/flipper was so enthusiastic about painting with this color that he got it all over the white ceiling. But then, there was white from the trim on the walls, and on the floor (which was then lacquered, right over the paint glops). Also, it was a high gloss paint, on lathe and plaster walls. Also, when we had the room jacked up last summer (because it's over the front porch, and some previous tenant had removed a not-unimportant pillar), the plaster cracked. So, the paint choosing started with a trip to Home Depot, which ended with about 3,000 choices that we liked. It was narrowed down to 7, and we got down to one color for above the picture rail, one below, and a white for the ceiling.

4. At home and out and about with my parents. Well, mom, really. Dad came up with the sole intention of painting the office. He likes it. He also likes doing taxes. I'm just not going to stand in his way.

5. Knitting, but not what I was knitting before. We got some amazing news this week that close family friends, who have been trying to adopt for years (7, we think), have adopted a baby boy. He's the sweetest little chub of a guy at 5 months, and when things like that happen, when good people are afforded the opportunity to love and care for someone who needs it, I well up. Now, as they scramble to arrange work schedules, find child care, set up a nursery, and feel all those emotions that we imagine they must be feeling, I do the only thing I can do to welcome this little guy into our extended family. I knit. In about 5 hours I've done 2 sleeves and half a back of a hoodie for him (baby things are small, and the yarn is thick), and I hope to finish before my folks leave so they can take it back to the family. The family. They've been waiting for years to make their family larger, and now it is. If I'm this overwhelmed by emotion, I can imagine how wonderful they must feel. Photos soon, I promise.

Unraveling, Unraveled

2007-04-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

For the second time, I've cast on the Green Gable top, only this time I'm more certain that I have the right number of stitches, and I'm pretty sure that I have a better grasp on the row width. I'm not sure that I fixed the rolling neck, and I still don't know if this will fit but it's just string, right? If I unraveled it once, I can do it again. I just hope it doesn't come to that.

The irony of the situation (beyond that I am currently listening to someone else's IMusic Library, and they seem to LOVE Alanis Morissette, and "Ironic" is playing as I type this) is that I've just finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad, in which Penelope tells her side of the story of waiting for her husband to come back. She talks at length about weaving the shroud, and picking it apart at night, then reweaving it, then unraveling it, and continuing like this for years. Now, I know that Penelope was patient, or she never would have waited for her husband to come back, but I'm sure that all of that progress, followed by anti-progress, would have driven any person completely batty.

Or, maybe it's not actually irony that I've just finished that book at the same time I'm restarting something that may need to be torn out and re-restarted, but just bad luck. Like rain on my wedding day. Or, as the case was, having the lawn sprinklers go off on the reception.

Penelope does have something interesting to say about the fiber arts, and given that I'm now knitting something for the second (and probably not final) time, and that I'm wrestling with writing a presentation and doing my own research and so am at the end of my proverbial rope, I'll put it in here:

"The teaching of crafts to girls has fallen out of fashion now, I understand, but luckily it had not in my day. It’s always an advantage to have something to do with your hands. That way, if someone makes an inappropriate remark, you can pretend you haven’t heard it. Then you don’t have to answer."

Now, I agree with the statement that it's an advantage to have something to do with your hands. It helps me to focus on whatever it is that I'm actually supposed to be doing. It's soothing. It's methodical. It keeps that part of my mind where the worrying takes place a little quieter. I'm not so sure about pretending not to hear inappropriate remarks, though. Knitting or not, I can't keep myself from responding, though I can wait to respond until after I've moved out of ear shot. (It helps immensely to have someone who listens. (Thanks, John.))

Knitting will not keep people from talking to you, though. Knit on a plane, and you'll field dozens of questions about what you're making, how you got the needles on the plane, and how it must be so boring because you just do the same thing over and over again. You'll hear all about how someone's grandma used to knit. You might hear a nice story about an important handknit. But you certainly won't be alone, and you won't be sitting in silence.

Lucky for me, if I want silence, I can work on the stuff that really makes me unravel.

It's Just Because I Don't Like the Rolled Neck

2007-04-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago I was working on the Green Gable sweater, and I was getting really close to the point where I could take it off the needles and try it on. This was exciting. I'd read online about how the fit is strange, and most people end up tearing it out and starting over with a smaller size, but mine wasn't looking too big. It was, however, looking a little on the short side. It's made from the top down, which I've heard is a great way to make a sweater because you can try it on as you go (as opposed to making one from the bottom hem, where you'd just have a tube, and by the time you get to the shoulders, you're almost done, and ripping out is far more painful.) So I'm knitting away, watching movies and being generally pretty happy with the way things are turning out, and I decide to measure the gauge again. And it's not right. Not even close.

And before you ask, and then taunt me, yes, I did make a swatch before I started, and yes, I was getting the 5 stitches/inch that the pattern calls for. But you know what I didn't measure? Row gauge. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I've NEVER measured my row gauge, because it doesn't matter, right? If I need 5 inches of knitted fabric, I knit 5 inches, and it doesn't matter how many rows it takes to get there.

So, here's the thing, THIS sweater is made from the top, and you increase the number of stitches you've got as you knit, so that as the fabric gets longer, it also gets wider (or, if you want to look at it the other way, as it gets wider, it gets longer). So imagine that you start with a neckline of 20 inches or so, and you want to increase to a chest of 40 inches. Then over the 10 or so vertical inches between shoulders and chest (the rows), you need to increase 20 inches around (the stitches). Sure. I know this. This makes sense. This isn't hard.

So, does it matter that the pattern calls for 7 rows per inch, and I had 9? Each row for me is 1/9th of an inch, instead of 1/7th. Over one row, this doesn't matter. Over 73? It seemed to be getting wider at the right rate. Hmmmm.

I kept knitting, knowing that my row gauge was off, and hoping it didn't matter. Ahem. That brown thing behind the knitting is an ordinary Old Navy t-shirt. The knitting was done, as far as the pattern went, to the armpits. So if I were to wear the knit piece I'd surely cut of circulation to my hands by strangling all the arteries that pass through my armpits. And since I'm pretty sure that all the arteries that run down to my hands pass near my armpits, this might be a problem. Crap.

So, why not keep knitting and make it a little longer? Or, like 2 inches longer? Well, I was at the "right" number of stitches for the body, so if I kept increasing (to keep that nice diagonal seam going), the body would be about 5 inches too big. And that's significant. Look, I really thought about this. I wondered about doing some decreases next to the increases, so the fabric would get longer (because more rows = longer) and not wider (because the number of stitches would be the same.) I wondered about whether I really need circulation to my hands, or if it's something that would be nice. I wondered if I cared about having a top that was too big.

Also, I didn't like the way the neckline rolled. It needed something to make it lie flatter.

Also, when I was thinking about how much I disliked the rolling neckline, I did some more measuring. I was not getting 5 stitches to the inch. I was getting 6. That's nonsense. Like I said, I did a swatch. It was ok. I called John over to have him measure, and he, too, got 6 to the inch. So the 220 stitches for the chest was meant to be 44 inches, but was really about 36. That's a LOT of negative ease. That's a REALLY tight sweater. That's a sweater that won't fit my skinniest friend (even if she had VERY shallow armpits). That makes the ripping out decision really easy.

Plus, the rolling neck was really unattractive.

Armed with a pen, a calculator, paper, and other implements of destruction, I did the math to make the same sweater but at a totally different gauge of yarn than what's called for (so the pattern is now useless, since I've had to get all the numbers on my own.) But it should fit. And amazingly, I managed all of this without a single utterance of the F-word.

Then I unwound the sweater. It mocks my mad math skillz. And my inattention to detail.

How Do You Like Your Haircut?

2007-04-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

There's this great scene in The Rock where Sean Connery has been released from prison, and he needs major cleaning up. New clothes. A haircut. So the police take him to the Fairmont, and the hotel barber (um, excuse me? stylist) comes up to turn him from "a grunge thing" into something more respectable, so he can break into Alcatraz and kick all kinds of home-grown terrorist ass. Sean Connery could never do that with scraggly hair.

After the haircut, there's this scene where Sean (we're on a first-name basis in my world) tries to break free, but first he throws John Spencer over the roof, attached only by some kind of cord. People get hurt. The guards don't notice because they're busy eating. And the stylist watches the whole thing while cowering in the corner of the elevator.

You know the scene. You've seen the movie so many times that you also play the game "Who Dies the Worst Death". You can admit it.

So, the point is that all this violence happens, and gruff tones are used, and our poor stylist is totally freaked out because Sean (with his new, neat haircut) is such a badass. When Sean gets in the elevator, the stylist, who looks like he might pee his pants, says he doesn't care about anything. He won't tell about the escape. He doesn't care what Sean did or didn't do. He just wants to know, "How do you like your haircut?"

And that sentiment, friends, is one I understand.

I've mentioned before, and I'm sure it will come up again, that there is no greater compliment to one who makes gifts for others to know that it is really liked and appreciated. Used. Worn. Shown off. It's sometimes hard for us to sing our own praises, and it's easier to play down compliments with an, "It wasn't that hard," or "It's not perfect. Let me show you the mistakes." (I'm working on this. I'm trying to say just "Thanks," instead of all that other garbage. I'm a work in progress.)

It meant so much to me to get these photos, then. The smaller hat is for the baby about to be born, but in the meantime, her older sister is making sure her dolly's head stays warm.

It makes me feel wonderful to know that the hats are being used, that someone loves them, and that someone new to the world is going to feel that love.

It's not as important as breaking into Alcatraz to save five million people from an attack of a deadly nerve gas, but it ranks up there.

On Ripping

2007-03-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm no stranger to starting projects without knowing how they are going to end. Some of my favorite knitting pieces have started with the phrase, "I wonder what would happen if...", and so far, nothing terrible has happened. Even if it does, even if the finished object is ugly or otherwise unwearable, it's just string. It can be ripped out and made into something else. It's true, there is time "lost" since there's nothing to show, but I don't know if lost is the right word there. I mean, can't it just be about the experience knitting? Can't it just be that I spent time relaxing, and so what if the thing I produce is ugly or doesn't fit, or in one case, could not possibly fit ANYONE, ever?

I'd love to be at that place, where I'm so relaxed about ripping out that it doesn't bother me at all, but in truth, I find it a little irritating, in part because the rest of my life is so hectic that I'd like to know that the time I spend knitting is also spent producing something nice.

Last week, I posted a picture of my new yarn, which I'm making into the Green Gable sweater by Zephyrstyle. The pattern is really nicely written, except for one thing: it doesn't tell you the finished size of the garment. By their measurements, I'm on the small side of the XL range, so I started there. A little poking around on the internet revealed that most people were making at least a size smaller than where they fit according to the size ranges. And because it's got a wide neckline and is made from the top down, it's really impossible to know what the final chest measurement is. Am I frustrated by this? Plenty. Is there anything I can do? Nope.

So, I have made the decision to continue making the largest size for about 5 more inches, at which point I should be able to try it on and see. And it's pretty likely that I'm going to have to rip it all out. I talked to the folks at knit night last night, and they generally agreed that this was my only option. I have no idea about how it will fit, so while I could rip it out now and go with the internet and make the smaller size, that might not fit either, in which case I'd be ripping that out and making the XL again.

It feels a lot like graduate school, where I'd be working and working towards proving something that might not even be true. So I'd work for a while hoping it was true (and my advisor would call things "morally true", which didn't help matters at all, since morals and mathematics are not the same thing), and then if I got nowhere, I'd look for a way to show it wasn't true.

People tell me that math and knitting are the same because isn't knitting all about numbers and counting and measuring. I think it might be more than that. A lot more. I only wish I had started knitting the same time I started mathematics.

In Which We Laugh at Ourselves a Little Bit (And at John, too)

2007-03-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

I feel like when a baby is born to mathematician parents (TWO mathematician parents in this case), it's important to indoctrinate her early. And why not? Of all the mathematician parents I know, none of them plans on forcing his or her child into this lifestyle (of mismatched socks and chalk-covered clothes), but almost all of them start early with the math games. My thesis advisor's first son didn't believe in the number 3. However, at the age of 2 1/2, he would laugh hysterically whenever he reminded himself that 5+4 was the same thing as 4+5. Hilarious! Addition commutes! That kid is TOTALLY going to be ready to have only half of his shirt tucked in. Can velcro shoes be far behind?

Last week, one of my colleagues had a baby girl. She's getting the snail hat and onesie, but in addition, I painted these this weekend. The tangram bunnies are my favorite. Next time, though, I'm going to make them smaller, and in Fibonacci sequence numbers. Ha! Fibonacci Numbers! Hilarious!

To even things out, I made a few non-mathy ones, too. You know, in case she decides to study literature. Or horticulture. Or Wild Game.

In other news, I went outside after baking 4 loaves of delicious artisan bread (Oh! To be artisanal!) and found John, in the garage, cleaning. I'm not so much laughing at him, as much as I'm laughing because I realize that I actually may have married my father. Dad used to (and probably still does) vacuum the garage, and even busted out the crevice tool to get all the cobwebs. At least John's using the shop vac (which both sucks and blows) to clean up after an afternoon of table saw use. The shop vac and table saw were my dad's anniversary gift to us. To us. I assume he envisioned John and me spending hours together in the garage, cutting wood, building stuff, and romantically vacuuming up afterwards. That John pointed out to me that the table saw is just the inverse of the sewing machine makes me laugh (he said Inverse! Math Joke! Hilarious!) and want to set up my sewing stuff out there, so we can work side by side, as dad intended.

Were this stuff not so useful, I'd not poke fun at it -- we only tease those we love, dad. And John. And self.

Fickle

2007-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

I did a solid 90 minutes of research yesterday afternoon, and emerged from my office looking frazzled, with messy hair, pale skin, and dark circles under my eyes. I'd ignored the knocks at my door, 7 or 8 or 9 of them. Getting in solid research time during the school year is tough, since the demands on my time are constant, or at least they feel that way. (A 20 minute break is not enough time to get going on something.) When I came out of my office, I was exhausted and had a terrible headache.

I thought a nap would help, and it didn't. I thought knit night would help, and though I got some work done on my cabled sleeve, even that was making my headache worse. I know I vowed to finish the sleeve at least before starting something new, but I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and a headache that was making counting stitches near impossible.

So I got this:

Eight balls of it. It's one of the new Elsebeth Lavold cottons with a twist of something shiny -- rayon perhaps? The color is not quite what you see above, which is too much green and not enough grey, but I'm not about to fiddle with it anymore. I swatched last night, as the headache settled down. It's going to make me a pretty fabulous little knit shirt.

I'll keep working on the sleeve, and then the sweater itself, but this new thing is going to be easy and nice, and spring-like, and wonderful. I'll try to save most of it for finals, when I have 2-hour long slots of time in which I just sit and look up occasionally. Of course, I could use that time for research, but then I'd be less likely to look up, and way more likely to look both crazed and angry.

Things That Make Me Happy Today

2007-03-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

1. It's Spring, officially, as evidenced by the photos below:

2. These three, who make coming home so wonderful.

3. Dogs driving SUVs. Because it's hilarious.

4. My new skirt, materials for which cost under $10 (and the fabric is from Pendleton). It's a little brighter than anything else that I'd wear, but I've been assured that it's still professional enough for work. Besides, I saw a student yesterday whose skirt was so short that it could have been one of those leeeetle gym towels wrapped around her waist. She was also wearing heels. It was also about 55 degrees out, and rainy. And my skirt is much longer than hers was, and I'm guessing she thought her look was "professional". And it was, only for a very different profession than mine.

5. One of my students brought pie for snack today. Mmmm. Pie.

6. I slept in until 7:38.

7. It's my birthday. I'm 32. The second and last time I'll be an integer to the fifth power, because I don't want to live to be 243.

8. Even though I could have calculated that in my head, I felt free to use a calculator. It's my birthday.

Ah, Productivity. Or, My Very Expensive Crack Habit

2007-03-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

It was a combination of things, really. The sun was out; it was warm. Spring Break was ending and I was hit by the realization that I won't have time off again until late July, and then it will be time for research, so it's not really "time off" as much as it's "time to stare blankly into space and hope some insight comes to me." So everything had to get done, or at least started this weekend, so that I could have some hope of finishing someday.

1. We started Spring Cleaning, which for me included dusting the horrible chandeliers in the entryway and dining room. Stuff got picked up, vacuumed, dusted, scrubbed.

2. I paid all the bills. Suck, suck suck suck.

3. I watered the plants, and took the dead ones outide. There were lots of dead ones, mostly because I'd planted bulbs to force indoors, but didn't use enough force. Or something, because nothing happened, and we had 7 pots of dirt in the dining room with nothing green growing from them. It was sad, really. But they're outside now, and I feel MUCH better.

4. We made a Home Depot run, and while John got bolts and nuts, I browsed paint chips, looking for the perfect color for the office. I came home with 317 different options...basically every paint chip they had. Do we want French blue and brown? Orange and celery green? Something tonal? Cool? Warm? I was only able to decide that I don't want the room to be purple or brown. And it's not that I don't like purple or all brown (and why do I find myself apologizing to colors?) Maybe it should be a warm terra cotta with blue accent? So John got his small bag of bolts, and I needed a large bag, for all the paint chips.

5. We browsed the dollar bins at Michaels, and I got paper for my analysis class handouts. Also, I got a BAD case of the giggles. See, there was this yarn, and it looked exactly like a hair ball. You could make a sweater, and your cat could cough up some junk on your chest, and you wouldn't even have to wipe it off because it would never show. This thought made me laugh so hard that John wouldn't walk next to me; he didn't want to be "the guy walking with the crazy laughing lady" or something, and we had the most morose checkout girl I've ever had at Michaels (you expect the folks at Kinkos to be surly, but at Michaels? Aren't they happy just to be around all the crafty stuff?), but I even got her going with the giggles. No, I didn't buy the hairball yarn. Yet.

6. I finished the Lion and Blue hat, based on a well-loved book of my childhood about a lion that loves a Brazilian blue butterfly.

It's a beautiful story of lifelong love, preserving the planet, and surviving the journey. It's been stuck in my head for months, so I got the book from the attic and wept as I read it to John. It's tattered, but it's there. And the hat:

7. I knit 15 more rows on the cabled sleeve. Oh yes I did.

8. I made no-knead bread. It's got an 18 hour first rise, and a 3 hour second rise. It's TOTALLY worth the wait.

We've got plain, whole wheat, and herbs de Provence. When are you coming over for a sandwich?

9. I weeded about 5 square feet of the yard. This took 2 hours. When I came across a huge colony of ants, I stopped. Then I itched all over.

10. John finished his workbench, using me as a counterweight. I am that much closer to getting the old one to use as a potting bench. Color me happy.

11. We rode bikes into town for iced coffee and internet.

12. We had a feast of pork roast, potato pancakes, sauteed peppers, and applesauce. Our neighbor brought over some fresh pork wonton soup she'd made. My God.

13. I graded all of my real analysis midterms. And I put stickers on them. Who doesn't like stickers?

We weren't the only ones being productive this weekend. A whole lot of teeny bugs hatched in the sunshine and all of our neighborhood was covered in little swarms of nastiness. The bugs even fought their way into our living room, via a badly caulked hole for an ancient phone jack. They didn't last long though, what with the ferocious beasts living on the inside, who have nothing better to do than to wait for a tasty snack to come through the teeny hole in the floorboard. Bugs make great toys for cats. Cats that play with bugs all night. Even if those bugs are behind the blinds so the cats thwap thwap thwap because that bug is going to taste so much better than kibble, if only it would come back to this side of the window treatments. Even if the humans are trying to sleep because it's 3 o'clock in the morning and FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY AND GOOD WOULD YOU STOP BATTING AT THOSE THINGS.

Brita asks me often if I ever sleep, and the answer is that yes, I do. Then she asks how much I spend each week on speed and crack. Is it my eternal optimism that make me so productive? Or am I preparing for the end so I'm getting as much done as possible? What she doesn't understand, I think, is that I'm not a glass half-empty person, nor am I a glass half-full person. I'm really a person who knows that a refill is coming, very very soon, so it doesn't matter.

More of an Olive, Maybe a Spring Onion

2007-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

In honor of Nora's post, which was in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'll list just a few things that make me Green With Envy.

1. Why can't I have his patience?
2. Why can't I be as tall and thin and beautiful as her? Or her? Or her? Or her?
3. I wish I was as smart as him, or at least have one-tenth as many publications as he does.
4. I wish I was as secure as she seems to be about getting tenure.
5. I'm jealous of her kindness, and that she's so much less judgemental than I am.
6. I'm jealous that the girl sitting next to me feels so comfortable exposing her entire butt crack to everyone in the cafe. Wait. No I'm not.
7. Why can't I have his ability to figure things out without getting so pissed off?

What color green am I? I'm not sure, but it's definitely vegetal.

And a promise to myself...

2007-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

...just one more baby hat and I'll get back to knitting the cabled sweater. The hat is done, except for the embellishing, and all that came from a memory of a well-loved childhood book. Photos next week.

Then I'll get back to the cabled sweater. I really will.

Non-Sequitur: Roses to Snails

2007-03-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's NOT a non-sequitur. Are there snails in rose gardens? There aren't any in the potted roses we've got "growing" in the "yard", but maybe snails like rose gardens and I just don't know it. Here's the thing: while making the rose hat a few weeks ago, I came up with the idea to put snails on a hat. How did I get from roses to snails? Like this:

1. I want rosebuds on this hat.
2. I should make the rosebuds by knitting a flat swatch, then rolling it up so it looks like a bud.
3. That seems to work nicely.
4. It's getting close to gardening time.
5. I like things that are rolled up. Like Tootsie Rolls, which aren't really rolled up but have "rolls" in their name.
6. Know what else are rolled up? Snail shells.
7. I could knit a little tube and then roll it into a spiral and make a snail shell.
8. I want a hat with snails on it.

See? Absolutely normal train of thought. OK. Maybe there was a little bit of spacing out there between steps 3 and 5, but I generally stayed on track. Things turned out ok, I think.

Once the hat was finished, I realized that I actually have a baby in mind (one which we've not met yet, but she's on her way), and decided to stencil a matching onesie. Initial attempts to embroider the antennae on the onesie were thwarted, so I ironed on some freezer paper and painted them on after the fact.

You can also see that campus (which is where I take most of the photos you see) is in full bloom. This means that I am itchy and red-eyed. And crabby because of it.

Speaking of "crabby because of it", on Tuesday this week I had a crafty afternoon planned with Nora, which was mostly thwarted. She forgot the power cord/pedal for her sewing machine. Then, after cutting out her skirt panels, we tried to set her up on my machine, but it wouldn't work. Something was wrong with the bobbin feeder. OF COURSE, when John looked at it last night, it worked just fine, was not rattling or making strange noises like gears grinding. I used it for about an hour, and indeed, it is fine. How does that happen? Was it just tired? Is that a valid excuse? Can I just stop working, change the tension in one of my gears and make grinding noises when I get tired? And what's up with working just fine 48 hours later? I'm over it (clearly, right?) and got back to sewing last night.

Deets on the hat: More leftover yarn. The purple is Sugar and Cream 100% cotton, the green stripe is Fantast Naturalle 100% Mercerized cotton, and the I-cord snails are scraps from the stash. The green snail shell? I have no memory of buying that yarn, and have only a TINY ball left. Where did it come from? The hat was knit on US8 needles at a gauge of 4.5 sts/in. The snails were done on US3 needles and are 4-stitch I-cords, knit until I figured they were long enough. The antennae are nylon/silk blend floss.

Surprise! It's a Baby Jacket!

2007-03-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Alternate titles for this post include the following:
1. I'm A Firm Believer in Not Branching Out
2. The Sears Kitchen Appliance Catalog from 1970, maybe 1968
3. Dude, Is That Thing Hyperbolic?

Because I wanted to see how it would work, I knit up Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket. This is a really famous pattern from the late 1960s, and I assume she came up with it for two reasons. First, she hated purling. This she writes about. 2. She must have hated seaming. I have a fondness for both, but decided to try the pattern anyway. It looked easy. Just a few double decreases, then some mirrored increases, and then as she says, "Hey presto eureka and lo, a baby jacket." Of course, her instructions are (as always, apparently) a little on the vague side and full of funny comments like, "the object should look very odd indeed." This is not exactly what you want to see on the "pattern". My understanding is that EZ's patterns are more like suggestions, meant to encourage the knitter to make amendments as desired. I rarely follow patterns exactly anyway, but did my best, since I'll admit that no matter how good I am at thinking about the abstract, I could not for the life of me figure out how this flap of fabric was going to origami its way into a sweater.

I got some Lion's Brand Lion Wool for cheap at the Freddy's, and came home, sat down in the living room, and started knitting. Meet our living room.

That chair is circa 1970, bought by my parents way back when (before I was me), and it's got its original upholstery. John loved it so much that we got an olive couch to match, and found a rug to tie it all together. Yup. Olive and burnt orange. Yup.

I was sitting there, knitting, when I realized that I'd bought yarn for this baby sweater in exactly the colors of my living room. Exactly the colors of just about everything else I own and wear. I'm an autumn. We wear olive and burnt orange. Sometimes black. Sometimes white. Sometimes taupe. Always neutral. And here I was making a baby sweater (with no baby in mind) using the colors I like. Man. Maybe John and I should consider putting up some wood panelling in the living room. And getting a Hi-Fi. And a bar where we can mix cocktails.

Whatever. I've said before, I'm a big fan of not branching out, and I really mean it. I organize my clothes by color. Fortunately, this doesn't take very long.

Anyway, the thing took about 10 hours to knit, and it was mighty boring, what with all the garter stitch and the lack of shaping. (That's only MOSTLY true. There is a row where you add ten stitches to make it easier to get the jacket on over a baby's diaper. Babies have puffy butts, with the diapers and all, and it wouldn't do to have a sweater that was tight over the bum. That's soooo unattractive.)

When it was done, it looked like this (the apple is there for size comparison):

Almost flat. Yes, Greg, it is hyperbolic. (And to those of you who don't know what that means, consider yourself better off.) But EZ was right. It does look very odd indeed. Certainly nothing like a baby sweater. But then you fold it, and holy crap! It's a sweater! (Holy Crap! being my version of "Hey presto eureka and lo".)

And check out those buttons! I got them at Fabric World for 35 cents apiece. They are actually older than I am. But hey presto eureka do they look awesome.

The only seams are at the top, from neckline to wrist on each side. I did that while proctoring an exam. I was a little nervous, since the front is vertical and the back is horizontal, but it works out fine. Two rows of garter stitch (one ridge) is the same width as one stitch turned ninety degrees -- this could be the neatest seam I've ever done. It was definitely the easiest.

When I took this to knit night, someone commented, "Well THOSE are Stephanie colors alright." Yeah. Not branching out. Why fix what isn't broken, and all that.

Final deets on the BSJ: Knit up on #6 US needles at 5 sts/in. This is probably about a 12 mos. size, but I'm not sure. I'll ask a mom.

We're All Out of Kleenex

2007-03-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

Apropos of nothing to do with knitting, my cat it OK. (We always call Abby "the kitten". She's OK too.)

We had a little health scare this week. John and I? We're fine. It was Jake's health. Now that I'm assured that he's OK too, the crying has (mostly) stopped. On Tuesday we found a little lump in his side. Big enough to notice. Big enough for me to worry and cry hysterically about it every time I stopped working long enough to think about it. Tuesday night was rough. Wednesday at work. Terrible. (If you're my student and you talked to me on Wednesday and I made no sense, I apologize. I wanted to be at home with the little guy.) Jake showed no outward signs of being ill. He ate normally, crapped only in the litter box (maybe next to it...we're not sure who did that), was affectionate, wanted to be touched, didn't mind if you felt for the lump, so it didn't hurt him. The most obvious sign that he didn't feel sick? He still jumped on my lap every time I sat down on the toilet. He LOVES that. I was completely undone nonetheless, and kept coming unglued every time I looked at him. John finally said he had to just let me cry and be sad, because he couldn't help me stop. This was a good call.

I took Jake in to see the vet yesterday. It was traumatic for both of us. The vet asked if I needed an extra box of Kleenex for the drive home. He's a sassy one, that Dr. Davis. I may have told him to shut up.

The rest of the day I stayed in the house waiting for the vet to call back with the test results. The tumor (and it IS a tumor) is benign, probably Jake's body making a little cyst or something around a bad hematoma. We tell him and Abby to fight more gently, but it's mostly a Smackdown from 10-11 pm every night. Kids these days. It should go away. I wept in relief. Then I called John, and cried some more. Then I called my mom. I'm not sure she understood the sentence, "Jake is OK" through all the hysterical crying.

I can't say why this affected me as much as it did. Does. The thought of Jake not being around, all curled up on my lap, makes my eyes well up. Last year, when John was living in Los Angeles and I was all alone in a new city, in a big, creaky house, Jake and Abby piled on my lap at night when I sat in the basement, knitting.

It was, and is, cold down there, and Jake and Abby kept me warm. And that's what kitties do, after all. So the thought of losing one of my furry friends was just too much for me to take this week, and that's the only explanation for my reaction that I've been able to identify. Too much work stress, plus worrying about getting tenure, plus sick cat equalled me, useless and weeping, with a raw nose and puffy eyes.

Last night, Jake slept in his usual spot in John's armpit. Abby played with her toy until I got up (at 12:19 am) to take it away from her. There may have been swearing. All is returned to normal in our house.

(Lest you think I did NO knitting this week, know that I've finished 2 things, a baby sweater and hat, and took pictures even. But then I left the camera at home. Nice work. Must be the swollen nose.)

Annoyed

2007-03-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

I am wearing a store-bought turtleneck sweater today. The seam for the turtleneck is on the inside of the garment, so if I fold it over, it's on the outside. This annoys only me. So much so, that I can't roll it down without thinking about it, which stops me from doing my work. I have decided instead to just slouch it down and fume quietly to myself.

It's tough to be this neurotic, I tell ya.

Remind me not to belch into the microphone.

2007-03-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today, I was asked (as expected) to be the Etiquette Instructor at this term's Etiquette Dinner. (Hey. Stop with the chortling. I do TOO have manners.) (Yes, even good ones. Shut up.) The invitation came at the tail end of a week during which I wrote and graded exams, graded 20 proofs of the fundamental theorem of calculus, and spoke at length about logic, even though I don't think I have the brain power these days to reason my way out of a paper bag. And even my cat can do that. We've seen her do it. It takes longer than you think it should, but who am I to judge?

So, now I'm thinking about etiquette, on top of all the other things, and this led me to think about knitting etiquette. Are there rules? Probably. And if they're not already there, I'd like to add these to the list:

1. If you don't know me personally, please don't touch my scarf. I know it's got a nice, mohair halo, but it's also very close to my face, and I don't want you to put your bird flu all over it. If you're someone I know, feel free to pet it.

2. Don't tell me that something I'm making won't look good on me. Listen. I only wear about 4 colors, and those are the only colors I knit with, too. They look fine. I'm an "autumn." The burnt orange is a good thing, really. No, it won't clash with my hair.

3. If I'm counting, don't interrupt. Definitely don't start counting with other numbers to try to throw me off. I will throw something at you.

4. If the phone rings and I'm knitting, I'm not going to answer the phone. Please don't take this personally. It's not that I don't want to talk to you. It's more that I don't want to put down whatever I'm doing. Leave a message. I'll call back when I'm done with the pattern repeat.

5. Don't accuse me of not branching out with the colors. See #2. I'm a big fan of not branching out.

6. Please don't yell at me if you sit on a metal needle. Also, always pat the couch where you're gonna put your butt, and make sure there aren't any needles there. Needles are expensive, and you might break one.

7. Don't ask, "Can't you go somewhere without bringing knitting?" The answer is no. And a punch to the gut.

8a. If I make you something, wear it or use it. Send photos of you wearing or using it. If I think you're enjoying your handknit, I'm way more likely to make you another.

8b. Some lists of rules say that you should never make a handknit for a non-knitter. I see why. Non-knitters rarely have a good idea about the amount of work it takes to knit an object, even a simple one. Nonetheless, if I held to this rule, I'd only knit for myself and about 4 other people. I propose a change to this rule: if you're not a knitter, but you receive knitted objects, educate yourself about how much work it takes, and then respond as in #8a. Just a suggestion.

9. Don't tell me that I'm knitting "wrong". I get fabric, just like everyone else. I know that I could knit faster, and that one way to do this is to knit with the other hand (and I'm even left-handed, so I should be able to manage continental knitting). I'm not interested in knitting feverishly. I don't meditate on each stitch, but I don't blow by each one either. My way of knitting? It works for me. Can't we all just get along?

10. It's best not to poke, prod, or otherwise annoy someone knitting lace. The charts are tricky, the yarn is as fine as thread, and the needles are skinny and very sharp. I'm just sayin'.

Now, I've got a lot of work to do, what with the reading all the businessplace etiquette (which I don't know about) and the planning of the outfit and all, but I think I can handle it. Academic etiquette is easy, especially in math. Or maybe, just maybe, the expectations are so low for mathematicians in social situations that it's not hard to exceed them. Or it's hard not to exceed them. Either way.

Finished Object Friday (OK. It's Thursday. But it's been a rough week)

2007-03-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Some people always keep a pair of socks on needles, and carry them around with them. This must come in handy while waiting in doctor's offices, traffic jams, the DMV, and, let's be honest, at red lights. (No, mom, I never knit while driving. Only when stopped. Is being stopped still technically driving? Hm. Let's file that question with "Are pots and pans really 'dishes'? and if not, do we have to do them after dinner?" I say no. To both questions.)

After the mini-breakdown slash temper tantrum I threw after knitting the first sock (but before starting the second one), I've decided that while I enjoy making socks, they're not my go-to project. It's not that I can't knit them, or even that I don't want to, it's that they're just too much trouble right now. It's the making two of the same thing part. I hate that part.

Still, I need something to do that I can take with me. The cabled sweater? I need the book, the row counter, the cable needle, the needles, the yarn. It's just too much. My purse isn't big enough, and even though I'm one and a half sleeves into it, I still haven't memorized the pattern. Plus also, that cable needle? It's just begging to get lost. In addition, I've kind of lost steam on it...once I realized it was not going to be done in time to be worn before the weather got too hot to wear it, I just didn't feel like working on it anymore. If tradition serves, I'll pick it up again when it's 100 degrees in the house, and therefore not the best time to sit with a ball of wool in my lap. I'll never learn.

In any case, since discretionary monies are tight, and since I have many, many half-skeins of yarn, I've been putting together baby hats. I'm almost 32, and most of my friends (who are also about 32) are having babies all the time. Why not have a stash of already-made hats to give when the time comes. Sure, it's a little impersonal, since I'm not thinking about a particular baby when making his or her hat, but my rational mind says that the baby wouldn't know if I was thinking about him anyway, so what the heck? (The nonrational mind thinks that the rational mind is full of it and needs to be overthrown.) That being said, I'm working through my yarn making hats for babies that don't exist yet. They will. And there will be some well-hatted babies out there at some point.

Though, I'd like to point out to my friends that it would be REALLY nice if one of them would have a girl. So, those of you who are working on it, could you put some effort into the girl-making? Please?

I have lots of ideas about how little girls can dress. Most of these ideas probably come from my own childhood. Mom made most of our clothes, and they were always cute. Not too frilly. Smocked if possible. She was -- and probably still is -- a big fan of red patent leather shoes and tights. And dresses. Always dresses.

For our younger brother's baptism, we wore light blue dresses with navy panels on the front, on which my mom embroidered a pastoral scene. She reminded me of this today when I showed her this hat.

The scene looked a lot like that, and as soon as she mentioned the dresses, I remembered them and realized that the scene I was seeing in my head as I made the hat was the one from the dress I wore 30 years ago. I like that. There's something very sweet about the fact that some scene that was in my mom's head when I was a child, and that she put onto fabric, came out of me as an adult in a different medium.

Details: US8 needles and a mix of yarns. The yellow and white yarn, and the blue, are both Sugar and Cream 100% cotton worsted. The green is Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel, and the pink is Cascade Sierra Quattro. The white clouds are Wool Ease and are over-stitched onto the hat.

This would have been a good project on its own, but as I was making the slip stitch flowers -- just specks of pink and yellow and white among the green -- I decided that I should be able to make other flowers. Ones that sit on the side of a hat like a bouquet. Turns out, I was right.

The rosebuds, or something like them, were in a photo of a 1920's style cloche in a fashion book. Not knit (in the photo), but made of some sort of ribbon wrapped around itself. I was going to make a plain hat, and then try to make rosebuds to sew onto it, but I was watching the Oscars on Sunday night and decided to make it fancy. A hat to be worn with a red double-breasted coat with black collar, and red patent leather shoes.

Details: US8 needles, Cascade 220 in cream and brown for the hat, Wool Ease in scarlett for the roses, and mercerized cotton for the leaves (the leaves, in my head, were shiny, so I used shiny green yarn.)

This might be my favorite finished object so far. I secretly want one for myself.

Finished Object Friday

2007-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

Except before I show you something finished, let me show you something decidedly unfinished:

Nothing at all to do with knitting, but you so rarely see caution tape around toilets (except at my brother's apartment) that I found this scene to be hilarious. I didn't stop to think what the other people using the bathroom might think of a camera flash, but whatever. It was a scene to be captured.

My college roommate, Merrie, is visiting from Michigan, and we had a great time exploring the gorge. The above photo was taken at the Multnomah Falls Lodge, where we stopped to have lunch and look at the waterfall.

To make it knitting-relevant, you can see that I'm wearing My So-Called Scarf in Manos del Uruguay yarn, made for me by Julia. It's one of my favorites, and it matches my brown and orange raincoat perfectly. There...finished object at the Gorge.

We came back to Portland via Washington State, and stopped at the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Camas, WA. I've mentioned before that nothing at Pendleton comes in sleeves that are long enough to cover my wrists, but I was wrong. I was SO wrong. Pendleton carries, at least at its outlet stores, "special sizes" that include tall. And not just slightly tall. Get this:

The sleeves were too long.

That's crazy talk.

No, I didn't buy any new clothes, since I don't really need anything. (I did buy two yards of fabric for a spring skirt, because I'm that optimistic that Spring will come sooner rather than later. But at $3 per yard, how could I resist? That's Fabric World prices for Pendleton fabric! Again with the crazy talk!)

So....finished objects. To go with Monday's post about the stenciled onesies, I'll share with you the hats I made for the baby-to-be and her older sister. I made them in early-January -- OK ok -- I knit them at a faculty meeting -- and so they're posed on my usual campus shrub but it's covered in snow. They're both made from Cascade Sierra Cotton on #8 US needles, using Barbara Walker's "Hexagons" pattern and a flattened top. The knit flowers are a variation of the one in Stitch-n-Bitch Nation,

and by "variation", I mean that I misread the pattern 4 times, and on the 5th flower realized I'd done the 4 previous flowers incorrectly, but decided they looked fine. (The blue flower is the only one made according to the pattern as written. Can you tell the difference? No? I can't either.) The larger hat is 18 inches, the smaller is 16 inches.

The pattern? I'm working on it. Soon, I promise...partly because I want a cool cotton hat for myself, and the one that will be on Magknits.com looks silly on me.

We're All About Keepin it Simple

2007-02-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

I hosted an little gathering this weekend in honor of a colleague's upcoming family addition, a little girl due in April. I've never been to a baby shower, but have heard horror stories about having to sniff chocolate candy bars melted into diapers and making adult diapers on guests using toilet paper. In fact, I'm sure heard about the former from my cousin, and then saw it on TV on an episode of The Girls Next Door. (Yeah. So what? I like Bridget. She's smart(er than the other two) Shut up.) Anyway, such things were not going to happen at this shower.

Just a simple get-together for 8 women, all faculty, where we would discuss important issues, sip coffee, and eat cookies.

But my genes kick in when I hostess, and a "simple party" becomes what a friend of the family calls "Loren Molnar Simple." It means that you serve 4 or 5 types of cookies, plus coffee, and tea, and pop, and probably juice and water, and then if someone happens to bring champagne, you serve mimosas. And maybe with the cookies there should be handmade petit-fours with pink glaze, because it's a girl baby. And finger sandwiches...probably vegetarian and not, and popcorn, and chips and salsa, and maybe someone wants something healthy, so you serve crudite and hummus (but it would be too much work to make the hummus, so you buy that). Then people bring French cheese and crackers, and bread and cucumber feta dip, and fruit, and cookies, and German cake. As my mom (that would be the aforementioned Loren Molnar) would say, "Just enough to keep body and soul together."

Our bodies and our souls? They were kept together like nobody's business.

(If you're concerned that John felt left out, please note that he was totally happy in the garage, cutting his birthday lumber into a workbench. He'd come in occasionally to eat the cucumber sandwiches and cookies.)

But then, we needed an activity.

I took a class on freezer paper stenciling at Bolt Fabric Boutique last fall, and figured we could do that. You know, instead of smelling candy-poop diapers.

Who's proud of themselves? Oh yeah, we are. Even the mom-to-be, who looked really skeptical, made that awesome rooster onesie. (The elephant one on the left is my doing.)

I did the cow here, with an attempt at "freestyle" painting for the grass. (I'm pretty pleased with my skills, and am glad that all the time watching The Joy of Painting with that afro-stylin groovemaster Bob Ross paid off. That's some "happy little grass" on that onesie.) I also made the "I read banned books" onesie. I know you're not shocked.

Older-sister-to-be needed to get something new too.

All in all, a really nice, simple party. The simple leftovers (and there were lots) left the house immediately and went to various neighbors. John helped me clean up, and we spent the rest of the night in the basement simply watching bad TV (though not The Girls Next Door, sadly). I cast on simple sleeve #2 for the cabled sweater and fell asleep early. Not a bad way to spend a weekend, simply.

Finished Object Friday

2007-02-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

At some point, "Finished Object Friday" is going to turn into "Object On Which Progress Was Made Friday", but since I did actually finish something this week, here you go.

Pattern: Dream Swatch Head Wrap by Wendy Bernard over at The Garter Belt. I made a few modifications. Slipped the first stitch on each row, and did 4 wraps instead of 3 to make the crossings a little longer.
Needles: US4 14" inch straights
Yarn: South West Trading Co. Bamboo in "some colorway that matches my hair." (i.e. I lost the ball band.)

After knitting, I steam ironed this scarf into flat submission. It was an awesome transformation.

Do I like it? Sure. It keeps my hair out of my face better than my glasses do.

Valentine's Day In Our House

2007-02-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

We don't celebrate in any special way today. We call Febrary 14th "the day after John's birthday." We don't exchange gifts -- he just got gifts yesterday, and it doesn't seem right to have him get me something. Plus, well...I don't actually care.

When we were living in LA, he was held up as a Paragon Among Men by his officemates, who believed (wrongly) that John had put his foot down and told me that we weren't going to celebrate some stupid commercial holiday.

I had all sorts of thoughts about why we don't celebrate, ranging from "We love each other every day" to "This idea of romanticized love...it doesn't work for me anymore, and probably never really did anyway." But, I just read the Yarn Harlot's assessment of the Valentine's situation here, and she pretty much sums up what I wanted to say nicely. Go over there. Read it. Here's a snippet to whet your appetite:

"My daughters will have their days, and they will be knocked down and dragged through the snake pit of crushing romantic first love and they will likely get hurt and learn something and sob because they think they can't live without the object of their affection. I know it. All I'm trying to do around here is to make sure that someday, when they gaze into their lovers eyes and the lacy and ruffled world of romantic love unfurls around them, that somewhere in the back of their heads, a little voice (it will probably be mine) says "Don't forget to have a bank account in your own name, cupcake." "

Go there.

Oh wait, you wanted something about knitting? Here you go. Franklin's 10 Alternative ways to say "I love you" to a knitter.

Happy Birthday, John My John

2007-02-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

I know of many knitters who just don't have the support of their spouses, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. It's like the most important person in a knitter's life, if that person is a non-knitter, he can't possibly understand why all the extra money goes to buying yarn (that might never be used) and needles (that might be duplicates). So I'm just lucky. Now, John has his Legos, and I think that's why he's so tolerant of the growing number of skeins. He knows that if he comments on the fiber, I'm going to be sorely temped to comment on the bins and bins and bins of plastic. But I think it's more than that. I think John is genuinely happy that I've got a hobby that I'm good at, and there are even times when he's taken an interest, moreso than maybe he needs to.

Also, when he came home and I was knitting with plastic grocery bags, he didn't make fun of me.

I knew John really "got it" when we had the following conversation. I was holding a skein of grey Wool Ease at the time, and told him he had to leave.

"I'm making you something," I said. "You have to go away. It's a surprise."

He looked at me. He looked at the Wool Ease, and made sort of a skeptical face, and said, "You're making me something? With that crappy yarn?"

He knew it was crappy yarn?!? That meant he'd been paying attention all those times I went on and on and on about the merits of spending good, hard-earned money on fiber. He understood. Also, he liked his brontosaurus. And when I made her a scarf, he said it would DEFINITELY help her survive the Ice Age. We, ok I, named her Charlotte Bronte. And once John found out what I was making, he encouraged me to buy some Red Heart to finish off the top of her head, since I ran out of Wool Ease. Let me say that again. He encouraged me to buy Red Heart.

There are other reasons that I love John.

He torments the cats. Picks them up when they don't want to be picked up. Chases them. Pretends to eat them. And when it's all over, lets them groom him.

He makes breakfast. Sometimes ebelskiver. Always coffee.

He understood when I burned the soup two nights ago...because I put it on the stove, went to the basement to get something, and got lost in my yarn stash. I was organizing it, see, and looking at it, and putting things in bins. It was fascinating. So much so that I forgot about the soup on the stove...for long enough for the soup to burn to a crust on the bottom of the pot.

Also, he cleaned the pot.

A week ago, John asked me if I would make him a hat "for the garage". He wanted a black knit hat "with a plus on top" that he could wear while working on the bikes. He wanted it to be washable. I could make it out of Wool Ease and he wouldn't call it crappy yarn. I told him that a black hat would be boring to knit, so he picked out a motif from Barbara Walker's mosaic knitting charts (book 4, #24). That "plus on top" I figured out meant that he wanted the decreases to be like a nordic ski hat. Oh. And he wanted a tassel on a cord. 3 inches of cord. 3 inches of tassel.

Just a simple hat for the garage. A simple, hand-knit hat for the garage. His only other request was that I have fun making it, which I did.

My favorite part of this moment? Abby was looking at that tassel like it was a live, juicy mouse. John didn't even know it was going on. John is already designing "Garage Hat 2.0". Slightly taller, slightly wider, and with a more traditional edge.

John turns 33 today, which means that the Lego party I threw for him was three years ago. It means that he'll never again be an age where he is n to the 5th power for any integer n. But 33 is good. 33 is as close as a number can get to being prime without actually being prime. I asked what he wanted for his birthday, and he said, "Peg board and lumber." He can have anything he wants for dinner and dessert, and he asked for pizza, and pumpkin pie.

I love you, John. Happy birthday.

May you remember, each day, to take a moment to find your peace.

You know you want me to give you one of these

2007-02-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

My grandma was a master at Hungarian embroidery like the stuff pictured here. Really amazing stuff. It looked the same on the right side as it did on the wrong side, a result of very careful stitching. She embroidered most of my First Communion dress, and all sorts of pillows and doilies.

When she got older, she changed to a different sort of folk art. A much, much uglier kind. With squeaky acrylic yarn and what I would consider bad crochet. I don't know why the change happened, or when. I imagine old, arthritic fingers played a role, or maybe she just got tired of her polyester shirts sliding off the hangers.

At one point, I had about 50 of these beauties, and I now have 5, and no idea where the others are. I keep these in the basement, and can't remember using them in the last 5 or so years. I found them last night while I was cleaning up.

They're definitely spectacular in their ugliness (double ugly, my colleague would say), and yet I'll never get rid of them. There's something familiar about them -- I think she started making them when I was about 13, and I remember them hanging in my closets, covered in horrible late-80s clothing. With puffy sleves. Ah. Memories.

I had in mind to write about folk art, and how much it means to me to be part of an art form, but I can't seem to inspire myself to do so while looking at crochet hanger covers. With puffs. I especially love the one with the black sparkly edge. It definitely deserves to be holding up one of my 4 black evening gowns...or one of my 3 red ones.

My grandma died a few years ago at the age of 96. My only really visceral memory of her is of her telling me a story about a elf who was sewing with a too-long thread, and he had to jump out the window to pull the thread taut, and that it would have taken less time to have a shorter thread, even if it meant tying more knots. I'm sure there was a lesson in there, and I'm sure it was about taking the time to do something the right way, but in light of the found objects pictured above, right now I can't stop laughing. My other memories of her are all via my cousin Suzanne, who does this amazing, spot-on impression of grandma saying, "Vell....if I live dat long." She said that a lot, starting when she turned...oh...65. I'm sure she couldn't have known that she would live another 31 years, but if you ask me, she probably could have crocheted covers for a LOT more hangers had she stopped it with the complaining.

None of my grandparents is still alive, but I do have one great aunt for whom I have a real soft spot in my heart. She's a knitter, and still knits baby hats for newborns. She's pleased that I've taken up knitting, and my hope is that I can visit her soon, and that we can have a sit down, a glass of scotch and soda, and knit together.

We won't be making any more of these.

Finished Object Friday

2007-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

My dad is retired, and has been for a many years. Now, he works on the house, drives my mom to and from work daily, and goes on hikes with his friends.

He's been, in my opinion, largely overlooked when it comes to handknit objects.

It's hard to get stuff for my dad for a few reasons. 1. He has everything already. 2.He saves everything. Forever. (see also #1) I asked him once for a shower cap, because I'd had my hair blown straight, and even though none of us has worn one in over a decade, he pulled one out of his closet. The price tag was still on it: 39 cents. 3. If he doesn't have something, he buys it for himself. 4. If you ask what he wants, he says that he doesn't want anything.

It's a strange combination of immigrant hoarding and the kind of consumption that comes when you have disposable income. It's something I've decided I'll never understand.

Nonetheless, what dad didn't have, and wouldn't buy, was a hat that covered his ears. He has a little fleece thing that covers just the pate of his head, and yes, there are LOTS of other hats in the house, but he won't wear those. So I made him this.

The details: it's leftover yarn from my socks, plus some black worsted (probably Cascade 220, but there was no ball band.) The pattern is "eccentric check" from Barbara Walker, but I put the horizontal stripes in there. A strange thing happened though: if you look closely at the checks, the ones facing right are not mirror images of the ones facing left. This makes no sense at all to me, since they're made in a symmetric fashion, but they really do look different. The left facing ones have crisp right angles, and the right facing ones look like rhombi. I noticed this as I was knitting, had a few moments of angst, then decided that dad wouldn't care (probably wouldn't notice) and left it. (OK. That's only mostly true. I also asked everyone I showed it to whether or not I should rip it out and do another pattern. Needless to say I got a lot of blank stares.)

My hope is that he'll love this hat enough to actually wear it. It's really nice -- if he doesn't wear it...hmmm...it fits me just fine.

On an unrelated side note: No, my computer is not fixed. To post this, I have to do the following: load photos to my work desktop, transfer them from iphoto to the desktop of the desktop, email them to myself, get my laptop running (not always easy. Thanks Steve Jobs!), hook my laptop up to the internet, get my email on the laptop, transfer the photo to the desktop of my laptop, then upload it to blogger. I'm so glad that technology has made my life easier.

How I Feel When I Felt

2007-02-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't really been knitting for all that long (2 years in mid-April). But, like everything else that I do, I started with something simple, and then wanted to know EVERYTHING. Now. New technique? Tell me. Now. Something that's probably too difficult for someone with my limited skills? I don't care. I'm totally giving it a shot. It's just yarn. I can pull it out if it's terrible.

Not so with felting. Once it's felted, it's done. Good, bad, ugly, or totally unusable. I was warned. So far, things have worked out.

I went to my first fiber arts festival in September 2005. It was the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. They served lamb at the food booth, which seemed ironic. I was overwhelmed by all the stuff. The colors! The yarn! I love knitting! I can knit everyone a Christmas gift! It was totally overwhelming. It would have been even more so if I were a spinner or a weaver, but I'm neither of those things...yet. (We know it's only a matter of time.)

There were lots of things I'd never seen before. Mostly, though, I was attracted to a booth with some very brightly covered roving. That's unspun yarn, for those of you who are reading because I'm your friend (and not because you knit). She had orange, and bright green, and five shades of brown. (But I love brown! I need brown roving!) Alas, I don't spin, so I figured there was nothing I could do with colored fluffy balls of wool. Then the owner said, "Well, I think you can knit with roving. You should be able to knit with it, then felt what you make."

I had to ask what "felt" meant...as a verb.

But then, it seemed like a challenge. She had never done it, but assumed it could be done. She had no idea how much roving it would take to make a bag, but I was clearly a sucker -- had she said 17 pounds, I really would have believed her. But a challenge? I love me a good challenge. (See also: mathematics, grad school, marathons)

Knitting with roving is, I can attest, possible, but not easy. It's not yarn. It does fall apart while you're working. You can't go quickly. And you can't go back and pull stuff out. Over my winter break, I sat in the basement and made a GIANT bag, which shrunk to a reasonably sized bag when I put it in the washing machine. I wasn't nervous, since I knew from the beginning it might not work...I just thought it was a fun first project (for felting).

"They" suggest that you throw a pair of jeans in with your object, to aid in agitation. In hot water. Jeans. Obviously this suggestion was made by a short person who didn't care about shrinkage. I think I used tennis balls. The bag smells vaguely rubbery, but my pants are the right length.

I liked it. Felting was fun. There was just enough of the not knowing what was going to happen to keep me on my toes. Plus, we had this old, apartment-style toploader so I didn't worry about breaking it.

My next project was a more serious undertaking. While at OFFF, I picked up some KidMo mohair from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts folks, and a pattern for their shibori felted bubble scarf. The short of it is that I knit (and knit and knit and knit) a plain scarf, then, I put in the "bubbles" using 250 wooden balls and rubber bands. I threw the whole thing in the washing machine on hot (with some jeans I got at the Goodwill), then removed all the balls. Awesome.

And it's a good thing, too, because those wooden balls cost about $30, and I would have been really pissed if it didn't work.

The long of it is that the knitting was pretty dull, it took 5 hours to put the balls in, and 3 hours to take them out. Would I do it again? Absolutely. If I got paid. In chocolate and yarn.

I get a lot of comments on this scarf. People come up and pet it in the grocery store, and ask how I did it. The guy who owns one of our local breakfast joints (and who is almost always high) stared at it for a good five minutes before asking me if I wanted hash browns. At a meeting one time, a woman came up to me and said, "I love your shibori scarf." Then she asked if she could touch it.

And that was it for felting for a long time. Everyone at the knit shop was making felted clogs and hats. I have great slippers already, and a big head. Plus, I'd done it. It wasn't a big deal. Challenge met. Let's move on. There's got to be some intarsia somewhere for me to do.

This past December, my sister asked me to make a cow hat for a friend of hers, and it seemed like something I could do. I mean, why not?

I found a pattern for one for a child, Bessie, by Pick Up Sticks, and figured I could size it up for an adult. Of course, this was guess work. Science? That only goes so far here, since the pattern didn't include a pre-felting gauge, and since I had no idea how big her friend's head was. Plus also, all washing machines are different. AND we'd traded in* the old toploader that came with the house for a front loader...one that I'm not willing to break with yarn fluff. (Also, for my non-knitting friends, front loaders agitate less, so felting takes forever if it happens at all.) That means one thing: laundromat, where they're not so keen on me breaking their washers with wool fluff either.

This hat? It was a total pain to knit. The pattern was written upside-down and backwards. Yes, about 10 rows from the end I figured out that I could turn the pattern chart over and it would read normally. Shut up. There were 5000 ends to sew in. I had no idea how big to make it. As you can see from the photo above, it was pretty big. I have a 24 inch cranium.

I was really anxious at the laundromat. I found a toploader behind a big plastic plant, and hid there, and checked every 5 minutes on the progress of the hat (and the 10 sweaters I was felting at the same time. If you're gonna break one washer, why not break three?). I got a few hairy eyeballs from the owner, and she even asked why I was standing there with a ruler. (Sputter sputter. Measuring things. Appear crazy. Look crazy...uuuuhhhhh.) And when I got home, John said, "That's still too big." So, I cautiously put it in our washer, with the Goodwill jeans.

Behold. Bessie the Cow Hat in her natural habitat.

Anxiety. Check. Pissed off laundromat owner. Probably Check. Satisfied? Check.

* by which I mean, purchased.

Still Waiting...

2007-02-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

My web browser isn't responding at all. I've called the IT people, and they're coming on Tuesday (tomorrow). So until it's fixed, I'm not able to post.

Just think of me, sitting in my office, working. Because that's what this looks like.

A very famous mathematician that I worked with in graduate school commented on his extremely high productivity on the day when the server crashed and he couldn't surf the web. Keep in mind that even when he did spend all day browsing crank.net, he published over 50 papers a year.

I'm gonna be over here, working on my one paper. No, you don't want to read it.

ETA: Sorry mom. That should say "a very famous mathematician with whom I worked".

Don't Just Walk Away and Leave It

2007-01-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

Normally, our house is very, very neat. The floors get vacuumed twice a week and mopped weekly (because I'm allergic to our shedding critters). I have a low tolerance for clutter (but it's higher than it used to be), and John doesn't like things to be out of place either. The dishes are rarely piled in the sink for more than an hour. Even though we've lived in the house for 18 months, we've done very little decorating, and there aren't many horizontal surfaces to hold photos and other junk anyway.

But, like most knitters, I usually have 3 or 4 (or 5,6,7,or 8) projects on needles at a time. And each project has several balls of yarn, needles, tape measures, tapestry needles, cable needles that go along with it, plus the pattern book if there is one. The knitting clutter, it adds up. Couple this with the fact that I carry these projects around with me, work for a while, and then get up and get distracted. I forget all about it for a few hours, then I panic and start running around trying to find all the pieces so I can get going again. I know I'm not alone in this.

I spent Thanksgiving break working on several projects (one of which was trying to get myself to relax), and so we had the usual mess of needles and skeins in the living room, dining room, and basement. And I learned a valuable lesson: don't just walk away and leave it. Because this is what happens:

Meet Jake.

Jake is a shelter cat we adopted when he was 6 months old, about 4 years ago. He's half Maine Coon (his papa was also in the shelter). Maine Coons have long, lush fur that is very soft and very thick. And apparently not warm enough, since Jake saw fit to burrow into an unfinished scarf (and gnaw on the needles). Once finished, that scarf got a good shaking out.

The details on the scarf: The yarn is On-line Linie 149 Rush in color 6, all different shades of red and orange. Lovely. 50% wool, 50% acrylic, 100% soft chunky goodness. I knit this up on #11US needles in a 3x3 basketweave pattern.

Lesson learned? I'd like to say yes, but the truth is that right now, there are at least 2 projects on the futon in the basement (though one is in a plastic bag), plus one in a bag next to the basement door, and two in my purse. Also, about a month ago I found a ball of Habu that Abby hid at some point. My fault, though, I left it on the counter.

Stephanie, Why ARE your sleeves too short? (Part Two)

2007-01-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Because I can't follow directions.

I'm knitting the "Gathering Intentions" sweater from Fiona Ellis's book, Inspired Cable Knits. It's really my first cabled project, if we don't count John's vest. It only had one cable, twisting in one direction every 10 rows. (I also don't count it because it woul dhave fit me and him at the same time.) I asked Cheri about swatching for gauge, and her suggestion was that I start with a sleeve and use it as my swatch. Gauge and cabling are complicated beasts, since the cables pull stitches together more than usual.

Her suggestion was fantastic, and in addition, I got the right gauge the first time even though I picked needles that should have been too small. So I just worked the sleeve, increased when I was supposed to, figured out a good way for me to manage the cable needle, made sure to click the row counter when I finished a row. (This is key. I can read a chart. I cannot, however, remember which chart row I am working.)

I increased the sleeve length by 2 inches (after some precise measuring at one knit night a few weeks ago) and decreased to make the cap. And then I was ready for the bind off, so I held the sleeve up to my arm in triumph.

It was too short. Way to short. Dorky short.

The whole time I was knitting it, I wondered about what you do when you rip out something with cabling. How do you get the stitches back on the needle in the right order, since the whole deal with a cable is knitting them in the wrong order? What happens if you drop a stitch? How much swearing can John handle if I mess this thing up?

Well...a lot.

I put the sleeve down and measured to the beginning of the cap. It was spot on. I measured the cap. And God Bless America, it wasn't even close.

It's meant to be 5 3/4 inches from the cable needle to the top of the sleeve. Also, I'm only supposed to have 18 stitches. Crap. I measured again, from a different angle. That sometimes makes things appear longer.

Nope. Still not right. And there is no way to stretch something that's about 3 inches to almost 6 without, well...without really messing it up.

Sigh. I opened a Diet Coke. Things are easier with a Diet Coke.

And I ripped, and ripped, until I got back to where I started to decrease. About a third of the way into picking up the stitches (which isn't that bad, but it's not that good either), the timer in the kitchen went off. I made the executive decision to cook the pork roast a little longer. There were loose stitches on the floor of the living room, and I have priorities.

I got them all back on, and the stitch markers too, and then I reread the instructions. I did some math. I tried to figure out where I was in the pattern. In a brilliant and totally unprecedented feat of knitting genius, I remembered that I'd written down the number of the last row before the decrease. All is not lost. I will survive. My sleeve will be the right length (for me).

FYI: I was not able to do all this picture taking and ripping without a little "help" from Abby and Jake. It's not fair to expect that they would sit by and let yards of yarn fly by without investigating. And the tape measure? That's more than little Abby can handle.

Finished Object Friday

2007-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I'm resisting the urge to post more photos of my socks.

Instead, let's look at some finished objects for new babies. Aww. New babies.

My mom requested hats for 2 babies who are sons/grandsons of her colleagues. In addition, she wanted the hats to have math or cycling motifs. Normally, I would sit down and figure out an intarsia pattern or something, but I was out of creative juices, literally tapped out after Christmas knitting, so I did the following:

Teddy hat, made from bulky yarn, knit almost entirely while I was watching Dreamgirls with Elaine, and Cheri, owner of the Naked Sheep Knit Shop. The face is duplicate stitched with some crazy black yarn from the stash.

Booties, made from the same yarn, using the very easy pattern in Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. The great thing about this pattern is that you learn, without knowing you're doing it, how to turn a heel. The buttons are "vintage" -- by which I just mean old -- from Fabric World. Yes, I went to Fabric World (or Fabic Wod, if you read the letters on the building), even though it smells like GoodWill Times Ten in there. Come on. They're cute buttons, and she charges you the printed price, which was something like 10 cents apiece. I imagine that would have been expensive back in 1965 when they were made.

Stenciled Onesies by Stephanie (with help from John). I took a class on freezer paper stenciling with Nora at Bolt Fabric Boutique (A fabric store which does NOT smell like GoodWill and whose fabric is not older than I am). It's easy, fun, and I got the math motifs and the cycling motifs on the onesies. These 5 took about an hour total, which includes the time spent cutting out the stencils, painting, and heat-setting.

Critics corner: Uh...I might have burned the Pi onesie with the iron a little bit. Sorry about that.

This is what happens when I run out of creative juices. I'm not sure how John puts up with me when the juices are flowing.

That's a lie. I am sure. When he came home and found me writing out a summary of my class in rhymed couplets, he said the same thing as when he came home and found me knitting with strips of plastic grocery bags: "OK. So this is what we're working on now." It's followed by a hasty retreat.

It's OK to be a Biped ~or~ Lessons Learned on Sock Knitting

2007-01-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

The Socks are Done.

For once I took everyone's advice, and just sat down and made the second sock. They are a marvelous pair. Warm. Stripey. Ribbed and well-fitting. Easy to make, but maybe a little dull. (I don't say that too loudly. They might be insulted.)

What? You want to see them?

This knitter is so proud.

Unfortunately, this knitter is also SO critical.

When I first moved to Portland, I took myself to knit night at a great shop called Lint. It forced me out of the house at a time when I felt really lonely. I talked to folks. I had a good time. One night, I was making a scarf for my brother-in-law, and someone suggested that I make it asymmetrical. More stripes on one end than on the other. Some crazy talk like that. Crazy.

You see, there is no way I can do that on purpose and not need medication afterwards. By accident? I might like the artistic effect. But on purpose? That's insanity! Why not suggest that I just eat the yarn?

But these socks, here? They were meant to be my "first pair" and I'd sort of resigned myself to the fact that they might not come out perfect, or even symmetric. Self-striping yarn is funny that way. In order to make the socks the same, I'd have to start the second one in exactly the same place in the pattern repeat as I started the first one, so that the stripes aligned. (Is that really the past tense of align? In my mind 'alogn' makes more sense...) And you know, I just didn't want to take the kind of time it would take to make the stripes line up. I was going to be OK with the socks being similar, but not the same. It would be OK. Deep breaths. No judgement. Deep breaths.

So, with this in mind, I just grabbed the yarn and cast on. Lesson 1: give yourself enough room to cast on in one color section. I am unduly annoyed by the 10 stitches of black yarn on the top edge of the right sock. Here's a close-up:

Would anyone ever notice this? No, except that I am compelled to point it out. I can't help myself.

And that's not all? Remember all that yarn that just magically ended just as I was finishing the project, and how I was sure it was going to come back to bite me? Well. Ouch.

If you look at the socks in the first photo, you'll notice that the right toe ends in the black stripe. This was the first sock. But wait! The black stripe is the last one before the stripe repeat starts over, which means that I finished the first sock in the exact spot to make the second sock identical to its mate. I could make the stripes line up without even trying! (Be still my OCD!) I didn't want the black yarn in the cast-on edge again, so I adapted for that, but I cast on sock number two, and things were lining up perfectly. Without me even thinking about it! Perfectly symmetrical socks!

Yeah. Awesome. Until I got to the last repeat of the dark blue, right down there near the left toe. What? You didn't see it? Here's another shot.

There's that dark purpley stripe on the balls of both feet. You can see where the first ball of yarn ran out and the second ball started, because even though I went to the right color on the second ball, they are not the same shade of dark purple. Plus, I had to guess how much yarn it would take to get three dark-but-the-right-dark purple rows before the new yarn changed to brown, and I guessed wrong, so at the toe of the second sock, I have to start a brand new and very large second ball, and the yarns don't even match, and at that point, I just gave up and went back to my original mantra, "It's OK if they don't match perfectly. Deep breath." (I say the deep breath part but often forget to TAKE THE DEEP BREATH.)

Would anyone notice this? No. BECAUSE MY SOCKS ARE IN MY SHOES. But I know. And also, I am compelled to point out my shortcomings.

Am I happy with the socks? Absolutely. Look how happy my feet look together! Look how things (mostly) line up!

And the heel is lovely. Nice and sturdy, but not too bulky.

(I took that outside on the back porch, to give a contrast in background. This made me realize that our living room rug is burnt orange, our porch is avacado green, and yet neither of us is old enough to be "stuck in the '70s. Ah well.)

The specs on the yarn and needles:
Yarn: Universal Yarn Inc. Classic Worsted LP in black heathers (color 11051), 20% wool, 80% acrylic, 100% machine washable (I do not hand wash socks.)
Needles: two 24" US5 circulars
Pattern: Simple Ribbed Socks from Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles The title is misleading. They do not soar. Also, there was apparently no copy editor on this book. Every apostrophe or quote -- including those used to signify inches is replaced by a little box. But other than that, it's easy to follow her instructions.

What's next? I still have other finished objects to write about, plus about 4 things on needles currently, including a vest for John made up at 7.5 stitches and 12 rows per inch. It's a damn good thing he's skinny.

Unrelated Material

2007-01-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

1. Some of you know that last year, I knit this for Angela. She does math modeling of female "parts" and I thought that if there was anyone who needed a knit uterus, it was her. (I've since found out that my neighbor also received one as a gift, and the person who knit it had to go in the store and say, "I'm looking for uterus-colored yarn.") I print this mainly so that I can say that there is a link between math and knitting, namely that Angela may have used this as a model at some point, or at least she's displayed it in her office.

2.It was an exciting week, what with all the snow and ice that fell. There are some awesome videos on YouTube of people "driving" and "using the breaks" and "avoiding parked cars." I'd like you to meet "everybody else", as in "I'm fine driving in the snow, it's just everybody else that I'm worried about.

I didn't crash my car, or anyone elses. I never slipped on the ice. And for those of you here for knitting reasons (Hi Elaine!), that hat is new, made of Cash Vero by Cascade yarns and...hmmm...some other yarn that was white and wound in a ball. It's a fir tree fair isle pattern, with snowflakes. And those tassels on top? That's all the yarn that was left. I tell you, I'm having real luck with the running out just after the end of the knitting part of a project. This is going to come back to bite me, and hard, sometime soon. Probably on the second sock.

3.Not at all related to knitting, but certainly related to other Domestic Arts, it was cool enough this weekend to make the Molnar Family's favorite Cock-a-Leekie Soup. This requires chopping a lot of onions, and then 10 huge leeks, and then cooking them for a few hours. Meanwhile, the house starts to take on the distinctive odor of very strong onions, as does my clothing, my hair, all the furniture, the cats. So, that's a lot of onions. So many, that John followed his friend Ari's method, and chopped wearing eye protection.

At the end, he declared that Ari's swim goggles work better. After time, the onion junk gets in the sides of the safety goggles, and then you end up crying IN the goggles. No good.

We have 16 quarts of potato leek soup. Who wants some?

4.My name has been suggested to be the M.C. at the university's Etiquette Dinner. I find this to be hilarious.

Should I tell them about the $5 prize?

5. More tomorrow on the Sock Saga.

I Once Knew a Woman who had One Foot

2007-01-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

And she was SOOO happy, because she only had to knit one sock.

I have absolutely ZERO interest in knitting the second sock of this pair. No no. As my colleague Greg would say, "this is what negative numbers were invented for."

Sock number one is fabulous. Warm, snug, fits just right, and possibly the first time I tried something new and started with the pattern that has the word SIMPLE in the title. Usually I start with the one that has "Will make you want to put your thumbs through your eyes" in the title.

Oh yeah. You know you want photos.

Aaaah. So lovely. Self-stripey goodness.

Look at that lovely, even, strong heel flap. That is ONE LUCKY HEEL.

The socks are a washable worsted weight, made on 2 US5 24 inch circular needles, and the pattern is Simple Ribbed Sock from Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. They are my first pair of socks made with a heel flap. I say "first pair" as if there are two of them. In fact, there are not.

I know I'm not alone in this. My mom used to make clothes for my sister and me, but she never made the same thing twice. I'd get a jumper (made of blue cotton with little purple bees on it) and Laura would get a dress with capped sleeves, which I would later inherit. I assume she just got bored and didn't want to do the same thing twice.

If you google Second Sock Syndrome, you get a list of things you can do to alleviate the pains of casting on a second sock. Sadly, I didn't read the posts until after finishing the first sock. I didn't know I could make two at once. Wouldn't that take the "SIMPLE" out of this pair? Mostly finishing the first one, then doing the second, then going back to finish the first? That won't work on me. I'm not fooled. That's a knitting equivalent to setting the clock forward a few minutes. I can subtract as well as I can add. The clock trick doesn't work either.

So, what am I to do? I can force myself to finish the second sock (which has been cast-on already). I can find a one-legged friend. I can use it to torture the kitties (they LOVE the sock-on-the-head trick. Love. It.). Thing is, I really do want that other sock. I can't give it to someone else to knit for 2 reasons. 1. Nobody wants to. 2. It wouldn't fit right, probably.

Oh, crap. Well, hope for cold weather for Portland. If it's really cold out, I'll stay home and knit, and have John hide the other projects.

ETA: There were socks made, a pair, even, before this pair. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting, and I was so excited about trying embroidery for the first time that I finished both of the black, knee-length socks in no time. It also helped that I was at a conference in Knoxville, TN, so that's two very long flights and lots of long talks. Ask anyone. I was crazy to make this my first sock attempt.

I wore them to a talk I gave at a nearby university, and the person who introduced me said, "This is Stephanie, and I think she made her socks."

What are you gonna write about?

2007-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

A student stopped by two days ago as I was setting up this blog, and she asked what I was doing. I said that I was setting up a knitting blog, since I'd had this pattern accepted for publication. She said, "What are you gonna write about? Like, today I made 3 knit stitches and 4 purls?!?"

Yes.

Yes. That's EXACTLY what I'm going to write about.

Not about the creative process, or what it's like to turn string into garment, or what it's like to know this ancient craft. I'm going to write about how many knit stitches I made last night between watching paint dry and watching grass grow. I'm boring like that.

I imagine that I'm not the only one who has fielded such questions. As a mathematician, I get stuff like that all the time. A professor I had in grad school (called The Twig) suggested that we always tell people, when they ask, that we are "writers." It's not untrue. Most of the time I was writing something. It just wasn't anything that anybody wanted to read. But sooner or later I say something like, "I'm a mathematician." Once, at a party, a woman turned around and walked away without saying another word.

So, I started thinking about what kind of answers we should give, and what kind of answers I'd like to give. What would a mathematics blogger say? What do mommy bloggers say? Here are some suggestions:

Knit/Fiber Arts Blogger: Mostly I talk about knitting and purling. And counting stitches. And gauge.

Math Blogger: Yes, I really do write about really long formulas. With lots of numbers. AND LETTERS! Greek Letters!

Mommy Blogger: Mostly I post about the number of poops my kid takes each day. And how those poops end up in his/her hair.

Politics Blogger: I cover news stories about wars that we should be involved in. I have lots of free time.

Chiropractic Blogger: I cracked 1700 bones today. It was great.

Cat Lover Blogger: My cat is sooooooo cute. Today he napped all day. That's all I have to say about that. Here's a picture:

Daddy Blogger: I changed 3 diapers of 12 today. I am so proud of myself.

Right Wing Blogger: I write about the clarity with which the current administration approaches the fundamental issues surrounding world issues. Also, I write about NASCAR.

Garden Blogger: My flowers grew .35 cm today. I showered them with water and love. I can't wait for tomorrow's measurement! No news on the oak tree.

I told my student I was going to post patterns and ideas, and talk about being creative, and that it was a good outlet for me, since my actual work, the work I get paid for, is not such a great creative outlet. She laughed and said that she found my classroom antics to be more creative than any other math teacher she's ever had. But then she followed up with, "But they were all really old men."

There's no winning with that kid. I tell ya.