love is all you need

I love this sweater but I hate that I have to show it off using my cell phone camera, because the pictures just don't show the depth of the color or the lace pattern. You'll just have to use your imagination, folks.

My favorite part is the garter stitch yoke. For the longest time I was adamantly against garter stitch because I thought it looked too "beginner." The minute I learned to purl I longed only for smooth swaths of stockinette. But now that I'm maturing as a knitter I understand the cozy, cushy allure of garter stitch.

The garter edging sets off the lace pattern nicely. The lace seems to add an heirloom quality to this sweater; it makes me think of a time when all of baby's sweaters were lovingly hand knit. I'm glad my new nephew will get to experience the feel of being wrapped in a big cozy hug from Aunt Kimi while I'm 1500 miles away.

Pattern: February Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Arucania Nature Wool, Color 40
Started August 13, 2008
Finished August 30, 2008

I'm still swatching away for my Master Knitter Level 1 and I've found a new favorite basic yarn: Berocco Pure Merino.  After working my first few swatches with Cascade 220 Superwash, I was looking for something with a little more bounce to it.  The Pure Merino is really nice to work with and it looks really good knit up.  Here are my two favorite swatches, Swatch 4 and 5.

Two things that have been on my mind lately; The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs and The Knitting Guild of America's Master Knitter Program.
I started reading The Friday Night Knitting Club when I was in the Burbank, California airport after having arrived early only to find that my flight would be leaving an hour and a half late. This book helped the time "fly" (pun intended) during the long wait. I'm about halfway through- so no spoilers, please.
The Knitting Guild of America's Master Knitter Program is something that has been in the back of my head for over a year now, and I only recently decided that I wanted to do it. If you don't know about it check out tkga.com for what its about, what it involves, etc. I really love knitting and I think this will be a great learning process for me. Just be prepared for lots of advice-seeking and swatch pictures in the near future...

I have no excuse for not blogging lately except for the fact that not much interesting has been going on. I have started the My So-Called Scarf from Sheep In The City in Manos Silk Blend, which is coming out very nice. Nice but slow.

I was searching for a quick knit, and Ysolda's Urchin (fall issue of Knitty) fit the bill perfectly.

I love the way the garter ridges look with Malabrigo's thick and thin Gruesa. The way the hat is formed by using short rows with wraps is pretty genius. As I knit I was constantly marvelling at how a hat shape was forming out of almost nowhere. The swirly top looks pretty great, too.

I had to modify the pattern a little bit by including part of an extra wedge, as mine was coming out a little small. (I followed the numbers for the size small- next time I'll do medium.)

I'm also glad that my mistakes seem to be hidden pretty well. I lost track of myself a few times and knit a few extra wrap and turns in there somewhere, but I can't find them now.

Obviously Joey and I had a little fun with our photoshoot- he took about 35 pictures, and we couldn't decide which ones to show. I was a little timid to put up this many pics but he won the argument when he reminded me that people like pictures on blogs. Here's one more for good measure that shows how I feel about my new hat.

Joey has recently acquired some new recording software and while he was having a session yesterday at our house, I snuck out and went to the Shabby Sheep and came back with this:

Three luscious skeins of Manos Silk Blend in Hibiscus to make myself an equally luscious scarf.

I've picked up Thermal again over the last week and finally split for the neckline. I'm a little nervous about working the neckline and armhole shaping simultaneously, but I think I'll just forge ahead and only worry when I get into trouble. I'll just knit, listen to the steady rainfall, and smell my potato soup simmering on the stove. Sounds like a good evening.

So it seems that most knit bloggers are in the midst of Holiday Knitting. I tried that my first year as a knitter and failed miserably. I bought a whole bunch of yarn and needles for each specific project and didn't complete a single one! These days, I'm a little more level-headed (and selfish.) I had only two holiday knits this year- a scarf and wristwarmer set for a friend of my mom's to give as a gift. (She's paying me for them, so I don't think that even really counts, does it?) Nonetheless, I finished my "Holiday Knitting" last Friday.
Single Cable Wristwarmers, available on my sidebar to the left. 2x2 ribbed scarf with slipped stitch edges. (no specific pattern there)
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Treasure

As soon as I wove in the last end on the scarf, my inner-selfish-knitter came out and demanded that I knit something quick for myself. My inner-selfish-knitter also demanded that I use that lone skein of cashmere that has been lounging in my stash for a while. I decided I had enough yarn for a cabled neckwarmer, so I chose a cable pattern from my Vogue Stitchionary, did a few calculations and cast on 108 stitches. I sailed through the knitting on this thing while watching a Project Runway marathon. When it was finished, I had this.

Beautiful, right? Well, when I put it around my neck, there are about 4 inches of extra room! I guess that's what my inner-selfish-knitter gets for being so demanding. Now I have to rip it out and try again. But at least I get to knit with that cashmere again. That right there makes the whole thing worth it.

Hope your holiday knits are coming along without any snags!

Just a simple, soft little something for a friend of my mom's to give away for Christmas.

I haven't knitted on my sock at all since I've been back from my trip and my Thermal is still languishing in my unpacked suitcase. I did manage to crochet a couple of rows on the Ripple Afghan, but that's about it. This morning was a very rainy one here in North Texas, but it was also pleasantly cool- perfect weather for knitting while sipping home made apple cider. I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work and picked up some of the ingredients for the cider- cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, oranges and apple juice and threw them into the crock pot so I could savor the aroma as I arranged my newly purchased pumpkins on my kitchen table. Fall is here and it is just the kick I need to get my knitting groove back.
Oh, and Joey told me that when he was taking the dogs outside this morning, Daisy chased down a squirrel and caught it in her mouth. He spanked her and got her to drop it, but then Henry went and picked it up. After he got Henry to let it go, the squirrel ran off. I'm hoping the squirrel wasn't too badly injured- I didn't see any dead ones laying around when I got home from work. Then I heard that familiar pitter-patter of squirrels in the eaves of my house, and when I looked up a few of them were watching me.