woolythyme

I met Miss Babs...

I met Miss Babs this weekend.  Yes.  That Miss Babs!

 

I think she might have been glad she met me, too.

 

I'm dreaming of this, and this, and maybe making another pair of these---in cashmere this time!  I can't begin to tell you the wooly wonderfulness of it all.  The last time our 'paths' crossed (although the lovely lady herself wasn't present) was this summer at SSK.  I came home with the yarn for my hitofude and for spectral.  They are both finished.  They are both loved.  How could I miss another opportunity for stash-enhancement?  (especially since one of those skeins cost me a mere $4.00!!!  I have frequent buyers cards all over the country!!)

 

It was a lovely day, shared with friends.  We did a little Christmas shopping, I had one of the best grilled portobello sandwiches e-v-e-r!!, and  I came home to discover...

 

a gift from a dear friend, straight from the Santa Fe International Folk Museum (one of my favorite funky museums in the world!!!).

 

I've named her Miss Babs.

Hitofude.....update

I've been obsessed distracted.

Hitofude......you're next.

Hitofude.....interrupted

I have truly loved working on Hitofude.... every minute of it.  If you have followed this blog at all, you know that I can blast through projects pretty fast sometimes.  Too fast, really.  That old addage...stop and smell the roses? It goes for knitting, too.  There are some projects that are just like those bouquets of flowers--or a good book....they need to be savored and enjoyed, and I'm putting Hitofude in that category.

It is an extremely simple pattern to knit....the lace is basic.  Very intuitive; so easy to remember.  But, the construction (for me) is very creative.  I worried just a teeny bit last week-- I was ready to start the body increases, and feared that you would have to juggle charts and write down where you were, and add in a pattern as you accumulated enough added stitches.  Phew.  No such thing.  The additional stitches are added simply and look lovely.

I've completed two of the four body increase sections.  Each is 16 rows long.  16 increase rows + baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies = one Cardinals baseball game.  (I'm a fan.  I watch a whole lot of baseball.  This could have been finished this week.)

I've happily let other things distract me so I can savor this process just a little longer.

Like circles.  I'm thinking 9 rows of circles x 11 rows might be about the right size for a throw.  The circles are finished. (yep.  99 of them. compulsive? OK.  Sure.)  I'm waiting for the background yarn to arrive.  What started out as purely a stash-buster has now grown into an investment. (I hate when that happens.)

On that one(!) cool(er) morning over the weekend, when I whipped out the fall decorations....I also cast on for Helen Tindall's Shwook, the hat she designed for Shetland Wool Week (October 4-12).  I think the idea was to knit it up and wear it to the festivities so you could identify other kindred spirits, but since I won't be making the festival, I decided to knit on it that first week of October.  I didn't exactly cheat....I just got the boring ribbing out of the way so I'll be ready to 'fair isle for fall'.

 Lori made this before her Shetland trip; I like her colors much better than what I chose, but this is another stash buster project, so it is what it is.

 

and finally...

a friend and I went to an arts and craft fair over the weekend; there was a weaver...

she had kits....

 

the rest is history.  This might even be a bit too hippy for me.  Maybe not.  It was fun.  (The weaving loom was made from a piece of foam board....a great project for kids.)

 

So, you see....there is still loads of time to join Karen and me for the Hitofude knitalong.  I have a few more distractions kicking around that will at least keep ME knitting on mine for another few weeks!!!!

i'd rather be lucky than good.....

Hitofude has been a leap of faith from the cast on...  

I don't think I've ever knit a sweater with a construction that comes close to this one, and honestly, I wasn't really envisioning how this was going to work, even after I was well into it.

 

You begin with two provisional cast ons of varying lengths.  After about 13" of lace work, you remove the cast-on on one side and do a 3-needle bind off....one sleeve.  OK.  I followed that.  Then you remove the longer cast on, do a 3-needle bind off for the other sleeve and then somehow what is left turns in to the neck and shoulders and beginning of the front and I still can't quite figure out how that happened, but it did. (another reason why I will never be a designer.  I often have trouble just being a knitter.)

Unless I'm very much mistaken, I think what was supposed to happen, happened.  It sort of looks like it might be a sweater someday.

While I know this shouldn't have come as a shock...

 the 3-needle BO actually looks like it continues the pattern pretty well.  It's rarely my seaming method of choice, but in the spirit of not having any finishing at the end, and following along with the blind faith of the whole project, I had no other choice.  (Phew.  I could have really messed things up here.  I really wanted to just mattress seam or kitchener or anything but that 3-needle-thing.  A near miss.)

I'm now back to doing the basic 8-row lace pattern after a little bit of ribbing (which I think is the waist, although how can that be?); soon I'll be starting the increases, and I'm clueless how they will be integrated into the pattern.  My leap of faith continues.

The one thing I haven't been too concerned with (yet) is running out of yarn...

I think that big ball just means there is A WHOLE LOT more knitting ahead!!!

 

* * * * * * * * 

I seriously believe there is still a lifetime of lace knitting ahead here, so there is ample time for anyone who would like to knit along with us (Karen and me).  Be sure to hop around and look at everyone's hitofude-in-progress (or the other things people are knitting-along-with....we're not picky!)  If you want to just leave a comment about your progress, that works, too.  (I personally decided to leave out all MY '*&*$#@%^%*&@!@#!!' comments as I undid the provisional cast on.  Once again, I screwed up the provisional cast on and it wouldn't unzip.  That was NOT FUN. Fingers crossed that yours goes better than mine did.)

Hitofude, please stop whining.....

 

Dear Hitofude,

I'm sorry I didn't 'feature' you on the 'Yarnalong' yesterday. I know you're worried.  You are right.  There IS a lot of competition for attention around this household lately.  Maybe a bit too much.

Umaro  found himself out of hibernation and kept me company though a couple of baseball games.  But, you don't have to worry about him.  It's much too hot again and he's back in hibernation, even though he's now big enough to pretend he's done and bedeck a chair back.

 

Little pumpkin socks reached the 1/2-way point.  You know, one sock done.  This is always a good place to pause.  (Reason so many orphan socks live here.)  So, don't worry about them. October is still pretty far away.  (I didn't even cast on the second sock.)

 

Woodland shawl was fun when I discovered that the stash actually held a leaf-like color.  But, the love has waned here.

 

The church pew shawl will get knit during Sunday school---on Sunday mornings.  That's it.  The end.  (I really hate those big needles.)

 

The Mitered Cross Blanket may steal some attention now and again.  It's portable; it's mindless.  But, I know I'm in for the long haul here, so once, again----I wish you wouldn't panic so.

 

Funky Grandpa... ooooo, that might be a little different story....(I love you, Grandpa!!!! love, love, love, love!)

 

and Rachel has asked for a scarf to go with her hot pink winter coat...(I love her, too!!!!)

I think she might like these mittens as well.  What do you think?  (HUSH.  Shame on you.  Stop being so negative.)

But, Hitofude, YOU are the only one to get a knitalong.  Karen and I won't let you down.  Neither will all the other kind knitters who are joining us...to knit you, to cheer us on, to keep us company with other knits, and to just follow your progress.  

I PROMISE (promise, promise, promise, promise, promise)....

that you will look much, much better by Tuesday, when you have your next photo shoot.  Promise.  But, remember.  This is a knitalong, not a competition.  There is no race; and no sprint to the finish line.

So, please.  Stop the whining.

 

Love,

Woolythyme

 

Hitofude, anyone?????

I started Hitofude last week, finished three repeats on chart one, and shifted my love to Funky Grandpa.

I know.  I'm fickled with my sweater-love this season. Two sweaters on the needles already.  This really is so unlike my usual sweater-knitting habit....of waiting until the first really cold day to cast on and then knitting like a madwoman, thinking that I'll be able to wear a new finished sweater the next day.  (It's never happened.  I remain an optimistic knitter, though.)  

But, I still love Hitofude.  If you haven't had a chance to take a peek at this sweater you really must. I. LOVE. IT!!! (I bet you will, too!) 7,939 other people have it queued or already on their needles!

Since I posted my start on it last week, Karen has cast on.  We had a little side-bar chat, and decided some more of you might want to join us, encourage us  me (Karen usually is so focused she doesn't need the group support I obviously need!), and simply share some fun knitting and end up with a great sweater.  Is that a win-win-win-win, or what?

Neither of us want anything TOO structured....no start date (although how can you knit along if you don't start??)/no end date. My idea is maybe posting a progress picture once a week, either as a post of its own or stuck at the end of a post, and letting one of us know it's there.  Karen might have some other ideas, too. (She's also far more organized than I am!) 

So, here's my progress this week....one more repeat.

If you don't want to join in on our loosey-goosey knit-a-long, will you still be a cheerleader?  I'm obviously going to need one.

Next update for me.....next Tuesday.  (I think.  Probably.  Most likely.)