Hello, world!

I've maintained radio silence long enough, haven't I?  Long enough to pay rent (twice), take call (third time this month), and rack up a sizeable sleep debt.  And possibly actual debt, but we won't think about that.  In other words, welcome to New York.

Funny how little time it takes for a new place to become something like home.  South Carolina seems like a misty memory now, and my brain is stuffed full of histologic patterns, subway routes, and GrubHub orders.  Unfortunately, this new glut of information seems to have crowded out most attempts at serious knitting.

One thing I did manage to do (sort of) properly before the onslaught: Smaller on the Outside.  Geeks of the world, rejoice.  Well, maybe just smile a little, indulgently.  I'd take that.

Otherwise, it's slow going on Foreign Correspondent.  I'm on skein #2 and somewhat more than halfway done.  How long to all the way, you ask?  Check back in a week or two and we'll see if I've actually made any progress.  You be the judge:

Windows to the...

...well, you know.  Mine are a bit tired at the moment.  Because I just frogged an entire hat to free up yarn for something more likely to become a completed project.  I also spent the earlier part of the afternoon trying to translate TARDIS washcloth into a spreadsheet chart.  After which I realized worsted-plus yarn and size 7 needles would make an absolute monstrosity on the pattern I charted, and therefore decided to free up the sock weight and fish out some size 4s.  If it's still enormous I may have some editing to do.

After all that stress and strain my workspace sort of looked like this:

I'm not convinced it doesn't always look that way, come to think of it.

But my workspace does bring up the point of "WTF is she working on now???"  That yellow blob happens to be Foreign Correspondent's Scarf from Ravelry.  You may find the *free* pattern here.

One obvious change I made to the pattern was using DK instead of fingering weight yarn.  Which also meant upsizing the needles to size 6.  After all, I loved the designer's comment on gauge: "meh."  Scaling up lends a little extra weight, yes, but it doesn't mess with the latticework.  (Yes, it does make me think of windows, for some odd reason.)  It also eases the difficulty a bit, since DKs tend to be in reasonably low-maintenance materials such as cotton and don't break apart or produce little fuzzy nubbins that glue your yarn strands together (at least not often).  Maybe it was a tad too easy, because I found myself knitting during House Staff orientation.  And spending an awful lot of time on YouTube. 

(Disclaimer: I promise I did not set out to follow Tom Hiddleston's early career on YouTube, but I definitely do not take back Albert Finney's master class as Winston Churchill in "The Gathering Storm" or Chiwetel Ejiofor's heartbreaking Othello, so there.  Nor do I entirely blame my Facebook friends for posting audio clip of "May I Feel Said He" by E. E. Cummings in status comments, except that I always need a cold shower after I listen and I will insist on listening, and I pity the man who tries to use this to his advantage because for all I know it'll only work if you actually are Tom Hiddleston reading poetry.  Eyes are the windows to the soul?  Try ears.  Dammit.)







But we were speaking of knitting projects.  In future, I shall avoid upsizing a lace pattern.  It seems I could use the distraction.

Being Patriotic

Truth be told I meant to do this at least a year ago.

The dress, not being patriotic.  Although the latter is debatable.  Let's just say I'm not normally someone who goes around wearing flags.  I am, however, as female as the next chick.  So when a friend of mine sent me a couple yards of this little number and dared me to make a dress out of it, I was happy to comply.  You know, eventually.

As the hunk in the center says, "I want YOU to love your country."  Okey doke.  Will strapless do?

By the way, this is not based on any pattern (sorry, folks!).  I just cut out front bodice, 2 halves of back bodice, and front and back skirt panels based on my own measurements and worked from there.  The zipper goes up the back and extends a few inches into the skirt.

Feeling a bit exposed?  No worries.  Have a halter collar.  It attaches to the bodice seam with snaps, because I hate commitment.

You know how long this dress actually took me to make?  That's right: approximately 10 hours from start to finish.  So why didn't I actually do it when the bet was fresh in people's minds?  Because my sewing machine was way over in the office...

So, advantage to a studio apartment: no more out of sight, out of mind.  Sewing machine was promptly unpacked, cleaned, doused in liberal amounts of WD40, and put to its intended use.  The bed being in full view from every angle might be a problem though.  To sleep, to sew.  Aye, there's the rub.

At least this year I don't have to worry about what to wear for the 4th.

Moving day(ish)

I'm typing this on my very beat-up (externally) ThinkPad while sitting on the hardwood floor of my new apartment in Long Island City and waiting for the movers to make it in through the New York traffic.  Why?  Because I preceded the cable guy who installed my internet by about 3 hours, and he in turn outstripped the movers.  It's a long story.  At the end of which the only thing I can be sure of is I know where my towel is.  I am a hoopy frood.

I'm also, incidentally, extremely impressed at Blogger's recognition of Hitchhiker's Guide terminology, as there is currently no squiggly line below the phrase "hoopy frood."  Or at least it disappears once I move on to the next paragraph.

Now, we all know the most important thing about my move was that I was headed to New York to start my new career as a pathologist.  We also know that's only partly true.  Since I'm also a yarn addict, the most important part of this move was ensuring the continuation of my rich knitting life.  Well, "rich" is a relative term.  But packing up the crafting closet and the prospect of unpacking it into the confines of a(n admittedly generous-sized, 3-closeted) studio apartment are...daunting to say the least.

Once unpacked, however, it's off to the races.  Or rather, the Ravelry.  Anybody remember the geektastic washcloths of my first residency?  Charts and patterns await just beyond these doors.  Well, this one door.  If the movers ever get here.  With all my stuff.  Relatively intact.

Incidentally, the towel is in the bathroom.  Eventually I shall require a shower curtain.  Right?

Joining the Dark Side

I'm writing this on the fly while an adorable baby takes an incredibly amazingly long after-dinner nap.  Admittedly, since she's a child of the Big Apple and used to traffic noise and loud neighbors since she was a fetus, it probably takes quite a lot to disturb her dreams of eating and snuggling.  Still, not to be an obnoxious hovering fill-in babysitter, I've taken to joining the dark side and finally setting up a Ravelry account.  It was that or, you know, re-enacting "Waiting for Godot."  Cast of one adult plus possibly one hungry/wet/stinky infant.

So in the process of setting up my Ravelry account, I decided to see if I could post a test pattern.  Test pattern in question being newly rejected from Knitty Sand Dollar Cap.  Goodness knows I have no idea if the link works properly or not, so let's give it a go.  Forgive the lack of handy PDF file for download, as that takes a few extra brain cells which I seem to be lacking at the moment.  You might still be able to copy and paste to your favorite word processing document at will, so don't despair.

I leave you this image as a teaser/peace offering.  It's a free pattern, since I'm still working out the kinks of both designing and posting to Ravelry.  Try it at your own risk.  I'm actually quite curious if anybody else can decipher my ramblings.

And now, perhaps, back to the task at hand.

Starstuff

There's a famous quote involving that word; I just don't happen to feel like looking it up right now.  "We are all starstuff," or something like that.  I love the word.  And I definitely feel like a star of a different persuasion strutting my stuff in the following completed projects.  Have a little look-see, why don't you?

Shown to the right is completed (but not blocked) Path of Flowers stole.  When Knit 'n Purl finally re-opens, the pattern will be available for purchase, and my handiwork will be on display.  (Pumps fist in air.)  I feel a certain pride in finishing it, even if it isn't my original work.  Because it was hard, dammit.  Remember the pattern stitches every row and the sewing thread lifeline?

May I also point out that one reason I'm a bit loath to let go of it is that the colorway matches my phone?  To quote Anne Shirley a little bit on this one, "Mineshaft?  Oh, no, this is far too lovely to be called mineshaft."  That and you don't get hand-dyed silk/wool Helen's Laces down a mineshaft.  Except maybe in Minecraft?  There I suppose it could happen.

After that behemoth, naturally, Project Mozart suddenly seemed easy.  Even the nupps, which led me to warp my needles as I was doing them and almost consider switching to newly freed circulars.  Papagena scarf fairly flew to completion after the tribulations of true knitted lace.

I did worry just a little about the effect the self-striping Crazy Zauberball sock yarn was going to have on the join.  Actually the exact seam seems to have escaped this photo session, but as it turns out I needn't have worried.  I joined it between a purple section and a white, and those occur so randomly in the yarn itself that it actually looks almost like a natural transition.  Certainly not something you'd be looking for while "reading" the lace at the opera house.

By the way, for those of you who, like me, tend to forget how to do kitchener stitch grafting and have to look it up again when needed:
1. Place pieces WS facing (or RS outward).
2. Thread needle through first stitch in front purlwise, then first stitch in back knitwise, pull through but don't drop stitches from needles.  This is your setup.
3. Thread needle knitwise through first front stitch and drop it, then purlwise through 2nd front stitch but don't drop, then purlwise through 1st back stitch and drop it, then knitwise through 2nd back stitch but don't drop.  Pull yarn to tighten.
4.  Repeat step 3 until last stitch on each needle.  Thread needle knitwise through front stitch and drop, then purlwise through back stitch and drop.  All stitches are now cast off.
5.  Pull to tighten, weave in ends.

Speaking of opera, KAL shawl made its debut in dress rehearsals for the CMC Gershwin concert.  Pictures (lots of) are attached because it's a very photogenic little number.

I anticipate wearing this a lot.  The weight of it is just enough to provide a little warmth without being smothering.  And the color is just gorgeous.

Sure, knitting it felt like knitting a road map, but when the result is this good, who am I to complain?

Oh, just one more shot for good measure.













And one day, when I'm done with Knit 'n Purl homework assignment #2 aka Sandpiper scarf, there will be more pretty pictures.  And possibly a scrap of a scarf of my own invention to use up the extra yarn.  I hate to waste.  Also I despair of storage space when I get to New York.  Gulp!

Addendums, Errata, and other Footnotey Goodness

Today I vow to complete my knitting patterns.  Ish.  You know that saying "the devil is in the details"?  I am very much a forest-over-trees kind of person.  However, there's something to be said for being able to work one's patterns in a reasonable fashion, without having to click on links to someone else's (possibly defunct) website.  So for those of you trying to locate such colorfully named laces as "Arrowhead" and "Wheat in the Wind," here's my attempt to grab some of this stuff and put it into a single blog post.  Apologies in advance for the slight bit of plagiarism.

1. Wheat in the Wind

 Last seen in Amy Pond scarf, this is a 12-stitch by 12-row repeat.  Cast on multiple of 12 stitches plus desired number per edge.  Use edge stitch of your own desiring (slip-stitch, garter, whatever will keep it from curling too badly).  Lace repeat is as follows:

Rows 1 & 3: edge st, * p1, k11; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, edge st
Row 2 & all other wrong side rows: edge st, purl across to last st, edge st
Row 5: edge st, * p1, k1, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k4; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, edge st
Row 7: edge st, * p1, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k3; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, edge st
Row 9: edge st, * p1, k3, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k2; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, edge st
Row 11: edge st, * p1, k4, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, sl1kw, k1, psso, k1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, edge st
Repeat rows 1 through 12.

Stitch abbreviations are as follows:
sl1kw = slip 1 knitwise
psso = pass slipped stitch over


The rest should hopefully be self-explanatory.


Acknowledgements go to www.craftcookie.com and their knitting stitch directory.


To turn this gorgeous lace into a scarf, work pattern repeat over desired multiple of 12 stitches plus edge, to desired length, add fringe, and enjoy.  Goes especially well with...








2. Reverse Wheat in the Wind

 Last seen in Amy Pond gloves (well, left glove, perhaps, or was it right?), lace repeat in the round is as follows:

For all even rows, knit entire round.
Rows 1+3: *p1, k11, rpt from * to end of round.
Row 5: *p1, k4, k2tog, k1, sl1 k1 psso, yo, k1, yo, k1, rpt from * to end of round.
Row 7: *p1, k3, k2tog, k1, sl1 k1 psso, yo, k1, yo, k2, rpt from * to end of round.
Row 9: *p1, k2, k2tog, k1, sl1 k1 psso, yo, k1, yo, k3, rpt from * to end of round.
Row 11: *p1, k1, k2tog, k1, sl1 k1 psso, yo, k1, yo, k4, rpt from * to end of round.

Of course, if you wanted to do Reverse Wheat in the Wind as a flat pattern, you simply purl the even rows and do your edge stitches again.  Not sure why you'd want to, but hey, I won't judge.
























3. Arrowhead

 Last seen in Blackberrying, this is a 4-row pattern repeat as follows:

Row 1 (WS): purl across
Row 2 (RS): k1, *(yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1*, repeat section between *s to end of row
Row 3 (WS): purl across
Row 4 (RS): k2, *yo, ssk, yo, sl 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k2 tog, yo, k3*, repeat section between *s to last 2 sts, k2

Acknowledgment goes to knittingfool.com.  If you have time, surf their exhaustive list of lace stitches.

To adapt this into the round, simply, um, knit your even rows/rounds and omit the edge stitches, i.e. the stuff around the asterisks.  It's actually easier than it sounds.  Promise.

The good thing about Blackberrying is that you can adjust the number of increase and decrease rows to turn it into a lace snood rather than a top-down beret.  Pictured to right and below.  Here's how you would do that:

Cast on 5 stitches and begin working in round.
Increase in the round by knitting 1 into the front and back of each stitch (10 sts total).
Work 1 repeat of Arrowhead.

Increase by a factor of 10 stitches every "Row 1" until you reach a desired diameter (for size 8s and worsted weight, knit into front and back of every stitch on Row 1, and work Rows 2-4 as written).  Continue in Arrowhead, doing kfb increases in Row 1 until you reach 60-80 sts total depending on desired circumference.
Repeat Arrowhead pattern 2-4 times without increases until you reach desired fullness.
Decrease by a factor of 10 stitches every 4th round aka "Row 1" (k2tog around) until you get to a reasonable circumference (about 30 sts).
Finish Arrowhead repeat for that number of stitches
Knit 1-2 rows even.
Bind off, weave in ends, and block as desired.

To finish off this confection, weave a length of ribbon through the last row of yarnovers ("eyelets").

To wear, pull hair into loose bun, loop snood over bun, pull on ribbon ends to tighten, and tie.  For extra security, pin in place with bobby or u-shaped pins.  For Ren-Faire I used enough pins to set off local MRI magnets and still considered stapling the thing to my head, but most normal people's hair is slightly more cooperative.










And I think that's enough due diligence to call it a day.  In other news, Path of Flowers stole is off the needles and turned in just in time for Knit 'n Purl's big move.  With any luck, it will adorn one of the mannequins in the new store, so stay tuned!  And next time, there may even be pictures of new projects.  Maybe...