-because I’m blogging again. I know, it’s amazing. And I even have a few things to show for myself.



For one, Peter and I just got back from a trip to Oregon. We took in some amazing scenery, a serious amount of moisture, and quite a bit of wine. Sake, even, with a visit to the Sake One sakery.



The shop was pretty chaotic since it was the day after Thanksgiving, but we did manage to pick up and safely transport home a couple bottles of their Daiginjo sake. (uh, not the super expensive stuff – we got some on sale.) I’ve got a special Japanese meal planned for later this week for the unveiling of the new sake! Vegetables are already being pickled…

Another highlight of the Willamette Valley winery tour was the trip to Elk Cove. Seriously, all their wines were delicious and the grounds we breathtaking. I hear you can get their wines in Chicago at Sam’s Liquors, so next time I’m in I’ll be keeping an eye out.



And finally, in knitting news – we finally have a Christmas present that I can post about on the internet!



I know, it might not be immediately apparent which knit I’m talking about. See, I have a hard time keeping warm in Portland. I swear. The wet is hard to deal with. Here’s another clue:



They’re the manly mitts from knitty, way back when, in Dale of Norway Hauk and on US5s. That is some wooly wool, and those are some warm mitts! They’re for Peter, of course, the manliest man of them all, and he’s already received them. Poor guy – I had to bring SOMETHING to knit while I was in Oregon, and it couldn’t be my parents’ gifts, so I had to knit these right in front of him. At least that means he got a perfect fit. I don’t know why I haven’t knit more mittens – seriously, these were fast as hell, and they look great, and they were a blast. Everyone else I know – MITTENS for Christmas for you!

It occurred to me that I never introduced the shedir hat that I knit over Christmas as a real finished knit – just a screwed up one! After its surgery it recovered well, and turned into an absolutely fantastic hat! I tried it on my own head before I gave it away, and the size turned out perfect, and it felt great. Honestly, this one was hard to give up.



Pattern: Shedir(PDF!!!) by Jenna Wilson (the pattern on ravelry)
Needles: 2 US3 circs
Yarn: 1 skein of Jojoland Cashmere (4 ply)



mods: I’m not sure if this really counts as a mod, but I finally learned how to cable without a cable needle, and boy did it ever pay off on this hat. It would’ve taken me EONS to finish had I used an actual cable needle. Seriously, this cabling without a cable needle is thrilling and fast and efficient and only a little bit terrifying the first time, and not at all after that. I really recommend the technique and grumperina’s tutorial!

Also, every knit stitch you see on that hat was knit through the back loop. This yarn is some fuzzy stuff, and I really wanted the cables and traveling knit stitches to pop out and not spread all nastily into the purls.

I’m hoping I can crank another one of these out this year. I have a skein of quiviut hanging around (it was a really, really nice gift) that would be perfect in a shedir for me!

So I was taking some UFO photos of a hat I’d been working on the other day when I noticed something. A mistake. In my otherwise perfect, glorious, tiny tiny cables.

First I took this shot of the hat, then I looked down and cursed every curse in the book:


Not seeing the problem? Check out this close-up of the offending region.



After breaking out in a cold sweat, pouring myself a healthy dose of liquor, and a quick google search, I rediscovered this post from the Yarn Harlot that I had read some time ago… She describes two methods for fixing this kind of thing: 1. “the proper way” (her words) and 2. “desperate measures” (aka a major cheat). While I’m normally the sort of lady that will head straight for the cheat, I noticed this “cheat” involved SEWING. Not sewing like sewing a seam (which I hate and completely suck at), but sewing like duplicate stitches and well, I’d rather create a giant unraveling hole in the middle of my cabled cashmere hat than do ANYTHING that resembles SEWING. So I opted for “the proper way.” Of course, I documented the experience. I don’t know why. It’s not like that would save my knitting if I screwed it up beyond repair. Something sick and twisted that resides deep in the depths of my soul made me do it. And I could NOT have done this without that Harlot tutorial. Thank you, Harlot. You saved my ass. This explanation that follows is just that – an explanation of what I did. If you want a tutorial head over to the Harlot.

Step 1: I isolated the stitches that would have to be unraveled in order to make this cable, well – cable, instead of march straight along like it is doing in the pictures seen above. Since I had already knit a couple cable twists beyond the one in question a total of 4 stitches were involved – not just the two in the middle that should have cabled, you see, because later on they traveled, and twisted around some other stitches and they allll got involved in this mess. So first I followed those four stitches down below the row where the error occurred and stuck a circular needle through them to hold them so the entire thing wouldn’t unravel.

Step 2: I unraveled, and realized I had stuck the needle through the wrong stitches. Oops. No biggie – I just shifted everything one stitch to the right, and exchanged that stumpy bamboo needle for a slick, stabby metal one and took a deeeeep breath. Here it is, all unraveled past the error.

Step 3: I found the bottom-most one of those scraggly pieces of yarn and used that metal needle (which was a US 2, a slightly smaller size than I knit the rest of the hat on, just to make the reconstruction a little bit easier) and knit the row that had the error in it – CORRECTLY this time.

Step 4: I breathed. I took a sip of that drink. Again, I found the bottom-most scraggly, unraveled yarn and used it to knit up another row. Again and again, until I had this:

PERFECT. Angels were singing. I stopped sweating. It was a great day. This hat, you see, is a Christmas present for my dear friend Cassie. And had I given her the hat with the cable error in it, although she may not have even noticed, I would KNOW. And every time I would look at my friend after that, forevermore, all I would see would be screwed up cables, and it would ruin our friendship. Forever. And I just can’t have that.

Tired of looking at the same hat? Me too. I knit this one in record time. I cast on late on the 22nd so I’d have a plane-friendly project to take to Oregon for Christmas, and finished it on the 27th, as my parents and I were arriving on the Oregon coast. I’m sure it will be received well. I’ll make the official FO post soon and I promise, I’ll keep it brief!

WARNING: PHOTO-HEAVY POST!

This is a confession. I’m much better than I used to be about starting things and not finishing them. But I’ve been letting things pile up lately, and I’ve started to feel really guilty about it because, well, there are BABIES coming, people!!! Three of my friends are having babies in the pretty-near future and those babies need BOOTIES and SWEATERS and all kinds of cute things. And frankly, who doesn’t love knitting for babies, because they’re so little they wear very. little. clothes. And there is a child who is TWO YEARS OLD that I have yet to knit for. I know, I know. I’m a terrible person. So I figure, by letting everyone on the internet know how many projects I’ve let pile up maybe I’ll be motivated to finish them.

Also, I say I’m a lot better than I used to be because I no longer feel the need to finish things that I hate. I tear them out now, and I get a sickly gleeful about it because I can figure out a way to put that yarn to better use. It’s really creepy. I giggle psychotically the whole time.

So here we go:



This is where the UFOs live… This photo (with cold unforgiving light courtesy of amazing Chicagoland weather – looks like things are shaping up for a thunderstorm now – great) looks like some creepy Dutch still-life or something. (Sorry for exhibiting my horrible understanding of art, Jenny!)

Let’s take a look inside…

First up, and I won’t bore you with more photographs and babbling, is that Rusted Root sweater of my last post.



This guy has an interesting story. The yarn is Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick-and-Quick in Wheat, 86% acrylic, 10% wool, 4% rayon. I originally bought this to make the poncho in Deb Stoller’s first book (gee, I would put the title here, but I don’t want to get sued by that asshole company that will remain nameless that made everyone stop using that name). Anyway, I just didn’t like the poncho and was never wearing it and I thought it was taking up a whole lot of room in my closet for something I never wore, so I frogged it. Then I tried to knit the Bulky Cabled Sweater of Glampyre Knits, and it just wasn’t working out. Gague was fine and all, but the more I struggled through it, the more I realized I just didn’t like knitting it. That sweater should take two seconds it’s so bulky, and I’m not sure if it was the bulky yarn, bulky needles, or having to pay attention to the cable pattern or what, but I HATED it. So I frogged that, too. It’s too bad, because the pattern is cute, but it just wasn’t going to work on me (it was clearly going to add 20 lbs).

Also, somewhere along the line I noticed that the yarn kind of looks like off-white yarn that has tons and tons of pubes stuck to it. Seriously. And I can’t wear something that looks like it’s covered in pubes. But I figured I HAVE to use this yarn for SOMETHING, so I started making a really simple garter stitch rug out of it, and that’s what you see here. When this is done I think it’ll be really nice. Super washable, I won’t be bothered by the quasi-pube factor since it’ll be on the floor and not near my face, and it’ll feel so nice and squishy under my feet. Great for the bedroom, I think.



And here we have a knit that is a true pain in the ass to photograph! That shiny black thread (yarn? or thread. who knows.) with super-shiny beads. There’s NO. WAY. to distinguish those stitches!



Yeah, it just always looks like it’s glowing. It just loves the camera, I guess.

This is MaryElla from Knitty. My mom knit me one of these (I think it was for my birthday?) a few years ago and I think it’s just the coolest thing! I never would have picked that pattern out on my own, just because it never occurs to me to knit jewelry, but it is just so cute, and it turns out knitting with beads is fun as all get out! I love it. That’s DMC Perle cotton there, folks, on US0000 needles. Yikes! This one would get done faster, but it really puts a lot of pressure on my joints to knit on those tiny needles, so I can only do a little bit at a time. Also, there’s no way I’m taking those terrifying needles on an airplane. Ever. They’d get taken away in two seconds they look so scary.



And here we have something I’d really like to get done soon, but it’s just not going to happen immediately. I mean, it’s a sweater on size US3 needles for Christ’s sake. This is the Union Square Market Pullover (if you follow that link, it’s the one on the cover) by the fabulous Kate Gilbert in Misti Alpaca Worsted. This sweater is going to be so nice and cozy, yet pretty, when I finally finish it. I loved working the hemmed bottom – really smart design there!



Yes, we’ve all seen these. These are Grumperina’s Jaywalkers for Ali in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Candy.

This yarn is so squishy and wonderful, I seriously MUST go out and buy more immediately after I send these socks away. And the name is hilarious: Sock Candy? Disgusting and adorable in a very special way. The pattern is so fun and easy! I’m planning on making a tiny pair for my favorite 2 year old after I’m done with these, which will be very soon.



But Lauren, you say, that isn’t even a project – that’s just a pile of blue yarn!

And that it is. But it’s my biggest guilty confession of them all. When my grandmother died last year the family encouraged my mother and I to take as much of her crafting materials as we could fit into our suitcases (they even shipped me some, so I have boxes of yarn AT MY PARENTS’ HOUSE – how sad is that). This is some German wool that looks like it originally was for one of her knitting machines (I think they’ve found 3 so far while cleaning out her house, but God only knows how many more there might be). It’s nice stuff, and it feels like it could be superwash, but I need to figure out the German word for that, because the label doesn’t have any English on it. At any rate, I have this stuff sitting in my UFO basket in the living room because I keep thinking I’ll start this project. What I want to do is knit a lap blanket for my dad. He likes lap blankets a lot, and having one made with his mom’s yarn by his daughter is the kind of thing that would really make him tear up. My dad is the kind of guy that appreciates objects of everyday use that carry deep personal (particularly familial) meaning. He’s a good guy. Very Yankee. He wants precious objects, but he wants them to have some kind of use. And thus, a lap blanket is perfect for him. I’m planning on using some big, fat Addis that I borrowed from my mom – she had them to make me a blanket a while back. I’m also going to copy the pattern mom used – it’s just a simple basket-weave. I think it’s the best way to make a blanket in only one color and have it be interesting.

So, I guess that’s that. At least one of these – the Jaywalker socks – will be done very, very soon… I suppose that’s six projects total. If you count the blue blanket…