long, lost knit …

Look what I found forgotten on my camera …

A long, lost project — already handed over to its recipient and hopefully having put in a bit of service before spring hibernation.  A dear friend asked for a “crazy hat” … and crazy she received.  I used one skein of Malabrigo Rasta in, I believe, Arco Iris (866).  Then some mystery stash yarn (Valley Yarns something from the apartment #2 era … so, 2006? 2007?) for the giant pom poms.  It was quick and easy knit — and the pom poms were lots of fun.

Happy Wednesday!  I’ve got a finished green sweater to show off … if only I could get a decent photo …

this is going to take forever.

Forever.

Remember Leaves of Grass?  I hadn’t forgotten it … but, man, that edging.  It’s a lot of stitches: a going-to-take-forever amount of stitches.  It’s going to take forever.

But I’m up for it.  Gauntlet thrown, satisfaction demanded.

Challenge accepted.

this sweater is actually green.

Trust me.

I’ve been working on it off and on, here and there, ever since I finished the Noro! pullover.  Just simple evening knitting, no thinking required.  No pattern, just a top-down raglan in some ancient stash yarn with a cable I found in one of my Vogue Stitchionaries.  (Which I look at often, but rarely use.)

Right now, I’m working through the first sleeve.

(Nope.  Not this color either.  Seriously, it really is green.)

The semester is grinding to halt and I, for one, could not be happier.  It’s been another crazy year: job market, dissertation, interviews, teaching … In fact, yesterday I realized that I started writing my job letter six months after I defended my dissertation prospectus.  Madness.  Which also reminded me why I might not have had time to draft out that article or dedicate a lot of time knitting.

I miss knitting.  I miss the blue table; I miss this space; I miss you guys.  I miss having lots of ideas and colors and dream projects swirling around amidst all the other whirlwind commitments.

So that’s my summer plan: more knitting, more writing, more colors, more sharing!

my weekend

I spent a good part of my weekend around this table in Rhode Island.  Turns out, the smallest state in the union is pretty pleasant — and conferences are pretty exhausting.  Which I knew, but had chosen to forget.  Luckily, the conference hotel was deeply awesome (with some seriously comfy beds AND a giant chair that made me feel a little like Edith Ann) , and there were plenty of friends to catch up with.

Knitting, however, had to take a back seat.

What you see here is a Leaves of Grass shawl waiting patiently for the rest of its knit-on border.  Man.  That’s a lot of stitches.  Also, it is giant: perfect for that chair.

et voilà!

New spring break pullover!  It’s stripy and wonderful — and super quick to knit.  Dreamy, eh?  All for only 3.5 skeins of Noro Taiyo in a kinda crazy set of colors.

I was inspired by the Equinox Raglan, but, in the end, the two don’t have much in common.  And I’m okay with that.  This one was knit with aran-weight yarn on US10.5/6.5mm needles — so a loose, almost airy kind of fabric that bloomed up very nicely after a quick soak.

(Okay, it might still be a bit damp …)

socks! glorious socks!

Another pair of slouchy socks.  This time in Cascade 220 turquoise pebble (darker) and pacific (lighter).

And a bit of morning sunshine to show them off.

At the moment, these socks are all I really want to knit.  They’re so simple, so fun, so budget-friendly … and so quick.  Pretty much everything it feels like the rest of my life isn’t.  I mean, dissertations take forever.  So a sock in an evening or two?  That feels like accomplishment.

A row here, a row there: voilà! a finished sock.  I find it all very satisfying.

These are destined to be a gift.  And I’m not sure there’s anything cozier than worsted socks.  Even on a Monday …

Alice approves

… these socks.

They started out life as that extra yarn my advisor gave me.  A box-full of Cascade 220 in various heathered shades … one or two skeins of each color, so not a lot to work with in terms of cardigans or large projects or what have you.  I dithered.  Finally, last week it hit me: socks!  Cozy, woolly, slouchy worsted socks.

The King of Socks, if you will

And I decided to get stripy with it.  Kind of a melting transition pattern from the main color into the contrasting color, which is how they got their name: turtle + celery.  They are quick, easy, cheap, and totally addictive.  My pair for ladies’ feet took less that one skein of two colors.

I’ve already got at least two other pairs planned … just from the advisor yarn.

p.s. I promise to stop with the Hipster-vision soon.  Hipster-panorama.

ho hum.

The blue table is back!  It’s a glorious sunny day here in Nashville — which feels a bit odd after a couple of weeks of Washington winter drear — and I decided to take full advantage of the surprise.

What you might not be able to see: this is the almost end of the last chart of Leaves of Grass … so close to the knit-on edging.  So very far from a finished shawl.

I really am in love with this yarn.  It’s woolly and colorful and very tweedy.  Perfect.

I bought some more in another color — thistle, a slightly shocking purple — and am already daydreaming about one more gigantic shawl.  Or maybe a cardigan.  Or pullover.

here are some pictures of my new shawl.

It’s not finished yet, but we’re getting there.

I’m using the recommended Loft (color: blanket fort [what??]) and it is lovely, if rather strangely named.  The flecks of magenta and blue are perfect.

And with two more charts to go, I think I’ve found my winter companion.  (ETA, Leaves of Grass, that is.)

chunky baktus : in action!

Remember the chunky baktus?  (Mysteriously un-raveled until this very moment.)   It’s pretty great and very giant.

Apparently, this is my early-morning presidential pose.  What caught my attention on the ceiling?  No idea.  A cobweb?  Most likely.  In any case, it was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break …

… and now I’m back, after a fantastic trip to California for the fourth-annual Sistersgiving: I made a start on Leaves of Grass, ate lots of delicious food, got plenty of sleep, and caught up with my sister.

I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful holiday (weekend)!