Pavee Knits

Laser Sweater is done!

2011-10-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Pictures says it all!

Steeking & Stuff

2011-09-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

I finally, after the dust of August had settled, got down to brass tacks. The neck opening has been steeked, stitches picked up and the collar knitted, and the sleeves been seamed to the underarms.The steeking itself, contrary to the old saw that one should never take scissors to knitting, was no sweat, I used the crocheted steek as was discussed in Eunny's blog (http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/01/the_steeking_chronicles_part_i.html). This particular steek anchors the stitches very nicely and it has some stretch, which is very important for the neck opening.There is one point to keep in mind when doing this steeking ~ use yarn of a contrasting color when crocheting the anchoring chain stitches. This will make it very easy to see the 'ladders' that must be cut and save your eyes from strain. Don't worry about the contrasting yarn showing through on the right side of the finished sweater, because it won't. The nice thing about knitting and designing a sweater from the top down is that you can try on the work-in-progress, take note of issues and come up with some creative solutions. Unfortunately, the solutions bumped the pattern from intermediate to experienced. I apologize to those hoping for an easier pattern, but knitting a fabric from sleeve to sleeve came with its own set of problems when trying to fit it on the human body. I love challenges and will keep working on it.
I've already outlined the pattern and drew up what I want the sweater to look like. There are quite a few techniques involved and if you are unfamiliar with them, I've listed articles from CAST-ON that may help you. These articles can be found on www.TKGA.com.
~On Your Way to the Masters:Tension Problem by Arenda Holladay. This is a good article when dealing with cables.
~On Your Way to the Masters: Picking Up Stitches by Arenda Holladay.
~ On Your Way to the Masters: Ribbing Increases by Vanessa Montileone.
~ On Your Way to the Masters: Seams - Part 1 by Arenda Holladay.
~ On Your Way to the Masters: Seams - Part 2 by Arenda Holladay.
~ On Your Way to the Masters: Keys to Successful Duplicate Stitch by Kathryn Mates.

I most likely will add this list to the sweater pattern.

Happy Holiday and knit on!

Sweater is Coming Along....

2011-07-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

The sleeves and shoulders of my laser sweater was finished and blocked about three weeks ago. Then the project stalled. It wasn't lack of inspiration or steam, I just basically hit the wall due to over stimulation from outside sources. My house got invaded by Danes, and now that they are gone I am packing for my vacation to the Pacific Northwest. And "NOOOOO-o-o-0", I am not taking my project with me since one of my fears is that airport security would confiscate my knitting needles since they do look like weapons. Those knitting needles of mine comes from an expensive set and I'd die if those neanderthals got their hands on it and chuck it into the trash.

Never fear, when I get back, I will have a friend take pictures of me steeking the collar. I will try to give a detailed step-by-step instructions along with pictures so that you can reproduce how I steek and pick up stitches for the neck opening. Trust me, it will be very painless and almost foolproof (I hope).

So, check back about mid-August. Hopefully I will be back by then and not hopelessly lost somewhere in the San Juan Islands.

Enjoy the summer and keep knitting!

Swaddling

2011-07-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

The sleeves and shoulder are progressing well, far better than I expect it would. Now all I can hope for is that my sailing and racing skills will improve in time to equal my artistry with knitting needles. The Laser is a frightfully powerful sailboat, and I am sure it will take time and practice before I become comfortable with it. Sailing a Laser, like knitting, takes diligence and practice before you can master it.

As you can see, one sleeve and the shoulder is done. Now I am working down the other sleeve. You may notice that I've stopped cabling the central pattern and just knitted it straight. That stockinette portion is my steek ~ where I will cut it open, pick up stitches and knit the neckband. Never fear, I will have someone take pictures of this process so you can see how I do it.

The piece is getting long, floppy and unmanageable, especially when you are knitting it back and forth. My solution to this annoyance is to swaddle the piece.

Swaddling is simply taking a cloth and tying up your work in a nice bundle while leaving the working end free so you can continue knitting. The compact bundle is much easier to maneuver rather than having the work sprawled all over the place. I've swaddled just about everything; the body and sleeves of a sweater while working on the yoke, scarves, lace projects, etc. The bottom line is that if the knitted work starts becoming unwieldy, then swaddle it.

Swaddling your knitting also has the added benefit of keeping it clean while you are working on it. The cloth used for tying up the bundle would protect the knitting from pilling and/or felting as you constantly shift it around while working on it.

All in all, it is a very simple and effective solution! I hope you will consider swaddling in your future projects to keep your work neat and sharp looking.

Laser Sweater WIP

2011-06-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

There is a charming little store on the main street of Caledonia called Henny's Yarn Shop (http://www.hennysyarnshop.com/). The proprieter, Henny Stauffer, had talked me into knitting up something masculine for her to display at the shop. I was more than happy to do it, both to show off my knitting prowess and to get the yarns at a discount.
I've decided to design and knit a sweater of an unusual construction. Some parts of it would be a challenge, but I think I can pull it off. I will be charting my progress on this blog along with some technical ideas or hints in case someone gets stuck on the pattern
The sweater will be first knitted from sleeve to sleeve in the flat. This piece will then be lightly blocked to even out the edges for easier seaming. A neckhole will be cut into the piece using a pair of scissors, the stitches picked up and a neckband knitted from that. The sleeves would then be seamed to the underarms, stitches picked up around the chest and back, and the rest of the sweater knitted in the round to the waist. I have heard or read of a sweater made this way before, but can't remember where I got this in formation. So, I will be making everything up as a knit along.
I casted on using a tubular cast-on method. This gives a sharp, professional looking and elastic edge, especially if 1x1 ribbing is involved. I chose this cast-on because it matches with the tubular bind-off. So, both sleeves will have tubular edges.

The tubular cast-on and knitting is exceptionally loose. For one row, only the knit stitches are knitted while the purl stitches are slipped, so it takes 2 rows of tubular knitting to come up with one row of 1x1 rib. For this reason I always do tubular 3 needle size smaller than what the rest of the sweater requires. The tubular portion of the cuff was knitted in US size 4 needles, and I switched to US size 7's for normal 1x1 ribbing. As you can see, the stitches are the same size and everything looks sharp.
The increase between the cuff and sleeve was done in the ribbing portion. Increases were evenly spaced (more or less) using the k1f&b method on the knit stitches. This way the bar to the left would be hidden int he purl gutters of the 1x1 ribbing.
The sleeve, obviously, is heavily cabled. These cable patterns I got from Barbara Walker's treasuries. There aren't any official meanings assigned to the patterns, but I picked them out out because they meant something to me. The four cables reminds me of the sheets and lines in the Laser sailboat, of which there are plenty. Here's hoping that they stay tidy and organized, not all in a tangled mess. The waves or ripples are the waters the Laser sails on and the wind it harnesses. The central gullwing pattern looks to me like the wake made by a speedy Laser. If these pattern don't appeal to you, you can choose your own.
The yarn for the sleeve is a Cascade 220 in light grey. With textural work I favor solid and light colors. Veregations or yarns with colorways would not work since the horizontal color bands would detract from the vertical cables. You can probably get away with yarn that is lightly heathered, and that's about it. Dark colors should be discouraged since it absorbs light and makes it hard to see the cable patterns.
Smooth yarns of 3 or more plies are excellent for cabling work. Save your novelty yarns for a different project where the texture of the cable patterns are not critical. If you want your cables to lie a bit flatter, then use a 2-ply yarn.
There will be more to discuss later as the project progresses. If you have any questions, let me know. I'll try to answer them on my next post.
Keep on knitting.

Home Sweet Homestead

2011-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

I spent a good part of last Saturday making newspaper pots, filling them with seed-starter mix, and sticking seeds into them. With Spring on the way it was time to get into gear on getting the garden ready. So far I have eggplants, peppers and tomato germinating by a sunny window. I obviously will do more as we draw closer to Memorial weekend. I've also moved all my knitting stuff to the homestead. I don't have a whole lot of free wallspace for storage in the city, but the homestead does. I am pleased that I now can keep all my knitting stuff in one place instead of having them scattered all over the house.

I've finished the shawl I've been working on. The yarn was a natural wool/cashmere blend, very soft and very warm. The pattern was striking with the central rose motif and the 'Olde Shale' pattern radiating from it.

My current knitting projects are bath-puffies (very easy) knitted with "yarn" made from aloo, and a pair of lacy woman's socks of superwash merino yarn. I am knitting the socks in my typical way ~ I just cast on and start knitting the toe and lower foot without worrying too much about gauge. I just stop increasing the toe when I think the sock is at the perfect width and knit the lower foot straight. After I've finished a couple of inches, I then measure gauge and calculate where I would have to begin the instep increases. It is a nutty way to knit socks, but it suits me since I am a nutty person.

Musings

2011-02-26T06:13:00.001-08:00

I've finished the third and last level of TKGA's Master Hand Knitting program. I have not yet heard back from the committee on whether I have passed or not. Needless to say, I am sitting on pins and needles around here. It would be nice to get this over with so that I can move on to other projects.
The gansey I was working on IS done! I finished it it before Thanksgiving of last year and it fits like a dream. It was an instant hit at the holiday gatherings. People have been calling it the 'sailing sweater' since it has my boat's logo and number stitched into the back. I love it and I wear it as often as I can.

My knitting project for now is a simple lace shawl using yarn of a wool/cashmere blend. It is a little something to keep me occupied and my mind off of my level III submissions.

I am also taking a writing course. For my next assignment I have to write a short fiction. I already have a good idea of what I am going to write about, which I won't reveal here. What I would like to say is that the story will take place on Beaver Island. It has been ages since I've been to Beaver Island, yet that magical place has constantly been on my mind. I still remember the waves crashing onto a beach full of smooth pebbles. I still remember that dew-covered spider web glistening in the morning sun. And I still remember the circles of stones that predates European arrival to the island. I have a sneaking suspicion that those stones were put up by the original natives in worship of storms.
On my last trip to Beaver Island I found a cairn, and as I added a stone to it I offered up a prayer for a sign that the island is aware and has blessed me. Later that evening a young buck came to within three feet of me, stomping and snorting, in the soft rain. I had to laugh at the incongruity of the situation, which scared the buck off. At that moment the rain stopped and a perfect rainbow appeared in the sky. That buck and the rainbow was the sign I prayed for. That moment I felt I was home.
It has been three years, and yet the island still tugs at my heartstrings. There's something about the landscape that is both beautiful and ethereal. And there is something about the people with their warmth and beliefs in unseen powers.
I've been thinking about all this this lately and how much I would like to design and knit a sweater to commemorate Beaver Island. It would be an Aran sweater, of course, made from a heathered undyed tan wool with bits of blue, green and violet. The patterns would tell a story of the island ~ the ropes of the fishing trade in the 1800's, living in close ties with nature, the otherworldlyness of the island, and so much more. The idea is a bit vague and misty, and I will have to do some experimenting with Aran patterns to find what I am searching for.

Gansey WIP and more....

2010-10-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Whoops! I did it again! I dropped off the radar after promising I would do better in keeping up with the blog postings. Life got a little too hectic as usual. I guess we all need to take comfort in the fact that I do come back ~ eventually.

So, what's new with me? Well, a lot of things:

~ I finally finished my TKGA Level III submission and shipped it off to the comittee for review. Let's all take a deep sigh of relief. It has been over a month and I've not heard back from them, and I am not too worried about that. I've already been warned it will take the committee a couple months or so to go over my materials. here's hoping that I pass and will be certified as a Master Knitter.

~I've acquired a second home with access to a lake. That is where I am keeping my Butterfly sailboat for sailing whenever the wind is good. The house itself needs work - there is old carpet to rip out and over 1400 square feet of laminate flooring (Venetian Walnut) to put down. I'll be busy for awhile since I am doing the labor myself. Anybody out there want to help a guy out?

~ I am still working two jobs. I need it since I have two houses to support along with putting money aside for a new sailboat in the Spring. I'll be keeping the Butterfly where it is, but will join the yacht club in Grand Rapids along with buying a Laser sailboat to race with. An expensive plan, but it should be cheaper after the first year (no new boat and club stock to purchase).

~ I am still knitting in spite of my crazy life. Usually it would just be an hour of knitting before bed each night. It is a good way to unwind and drop all the cares from the day.

Right now I am knitting myself a Gansey. The color is a dark teal, and it has my initials ("RO") on the front, along with the Butterfly logo and my sailboat's number (613) on the back. The knit-purl patterns along with the initials I got from a book. the logo and number is a design of my own creation.

The construction of the Gansey will be folksy and primitive. I knitted it in the round to under the arms, and am now knitting back-and-forth the front and back separately. The plan is to knit shoulder straps, pick up stitches around the armholes, and finish off the sleeves in the round. So far, it is looking pretty good.

~ I signed up for a writing course with Long Ridge Writer's Group. People have commented that i am a good writer, but I guess I am not satisfied with that. I would like to learn how to write consistently, and in developing my skills in working with words. There is so much I would like to write and yet become overwhelmed by the thought of expressing myself through language. I had figured I need the help of a mentor to develop a structured practice.

I am a bit late with my second writing assignment. I am hoping to get it typed up tonight, edited, printed out and sent on its way. I am embarrassed to admit the reason for not keeping up was lack of focus. I had a garden to work on, vegetables to put away for Winter, work, classes to teach at the community college and three houses to take care of (my parents are in Spain, so it is their house along with my two). What I really need is an assistant to help me out! Or simplify my life (Ha!). Are there any ideas or volunteers?

This is all for now. Winter is coming, so keep on knitting.

Fire & Ice

2010-06-16T14:21:00.001-07:00

I finally finished the sweater I designed for my TKGA submission! The one thing I'll tell ya' about knitting an Aran sweater from the neck down: the sweater just seem to grow organically from the needle with each pattern working itself out just perfectly.
My mum will be getting the sweater after the committee reviews it. In my written pattern for it, I named it "Fire and Ice" and the following is the description as I've written:
I designed this sweater for my mother, who usually wears cool colors (especially blues) to temper her complexion (she is a red-head). The name of the sweater came from the idea that you can mix fire (my mom along with the 'burning love' pattern on the sleeves) with ice (the color of the yarn used).
The traditionally masculine style of this sweater has been tweaked to give it a feminine look, and the Aran patterns were chosen and designed to reflect my mother's story. The central lattice pattern shows the importance of community, and mom's willingness to separate her large property into plots for her neighbors and friends to plant gardens and to grow food (organically, of course). The three cables on each side of the lattice, along with the plait, represent her three sons. The diamond pattern represents the things she values: moss for earth, bobbles for life, and basket-weave for honest intentions. The honeycomb pattern is for hard work and its sweet rewards. And 'burning love' to represent mom's passionate nature.

Yesterday I went to the farmer's market to pick up some 'staples'. Farmer Michael of Trillium Haven Farm pulled out this cart of curly green masses and my heart just literally jumped up to my throat! Could it be? No, it can't be! Is it? GASP!

IT IS GARLIC SCAPES!!!!!!!! It took all the self control I had not to jump into Farmer Michael's arms to plant him a big, wet and sloppy one (that, and his wife wouldn't approve). I haven't had garlic scapes in two years, and this was a real treat for me

In case you don't know what garlic scapes are, they are the flowering tops of hard-neck garlic. In order to encourage bulb development, you just lop off these tops around May and June. In most places the tops would be thrown into the compost, but it is a delicacy in the Pacific Northwest (trust me, I've seen housewives tussle for these things at the grocery stores in Seattle).

So, I rushed my scapes home and decided that I would put them in an omellette with some mushrooms and cheese. Nothing too complicated to drown out the scapes' flavor. But first I would need to gently cook those scapes down a bit in oil and better (and save the scape flavored oil for cooking the omellette). As I was chopping these spiral-shaped vegetables, they would flip up and brush a nipple ~ gee, who would have thought a veggie could be so sensuous before you eat it!

And the omellette was spectacular! The muchrooms, the blue cheese, and the scape which tasted a bit like asparagus with mild garlic undertones. So if you haven't tried Garlic Scapes, do give it go. It just may become your favorite Spring treat along with the asparagus and ruebarb.

Frogging

2010-04-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Finally got hooked up.
Being able to hear is a very strange experience. I am hearing a lot, and some of the things I am hearing I have a hard time recognizing what it is. Ahhhh, it takes practice. But, I do know that I absolutely hate the sound of crinkling plastic bags ~ the next check-out clerk that cracks out the plastic bags for my groceries will get a pen stabbed into her jugular.

I've started the sweater for my TKGA MastKnitter certification. Actually, I started it twice. The first time I got to the mid-rif and realized I hated the look of the increase technique suggested by Barbara Walker. Even the cast-on was blah. So I ripped the whole thing out (it was good therapy), and started over using different cast-on and increasing methods. So far I like the results the second time around, so I'll keep at it.

And excuse me for not posting pictures of the sweater in progress. I am designing an Aran sweater for me mum, and the patterns that have been chosen and created tells a bit of her story. I will post pictures of it after the sweater is complete, and the pattern submitted to TKGA (copyright protection).

Until the next post.

Scar

2010-02-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

Had my stitches removed this morning and it ain't pretty. There is still some swelling from the surgery.
Most of the pain has abated, but the dizziness has not lessened since the surgery. If I am still dizzy by Monday, I may have to go to physical therapy to help retrain my eyes and ears to work together in maintaining my balance. In the meantime, I am just taking it easy and not putting myself in situations where I could fall or be in an accident (meaning just stay home and no driving or operating heavy machinery).

No, I haven't been sitting around eating bon-bons and watching the soaps. The antibiotics I am on makes everything taste sooo off, so my appetite hasn't been all that great. And, I detest soaps (how banal can they get?!?). I did manage to knit a pair of socks for a friend, even though it was quite an adventure to get the needles through the correct loops when the room is spinning. I finished my report on Aran and Fair Isle Knitting Traditions, and am now doing research for my fiber report. I even wrote and drew down some ideas for my hat and sweater submissions to TKGA. Yea, I am one of those people who can't sit around and do nothing, and being engaged takes my mind off the discomfort on the right side of my head.

This is it for now. Will keep you posted.

The Morning after Surgery

2010-02-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

I just had my CI surgery yesterday afternoon, in which they attached an electrode array to my auditory nerve on the right side of my head, along with inserting an internal processor under the skin. I am in a lot of pain right now, and popping pain-pills like candy. The doctor says surgery went very smoothly. Me, I just feel like I earned a KBM (kicked by mule) medal.
Despite my frightful looks, like I came out of a war zone, this surgery is very routine and commonly done on small children with profound deafness. That may be so, but to be honest I wouldn't allow my children (if I had any) to get implanted considering the pain involved. And if they insisted, I would just say, "Wait until you are 18 when you can make that descision and deal with the consequences as an adult". Hopefully when they activate the implant a month from now, I will forget all this in the excitement.

Oh yea, the night before my surgery I did have a nightmare. I dreamt that Kevin O'Conner, along with the rest of "This Old House" crew were in the OR doing the surgery. I almost woke up screaming when Tom Silva was just about to have a go on my head with a power drill. Never went back to sleep after that, I just spend the rest of the morning calming my frazzled nerves with knitting. Now, don't get me wrong ~ I love "This Old House" and I think Kevin O'Conner is a dreamboat, but my absolute wet dream would be to have him and the rest of the gang building me a brand new kitchen with all the whistles and bells.

This is just to let you all know that I am still alive and kicking.

Hair Chopped!

2010-02-07T07:08:00.001-08:00

The surgery to be implanted with a cochlear device is about a week away. So I got down to brass tacks and paid a visit to my friend's salon to have my chair chopped. With the side of my head swollen and extremely tender for a month post-op, taking care of all that hair seems like a painful chore. I figered it would be easier to just chop it and start over. My friend, Raven, separated the hair into several strands and cut them off so that they may be donated to Locks of Love. I went from this............

to this!

It is a huge change. For a week afterwards, people didn't even recognize me. Even had comments that I look a decade younger without my hair. It took some getting used to.

With only a week to go before my surgery, I've been scrambling to get as much done as I can on my Level III TKGA Masterknitter assignments. All 18 swatches have been knitted, blocked and labled. I finished all the questions, the knitting patterns for my swatches and two book reviews. I still have two magazine reviews to write up, a fiber report, and a report on traditional knitting styles. Really, I'd like to get as much of the written stuff out of the way before I go under the knife. I will probably only be able to do one magazine review since I only subsribe to one knitting magazine (Cast On). Yesterday I had to subscribe to another knitting magazine, Wool Gathering, so that I have something to write about. Not sure when my first magazine of my new subsription will arrive, but most likely after my surgery. The traditional knitting paper is iffy since it will be long. I wrote up about 30 pages of notes during my research, so will have to do some weeding and organizing before writing. The fiber report I haven't even started on! I'll tell you this, if you don't like to write then you may want to do something other than getting your Masterknitter certification. I think I've already written materials enough for two books since starting on this almost a year ago. I do enjoy writing, don't get me wrong, but it is hard getting the writting in when I got so much going on. I just keep plugging whenever I have a bit of free time.

Once the writting is out of the way, then I have to design a hat and sweater, one in Fair Isle and the other Aran. I am planning on designing the hat in Fair Isle, since it is a smaller project and Fair Isle is not my strong knitting talent. I have a pretty good idea what I want to do with the Aran sweater, and that I will keep a secret until the garment is done. I really don't want to give anything away, but let's say that I will be tipping my hat to the past while adding my own signiture "Rowan" flair.

That's all in a nutshell. Think warm thoughts, and keep on knitting through all challenges.

Real Men Knit

2009-12-20T07:26:00.001-08:00

Last night, my LYS closed its doors for the last time. I am a bit bummed about that.

But, last thursday I went to the shop to take advantage of a sale and Lorilee, the owner, stuck this little piece of paper cut from a page in a magazine onto my shirt. When I looked down, I got such a kick out of it!
I am not sure if this is a logo for a group, design for mugs and shirts, or what. I looked high and low on the internet for this image, and came up with nothing. If any of you know where this image came from, please let me know!

Back from Limbo

2009-12-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for not posting new entries. I got a little too busy when Spring came around the corner. There were things I had to focus on: my job, my work at the college, my garden, and my knitting.

My full-time job at the carpet warehouse did some major downsizing due to loss of business (blame it on the economy). Half the work force was laid off. Thankfully, my position was spared, but more is now expected of me to make up for the other people who are now gone. It is my knitting and my teaching position at the college that keeps me sane these days.

The garden over the summer was a success! I may have bought too many plants and planted them too close together. Orderly rows soon became an unruly jungle that one must crawl through in order to harvest the produce. That is something I will have to keep in mind for next year ~ seedlings may be little and cute, but they don't stay that way.

The bumper crop from the garden was a lot more than one or two persons could eat (I had 26 tomato plants along with a lot of other things). I had to invest in a food dehydrator, and break my canner out of storage. Starting in July, and lasting all to way to November, I was drying and canning my harvest like there was no tomorrow.

My pantry is now full of jars and bags of my garden produce. I have no fear of starvation for the Winter.

Over the Spring and Summer I did work on my TKGA Master Knitter Level II assignments whenever I could find the free time. Took a few visits to my college library to hunt down information I needed for the paper I had to write for this level.

One of the requirements for this level is to knit a vest. Rather than knitting from a published pattern, I decided to take the extra step and designed a vest pattern of my own. Now, I usually can knit up a vest in two weeks, but this one took me two months since I was making it up as I went along and writing the pattern down as I go. Yea, I am a sucker for punishment. Yet, I am pleased with how the vest came out!

The patterns for the cables and the side panels are from Barbara Walker's Treasury books. I decided to be a little more daring with the central chevron pattern ~ I charted it from my family Aran jumper. I had to, since I never could find a published pattern for that particular chevron. I think this may be a pattern that is unique to my Clan. You can see the pic of my Aran jumper below to make that comparison with the vest above.

It took about a month and a half for the committee to go over my work. They were pleased with the results, and contacted CAST ON magazine to have my vest pattern published in a future issue. So, if you would like to knit this vest for yourself, keep your eyes open for the Fall 2010 issue of CAST ON for the pattern! I am super excited to have the opportunity to have a pattern I created to be published.

I got busy getting the Christmas tree up and.......

knitting my mother a Faroe Lace shawl that she wanted from Meg Swanson's A Gathering of Lace. She has some specific requirements, the main one being that the shawl be made with plant fibers for summer wear (Mum is a natrural red-head, and prefers to be protected from the sun).

I looked high and low for the right fiber and rejected them all. I was about to give up when the owner of my local LYS suggested bamboo. I took a look into that and found it to be perfect ~ silky soft without the price of silk. Even found it in the color Mum requested.

I have been growing my hair out. It is so thick and highly textured (yes, natrual)

But, soon I will have to get it chopped off. I am scheduled to get a cochlear implant sometime in January or February. They will have to drill holes in my skull to insert the electrode array and the internal processor. I've decided to donate my hair to Locks for Love prior to the surgery. It will be a load off my mind not to worry about grooming that thick mane while I am healing (one side of my head will be extremely sore). The upshot is that some child receiving chemo would have a wig of real human hair, and hopefully I will be able to hear something when they "turn on" the implant. Wish me luck on that!

This is all for now. I will try to do better with future posts. Drop me a line sometime for more news if it gets quiet.

Happy Holidays, keep your knitting needles moving, and stay warm.

The Afghan is Here!!!!

2009-03-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I took a vacation from both jobs on the first week of March, locked myself in the guestroom, and preceded to knit a border for the afghan. Once that was done, I then had to graft all 21 pieces together to come up with the finished product. All I can say is that "I am glad it is over!"

It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort!
The afghan is now being displayed at the local yarn store City Knitting (http://www.city-knitting.com/). So, stop by, and have a look-see if you can.

A Quick Note

2009-02-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick note to let you know that I am still alive and kicking. And I finished the last of the 20 squares I need for my afghan.

The Latvian Moon Cross.

Braids.

The Tree of Life.

This reminds me of a frosted wedding cake.

The Aran Sweater Square.

And here's the socks I am knitting from the sock flat. As you can see, the color bandings matches on both socks!! Pretty cool, huh?

Productive Vacation

2009-01-09T13:49:00.001-08:00

For those of you who are not in Michigan, I gotta' tell ya' that the weather has been frightful! I don't mind the snow, in fact, I love the snow ~ what I am saying is that things have been a bit unpredictable around here concerning the moods of Mother Nature. We get snow dumped on us, followed by a heat wave, and then more snow! Frankly, I am just sick and tired of shoveling the slush (those are almost 50 pounds a shovel-full!). Supposenly, if the weatherman is to be trusted, we are getting more snow over the weekend, followed by an arctic blast at the beginning of the week. Amen to that!

I took two weeks off from both jobs for a much needed "quiet time" for myself. Since the weather was a bit uncooperative when it comes to flying I decided to stay home, and just have a quiet holiday. It also gave me the time I needed to catch up with my knitting. Two jobs can be harsh, and the afghan project did stall during the pre-holiday rush. It was also quite a suprise
to rediscover that I do have a cat! I got into such a routine of filling the food and water bowls and cleaning out the litterbox in such an unmindful way that the cat was forgotten among all the mayhem. Well, believe you me, the situation was rectified during my vacation. I went to the pet-store to get some catnip-filled toys, and Hecate (the cat's name) and I spent a very long afternoon just playing and having a blast. We knitted together during the down times, with Hecate keeping my lap warm, and I think she approves of the afghan since she could never resist burrowing under and sleeping on my squares.

I managed to finish 5 squares during the 2-week vacation. Now I only need to knit 5 more squares and I will finally have all 20 that I need for the afghan!

The DNA Square.

The Pomegranates Square.

The Cathedral Window Square. This square has a quirky essembly. Instead of working back and fourth over the entire square, each pattern is worked individually, and you pick up stitches before working the next pattern.

The Bobbledy Aran Square. And it was the designer that came up with the name.

Over The Top Square. This is where I got so sick and tired of bobbles that I wanted to drive to Portage, hunt down the designer and shoot her!

I usually have a pair of socks on needles for "contemplative knitting". Socks are so easy, and the construction is so basic: toe, foot, heal and cuff ~ or the other way if you are knitting from the top down. I don't really knit socks from a book anymore, which makes it easy to carry the work-in-progress around in a bag, and just knit whenver there is a bit of time ~ like waiting in a check-out line. Anyways, I've been keeping an eye out for yarn for the next sock project, and I finally found it at my local yarn store. This yarn is not in a ball, hank or skein ~ it has already been machine-knitted into a flat piece of fabric!

This is a "blank" and it is very interesting. Rita of Yarn Hollow hand-dyes these sock-blanks and you unravel it as you knit your socks! In this blank, two yarns have been knitted together, and then dyed. This allows for a pair of socks with the colorways that matches each other! I will give a better idea of what I am talking about in a future blog post with pictures. Keep your eyes open!

Keep the yarn on the your sticks and I am rooting for you!

Perfect Gift

2008-12-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

All through the evening of Christmas Eve my dad kept going on and on about the fact that he "has found me the perfect gift". When it came to the exchange, he threw a t-shirt at me. I had to admit that I laughed when I saw the graphics on the shirt with the three little ninjas.

Dad was right; it is perfect for me.

Year in Review

2008-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

Never fear, I am still knitting away~ things are a bit hectic right now with the holidays and "wrapping up" my two jobs in preparation for my vacation. The going is extremely slow since I am knitting only when I have the time for it.

At this yuletide season, when the dark has reached its full power before being conquered by the light, it is that time to look back at the year that is passed, and look forward to a new year!

2008 began just like any other year, quietly and without much fanfare. I worked, took care of the home, paid the bills, and knitted. I also did a little spinning in the late winter, and came up with 5 hanks of pretty homemade yarn. Those yarns are stored away for a future project, whatever it may be.

Things started getting lively around March when I decided to do an ambitious lace project complete with beads. It took me two and a half months to finish the shawl.

The shawl got stored away. For whom? I hadn't determined the lucky recipient yet.

Things picked up even more at the beginning of May.

I got to show off one of the sweaters I designed at a Beltaine celebration.

This was also the time it was decided that the driveway in the backyard is to be demolished. I felt the contender for Paul Bunyan as I smatched the concrete to mere rubble with the aid of only a sledgehammer and a crowbar (check out the picture at the beginning of this entry). The old fences were pulled up and banished from the property along with the concrete rubble.

The topsoil to fill the gaping hole in the backyard didn't arrive until the day before I had to fly for the NorthWest. Trust me, when I got home the dirt went flying, and a prayer was recited over the topsoil after everything was raked smooth.

The end of May and the beginning of June was in Vancouver and Seattle. Had a blast.

Aunt Julie ended up being gifted with the lace shawl as a thank you in her willingness to put up with me.

The Summer was spent puttering around in my new garden where the driveway use to be. Planted a lot of herbs ~ and the fresh herbs were a nice addition to my Summer cooking. The garden did well for the most part, even though I lost the squash to powdery mildew.

I also had a job interview at the community college which went well. I was offered a position to teach American Sign Language classes offered by the college. I accepted, of course.

The Autumn was a whirlwind of working two jobs, harvesting and putting the garden to bed, and attending a couple of workshops offered by my LYS. I had a chance to learn from Cat Bordhi and Jared Flood when they were in town.

Now, I am just busy and looking forward to a long vacation starting next week. I guess my only plans for 2009 is to finish up the Aran Afghan, maybe design a few knitting projects, and complete my requirements toward a Master Knitter's certification. Wish me luck!

May you all have a great holiday and a prosperous New Year!

Yours,

Ro'

Cabling Binge

2008-10-25T07:54:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been on a cabling binge where I've knitted up 6 cable projects all for the month of October! Whew! The first for your viewing pleasure is my cabled winter cap using a Cashmere/Wool blend of my own making. Very thick and very warm ~ so let it snow!!!!

This is me modeling the cap.

And I've completed five more squares for my afghan project. This is 10 squares down and 10 to go (YESSSSSSS, I am half-way through!!!!!!).

This one I am calling the "Support our
Troops" square. I don't necessarily support our wars overseas, but we can't abandon our soilders who are fighting on foreign soil. Also, both of my brothers are in the military (one in the Navy, and the other in the Army and in Iraq), so I've knitted this square in their honor. Hey bro's, you rock!

I love this square with the Saxon braid.

This is a really quirky cable designed by a Quebecois.

I call this one the "Interlocking Lockets".

And, finally, the Reversible Square. This pattern is on both sides of this square, thereby making it reversible.

Trailblazer II unveiled

2008-10-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it took a while, and putting in the work whenever I had a spare moment between two jobs. I just finished the Trailblazer II, modeled after the original Trailblazer I came up with, but using finer yarns and smaller needles. I am very pleased with this pattern ~ simple, masculine and comfortable.

Here's the simple increase along the top of the foot.

This was a toe-up pattern, which worked perfectly.

The balls of the foot and the heel are reinforced to resist wear.

I just had to add the seam along the back of the cuff. So cool and it gives the sock another point of interest.

Two more squares done!

2008-10-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

Finished two more squares for the afghan. Here they are!

This is five squares down and 15 more to go! This means I am a quarter of the way in knitting all my squares ~ not bad!

Knitting the Garden

2008-09-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

I love how this square has turned out!

It literally looks like a scene you would find in my garden. Knitting the spider and the bugs (complete with wings) was a blast, and this square would make an appropriate addition to my dream afghan.

Well, this is three squares down, but I have 17 more to go. I am currently working on the fourth square (1/4 of the way done), and so far it is looking pretty good. Yes, I will post pics of that square when I am done with it.

This & That

2008-09-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

My Trailblazer II socks are coming along. It takes a while since I work full-time and I have other projects I am working on. The foot and the heels are done ~ now I am just working on the cuff. Easy as pie

I've decided to work on an afghan. I found some really cool patterns in the booklet The Great American Afghan and decided to go with that. I have to knit up 20 squares (12" by 12"), graft them all together for a 4 feet by 5 feet afghan, pick up the stitches on the outside edges and knit a cabled border. It is a fun project, I've already finished two squares and am working on the third.

This was a simple square to get me started.

This one was a fun and quirky project. You start on the outside and spiral in to the center as you knit.

Mum's Shawl & "Trailblazer II"

2008-09-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

These are the two skeins of yarn that Mum bought for her shawl. They are both spun from mohair, and felt like butter as I was knitting them up.

The shawl is done! This was certainly a quick project considering the size of it. It is literally a triangular, warm and fuzzy blanket!

After designing my own "trailblazer" sock, I decided that I would like a pair using finer charcoal yarns and a size US1 circular needle. Since this is NOT a written pattern, I decided to knit both pairs on one needle at the same time so that they would be absolutely identical to each other ~ stitch for stitch, and row for row ~ when I cast them off the needle! So far the toes and the foot is looking pretty good. Keep your eyes open for future posts about the "trailblazer II".

Cat Bordhi was in town!!!

2008-08-29T13:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I knew that Cat was coming to town (Lorilee, or "L2" as I like the call her, kept talking about it and trying to get people to attend Cat's "Sockitecture" workshops). I never really did plan on attending the workshops since the dates and time conflicted with my work schedule. On top of that, I didn't think I really need to attend since I've already knitted several pairs of socks from Cat Bordhi's book New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One with success. I'd figured I'll just come in on book-signing night so that Cat could sign my copy of the sock book and the novel Treasure Forest.

Things didn't quite go according to plan (story of my life). Sometime Monday night L2 (the owner of my LYS ~ City Knitting of Grand Rapids) and Cat were having a chat, and for some bizarre reason I came up as the topic of conversation. I am not exactly sure what L2 told Cat (something about my fondness for geometric forms or something), but the end result was that Cat wanted me to attend her last workshop scheduled for Wednesday. So, they both typed up an "urgent" E-mail to me with the gist of "come to the workshop or else!" I didn't open that E-mail until Tuesday morning, in which I threw in the towel and said, "that yes, of course I'll come!" That day I snuck in a 'personal day' request through Human Resources and got my Wednesday off.

I have to say that I would have regretted it if I hadn't attend that workshop on Wednesday. It was a really interesting topic of just casting on and proceeding to design ones own sock by combining patterns from her book. Cat went over the basic architecture of any sock, the proper way to do short rows for the heel turn, the really easy math to figure out your instep increases, number of wraps, number of stitches to add to the wings, etc. Needless to say, the lightbulbs where going off on top of my head! The one important thing that Cat has taught me is the confidence to toss the book and go with my inspirations. That was pretty much what I did, and I knitted up a sock that fit my ideal.

First I knitted a whirlpool toe, and then the foot with reinforced soles over the balls of the foot ~ my socks tend to wear out too quickly in that area. My instep increases was over the top of the foot using the same increases as for the standard toe. This seem to give the sock a streamlined look. I reinforced the sole again at about 10 rows before I got to the heel turn since I wanted a larger area of sturdy fabric to cup my heels. The cuff is pretty basic: stockinette ending with 2X2 ribbings.

I am so pleased with what I've knitted, how well it fits, and how surprised I was when I realized that I knitted that darn stucker without referring to a book!!!!! I am naming this sock the "trailblazer", and I hope Cat would be pleased with how much she contributed to my growing confidence in knitting from my own inner creativity. Hey Cat ~ you rock! And L2, thanks for convincing Cat to come to City Knitting!

An Curragh

2008-08-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

I think one of my favorite catalogs is from An Curragh. This organization allows artisans from the Northwest of Ireland to sell their wares to national and international clients. Their catalogs are a nice read, and there are two good sessions from Christmas 2006 that I want to include here. They are both related to knitting and knitwears:

"Inspired by necessity, the function of an Aran sweater was to protect from the force of the ocean. But, being a race of yarn spinners, in word and cloth, we have made it so much more. Written with needles, spun out on a thread, every sweater maps a story ~ of tightly nestled fields, bounded by the cables of the fishing trade, or the honeycomb of the worker bee hanging over a web of nets drying on stonewalls." p.50

"We say our knitting tradition started with stockings. Clever us, matching a fabric that retained its warmth when wet to the foot that spent its life ankle-deep in bogs! Then we found that the natural oil on the wool (lanolin) is waterproof, that wool draws vapor away from the body, that it readily absorbs colour and that it can be stitched into designs that capture air for insulation. But the hand-knit is more than practical. It's an art form that starts with the carding of fleece and finishes when the last stitch is cast off." p.116

Michigan Fiber Festival 2008

2008-08-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, my friend Raven and I piled into the car, drove out of town to pick up my Mum, and then the three of us headed out to Allegan for the Michigan Fiber Festival. Needless to say, we all had a blast!

Mum saw a shawl she wanted. Unfortunately the shawl wasn't for sale, but the yarns and pattern were. So, she snapped those up and commissioned me to knit it together for her. Thankfully she chose an easy pattern that uses US size 13 needles, which would knit up in no time. I have to admit she picked a really nice color, a light turquoise that will contrast nicely to her firey red hair and pale complexion.

I bumped into a few people I haven't seen in ages, one of them being Connie Young and her husband, Bill Whelan. Haven't seen these people in ages, and they seem to be doing well.

And while at the festival, I got commissioned to do a lace shawl for Rita of Yarn Hollow. She wants such a shawl using her yarns for display at her booth, and apparently word got 'round that I do good lace quickly! Mmmmm, looks like I got a good business going here without even trying!

After I got home, I had to do some serious thinking as far as all my projects go. I think Mum's shawl is a priority since it will knit quickly and easily gotten' out of the way. My current lace project will have to be hibernated. I will do the Yarn Hollow commission once I get the yarns from them and the pattern approved. I have started a club for people who want to knit Aran-style afghans ~ I will continue with that as this will be my personal project for the winter months. It almost seems that it is time to put away writing that novel on fine needles with wispy thread, and start mapping out fireside tales using chunkier and warmer yarns. This does sound like a do-able plan, but as they say.......