Another Shopgirl

Signing off, for real

2010-06-09T16:40:00.004-04:00

Hi friends.

It's been a long while. For some of that while, I thought I would jump back into the knitblogging world, but that's passed, so I'm saying goodbye to this blog, for real.

A lot has changed in my life over the last couple years. I moved to my own place in Brooklyn, near to my sister and very new niece, and got a rescue kitten of my very own. Both little babes have a growing collection of handknitted items. Free time is filled up with cooking, juicing, friends, my niece, my cat, biking and new hobbies- watercolor painting and yoga. This weekend I'll be working on a fire escape garden.

Still kinda at it: an EZ sweater for my niece. Made some matching booties, too.

Joan

I'm still a shopgirl, still selling shoes, and coclico keeps me pretty busy. I'm running the boutique in Nolita, shopcoclico.com, coclico on facebook and of course, the store blog. I've bumped into a few of you there and hope those happy accidents keep happening.

home sweet home

xoxo,
Another Shopgirl
(Anne)

On hiatus

2008-09-24T14:34:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time dear readers and knitters, and I'm not sure how much longer it will be. I love knitting, but these days I'm just not that into it. I don't want to force it and will come back when I'm ready. Keep up all the amazing work in the meantime...

RIP WIP

2008-07-26T09:27:00.002-04:00

Dear almost finished Jaywalker in the best colorway of Lorna's Laces that I have ever seen,

I'm really sorry I left you in the bag along with my almost finished novel, somewhere between a wine heavy dinner out with friends in Nolita and karaoke on St. Mark's Place. I should have just finished your toe the night before, but I let my sudden interest in lace shawls come between us. I called the restaurant, the taxi and limousine commission, and the karaoke bar trying to find you- all dead ends. I'll always have my memories of you, the one that got away.

FO: Phildar Backless Tee

2008-07-06T15:45:00.008-04:00

It's all seamed up, the weather is just right, my sunburn is gone, so today is finally the perfect day to take my new top out to the park.

I have to admit, this was a boooooring knit. As much as I love Gigi, I don't think I can do another stockinette heavy project after this.

I love backless tops, but I had to make sure to knit this on smaller needles than I normally would, just so that there wouldn't be any sheer peekaboo action in the front.

no nips, right?

I bought a 10 skein bag of this yarn on ebay ages ago, and thought it was going to be a soft buttercup yellow. I was horrified when it arrived in all of its acid lime glory. Luckily I held on to it- neons and brights grew on me, and the yarn was perfect for the pattern. Stashbuster!

Details: Pattern from Phildar Printemps Ete 2008, pull #486-T7-491, English translation. I used about 5 skeins of Noro Lily, but can't be sure because I have knit and frogged this yarn a couple of times, and some of the wound balls were partial skeins. Knit with size 5 bamboo straights.

A vacation from knitting

2008-06-25T19:11:00.002-04:00

Despite bringing two projects and tons of yarn, I managed only three rows of knitting on my trip. I did all the driving, and spent most of my time eating, riding bikes, eating, walking, hanging out by the beach, and eating some more. Here's one of those nifty flickr mosaics:

My favorite places were Rockport, where we had the best lobsters and bike riding adventures, and Provincetown, a totally funky and laid-back town with great nightlife.

I managed to check out some yarn shops, thanks to some great recommendations I got in the comments (thanks Thea!). Seed Stitch in Salem, MA looked great, but was closed when I came through on Memorial Day. Windsor Button in Boston was something else. It's huge and with all kinds of crafty stuff and a firmly unpretentious vibe. But the lighting is horrendous and grey, and I often had to squint and use my imagination to appreciate some of the gorgeous yarns they have. Well, that didn't stop me from picking up some summery sock yarn. It's Claudia's Handpainted.

Since I've been back, New York weather has been alternating between pleasantly hot and unbearably sauna-like, and that just doesn't motivate me to knit. I've rediscovered my interest in sudoku during my commute, and at home I've been a wee bit obsessed with wii fit. It's awesome. But somehow, in fits and starts, I've gotten close to completing the Phildar top. I'm seaming it right now, but I'm afraid it might need some reconstructive surgery.

It was great to come home to the new knitty. I am so in love with Gigi and am trying hurry up and finish the Phildar top so I can start Gigi guilt free!

going on a road trip

2008-05-23T22:33:00.003-04:00

Bobby and I are renting a car tomorrow and doing a weeklong driving tour of some nearby Atlantic states. I'm so excited to drive a car again, even if it's a dorky rental car. We'll be staying in Rockport, Boston, Provincetown, and Newport, and checking everything out in between (please please send lys tips). Our last night will be spent on Fire Island at my sister's summer rental. Looks pretty great, right?

My neck is all better, btw. Thanks again for all the tips and well wishes. I'm now tracking down some fancy pillows, carrying a lighter handbag, wearing heels less days a week, and keeping the window shut while I sleep. I never want to get a stiff neck again!

The many wonders of tiger balm.

2008-05-06T10:36:00.008-04:00

For the last couple of days, I've had plenty of idle time, some of it spent admiring the colorful packaging of the tiger balm my sister brought back from India. Apparently it can do much more than relieve muscle aches, Look closely:

I also entertained myself with some online shopping, and ultimately pre-ordered a wii fit. It looks fun, but the purchase was partially motivated by what has happened since Bobby took charge of our eating habits while I'm stuck in bed. The last couple days have been full of pizza, burritos, pudding, egg and cheese sandwiches, and heavy cream based soup.

I also cruised the new Phildar mags and picked up another issue, mostly because of this summer top:

I love anything that's backless. I almost ordered the yarn directly from Phildar, until I realized that it would be 29 euros to ship 34 euros in yarn.

And I eventually was able to knit a bit, and finished up one little jaywalker last night.

Thanks for all the well-wishes, tips, and tricks for a less stiff neck, and for all the hours of knitblog content that kept me company over the weekend.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

2008-05-03T11:30:00.005-04:00

I turned down a free ride from Ivete to go the MD Sheep and Wool Festival because I couldn't get out of work this weekend.

This morning, I woke up at 4:30 am with the unfortunate realization that I couldn't move my upper body without extremely sharp pain coming from my neck and shooting into my right shoulderblade and down into my right arm. After some internet research, I found that I have what's called a "crick" in my neck that should go away on its own with time and rest. Yay.

Right now, after Bobby's help, I'm propped up in bed by every pillow in the apartment. Can't move, can't go to work, can't go to the festival, can't even knit. Major weekend failure.

To everyone going to MD: have fun and take lots of photos please!

I'm on lucky.com street style?

2008-04-24T23:36:00.006-04:00

Yep, that's me in the silk jammies. I just found this here on the lucky website.

On their site, they incorrectly guess at (but are very close) what designers I am wearing. I can't afford Marni, but I'm glad that Lucky thinks I can! I would love to own a pair of Marni shoes, but these Vilmas by Chie Mihara are twice as nice at half the price ::end shameless plug::

If only I was wearing a handknit that day!

FO: Side to Side Cable Top

2008-04-23T16:25:00.007-04:00

Finished! Just in time for the sudden onset of warm weather. I loved the yarns, especially the color and texture created by carrying along the rose mohair with the beige base yarn. I think this first photo shows the pink tones in the mohair best.

Halfway through the neck/body portion, I realized that this was going to be way too small if I followed the directions. I did swatch this out, but I didn't pay attention to the row gauge. I had to add another 1/4 repeat of the neck cable pattern to make the body wide enough.

This modification made the cabled neckline asymetrical, and while knitting I couldn't decide if that would make the sweater more interesting, or sort of strange. I kept on knitting anyway, and I don't think it made much of a difference in the end.

Details: Side to side cabled top by Louisa Harding from Vogue Knitting's 25th anniversary issue. Knit on 5's and 9's in one piece and then seamed up the sides. 7 skeins of Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK and 7 skeins of Sublime Yarns Kid Mohair Blend, purchased at String Yarns on East 82nd St. This took about a month to knit.

Now onto something more weather-appropriate. Maybe my next knit will be a cotton or linen prairie tunic?

FO: It's a pair!

2008-04-21T09:39:00.009-04:00

I didn't think I had it in me, but I am now the proud owner of a finished pair of handknit socks.

Details: Pattern is Embossed Leaves Lace Socks by Mona Schmidt from Interweave winter 2005. Knit on size 2 bamboo dpns with 2.5 skeins of Koigu kppm purchased from Imagiknit in San Francisco. I did an extra repeat on the leg, by accident, and omitted 1/2 repeat on the foot, because the sock was looking long enough.

I think this might be the start of a new knitting era for me...

Yep, I already cast on for another sock! This is a Lorna's Laces Jaywalker in progress. Bobby has read enough knitblogs over my shoulder to ask me if I "have finally crossed over to the dark side." The fact that I don't have another sweater lined up, or already on the needles, makes me think that he's onto something.

FO: Vogue Swing Jacket

2008-03-06T16:43:00.005-05:00

Finally! It took two sick days spent in bed with two seasons of Weeds to get all the loose ends tucked away. I'm still not completely satisfied. The front openings of the sweater are curling away from me like a mofo. I'm gonna need to either go back to the blocking board or sew a lining in. I also think my short rows look kinda messy, and I wish I had done the sweater in darker color palette overall to hide the chunky short rows better.

I am happy with it overall. The knitting was really fast and enjoyable and I love how the changes in color define the shape of the jacket.

Details: Pattern by Shiri Mor from Vogue Knitting winter 2007/8, smallest size. 7 skeins of Cascade Superwash in aran, white, charcoal, and black purchased from Knitty City. I only used superwash because I liked the colors the shop had in superwash better than those in 220.

Almost there!

2008-02-19T15:32:00.004-05:00

I imagined my "comeback post" to feature a glorious FO that would excuse my long absence, but it's just not there yet. My recent purchase of a Nintendo wii has really taken a bite out of my knitting, blogging, and blog reading. Enough excuses.

But this little swing jacket from the latest Vogue is almost there! I've been withholding after my recent knitting mishaps, not wanting to disappoint or jinx this project. At this point, I'm feeling confident enough to share it. It's definitely not one for the frog pond. I just need to do some minor blocking and weave in about 200 ends. I think I really love it.

And moving on to the next thing:

I have had my eye on this sweater from Vogue's fall anniversary issue, and after seeing an awesome finished version by Nueroknits on ravelry, I decided to shop and swatch for it. I'm pretty excited about this swatch in terms of color and texture. This is sublime yarn's cashmere merino silk paired with their kid mohair blend.

New York seems to be warming up though, and at the slow pace I've been working, It'll be in the 70s if I finish this one. Luckily, all my wii remotes are out of battery power for the moment.

Thanks for all the great comments, because they totally make my day and encourage me to get my knit and blog on!

I'm off to Las Vegas tomorrow for a shoe tradeshow (yes, a shoe tradeshow. It happens twice a year). Wish me luck and happy thoughts of awesome shoes for fall 2008!

bits and pieces

2007-12-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

I have been a very very bad blogger lately. And not the best knitter, either. I'm sorry for the absence, and don't have much to show to make up for it.

November was a series of unfortunate events, including some that were knitting related.

First, my trusty size 19 circ broke during Twinkle test knitting! Next, even worse, I finished my pretty and sweet Phildar cardigan, seamed her up and everything, only to find that it was all kinds of wrong! I tried to modify her into a v-neck. Awful idea. Now, she looks like this:

I guess they all can't be winners, right?

I haven't had much time beyond the test knits to get really into anything, but the onset of winter has called for some emergency quickies.

Check it out! Mittens! and ice skates! My first pair of either! The snow is a beautiful novelty for me right now. I spent a lot of fall worrying about how I'd manage to look chic when the weather drops to 20 degrees. Now that it's happened, I've embraced the goofiness of winter gear: poofy jackets, rainboots, pom poms, all of it. There is something so endearing about New Yorkers in their silly winter wear.

And I finished off one of my oldest wips, one I had completely forgotten about until I found it during our move.

It's a 2 year old "branching out" scarf from knitty. My first attempt at fancy stitches.

I knew I wasn't going to go any farther on her, so I just bound off where I had left off, and now she makes a great jogging headband. Much better than those fleece ones I see lots of people wearing in the park.

Not much on the needles, either. Just the ol' afghan and a Christmas hat for my dad. He requested a knitted hat small enough for his tiny head. I'm trying out Jessica's pattern from fig and plum archives.

Sorry again for being a stranger, and happy holidays!

Tagged: 8 things about me

2007-10-18T08:35:00.001-04:00

Girl Kae tagged me! Read on if you'd like to know 8 random facts about me.

The Rules: once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I grew up in Avila Beach, a small beach town in Central California. So small that only 40 students graduated with me.

2. I was valedictorian of said 40 student class (didn't have too many classmates to compete with).

3. I used to surf every day before school for 2 years. My shoulders were linebacker huge.

4. I can dislocate my once musclebound shoulders at will, wiggle my ears, and roll my stomach.

5. I have a motorcycle license and rode a Honda Elite scooter before I moved to New York.

6. People always think I am 5-10 years older than my actual age. Yikes! A customer once told me, "You don't look a day over thirty-five." I was twenty-four then, now I'm just shy of twenty-six.

7. I started this blog to force myself to finish more projects, namely the one pictured above. I was terrified to start an 18 skein afghan and I thought that a blog would provide accountability, aka guilt. Well, I'm still working on that dang afghan, but at least it covers my toes now.

8. I keep my knitblog a secret from most of my friends. I still feel self conscious writing about myself, even after a year of blogging!

Now I tag Jen, Julie, kelli, jenna, pearl, janice,

6 people is good enough, right?

Pretty and Sweet!

2007-10-17T19:32:00.001-04:00

I love the madly bobbled tunic, but I've been craving mindless stockinette so much. So I started the cardigan. Now I finally have something I can knit on the subway.

The back is finished, and I'm gonna modify the front to be a v-neck.

Yesterday, I was asked to be a test knitter for Twinkle's new book! I'm so so excited.

A really good day

2007-10-10T17:43:00.000-04:00

Today has been a really really good day. Here's what a good day looks like:

I went shopping.

I picked up some Blue Sky Alpacas suri merino at Purl, then some Sublime merino silk dk from The Point.

Now, what to do with it? Some possibilities, courtesy of the new Phildar (arrived today):

pretty and sweet

a little more edgy but still classy

If Phildar and Twinkle had a baby, here's what she'd look like. total awesomeness. too edgy? or, am I just too short for this? I'm not sure if I care. I love this. I'm such a sucker for bobbles.

FO: Phildar Vest

2007-10-06T10:50:00.000-04:00

Wow. I really really love this vest. It took a long time to knit, but it was well worth it.

This was my first Phildar knit, and I found the pattern to be very clear and easy to follow. I'm hooked. I already bought the winter 08 pattern book, and am waiting for it to arrive.

Details: Pattern is from Phildar #468, spring 2007. I used 3 skeins of Catalina Yarns Baby Alpaca Worsted. The pattern called for cotton, but I wanted a more drapey look, and the alpaca softened the cables and bobbles. I also sized down the needles. No modifications, except I decided not to an extra finishing step, which was some ribbing on the inside of the sleeves. This took about 2 months to knit, but I started it soon after I moved to New York and I was having trouble finding time to knit while settling in to my new routine.

I love it so much. I'm looking forward to cooler weather so I can start wearing it every day!

designer knit: Madeleine Press scarf

2007-09-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

I found this beautiful scarf on shopbop and I feel compelled to share it. Has anyone heard of this designer, Madeleine Press? I'm in love. I think I may try to copy this one. I think it should be pretty easy to decipher, right?

Btw, last night was really fun!

Countdown to Knitting in the City

2007-09-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

Knitting in the City is tonight and I am really excited! Yesterday was orientation and I met the other volunteer knitters at Wenlan's studio. It was great to meet Ivete of knotology, my first real life encounter with another knitblogger. It was also great to pick out our free outfit to wear tonight!

I loved all the clothing, but all my favorite pieces weren't my size! Ivete scored an amazing cropped jacket and blouse combo in what seemed like seconds, but I scoured the racks for what seemed like forever. There was a beautiful flowing dress in watercolor shades of purple, but even though it fit me perfectly, it just wasn't my style. I ultimately decided to just grab my favorite thing and forgive it for being a couple of sizes too big. I'm not about to complain about free clothes. Here's my selection:

And how I'm going to make it work for tonight:

After tonight, I'm going to take her to a tailor. I don't trust my sewing skills with expensive clothing.

And here's what I'm going to accessorize her with:

I found this on Ivete's etsy shop after we met, and fell in love with it and bought it! Seems like the appropriate thing to wear.

One more essential item for the evening is my new moo cards. I had to upgrade my flickr account to pro after I exceeded my photo limit. After going pro, you get 10 free moo cards, and these came just in time.

I'm really happy with how they turned out, and I'm tempted to order a pack of 100. I'll see how they go over tonight first.

Thanks to all the encouragement and tips on teaching knitting! Luckily, I was given a very explicit instructional handout, so if I get nervous, I can just find the appropriate page and point.

While it may seem like my knitting is revolving around Twinkle, I am still working on my Phildar vest. All those fancy stitches are taking forever, and I think I have about a week more to go.

Signing off for now, wish me luck!

Twinkle this Tursday at Rockefeller Center

2007-09-24T08:28:00.000-04:00

This Thursday night, I will be a volunteer assistant at a special knitting night at Anthropologie. Is anybody else helping out, or attending?

I have never taught anyone how to knit before, or even knit amongst other knitters before! I am a closet knitter in my daily life, and taught myself to knit from knittinghelp.com, so I have some small fears that I am doing it all wrong, or that I won't be able to communicate how it's done. I am hoping that my retail sales personality will kick in, squash my little insecurities and do all the talking.

I'd love to see some of my fellow knitbloggers and knitblog readers there! Let me know if you are thinking of going so I can look for you there.

Twinkle Spring 2008 at Bryant Park

2007-09-09T11:57:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, a golden ticket came in the mail...

I felt like the luckiest knitter in the world! It was so exciting to attend a show at Bryant Park, even if I had to stand in line for half an hour and then pack myself in next to the photographers and get up on my tiptoes to see the runway over their heads. Waiting in line inside the tent was so entertaining: the best people-watching experience, ever! It was a neverending parade of fashion superstars and visionaries, fashion clowns, fashion victims, etc.

And the show itself was fantastic. Not as many knits as I expected, mostly printed silk dresses and flowy tops. Here's my shot of the final runway parade:

And Wenlan coming out to take a quick bow:

Since I couldn't get a decent photo, here's one from getty of a great knitted vest from the collection:

Other than the vest, I could only spot one more knitted piece, which was a white dress that I wasn't too crazy about. Her fun, colorful and quirky prints really made up for my dissapointment in the quantity of knitted pieces. It was really exciting to be there- thanks for the invite, Wenlan!

**Update** for those who have asked, I got the invite through my job at coclico, and will be selling some twinkle clothing, jewelry, and belts in the shop next spring.

Getting back to knitting

2007-08-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everybody from so long ago and so far away! Sorry for the long absence. Moving is hard! I just wasn't knitting, so I had nothing to blog about. Finally I started to knit, got ready to blog, and then my computer died! Well, long story short, she came back from the dead but she's on the chopping block. She's up for sale on Craigslist right now and I'm waiting for a buyer.

Remember this?

It's in progress and I love it! I just couldn't take any more of the kusha scarf. I love the yarn, but I can only do so much stockinette before I start to fiend for a cable, a bobble, or a rib at the very least. The scarf makes for good subway knitting, and the vest waits at home for me to work on it.

I finally found time between the new job and furnishing our new apartment to make it to my new local yarn shop, Knitty City. I had a great experience there and the staff was really helpful and welcoming. Plus they give out these amazing drawstring top bags when you buy yarn:

And my apartment is coming along. Once we moved in, we realized that our loft scale furniture just doesn't work in the tiny space. We have since gotten rid of some of the things we moved all the way over here and replaced them with miniature versions, like this table and chair set I got at Ikea:

And my favorite part of the house, our tiny new sofa found on craigslist, and coffee table from IKEA.

Moving furniture, without a car, and in and out of a 4th floor walkup is pretty complicated stuff.

I've started a little blog for my new place, coclico. Take a break from ogling yarn and check out the amazing shoes on the site. I'm having a lot of fun getting to know my new customers and giving the store my special touch.

Knit 1 Halter/Jumper?

2007-07-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

Yay! Finally, a real knitting related post! I mentioned the ill-fitting, ill-fated Knit 1 halter in my last post. I made both pieces, seamed them out and it came out so large! Maybe I didn't pay close attention because I'm using stash yarn, or perhaps I can blame it on my hectic nomadic lifestyle of the moment. This thing just came out wrong. Here's what I thought I was making:

I tried tugging, cinching, and shortening the straps. I considered felting it. Then I put it away for a few days. Today, I put it on again, and just let it hang low, and now, I think I like it! Is the New York heat getting to me, or is it cute? I'm not sure yet. I'm going to put some ribbing along the bottom and try wearing it as a jumper. I'll post again when it's done.

Many thanks to Vy of soknitpicky.blogspot.com for helping me out with my Habu kit! I had gone several days without knitting a stitch and didn't want to buy yarn for a new project just yet. I won't be reunited with all my stash and books for two weeks to a month, and I've got to save my money so that we can decorate the new apartment!

Small but special.

2007-07-06T20:58:00.001-04:00

This is our new home! About half the size of the old one, but not bad for New York, or at least compared to the other 15 or so we have viewed. I am borrowing a computer so that I can post, since mine is in storage in San Francisco right now. Hopefully, I will get it within the next two weeks.

I have had some really bad luck with knitting lately. I knitted the top on the cover of the cover of the current knit 1 and it is dreadful. So illfitting that I don't think I can give it away.

I got to spent the weekend in Mendocino before we left SF, and visited the best yarn store I have ever had the pleasure of shopping at. I took home the Habu Kusha Kusha scarf kit, but lost the instructions somehow! I have so many bags and I hope the instructions will turn up when we move into the new apartment on the 15th. I was thinking it would make a great subway project.

I really miss my computer, my blog, and all you great knitbloggers who I haven't been able to keep up with lately.

Surprise from Interweave!

2007-06-14T21:57:00.000-04:00

So I knew that there was going to be a photo shoot in my store sometime this week, but I didn't know until this morning that it was for Interweave Crochet!!! I met Kim Werker, the editor, and got to have a photo session for the fall issue take place before my very eyes. The model, who was ALARMINGLY thin, was wearing a flaired crocheted skirt with contrasting godets. The pattern looked very Annie Modesitt. I got so flustered and shy that I didn't really talk much, and I wish I would have given Kim my blog site, or at least talk yarn a bit. Well, I got her business card, so I suppose I can drop her an e-mail. Pretty awesome, right?

**Updated 10/04/07: the photo is up!

FO: Vogue Ribbed Minidress

2007-06-11T23:58:00.000-04:00

Finally got some buttons! Here's the finished minidress, all seamed, woven, buttoned up, and err, wrinkled. I had tossed her into a bag on Saturday, thinking that I would find a nice place to take a photo of her during a long day of driving all around the Bay Area. I forgot to take photos then, and when I finally got around to it today, she was all wrinkled. I think she still looks pretty good, but maybe just a little too short.

I can't really wear her as a dress without worrying about the wind, so I guess this is one of those tunic tops. I've already blocked her, so I don't think she'll get much longer.

It took a long time for me to decide what yarn to knit this pattern with, and I am really pleased with how it turned out with the Koigu KPM. It is really soft and lightweight, as I didn't want the dress to get saggy and weighed down by some dense yarn. The smaller gauge helped out with sizing, as I wanted the bust measurement to be a bit smaller that the pattern's smallest size. She fits perfectly up there.

Details: Ribbed Mini Dress by Mari Lynn Patrick from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2007 issue. Knitted with 6 skeins of Koigu KPM color 229. Used size 4s for the skirt section (for faster knitting), size 2s for the waist ribbing, and size 3s for everything above the waist (for a snug fit and for more opacity). I modified the pattern to make it shorter, but it turned out a couple inches shy of a dress. Except for in these photos, she will be worn as a tunic.

Aside from the dress, I have started a couple of stashbusting projects. After Hawaii, and now moving cross country, I have no $$ for yarn and not too much time to knit. Sigh. Oh and my invitation to Ravelry (!!!) has also cut into my knitting time. Yes, it's as fantastic as everybody has been saying all along.

I bought my one-way ticket to New York last night! Ack! The big move is officially on July 2. We have hired a real estate broker who, along with my sister, is looking for apartments for us. It's really scary to look at apartments from across the country. Weird.

new hair

2007-05-27T23:16:00.000-04:00

Bobby suggested that I dye my hair dark brown so that I will look tough in the big city. I was against the idea immediately, but I slowly decided that a change would be fun. I've been super blonde for about 5 years, or at least until a few days ago. I think I like this, but I still scare myself when I pass mirrors.

The Vogue dress has been done for a couple of weeks now. Sorry no post yet. Just looking for the simple, yet impossible to find, perfect buttons. Oh, and all those pesky ends to weave in.

So many size 7 feet in the blogosphere! What are the odds? I've gotta try to do a garage sale sort of entry before I move!

Tomorrow, I'm going to Hawaii! One last week of fun times before we get down to the nitty gritty of moving. Anyone know a good yarn shop in Oahu?

party fun time

2007-05-22T22:39:00.001-04:00

The countdown to my cross-country move has begun! Got about 5 weeks to go. I've been too busy to knit, been a bad blogger and bad blog reader, but I did manage to throw a party, heavily inspired by this incredible book:

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris. I am a Jerri Blank superfan, went to the Strangers with Candy movie premiere in San Francisco, and was thrilled when Amy Sedaris came out with this book. I was gifted an autographed copy of the above book by my awesome older sister. I borrowed an image from the book to make my party invites:

Per Amy's advice, I set up a sale for my guests, so that I could get rid of some things and help fund our move. I made about 80 bucks off my guests, but the sale turned into a free for all costume party (with my discarded clothes as costumes) by the end of the night. p.s. alcohol + roller skates = ouch. Yes, I wore my extra special handknitted dress.

My mom was in town for the day and helped me out with some of the food prep. The recipe for the cheese balls is in Amy's book. Super yummy! I got tired of making the bite-sized balls, so I eventually rolled the leftover cheese mixture into a mega cheese ball (It's hiding behind the wienees).
Mmmmmmm pigs in a blanket are totally underrated. Bye bye wienees:

And we ate and drank and danced all night long.

FO: Sunny Delight

2007-05-05T19:02:00.000-04:00

So here's Sunny D, or should I call it Margarita Limon in honor of cinco de mayo? There is something really nice about wearing a bright canary yellow dress on one of the first hot days of the year. We'll be going to a barbecue together later this evening, and hopefully the weather will keep up with us.

Details: Knit with Cascade "Sierra," 80% cotton/20% wool, on size 7 needles. I only used 3 skeins, which was less than $25!

This is my own pattern, and I am really happy with how it turned out! The idea for Sunny D was in my head for a while, but the Craftster Summer Knits challenge gave me the incentive I need to start knitting it. I crocheted the bobbled neckband first, then picked up stitches along the front and back and knitted it in the round from the top down. Once the dress got long, the weight of the cotton yarn made the armholes droop down to a pretty obscene degree, so I added crochet around the armholes to correct this. This addition wasn't my original intention, but I think it looks nice. The hemline was the toughest part for me. I did about 6 different versions, but somehow, the crochet hem kept ruffling up on me, and looked too frou-frou. The crocheted picot hem, somewhat less frou-frou, seems to work for me.

The Backburner

2007-05-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

I've got about a week or so to go on the Vogue dress, and I found myself in an unusual situation: there aren't any patterns on my backburner to lust over. I usually have something lined up,even months in advance. My love affair with Twinkle is on hiatus, and I'm trying really hard to find something I like in a number of new books. I spent the better portion of my lunch break sitting down with several said books, (Runway knits, Fitted knits, Glamour knits, etc) and just wasn't feeling it. There are loads of of loveliness in these books, but the patterns just don't grab me. And I don't know why.

That sad, empty feeling is gone now, though, because I finally fell in love all over again. Here she is:

This is from the new Spring Phildar. Love the collar, the ribbed edging, the covered buttons, and that quirky little detail at the waist. Sigh.

I also like her:Look at all those fancy stitches! I want this to be a dark grey vest to wear over gauzy turtlenecks next fall.

I even like her, in spite of the fact that they call her (the horror!) a poncho:

I love the sleeve drama and the vertical ribbing. I have tried on something like this, but it made me look very very short, like the sweater was eating me up. Something about it still really appeals to me.

Three patterns in a catalogue is enough to justify purchase, right? That's what I told myself while I typed in my visa digits. Yay! I've never ordered from Phildar before. I wonder how long it'll take to arrive.

Now that the backburner is full, I'm promising myself that I will finish up my other wips before I order yarn for the cardigan. Not sure if I can stick to that, but I'll pretend for a bit.

Sunny Delight

2007-05-01T19:42:00.001-04:00

What is yellow, has picot edging, and bobbles all over?

I'm calling her Sunny Delight. It's a project that I have been quietly working on for the last eleven days. Better photos to come, so long as the weekend weather matches my outfit.

Now that she's done, I can get back to knitting the front of the Vogue dress. I'm also looking ahead for my next knit, and I'm not sure what it'll be. I'm curious about this book:

Runway Knits, by Berta Karapetyan. I've only seen pictures of the patterns on blogs, so look here or here to see some of them. They look interesting, but maybe a little too conservative for me. Here's my favorite, so far:

I wonder what it looks like when the model isn't gripping it together? Droopy? Floppy? Droopy and floppy in a cute way? Not sure.

Springtime and RAD Lace Recap

2007-04-19T22:45:00.000-04:00

I get to walk by this tree to and from work everyday. I am going to miss San Francisco. I still haven't recovered from being beat down by the snow in New York. After not catching a cold for over a year, New York gave me cough that won't quit.

I finished the back of the Vogue minidress. Here she is, blocking on my floor. I really like the silvery grey color of this KPM.

I forgot to blog about the RAD Lace exhibit, which was one of things I was most excited about seeing in New York. Well, I was a bit disappointed, which is surely why I forgot about it. About half of the exhibit was too far of a stretch from knitting or lace, and much of it was purely architectural. To me, many of the pieces just happened to look "lacey," which seemed to be enough to qualify it for the show. I was looking forward to seeing a bunch of awesome knitted stuff in one place, but I only saw a handful. Check out this knitter's review of the show: I think she sums it up much better than I do, and she has great photos.

I suppose I let my expectations go too far. Oh well. I feel like a hypocrite writing this, though, because I studied architecture in college and liked to push the boundary of what is considered architecture by making my models out of cloth and sewing them together instead of using museum board with glue. I shouldn't be such a hater.

Overall, it was totally worth the visit. The tiny knits by Althea Merback are mindblowing and the fiber obtic chandelier is beautiful.

My First FO: Steek Tank from Loop d Loop

2007-04-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

I rediscovered this is my closet yesterday and wore it for the first time in two years. Actually, it is only the second time I have worn it since I made it.

It's the Steek Tank from Teva Durham's "Loop d Loop" book. A couple of years ago, I used to casually lurk about on craftster, mostly on the sewing boards, until I came across a knitter who had made the steek tank. I fell in love with the sweater and vowed to learn to knit so that I could make my very own steek tank. First I bought the book, next came yarn and needles from knitpicks, then hours of instruction courtesy of knittinghelp.com, and not long after that, I had my coveted hand knitted steek tank. I wore it once (to show off that I had learned to knit, and even made a whole vest!), and that was it.

For whatever reason, I had a hard time pairing it with my usual everyday wardrobe, so I slowly forgot about it. I cleaned out my closet recently and found it in a lonely section of my closet, and yesterday, decided it was just the thing to wear with my new grey jeans. So here she is, a past FO, but a significant one, finally deemed worthy of a couple of photos.

Details: Steek Tank from Teva Durham's "Loop d Loop." Knitted on size 15 circs with Knitpick's "Panache." Finished in 2005, too long ago too remember how many skeins I used.

Spoils of New York

2007-04-09T23:04:00.000-04:00

I brought home some extra special things from New York...

Koigu kpm from Purl. I fell in love with this yarn while knitting my entrelac scarf on the plane, and when the salesgirl at Purl suggested it for the Vogue dress, I had a 'duh' moment. It just seems so right that I couldn't believe I didn't think of it! I'll have to find another use for my loverly orange alpaca silk. Shouldn't be too hard.

I also picked up some new clothes! I visited Built by Wendy in Brooklyn and got this dress.

I managed to squeeze in some subway knitting on the longish ride from the Lower East Side to Columbia. Perhaps the first of many similar rides.

My favorite part of the trip, besides seeing my sister and her girlfriend, was Coney Island. What a bizarre and surreal spot. I heard that it will be torn down soon, so my wonderful hosts drove us over there to check it out.

Yes, it really says "shoot the freak." I don't think this would go over too well in SF.

There are no words to fully express the magnificence of these kittyfeet.

Next Up?

2007-04-01T22:53:00.000-04:00

In two days, I'm leaving for a short trip to NYC. I'm not a big fan of planes, trains, subways, or any enclosed space, but the thought of my travel knitting makes them seem not so bad after all. Hours and hours of uninterrupted knitting? Awesome! But what to take with me? Not another gigantic Twinkle project, and surely not the 18 skein afghan that is only 3 skeins away from completion. Gotta be something on smallish needles, and I don't do well with sock knitting (I never finish the second one). I've been playing/obsessing with different ideas of what to bring with me.

I bought this gorgeous mandarin orange skein of Blue Sky Alpacas "silk alpaca" yarn to swatch with for the Vogue dress. Got gauge, love the yarn, adore the color, want to go ahead with the project, but the yarn store is closed Sunday and Monday. I guess it'll have to wait.

I've always wanted to try entrelec, and always wanted to try kpppm. So there you go. I think this will most likely be my New York knitting. I certainly can't buy any more yarn, or else I won't be able to justify spending any more money at Purl! Hopefully, I'll have something to show when I get back.

FO: Shopping Tunic

2007-03-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

Another Twinkle sweater. This was a real quickie! It only took about 3 nights of knitting to complete. Loved the design of this and the pattern was very clever. The sweater is knit in the round, in one piece, and then flipped inside out so that the purl side faces out. I finally got to use the Soft Chunky yarn that I had stalked since the book came out, and it was worth the wait. I am only sorry that I couldn't have waited to use it for the Best Friend Cardigan. It is so soft, drapey, cushy, in fabulous colors and decent yardage for the chunk. It has a lovely pearlescent sheen that makes it look as luxurious as it feels. Obviously, I like this sweater. It's the first Twinkle sweater that didn't have to grow on me before I wanted to wear it outside the house

I love the pockets.

Details: Shopping Tunic from Twinkle's Big City Knits. Used 3.25 skeins of Soft Chunky in "Urchin". I knit the xs size and lengthened both the body and the cowl by 2" each. If I hadn't added to the length by 4", I may not have needed to break into the 4th skein. The pattern actually calls for 7 skeins of the stuff, but I learned from this blogger's experience http://knitlit.blogspot.com/2007/03/twinkle-dust.html#links, that I could get away with 4 skeins. Thanks for saving me some $$$!

I got my spring/summer 07 Vogue Knitting and have fallen in love with this:

I'm such a sucker for knit dresses. Actually, I am a big fan of dresses and wear one almost every day. I really like to feel feminine, but I also find them comfortable and they make getting getting dressed for the day really easy- one piece and then you're done, a no-brainer. So I could see myself wearing it a lot. I would make it shorter since this would most likely be longer than knee length on a shorty like myself. I think the Filatura di Crosa "Zara" that i used for my capecho would be perfect for this, light and soft yet durable. I'm gonna swatch it up and see what happens!

FO: Best Friend Cardigan

2007-03-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

So here's my finished Best Friend Cardigan, or as I like to call it, my Gorilla Smurf sweater, which is what I felt like when I first put it on. It didn't help that my two coworkers gave me the crazy look when I wore it to work on Friday. After that dose of humiliation, I felt like frogging it, but it is slowly growing on me. The chunky yarn and chubby seams make my shoulders about 4 inches broader, but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Then, while my man was taking these photos, I remembered that I have the perfect belt for this. Voila! More feminine, less gorilla smurf, right? I think I just need to be careful about how I wear it, and try to keep the bottom half of my outfit as streamlined as possible, i.e. cigarette pants, skinny jeans, pencil skirt. I was wearing a poofy patterned skirt when I left the house on Friday, which may have been cause for my coworkers' befuddled looks.

I think I'm going to keep her!

Details: 6 skeins of Cascade's Lana Grande (double stranded) on size 19 circs. I had barely 1 foot of yarn left over after seaming. This was really quick and fun to make. I knit it up single stranded first, then decided I didn't like it, frogged the whole thing, and then knit it up again and it still took only about one week to complete. I got the jumbo buttons at Britex downtown.

I just picked up another 6 skeins of soft chunky at YarnPaperScissors in Burlingame. The owner bought way more colors and skeins than Imagiknit, which suprised me, because it is a much smaller store. I bought a nice yellow called "Canary" that I am going to knit the hoodie with. Yippee for quickee chunkees!

Now that I am starting to plan my cross country move, I 'm getting a little sentimental about San Francisco. Also, I have a good reason to finally buy this necklace that I have always coveted:

My diamond would be over San Francisco, of course.

I think I saw it about a year ago on daily candy, loved it, forgot about, and now I need it! They are available here http://www.stateofmine.com/ and you can get it customized for any state and city.

Twinkle Twinkle, NYC

2007-03-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

I went by Imagiknit today with a hunch that Twinkle had landed, but it still hadn't arrived when I checked at noon. Well my hunch was correct, but it was only four hours premature. I got the call later in the afternoon, so I sped over so that I could get first dibs on colors. Unfortunately, they only ordered 4 skeins per color of the soft chunky, and only in about 6 colors. I can't blame them, it's not really a spring or summer weight yarn. I took home 4 skeins of Urchin, which I thought was black when I looked online, but is really a deep dark gorgeous purple.

There's my Soft Chunky, posing in front of the Best Friend Cardigan.

I really wanted to buy 6 skeins, so that I can make the groovy sweater dress or the hoodie. Would it be so bad if I bought skeins from another dyelot? I could be sneaky and use a separate dyelot for all the ribbing sections, or would that be too stripey and weird? After looking at the patterns again, I see that there aren't many that I can do with only 4 skeins, except for the Best Friend Cardigan, which I have already almost completed in Lana Grande.

My wool winder could hardly handle the Twinkle jumbo skeins.

I've got big news: my man just got his acceptance letter from Columbia University! We'll be moving to NYC this summer. It's going to be so hard to leave our beautiful apartment, my sweet job, my cute scooter that I go everywhere in, all of our nice furniture, not to mention our friends and San Francisco itself! I'm excited for the new adventure.

Holy crap! We're moving to NYC!

FO: Twiggy Tunic

2007-03-13T12:12:00.000-04:00

Here's my finished Twiggy Tunic, with a disclaimer: my boyfriend took amazing pictures of this. I have to admit that it is really not very flattering, doesn't fit well, and is difficult to wear.

Details: I used Berroco Bling Bling yarn that I bought on closeout about a year ago. It is a cotton/acrylic blend with gold flecks. I knit the xs size on US 15 needles.

The fit is drapey and loose to the point where it actually slips off my shoulder, and could potentially completely fall off. I have tried to remedy this by attempting to shrink it in the washing machine in the hot cycle. No luck. This cotton sack is only going to get bigger, I'm afraid. The sleeves are especially big around my shoulder/bicep area. I know that a lot of people are concerned about the 22" finished measurement of this sweater, so let my experience soothe your fears. My 22" sweater stretched to about 36" and stayed there, which is unfortunate given my wimpy 29" bust.

I did enjoy knitting it, especially since it took about a week to complete. I still want to knit more from Twinkle's book, specifically the Best Friend Cardigan. I might pick up some chunky wool today, which seems sorta crazy given that it has been 80 degrees in San Francisco for the last four days.

*Update: On the craftster knitalong, someone suggested that I crochet a single chain inside the base of the neckline ribbing to pull in the color. This totally worked! I wore it to work on Friday, and I ran around all day without having to tug it back up onto my shoulders. Yay!

Of Twinkle and Capechos

2007-02-22T12:16:00.002-05:00

Now that the capecho is off my needles, I'm on the hunt for my next project. I just got the new Twinkle book from Amazon and it is gorgeous.

I am still wavering between patterns, and it is difficult to get started because the recommended yarn is not available yet. Twinkle, aka Wenlan Chia, has her own new line of yarn, which is, of course, what all the patterns are knit with. I am really interested in what the Soft Chunky yarn is all about, and how it compares to Cascade Magnum. I really like get up close and personal with a yarn before I can decide whether I want to use it, or what could be a potential better alternative.

I am leaning towards starting with a pattern that calls for Cruise, a silk/cotton blend, and using something from my stash as a sub. In the meantime, I can wait for Soft Chunky to be released so that I can order some to make either the Best Friend Cardigan, Groovy Sweater Dress, or the Twinkle Hoodie.

P.S. I started a knitalong for this book on craftster.

My favorites:

And my capecho! I just love it! It fits really nicely and goes very well under my new spring coat. I have worn it a lot recently, and a surprising number of people recognize the pattern. Last week, I went into Noe Knit wearing my capecho, and the women who work there were so excited to see it knitted up that Susie, the owner, busted out her camera and took photos! I was a little flustered, but totally flattered overall. You all made me blush! Thank you!

*Update: Susie put the photos on the Noe Knit Blog! Please don't look too closely at my face (yikes!), focus on the sweater!

FO: Norah Gaughn capecho from Vogue winter 06/07

2007-02-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun with this pattern! I was completely obsessed from the beginning, and couldn't wait to finish each of the little pentagrams. The pattern is wiggity-wacked, though. There is a long chronicle of ill-fated, ill-fitting capechos on this craftster knitalong: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=143106.0

I knitted size xs with Filatura di Crosa "Zara" on size 5 needles, instead of worsted yarn on size 9s as recommended. I also moved the button over about 4 inches and added a second button to secure the neckband. Before changing the button placement, the neckband was really droopy and the fabric bunched under my armpits.

Basic Cable Hat i.e. Aggressive Stashbusting

2007-01-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

I bought another skein to swatch the Vogue pentagram sweater with. I could tell right away that it wasn't right for the sweater, but I did fall in love with the yarn and had to knit it up asap. It is called "Silkdream" by Lang yarns. It was reccommended to me by the owner of Yarn Paper Scissors, a new yarn shop in Burlingame.

It has been freezing lately in SF, and without the yardage for gloves or a scarf, I decided on the Basic Cable hat from Stitch n' Bitch Nation. Pretty quick and easy, except for the pom pom. This is the first time I have ever made one and it sure was a pain in the butt to pull the yarn through the circle about 200 times. I do love the hat, though.

No News is Good News

2007-01-08T00:50:00.000-05:00

No blogging for a while because I have been plugging away at Saffron Cables. I'm in the home stretch now.

But I've been cheating again... I fell in love with this:

I couldn't help but do a little yarn research and bought a couple skeins and did a couple of swatches!

The left swatch is karabella aurora 8. I think this is similar to the berroco merino that is called for. The stitches are clear, the gauge is correct, but I am worried about how dense the little sweater will be. The second is rowan kid classic. The gauge is a little bit off, the stitches are not as distinct, but it is so light and fluffy and fuzzy. And I love the color. Maybe I should try it again on a smaller needle? I'm not sure which I prefer.

Vintage knitting mags

2006-11-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite customers came by the shop and dropped of a bag full of musty old knitting and crochet magazines from the sixties. Odor aside, the patterns are amazing! The mags are almost entirely full of minidresses, tunics, and knitted suits. They are on loan to me, so I will be very busy scanning for the next few days.

The Vogue magazine patterns feature some serious sequins and beading.

I played with my fancy new toy yesterday. In the spirit of Vogue fall/winter '67, here's some pretty pictures of my favorite shiny and sparkly shoes.

My Pretty Pink Camera

2006-11-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

My birthday present came a few days early this year.

She's more than just a pretty face: she has 7.2 megapixels, super steady shot, an enormous lcd screen, and a long battery life. I'm just starting to get the hang of her. Expect more frequent and higher quality images to come!

My First Fair Isle

2006-10-21T16:46:00.000-04:00

I finally got my yarn for the Vogue Fair Isle U-neck sweater. I am a little disappointed with the shade of grey that I chose as the main color. I was expecting it to be a little lighter, and every time I look at the yarn I think of Legos. It is exactly the shade of grey Legos. It's my own fault for not having enough patience to order a color card to choose the yarn from. I am having a lot of fun with the fair isle knitting and am slowly learning how to moderate the tension properly. I started out too tight, then overcompensated by stranding too loosely.

Saffron Cable Update

2006-10-11T01:39:00.000-04:00

I have finished the first of three(?) pattern repeats of Saffron Cables. While finishing up the last few rows, I noticed that the blanket pictured in the magazine actually has FOUR REPEATS of the pattern. This is a bit alarming. Is the blanket misrepresented in the photo, or are the instructions wrong?

See those big diamonds filled with seed stitch? I count four!

Evidence A: This first repeat consumed 5 of the 18 balls of Berkshire, including the seed stitch border, which used up about one ball. Based on this, a blanket made with three repeats will require 14 balls, and a blanket made with 4 repeats will require 18 balls! This leads me to believe that the pattern is incorrect, and that the photo is correct.

Evidence B: The seed stitch border measures 3.5". One unblocked pattern repeat is 14". An unblocked blanket with three repeats will measure 49", while a blanket with four will measure 63". My gauge is looser than the pattern gauge, so my width is already wider than specified, so I expect my finished blanket to be slightly longer than the 60" specified in the pattern. Thus, the 63" blanket with FOUR REPEATS seems to be what Kathy Zimmerman intended.

It's still the same amount of yarn, but it sure seems like a lot more work to repeat this thing FOUR TIMES! If I get to the third repeat and I still have a ton of yarn, I'll take that as a further hint that it's time to buck up and do one more. What if I run out of yarn during the fourth repeat? Does WEBS still have another skein of the correct dyelot? Uh oh.

P.S. I ordered yarn for the Vogue Fair Isle U-neck. Yippee!

***Update: I sent my concerns to Interweave Knits, and they responded that the design should have four repeats, not three.

Stalled and Stumped

2006-10-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

Rusted Root is going into the frog pond. I decided that I'm just not that into her. I kept trying to make it work, but I've given up. I ripped backed the lace leaf panel and turned it into a diamond lace, but it wasn't right. Then, I ripped back the diamond lace and knit it as embossed diamonds. After dropping those stitches back 3 times to reknit, the panel looks much worse for wear, and I don't think blocking can repair the ravages of my indecision. I was never pleased with the yarn, either.

So I am in project limbo now. I just bought some Berroco Bling Bling yarn on closeout and I really want to use it, but I don't feel like working with cotton right now, and I have no idea what to do with it yet! I have to buy more yarn then, right?

Here is my top contender:

I have never knit with multiple colors before, so this would be an opportunity to learn something new. I'm thinking shades of grey with red accents. Maybe I'll try Knitpick's new Telemark yarn.

A new issue of Vogue is coming out this week. Maybe I should wait for it to come out before I make any purchases. I really like these two designs that I saw on their preview page:

The first looks like a Twinke sweater, and might be a really quick knit on biggie needles. I also love the pockets! The second is really sweet, but the middle portion of stockinette is boring me just by looking at it. Should I wait? Maybe I should try to bust out a sock or two in the meantime just to keep me busy until the new issue comes out.

Finished Objects: Manos Mini and Simplicity 6407

2006-09-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

My Manos Mini! It seems like I finished it before I even began.

Most of this dress was knitted on an hour and a half drive down to Santa Cruz last weekend. I ended up using size 11 needles for the dress and switched to 8s for the sleeve ribbing. Also, I only used 3 skeins of Manos! It think it is finally cold enough to start wearing this.

I also did some sewing on Tuesday, which is my day off. I bought a couple of patterns on Ebay a couple of weeks ago, including this stunner:

I was really attracted to the pockets and the dolman sleeves. I LOVE this dress. It is so comfortable and I love the mystery material- some kind of stiff synthetic jersey. I shop at Discount Fabrics, and often their labeling of fabrics is a bit mystifying.

This is the first time I have sewn in a very long time, except for some simple alterations here and there. Naturally, I stained the thing while cooking on the second day I wore it, so I may have to make another.

I have to add a picture of my new shoes! These are from the shop, by Richard Tyler, but they look like the YSL shoes that cost about 7 times more. I love the brown croc against the purple dress.

My Manos Mini-dress and More

2006-09-12T21:08:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, I saw an amazing knitted dress on Craftster an I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Then, on Thursday, I walked into my local yarn shop, Noe Knit, and saw this amazing emerald green shade of Manos de Uruguay. I visited the yarn on Friday, and then again on Sunday. On Monday, I bought a skein, and started swatching for a Manos Mini-dress!

This will be my first time knitting without a pattern. I hope it turns out to be something that I will want to wear, especially since the Manos yarn is not cheap. I see myself wearing it in the fall opaque tights and boots. I am knitting it at a loose gauge on size 13 needles, so if all goes well, it should be a quickie. I am doing a top-down raglan, and have already taken the arm hole stitches off the needles.

I am a few more inches into my saffron cables. I have started the fifth of 18 skeins and am still on schedule. Here's my slow progress:

Rusted root is going slowly. It's in my purse and I get a couple rows done here and there, but nothing photo-worthy. I changed the leaf lace into a diamond pattern and am switching to bigger needles when I am on the sleeve stitches, so that they will be extra poofy. The needle switching is tedious and can take some of the blame for my sluggish pace.

Two Down, Sixteen to Go.

2006-08-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

I am now a little ahead of schedule. I went through two balls this last week, and am only on row 23. However, my wrist started acting up, so I think I may have to take it more slowly on the blanket for the next few days. It's starting to get a little big and heavy.

Since the blanket is no longer portable, I finally cast on for Rusted Root. I always need to have a project that fits in my purse, and this should be easier on my bum wrist. However, I don't like Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. It's splitty and not as soft as the yarn I used for Green Gable, Rowan Wool Cotton, but the upside is that it costs half the price of the Rowan yarn. I had to go down one needle size to get gauge, but will use the suggested needle size for the sleeves. I have been following the knitalong on craftster, and it seems that the knitters who went down in needle size also lost the puffiness of the sleeves, which is the last thing that I want to happen.

On Thursday, my boss took me to the San Francisco shoe show to help out with buying the Spring '07 shoes. It was a blast, and we picked out so many beautiful shoes for the store. I am sample size, so she brings me along to make sure that the shoes fit properly before we order them. I spent 10 hours trying on shoes, and got paid for it. Not a bad job, right? We saw Giraudon, Castaner, Coclico, Chie Mihara, DKNY, Ted Baker, Camper, Luc Berjin, Repetto, Arche, and many more new lines that are just starting out. The spring lineup doesn't arrive until mid-December, and it is always exciting to see how our customers react to the shoes, and to see which ones sell out and which become lonely wallflowers.

One Down, Seventeen to Go

2006-08-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

I started working on the cabled blanket on Sunday, and I am finished with the 3.5" seed stitch border, which consumed the first of 18 balls of yarn. I am planning on working through one ball each week, which means that this big bad blanket should be finished before the New Year. I like that the charts are very long and only repeat three times, so the project should not be too repetitive. The Berkshire from Valley Yarns (WEBS house brand) is light, soft, and subtly thick and thin.

I treated myself to my first pair of Addis Turbo needles for this project, since I figured I would be spending hundreds of hours on these needles. They really are all that! The smooth join makes it all worthwhile. I have the Boye interchangeables, and I find myself tugging the yarn across the join all the time.

I gave Kate away to little Tolya on Saturday. We decided to give her a new name and gender, so now she is known as Baby Freddy K. It was love at first sight for Tolya and Freddy K. He squealed, clapped his hands, and immediately began to fling him about by his extremities. I hope I joined Freddy's arms and legs strong enough for Tolya. Maybe with enough drool and vigorous play, Freddy will be felted, and then we won't have to worry about dismemberment anymore.

Meet Kate Kruger

2006-08-19T01:56:00.000-04:00

Kate is done. Here she is with Bobby, wearing their coordinating Friday the 13th sweaters.

She was another stashbuster, and a couple of the yarns I used weren't the best choices. The red yarn is Knit Picks Andean Silk and the golden yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, both leftovers from last year's holiday knits. The gauge was wrong for these two yarns post-stuffing; you can see the polyfill stuffing through her stitches. However, the brown yarn was excellent! It is a yarn called "Jazz" by Grignasco, which I used to make my first project about a year ago, which was a green and brown ribbed, keyhole scarf for Bobby. If I make another Kate, I would use Lamb's Pride Worsted, which is what Jess uses for all of her knitted toys.

I am late to join the knitted toy craze, and apparently too late to get my hands on Jess Hutchinson's booklet, which isn't available through her site anymore. I put myself on the notification list, but it may not be printed again, ever. I heard it was previously for sale on fredflare, but it's sold out there, too. Any other leads?

The Wait is Over!

2006-08-17T01:13:00.000-04:00

My yarn has finally arrived from WEBS, and I can't wait to get started on the neverending blanket. Am I really going to make it through those 18 skeins?

On Wednesday, I got an invite to a friend's baby's first birthday barbecue, so I decided to make a little gift for the occasion. I am planning to finish her off before I cast on for the blanket. Unfortunately, Bobby and I are starting to grow a little attached to her, and I don't want to let her go. I'd like to make another- maybe a bigger, pillow sized version for our couch.

Meet Kate, designed by San Francisco's own Jess Hutchison:

I'm gonna miss her when she's gone.

Finished Fetching

2006-08-13T23:47:00.000-04:00

I finished my "in between projects project" before the yarn for my new projects has arrived. Now I have to figure out another stashbusting project to fill the next few days. This is the Fetching pattern from the summer '06 knitty that everyone is knitting right now. I used a leftover ball of Rowan Cotton Glace in Poppy. I used this yarn to make the Cupcake top from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker, which I finished last month, but still haven't seamed up.

I wanted my gloves to be a little smaller and daintier than the pattern, so I used size 3 needles instead of 5s. I used a regular bind off instead of the picot, which I think is a little too fussy for these already fussy gloves.

These were very quick and easy to knit. I think they took about 5 days of very short and infrequent knitting sessions.

Gratuitous cable photo. Thanks for looking.

Waiting for UPS

2006-08-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

I'm anxiously waiting for my yarn to arrive for my next two projects. The first project is from the new fall 06 issue of Interweave:

I ordered the suggested yarn in tan from WEBS. I'm worried that this one is going to make me crazy (4' x 6'!) so I have a second project lined up that should be much quicker and more mindless to knit up. This is a new one from the girls at Zephyrstyle:

This one's gonna be a beautiful deep purple. You can't see in this picture, but the sleeves are short and poofy. Again, I'm using the suggested yarn, which is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I've never used this yarn before, but I know that it is very popular, so I am excited to see what it's all about. I'm also excited that the pattern includes the extra-small size, because my bust is only 31", and I always have to work out modifications to make 34" patterns fit me properly.

Another shopgirl's debut

2006-08-12T08:46:00.000-04:00

My name is Anne, and this is where I will be writing mostly about my knitting projects, but also about working in retail in San Francisco.

a view of downtown from my apartment in SOMA