Random goodness

Saturday, 24 Mar 2007

a wee sample of goodness to come

so I just thought I’d pop in to say thank you to all the people who helped me figure out how to get a gallery going on Wordpress (or at least on my website) - I am busy populating it with images now and promise lots to come in the next weeks and months. For now, here’s a tiny taste of two sketches of vintage baby goodies from the 40s, for your edification:

A knitted elephant toy, from the late 40s, and

A 1951 hat/scarf combo with darling kitten ears and pink tiger stripes. If you’re particularly interested in baby knits, leave a comment and I would love to have your feedback on a collection I’m putting together!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Zoot is good (if somewhat off his food today for some reason - no, he didn’t get any food from the horrible pet food recall) and we’re doing even better. It’s 55 out today! Which, given the weather around here, is like 100 in the shade. More later… I wish I had some knitting content but I have been bad bad bad, my friends.

In the meantime, any suggestions on learning to crochet? I accidentally signed up for a Lily Chin class thinking it was for crochet, but it turns out it’s for crochet - and instead of trying to unenroll my plan is to TEACH MYSELF CROCHET FAST. I’ll be publishing swatches, as soon as I can get a handle on this chain stitch thingy… I can navajo ply, so I ought to be able to do it, right?

Random goodness

Tuesday, 20 Mar 2007

Wanted: Wordpress Whiz!

Sorry for the silence!  The reason?  I did a much-needed upgrade to Wordpress 2.1.2… and lost almost all of my photo-uploading-and-manipulating capability.  Pretty much ALL OF IT.  Which brings me to this question:

Are you a whiz at self-hosted Wordpress (not the kind that’s hosted at wordpress.com - the kind you put on your own server?)  Or are you a self-hosted Wordpress user that can find their way out of a wet paper sack?  Because apparently, I’m not.  I’m dying to put in a gallery of some sort, but every plug-in I can find seems to require a PhD in computer science more rudimentary computer/Wordpress know-how than I possess.  If you think you might be able to poke around in my plug-in files for a few minutes and find some way for me to host a very, very simple gallery function on this blog, only say the word, and much love, gratitude, and yarny goodness will be headed your way.

Some day, if I can show it to you, I will tell you all about the exciting project I’m working on - involving babies (no, not making one, but dressing them, and in vintage duds to boot.)  And there’s knitting to be shown off too!  *sigh*… some day, my friends, some day.

To close this sad little missive, I’ll give you some good news: today’s Zoot Report is decidedly sunny!  His asthma has been kicking up a bit but for the most part he’s like a new cat.  He seems to be faring very well… the secondary infection is completely gone, and despite the tumors he’s his old self, howling, begging for things like noodles and tangerine slices (!), beating the crap out of Floyd and Mabel should they get out of line.  Thanks for continuing to be so concerned about him  - it tickles me to know my cutie has fans from afar.

Random goodness

Sunday, 11 Mar 2007

sleeveaphobia

Oh, sleeves. How they mock me! Everyone, I think, has their personal knitting Waterloo, and unfortunately mine appears to be sleeves. I now have not one or two but THREE sweaters awaiting sleevage. First the Argyle of Doom came along, and I avoided it because of a weird charting issue that led to super-long armholes. Then there was the Central Park Hoodie, which I almost finished, but chickened out on Sleeve #2. And now there is the Tailored Scallops Jacket - completely done, except for the sleeves, for which I cast on half-heartedly last night but abandoned in favor of casting on for ANOTHER SWEATER almost immediately. What is it with sleeves? Why do they suck so much? And is there a way out of the crazy sleeve doldrums that invariably attack me at the end of every project? (Yes, yes, I know - the flip answer is, make them all into vests! - but I’ve always been a hater of vests. Whose arms aren’t as cold as their chests?) If you have the secret, by all means please tell me - and you will have my undying gratitude when I finally have three three major projects finished at last.

To be fair, the yarn I’m using for Sweater #4 is nearly irresisitable - it’s this:

It’s RYC SilkWool DK, which I’m using to make this:

It’s the Lacy Waves cardigan from Lace Style - making the third project I plan to do from this book, which just might make it my most productive book purchase of all time (next to the Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries, which I think I open up and dream about every day.) While I normally abhor asymmetry, I’m breaking from my own restrictions to make this elegant little pullover. (Ha. Me? Elegant? Well, I’m about as elegant as a barnyard, but that’s OK - I can dream.) The yarn is a pleasure to touch and see, soft and with a tiny bit of sheen but not too much, and seemingly very pill-resistant. The fabric it makes is dense and plush, but it still seems to drape well. And the sleeves! The sleeves are at least 50% yarnover - so they’ll go quick! Quick and painless. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. …Is this a sickness, people? Tell me I’m not the only one with sleeve-a-phobia. Tell me I’m not the only one with four partially completed sweaters lying around the house. And please, tell me I’ll finish these suckers before it’s too warm to wear them. I’m hoping for a cool spring just to buy a little time.
Good news on the Zoot report - he got a thumbs-up from the vet, he’s eating reasonably well, and acting all perky-like! He’s even making it up on the bed with just a chair there to jump on. I think we will be building him some cat steps - but in the meantime, he’s downright fiesty. He even sat under the kitchen table and howled until we gave him roast chicken last night. (Yes, of course he got as much as he wanted!) We can’t get rid of his tumors, but we can feel good about him seeming to feel good. It’s a load off my mind, to see him acting like his old self, tumors or no tumors.

Sunday, 4 Mar 2007

can you hear the squee-ing from there?

Pardon me while I squee in your ear. I just got an amazing package from Woollywonderwho, my Knittyboard Secret Pal - with all sorts of goodies. Woollywonderwho sent me two great vintage pattern booklets (the likes of which you’ll be seeing around here), coverable buttons, Simply Knitting Magazine, cute postcards, a candy bar as big as my head, coveted Pony blocking pins, and… drum roll please… HipKnits laceweight cashmere, folks! Have you ever seen such a gorgeous thing?

[photopress:hipknits.jpg,full,pp_image]

I’ve long drooled over the HipKnits website, but I’ve never before had a hank of this luscious stuff. It is so wonderful as to be deserving of a new pattern. So, when I get around to knitting it in a thousand years or so, expect an original pattern. I’m already charting some ideas.

I wish that I were a better knitter, but I’m afraid I don’t have much if any progress to report on my many, many UFOs. I’ve gotten a sock and a half done out of the Fearless Fibers Chocolate Cherry, and only one Fleece Artist thrummed sock done. And I haven’t made a stitch of progress on the In the meantime, of course, I’ve slaked my endless thirst to cast on for something new, and started up the Tailored Scallops jacket from Lace Style:

The big differences are that (a) I won’t look like a charming 17-year-old with peaches-and-cream complexion in it, and (b) I’m doing mine out of Noro Iro, a variegated wool with all the color of a box of Crayolas. I’m hoping that I won’t look like, well, a box of Crayolas wearing it.

[photopress:NoroIro9.jpg,full,pp_image]

I’m liking this yarn - it’s gorgeous to behold, if not very soft (I must say that this is among the roughest wools I’ve ever worked with, which makes me glad it’s being turned into a piece of outerwear.) It’s knitting up frightfully quick - I got the back done in a day and a half and I’m a decent way along in the front. It’s looking good so far, although I won’t picture it until I’m sure it’s not going to join the UFO Hall of the Damned over here at Kitchener Bitch headquarters.
Zoot has another appointment at the vet, so keep your fingers crossed. Now I know there’s no way his liver tumors will have disappeared- but maybe it was the secondary infection/pancreatitis that was making him so sick, and he’s still got a while left in him! That’s all I can hope for with the little meatwagon. He’s pretty quiet these days - one of the things that makes me sad is that he can no longer jump up on the bed with us because it’s too high. I’m thinking of having our handyman build a little kitty ramp for him, but I don’t know if that’s insanely decadent.

More after the weekend… if there’s a God in heaven I’ll have something actually finished to show you soon.

Monday, 26 Feb 2007

A valentine, a finished thing, and many loose ends

First, a long-overdue thank you to Ali, who gave me this beautiful package for Valentine’s Day!

[photopress:ali1.jpg,full,pp_image]

Isn’t that the most beautiful yarn you ever saw? It’s Artyarns Ultramerino 4 - thanks for such a lovely present Ali!
[photopress:artyarnssock.jpg,full,pp_image]

Did you think I’d stopped knitting, kittens? I almost had, which is why I’ve been silent these last two weeks. But here for you is the last thing I finished, and I finished them in a hurry, too:

[photopress:artyarnsgloves.jpg,full,pp_image]

Emergency Gloves
Yarn: Artyarns Handpaint Stripes - 1 hank
Pattern: Basic Gloves from Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd
Needles: Size 5 bamboo double points
I like these, even though (as you can see from the picture) in just a few short weeks of use they’ve been pilling quite a bit. This yarn is pricey, unfortunately, but the good news is that I squeezed a pair of gloves out of just one hank. (We’d been told by Artyarns that you could get a pair of socks out of one skein, but I am here to tell you that is just a doggone lie. But gloves? No problemo. I’d even consider picking up another hank to make another pair, because despite the formidable pricetag it’s beautiful stuff.) In any case, they’re warm and they fit well… and they were an inordinately speedy knit. I think it took a week or so of fairly peripatetic knitting.

When I even think about knitting right now, though, it’s all about my many many unfinished projects. Foremost on my mind is my sad attempt at the Girl From Auntie’s Celtic Cap. Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I started this bad boy in black. Here it is, maybe 4 hours away from finished - since this is meant for Mr. KB’s very cold head, hopefully this will be the next finished object I have to report back to you:

[photopress:blackhat1.jpg,full,pp_image]

The Central Park Hoodie is so untouched as to not even deserve another photograph. To avoid thinking about it - something at which I normally consider myself a champion - I’ve started knitting this pair of socks:

[photopress:fearlessfibers1.jpg,full,pp_image]

Yes, I’d have the toe sewn up for your sock-viewing pleasure, if only I could figure out what I did with my Chibi. The yarn is Fearless Fibers and it’s lovely. I can’t recommend it highly enough! It’s a bit of a PITA at 9 stitches to the inch, but the fabric is soft and lovely Since I couldn’t get too far on that one without a tapestry needle, in the last day I’ve whipped up the cuff of this Fleece Artist Thrummed Sock kit:

[photopress:thrum1.jpg,full,pp_image]

Thrumming is crazy! This is one hairy sock on the inside!

[photopress:thrum2.jpg,full,pp_image]

Finally, I’ll just say that Zoot is in a holding pattern.  We feed him as much as we can, and some days he’s perkier than others.  Thanks for keeping my little fuzzy gutbucket in your thoughts.

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