AnotherPurl :: a knitter's life

A day for relaxation

Memorial Day weekend (at least in Maine) is the traditional start to the tourist season. While I was growing up, it usually meant work and unfamiliar crowds. Now it is a time to get caught up on the cleaning and necessary cooking and to relax. On the years when it is warm, it also heralds the start of summer cooking.

Last night I made homemade pumpkin pasta (which made way more pasta than 'serves 4'), and Pumpkin ice cream (Ben & Jerry's ice cream cookbook). Nice and sweet and refreshing after the hot day, the ice cream reminds me why I love to cook the way other items (including cookies most of the time) do not. I think the next time I make this ice cream, I am going to take butterscotch or caramel or maybe even Nutella and fold in a swirl of flavor.

Knitting is continuing apace. May's great goal was to start lots of projects and I have started about 6 (and bought yarn for about 10! Gulp!). June's goal is to complete at least 5 projects. Hopefully this will mean a lot of Dulaan items for the box (granted, Dulaan only really counts as one big project or it would be too easy to meet my goal) and a good number of birthday and Christmas presents completed.

Last night I did my swatching for Nothing but a T. I am making mine in the Wool of the Andes, which I intend to dip dye when I am done. My initial swatch on the size 8s was much too large at 4 stitches an inch, so I dug around for another set of needles and am ready to roll tonight!

The month of May

The month of May has been Start Something New (June will be Finish Something Old) here on my blog. I have started a sweater, a vest, a halter top, and a baby blanket. Before month's end, I will have started a Nothing but a T Shirt and possible the I Do shrug from Knitty (and a tank, and a womb doll or two, but that is more than enough).

I am making the Baby Blanket out of Shine (from Knit Picks). I started it last night using size 6 dpns and following up with size 6 circulars. It is very loose (I am up a needle size from recommended, because the 6s were the only dpns I had in the size range that I had matching circulars for). The result is going to be a nice loose baby blanket that is soft and light with a lot of drape. I am enjoying knitting with the Shine. It doesn't split often on the needles (I think it happened to me twice when I was transferring from the dpns to the circular needles - talk about awkward).

The yarn is incredibly affordable for machine washable cotton (well, cotton and modal). If all of the offerings are as much fun to knit with I will have a place to go for yarn for the really expensive projects (large blankets, fancy sweaters, etc.).

A little bit of history

The American Heritage Textile Museum is having financial difficulties. Decreased numbers of visitors, lowered budgets, and other factors make it hard for this museum to operate. There is a good article in the Lowell Sun about the Museum's difficulties.

I would not consider myself a fan of history. I don't really care about the dates of wars or who was President (or Prime Minister, etc.) during which periods of time. I care about the history of art, of women's crafts, and our position in society (to which end I often learn the things I don't care about). The idea that a place the intimately concerns women's historical place in society might go away is horrible. I am seriously considering saving my pennies and buying a membership to the museum.

I don't do this often. I believe in a lot of things, but I rarely take the steps necessary to support them in anyway more than just saying, "I like what you're doing. Keep it up."

A yarn order

I have placed my first Knit Picks order, determined to make both a baby shower gift and a top for myself in the upcoming month and wishing to spend about 30 dollars. I used my credit card limit to determine how close to the $30 for free shipping I was to get and have gotten one project started (well, it won't be really started until later this month).

What am I planning to make?

The Pinwheel Baby Blanket.

I want to use the Shine, because it is machine washable and a cotton blend. If there is extra yarn (which there might be because I was totally guestimating on amounts), then I will make something to match it also for the little tyke. This is a much better plan than the cross-stitch, which takes forever (and needless to say can be expected as a second birthday present or later).

Finished Socks!

So, here is my first pair of socks. They were made using Regia 4ply and number 1 bamboo needles (I think the wooden needles probably account in part for both my looser gauge and my ability to Kitchener on the T).

Now on the needles:

A pair of socks for the husband (some Opal yarn that may or may not be striping, right now it is just variegated).

I have also swatched some Phoenix for my first design and some Bamboo that I was thinking to use for socks (but it might be too scratchy).

Finished!

I finished my socks on the T this morning (well, I was Kitchener-ing the toes right before South Station). At lunch I wove in a few loose ends, decided that I have a hole from the one area where I had to start a new skein (have to try the spit thing next time), furthermore decided I didn't care because they were for me, and have tried them on.

Dang, they are warm!

I had them on for maybe 2 minutes. I noticed a few flaws that will hopefully come out in the wash, and then I noticed that my feet were really warm. It's a nice day in Boston. Way too nice for hand knit socks on my feet.

But they are done and I have yarn to try and make another pair (the lacey ones from Summer 05 Interweave Knits) out of Bamboo. Hopefully I won't mess up the gauge too badly.

Things learned from this pair of socks.

• Second sock syndrome only really happens if you don't remember to cast on the second sock immediately.
• Gauge happens. I was using the Ann Budd book and following the same sock gauge. They look the same on my feet, but are very distinct looking sizes sitting next to each other.
• Turning heels is fun, and makes me feel like I understand short rows.
• My gauge is horribly loose. 7 stitches per inch with Regia 4ply on size 1s. I think to get the tight socks I have seen I have to use something smaller than a 0.

Now to do more Dulaan and baby knitting.

And a good time was had...

Or an entire week in review.

Last week was mostly a wash. Too much work, annoyed and angry coworkers, stress and squabbling and lack of sleep were pretty much the order of the day(s). Things started to get better on Friday, but it was still fairly hit or miss until Friday night at Circles. There Stephanie (Yarn Harlot) read from her book and took questions (which I didn't think to ask until I got home).

I was horribly excited when I got home. I had gotten to talk to a lot of people who I had never met before (though I recognized a large number of them via their blogs). That was minor ducats compared to finding someone with whom I had a large-ish number of friends in common. It was a Small World moment, which made the gratefully accepted ride home much fun indeed.

Saturday was a bit weird. I wanted to knit, but there was entertaining to be done. I hung out with friends, ate Konditor Meister cake, and played video games. Eventually everyone left and I started to relax, though I was pretty much brain dead. I arranged to meet with a friend for walking on Sunday.

Yesterday it rained. Duh if you were in the Boston area. I walked for a bit, had coffee, chatted with David, and visited my friend's exhibit at Somerville Open Studios. Very nice set up and her wire trees were looking pretty snazzy.

When I got home, I found out that our toilet had overflowed and was horribly clogged. We found a plumber and they came out and snaked it for us. I took a short nap and then worked on my second sock. I did most of the toe (and why I stopped then is beyond me), and then we got dinner and I lazed for the rest of the evening.

Not bad at all.