The Eve of the Eve of Christmas Eve

Since I have a sneaking suspicion that this might be the last time I have to just screw around on the computer for awhile before Christmas, I thought I should spend a little time updating. We are really getting winter this year. Unlike more recent Christmases, this one feels like an old-fashioned Christmas with the cold and snow. No question at all about a white Christmas. At -11 degrees, this snow isn't going anywhere for awhile. The cold is fine for now, but I hope it warms up after the hubbub of the holidays so that we can get out and enjoy some of this snow. It's tough to ski when it's below zero.

Despite the frigid temps, we did venture out last night for a nice dinner at the M&S Grill and the George Winston concert at Orchestra Hall. It was a last minute decision, but the restaurant was quiet and there we tickets available for the concert. Winston is an unbelievable musical talent. Not much for showmanship until he starts to play.

Suppose I should quit stalling and get to work. The house needs a good once-over before we get to any serious celebrations, and there are a few food dishes that I can get prepped in advance so that I can avoid spending too much time in the kitchen later in the week. Calorie counting be damned for a few days!

Merry Christmas!

Norwegian Knitting

Last night I put the finishing touches on the matching sweaters that I have been making for my little niece and nephew for one of their Christmas presents. (I still had to get them a toy. What kid wants a sweater for Christmas?) I really needed to finish them up so that I could get all my family's gifts wrapped.

This was a fun project. I haven't had the time to do much machine knitting in the last few months, and so it was good to get in the workroom and get back into it.

Now I know a lot of handknitters think that this is cheating, but it's just another way of creating something out of fiber. While the actual knitting process is much faster with machine knitting, there is lots of planning that takes place long before you ever start making the sweater pieces. This is a Dale of Norway pattern called Sirdal. The Dale patterns are great for converting to machine knitting because they have very good graphs, and they also provide the schematics for their patterns. Just like in handknitting, the whole process starts with a swatch. Once I've entered the graphed patterns into the machine and selected my yarn, I knit a rather large swatch. I include every pattern--to test if they are correct--and I also make sure that I knit quite a bit of the main pattern. The main pattern in this case is the flecked design that is between the hem and the yoke patterns. Once I have the swatch knitted and blocked, I need to decide which gauge to enter into the machine, since the gauge in the main pattern is going to be slightly different than the gauge of the more dense patterns such as the one at the yoke of this sweater. The way I figure this out is to enter the dimensions for the shape of each piece into the machine and then adjust the gauge numbers to get the correct number of stitches and rows for that size. So unlike handknitting where it's important to adjust your knitting to the gauge of the pattern, with machine knitting it's important to adjust your pattern to the gauge of the knitting.

The next step is to measure out the length of each of the different patterns in the sweater. Then I add in the measurement for the hem--either a ribbed hem or in this case, just a folded hem. Once I have that measurement, I calculate how many rows of the main pattern that I will have to knit to get the length I need for each finished piece. Throughout this process, I keep detailed notes for every project so that when I get to the actual knitting, I am able to relax and just follow my own instructions--sometimes having to tweak a few things that sounded great in theory, but didn't work out so well in practice. The notes have also come in handy later on if I ever want to make the item again. Why reinvent the wheel every time?

Once the pieces are knit, most of the assembly can also be done on the machine. The only hand work on these two sweaters, after blocking, was to take care of several yarn ends, sew up the underarm and side seams, and apply the trim and buttons on the cardigan.

I'm really pleased with the way they both turned out, and am already thinking about something I'd like to make myself as a mid-winter project. Hope the kids like them.

Those Bleepin' Lights

When I noticed that two weeks had passed since I last posted, I wondered what I had accomplished in those two weeks. Actually, plenty--just like any other mother and wife has accomplished in these harried weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I won't bore you with all the details. Except, I must share my shock and delight about a project I tackled yesterday afternoon--the dreaded outside decorations for Christmas.

Why so dreaded? First off, I'm in MN. It's cold, and there's no way to put up wreaths, garlands, and lights with mittens on, so usually by the time I'm finished, I can no longer feel my fingers, and my toes aren't in much better shape. Secondly, it's those #@)%#$%^#! lights. I test them inside and they work fine, but spend ten or fifteen minutes wrapping them around some garland on the door frame, plug them in, and nothing! Arrrgghhh! But this year, I must admit, it really was smooth sailing. Cold? Yes, but no deep snow to trudge through with a ladder. Light bulbs out? A few, but I found the spent ones right away and had replacements. And just as I was finishing up, snow started to fall. I swear I heard Charlie Brown music in the background--oh, maybe that was my iPod. The good news is that it still appears to be in working order this morning. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I've also been finishing up a few knitting projects. The Cable Guy boopies are felted, dried, and waiting for their suede soles to be delivered by the UPS guy. (Man, those things are expensive!) The matching Norwegian sweaters for my niece and nephew are just about finished--lots of ends to be finished off and some sewing that won't take long. I got the crocheted fringe on a Prayer Shawl finished just in time for the blessing Mass last Friday. Finally, I cast off and blocked the Braids and Bobbles hat, and I love it. Hats and curly hair just don't go together, but as I said before, it gets cold here, so I'm always in search of a hat that works. This might be the best candidate yet. It's warm, but doesn't fit too tightly on my head. I'll give it a test drive this week. Maybe if I have to go outside and fix some of my lights.

Boopies!

Those are slippers to the uninitiated. I'm not sure why or how we started, but everyone in my family has grown up calling slippers "boopies." It can probably be attributed to toddler-ese--that secret language of little kids that only Mommies and Daddies really understand.

I think that slippers must have been one of the first things I ever knit as a kid--no doubt out of Red Heart yarn, and I can't imagine how many pairs I have knit since. They are a prime example of the total practicality of the skill of knitting--along with hats, mittens, socks, and basic sweaters. Sure, it's fun to do frivolous knitting, but what's better than finishing a project that you know will keep someone warm during our long winters?

Most recently, I finished a super simple pair of troll-like boopies from a free pattern that I found online. It's a pattern from a Finnish blogger, Minna, and you can find it here. The yarn is Cascade 220 Paints, and I chose colorway #9922. One skein was just enough to make a pair that would fit me--about a size 6 1/2-7. It would be an easy pattern to make larger or smaller--you'll need two skeins if you plan to go any larger. Once they were stitched up, I dug through my button jar to doll them up a little.

Last night I cast-on another pair that are also from a free online pattern. Cable Guy Slippers are knit and then felted. There's a little more to this pattern--a real heel and instep, some very basic cable stitches, and a kitchner stitched toe. I've had the pattern for quite awhile, but this is the first pair I've made. For this project, I bought Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Bulky in the colorway Kiwi. I whipped through the first skein last night and made this gigantic cuff and heel. I've had mixed results with felting slippers in the past using the House Slippers pattern from Knit 2 Together and Fiber Trends popular Felted Clogs pattern. Front load washers are not the best for felting, and I always seem to end up with a pair of slightly different sized slippers, especially with the Felted Clogs. Since these are sock-like slippers, I'm hoping for a more forgiving result.

Waiting in the wings I have some yarn for the Ribby Slipper Socks from the new Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts issue. These too, look like a quick knit--just the thing for a last minute Christmas gift. I did not splurge on the suggested Blue Sky yarns, but went for a more practical washable option instead to test the pattern.

I'm not quite sure who's going to end up with my boopie projects this Christmas, but that's the beauty of knitting boopies. No matter the results, they are bound to fit someone who will be grateful to have cozy slippers to pull on their feet when they settle down on a cold winter night.

So, What's With The Squirrels?

It's been an interesting week for squirrel sightings. Thankfully, mine was outside. (See Deb's Visitor.)

This afternoon this unusual little creature was dining on the birdseed that has landed on the ground underneath our feeders. I quickly grabbed my camera and took a few shots. They aren't the best--I didn't want to get to close and scare it away from coming back, but at least I've got proof. I don't think I've ever seen an albino squirrel before. As you can see, its coat is pure white. It came back several times before evening, so I'm hoping it will become a regular.

Apparently, they are fairly rare and don't survive too long because they have poor eyesight and tend to fall from trees. (I'm sorry, but that's kind of funny.) Maybe I'll have to do the unthinkable and actually set out some food for a squirrel.

Gnomes!

My mystery knitting is complete. I don't think most people would understand how I choose to use my free time, but I've had fun knitting up a few gnomes over the last few weeks. Except for purchasing the "beard yarn", I was able to use all leftovers from former projects, which appeals to my waste-not nature.

The knitting is a piece of cake. I knew that the real test of patience would be in the assembly, so I made myself stop at four before I started bringing them to life. The whole process was great fun.

Mystery Knitting

After finishing St. Brigid, I dug out a few quick little projects that have been in the queue. The problem with quick little projects is that they're quick. I guess I do prefer a more long term relationship with my knitting.
"Mom, can you make me a hat?"
Two days later.
"Better than that, I had enough yarn to make you two. Hat insurance."

Now what? I can't face those double-knit mittens yet. I'll take those on a car trip when I'll be happy to knit on anything. Instead I dug out a project that I thought might be fun. Can you guess what it is? It's a good project for using up all the extra skeins and bits of yarn that I don't have the heart to pitch after I've finished a project. It's super easy knitting with more effort put in the post-knitting phase.

I'll keep posting pictures as I get farther along in the process.

Separated at Birth

I'm just saying.

Apples, St. Brigid, and New Equipment

It was such a beautiful fall Sunday, that we felt compelled to visit our local apple orchard. Not surprisingly, a few other folks had the same idea. Pine Tree Apple Orchard was the happening spot with hayrides, live music, a corn maze, pumpkin patch...oh yea, and apples.


Watching the ALCS has been fun this weekend, too. (Go Rays!) It's also been a great time to put the finishing touches on my St. Brigid. It's all knit and put together, so I snapped a picture while it's getting a final blocking spread out on the living room carpet. This was my first KAL project which gave it a fun dimension, and it was the first Starmore pattern I have ever knit. With this project, I definitely feel like I've put another notch in my knitting belt. It was actually a pretty easy knit--no complicated sizing or difficult techniques. So, do I love it? I do. It's not a sweater that I will wear a lot. It's so very warm--almost like wearing a coat, but for the right situation, it is a beautiful pattern. I hope I'll have that occasion soon with the cool late October weather blowing in this week.

Those weather fronts always seem to bring in the first colds, too. So in between cups of tea and blowing through a couple boxes of Kleenex this week, I've also been working on setting up my new laptop. I hate buying new computers! I decided to spread out both the old and new laptops on the kitchen table along with an external hard drive that has all my files on it and set it to install, transfer, and search for drivers while I went about my business. I'm still working on getting it to recognize my old printer (I think this might be a lost cause), sync perfectly with my iPod touch (grrrr!), and remember all my preferences on Firefox. Here's hoping this laptop has a long life. I'm getting too old and impatient to do this too many more times.

Well, that's my life this week. And yes, I have already cast on my next knitting project. My son requested a knit hat to go with his new winter coat. I showed him a few of Jared Flood's hat patterns, and he liked the "Turn A Square" design. If there are extra innings tonight...

Technologized Again

My laptop is home! True, there's no telling how much longer she'll last, but it's here. Any day could be the last, which you think would make me more diligent about backing up my work. I guess that's the lazy optimist in me. Besides, I'm not exactly doing rocket science on this thing. (I don't want her to know, but I'm already shopping for a new one on the side.)

I found my camera as well. It was right where I left it. Now I feel just a little sorry for blaming my husband for taking it. (He could have!) The darn thing was left in the glove box after our trip to the North Shore.

These shots were taken a few weeks ago, so the color isn't quite as brilliant as I'm sure it is by now. On the day we were up, it was sunny as we were driving, but by the time we got out for a hike at Split Rock, a bank of clouds and fog blew in from off the Lake. We took our usual walk to the top of Day Hill where this lone fireplace sits. According to some, it was built by Mr. Day as a way to persuade his smitten to marry him and live along the lake. She obviously was not as smitten as he was, or his idea of a dream home scared her off, because it's all that was completed on the point. We've been visiting this spot for years and have yet to follow through on our plans to bring a picnic lunch and some supplies to start a fire. I guess Mr. Day is still having trouble getting people to stick around. It is a great view, and no trip to the North Shore would be complete without walking to the top.

Now that I've got my technology back, I thought I should offer up a picture of the miles of cables that will soon be St. Brigid. The front and back are complete, and I have another repeat or so on the sleeves before I can knit the braided cable shoulder piece. Cables are great. They can make a knitter look so good, and you don't have to be very clever at all to pull them off. This is the easiest pattern that I've knit in awhile. No shaping, no math. So far, I have only made one modification from the original pattern. I originally thought about knitting the sweater in the round, and the alternating double seed stitch pattern on either side would not have worked out even on the seam, so even though I ended up knitting the sweater in pieces, I still switched off the seed stitch order on the sides. Does this make sense?

Let me explain. In the pattern, the first row looks like this...
XXXOOOXXX--All the other cables--XXXOOOXXX
(The X's being knit stitches, the O's being purls.) If you knit it like this, you'd be seaming an X to an X and the continuity of the alternating double seed stitch would be lost. When I knit it, I decided to make the first row look like this...
OOOXXXOOO--All the other cables--XXXOOOXXX
Now, when I seam it, I will be seaming an X to an O. True, I don't have the symmetry on the front, but that will bug me less than it would have to lose that symmetry going around the sweater. (Is this the definition of anal?)

I'm excited to see how it looks, and the cool weather just around the corner is coaxing me to finish.

It's Over

Sad.


And according the Geeks, my laptop is terminal. Not a good week.

Go Twins!

Can this get any more exciting?! One game for all the marbles. I don't know if I'll be able to take it tonight. I'm a little concerned that it's Blackburn on the mound, but I'll be sending good vibes toward Chicago all day. Ozzie's going down.

I would post a picture of my progress on St. Brigid, but I still have no laptop, and my camera is missing. (My husband better have it with him on his trip!) Picture lots and lots of brown cables. There you go! I cast off the front Sunday night and got going on the sleeves yesterday. As usual, I am going to try and knit them both at the same time. You've heard of second-sock-syndrome. I suffer from second-sleeve-syndrome. It might get to be too much after a while, but for now, it seems to work. Knowing when to quit might be a bit tricky. I need to stop after a full repeat. Will that be too long for my stubby little arms? Oh, to be taller!

Now I'm off to more of my glamorous life. Window washing. Can it get any less exciting?

Still Waiting for the Geeks...

So, I'm not so sure on the smarts of a Geek. The laptop saga continues. They actually called and left a message on my machine yesterday wanting to know if I will approve a $1,000+ repair on my laptop. Does this make sense? Does someone actually say, "Yea, go ahead. I'd much rather do that than go buy a new one for less money." I'm distraught. I don't want to buy a new computer. Windows Vista? Arrrgghhh. Is it time for a Mac?

St. Brigid is going much better than my computer dilemma. I have one more repeat of the large cable pattern on the front panel before I can begin the neck shaping. For a little while last night I was afraid that I might get off track. Knitting and watching the Twins in a close one with the Sox was very dangerous, but I think I did it, and I knit so furiously in the top of the 9th that I probably got more done than usual. Nathan is the man! Going for the sweep!

Waiting for the Geeks

"My name is Kathy, and I'm a laptopaholic."
"Hi, Kathy."
"I have now gone five days without my laptop."
Applause.
"Oh, I'm still using my desktop and my iPod touch."
Murmur, murmur.

Knitting and Computers

What's better than having the Internet available when you're thinking about starting a new knitting project? You can check out different yarns, you can learn from everyone else who may have already made your project, and you can sometimes even see the finished item on a "real" body--everything looks good on someone who is 6' and 100 lbs. As someone who knit for many years in near virtual isolation (remember when knitting was only something that your Grandma did?), I love the resources available to me through my laptop. Unfortunately, my poor laptop suffers from my craft.

As I'm typing, it sounds as if a small aircraft is landing on my desk. I try and keep the fuzzies out. I faithfully blow out the dust balls that get sucked into my computer, but I think we're past that now. I think it's time for the professionals. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I get anxious at the thought of being separated from my laptop for a few days. After all, we do have other computers in the house, but it's just not the same. This one knows what I like.

If my laptop is gone next week, I should be able to go great guns on St. Brigid. At this point, I have the charts pretty much committed to memory, so even though I haven't had a lot of knitting time this week, when I have had a chance to get to it, the knitting has gone fast. I should be able to cast off the back this weekend. Last night I decided to measure my progress against another sweater I own that is a similar style, and now I'm certain that seven repeats of the large cable will be enough. I even debated about six, but this is a pattern that is meant to be boxy and over-sized. This is a Minnesota sweater--not for the menopausal.

Pesto Pronto

With cold air moving in, it's time to take care of all the basil I have growing in my garden. Basil is so cold sensitive, and I'd hate to loose an opportunity to preserve a summer treat to enjoy when the snow is flying. Just a few weeks ago, I trimmed the whole works back and made my first batch of pesto to freeze, but it's come back with gusto.

I've got about a half dozen plants--most of them in the vegetable garden and one in a pot by the back door for quick snipping while I'm cooking. Once I've cut the plants back, I pick of the best leaves and throw them in the food processor. Having perfected this over the years, my own preference is to use the fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, a little salt and pepper, and then the olive oil drizzled in with the processor running. I have the best luck with saving the addition of garlic and parmesan just as I'm about to use it in my recipe.

The next step is to get out that kitchen gadget from our past--the ice cube tray. (It's like trying to explain to someone under 25 what a typewriter was.) I spread the pesto evenly into the tray and pop it inot the freezer. Then once it's frozen, the individual pesto cubes can be stored in a freezer bag, or I prefer an canning jar to keep them from getting too beat up. Then come this winter, just thaw a few out for pasta or a panini spread or throw a couple cubes in a pot of vegetable soup. But please, save a little of the fresh to enjoy on a plate of pasta as a reward for your effort.

Sweater Weather

There's definitely a nip of fall in the air this week. Welcome relief after the hot and sticky weather that we had over Labor Day weekend. It might not be a bad idea to sort through my sweaters and see which ones could use a little freshening up. I will never publicly admit to how many sweaters are in my closet. It's kind of a uniform thing. Jeans--or khakis--tee shirt--short-sleeved or long, and a sweater. Add Crocs, Borns, or Tevas, and I'm set. How fashion forward.

St. Brigid is on the needles. When I did my gauge swatch a few weeks ago, I was able to get the best gauge with a #5 needle, but as I started knitting up the back this week, it became obvious that it was going to end up being way too over-sized for me. I started over with #3 needles, and I think this is going to be much better. My concerns about having a bulletproof sweater don't seem to be an issue.

The first few rows in a new cable project are always the toughest. You can't see the pattern yet, and you're not too sure what all those symbols are telling you to do. It always helps me to make cheat sheets. Once I've copied the graphs, I cut them out and tape them all to one sheet of paper along with the key for the symbols. I put them on my magnet sheet and into the sleeve of a page protector, and I'm ready to go. I've even gotten into the habit of making spreadsheets so that I know which row I should be knitting for each cable pattern on any given row in the sweater. This is especially helpful when the cable patterns have a different number of rows in the repeat of the pattern--which is the case in almost every cabled project I've ever knit. Once I've taken the time to do this prep work, it's about as mindless as I can make it. Now that I've gotten through the entire repeat for almost the second time on, the knitting is going much faster, and I can actually talk to my husband and/or watch TV simultaneously. The cables have a new twist (sorry) this time, too. Stitches are increased and decreased at the beginning a again at the end of the repeat. I wish I could dream up this stuff. I guess I should just be grateful that I can at least reproduce someone else's creativity. On with the KAL!

Empty Nesting

Now that our son is off to college, it's time to get to all the things that I said I would do "after Labor Day." True, I could slack off for a few more days, but why wait?

First thing on the list, go have coffee with a friend. Come on. I can at least slack off for a morning. The next priority was to get some of ripe tomatoes off the vine and pick what is getting to be the last of the green beans. BLTs for supper tonight. After all, it's so American to take something healthy like fresh tomatoes and pair them with bacon and mayo.

Once the veggies were in--I'm kidding myself into thinking I'm a farmer--it was time to tend to the flower beds. I can tell it's getting to be September as the plants are winding down. One of the biggest tasks is trying to keep up with the seed heads so that I'm not pulling up volunteers all over the garden next summer. I should really pick a few bouquets and bring them into the house. Somehow, when I get ready to cut the stem, I just don't seem to be able to do it. I always think I'd rather come outside and look at a flower for a week or so than have it on the breakfast table for only a day or two. So I'm a gutless farmer.

As hard as it is to wait until September officially hits to cast on St. Brigid, it's even harder to keep working on my Double-Knit Mittens. I am plodding on and am finally getting close to working the pattern and shaping at the top of the mitten. True confessions. At times, I've had momentary thoughts of amputation rather than having to knit the accompanying mitten for this set.

What do you do when you're working on a project that has become less than enjoyable? This is, after all, a hobby. It's supposed to be pleasant. Despite my complaining, I do like how this mitten is turning out, and it's not in my nature to give up on something just because it's not fun or easy. When is it virtuous to keep going, and when is it time to give it up? All I know is a St. Brigid September will be a welcome break.

Finished!

I had my doubts whether or not I could finish my Alix's Prayer Shawl before the deadline of Ravelympics 08, but I got the knitting completed while we were in LA and have it drying out on a rug as we speak. I snapped this picture of it draped on the back of the hotel room chair after I did the bind off.

Even though I took it along on our trip over the weekend, I decided not to bring it on the plane. It was getting a little bulky and since each row had so many stitches by the end, I was afraid I would have a mess if I had to put it away suddenly. By the last repeats, it would take a good ten to fifteen minutes to knit each row, and while my family now understands it when I say, "Just let me finish this row.", I didn't think a hundred or so people on the plane would be as patient.

We had a great trip out to California. The Angels stadium was beautiful--and the Twins won both Thursday and Friday night. (We must be good luck.) Besides the games, we squeezed in one day at Disneyland and another day taking in the sights around Los Angeles. We're already thinking about our next Twins trip. Colorado? Toronto? Kansas City?

Another hectic week ahead of us. We'd like to try and get to the State Fair for our annual day of gluttony, there's some packing that needs to get done, and then we take our son up to college on Thursday. We've had quite a summer before we all begin the next phase!

Photo Finish

It could be a tight finish trying to get my Ravelympics shawl finished in time, but I'm going to dig in and try to finish the last leg. Does blocking count? Judges? Judges? If it's the actual knitting that has to be completed, I may be okay. Such Ravelympics anxiety.

Maybe I'll find some knitting opportunities on the plane. We're off to see the Twins take on the Angels later this week. When we made these plans, there was no way that we could have known that we'd be watching the best team in baseball playing our home team--while they are battling for first place against the Sox. September is going to be so exciting! (I hope.)

Not many days left before we take our son up for his freshman year of college. Wouldn't it be great to do that again? And with computers. Term papers without white-out. Research without having to trudge to the library. I'm jealous.

Da, Da, Da-da-da-da-daaaa...

Can't you tell that it's the Olympic theme?

I cast-on my Alix's Lace Prayer Shawl on Friday night during the Opening Ceremonies, but have to admit that I did more watching than knitting. That has to be the most fabulous thing that has ever been on television, and on HD, it was awesome. We missed the very beginning, so we Tivo'd the replay, and I can't wait to watch it again.

Now that the games have started, I've found I'm a much more productive knitter during, say, the team handball competition or men's badminton. Whoa! Just as I hoped, the pattern didn't take long to figure out, and so I can just take a quick glance at the pattern to work the lace row and then there always the "take-a-break" purl row to keep up with what's going on as the guys click from one event to the next. Even though I wasn't initially too excited to work with this yarn, I think it's really the perfect choice. It's soft with a nice sheen and has some real depth of color. I think it will hold the pattern well with washing, too.

No Olympics or knitting last night as we went to the Melissa Etheridge concert in St. Paul. Jim bought the tickets long ago for a work night out, but everyone backed out at the last minute, so I ended up going with him. Not being a fan, I only recognized a couple of her bigger hits. Jim enjoyed it and is a good sport about going to Elvis Costello or jazz concerts, so it was fair play.

St. Brigid and Swatch Inferiority Complex

Since I had most of the day to myself, I thought I would use part of it to take the opportunity to get out the St. Brigid pattern and read it through to see what I have to look forward to this fall. I thought a good place to start was with St. Brigid herself.

From what I can tell, the legend of the pattern's namesake, not unlike the more famous Irish patron St. Patrick, has been so embellished over the centuries that it is difficult to sort fact from fiction. Brigid, pronounced "Brij-id", "Bree-id", or "Bride", is always portrayed in iconography with a cross woven from rushes and with fire. The cross because she is said to have made it to explain the passion of Christ to pagans. (Again, not unlike St. Patrick who used the three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity.) And the fire comes from all kinds of stories about her life that involve fire and also from the eternal flame that the nuns kept at her sanctuary. I'm not sure if any of this had anything to do with Alice Starmore's design, but I'll try and remember her weaving her cross as I'm weaving my cable designs.

I am going to make this sweater from Jamieson's Shetland Heather in color #108 Moorit, which is kind of a butterscotchy brown. (Earth tone? What a surprise!) In order to get gauge, I ended up knitting on a size 5 needle. Actually, I can't get a perfect gauge with this yarn, but I get the closest on a 5 and still get a fabric that will make a nice sweater--27 rows and 18-19 sts. = 10 cm. I must knit at a ridiculously loose tension, and I every time I knit a swatch I feel like I must be doing something wrong to be so far off the average on every pattern. It's gotten to the point where I won't even start the swatch on the prescribed needle size. I don't know why I let it bother me. I've been knitting a long time, and most things turn out pretty well. Funny how a four inch square can make us doubt ourselves.

So, part of my day was spent with St. Brigid. I've made my swatch and some notes to make a few size adjustments, and now I'll pack it away until the temps drop this fall. It's time for Olympic knitting!

Gaughan's Currer--Love It

Actually, it's the Currer without the Love It. I hadn't been able to find the Berroco Love It in a color or with enough skeins in a dye lot locally, and so I was on the lookout for a substitute. When I knit that (lame) BYOB, I thought that the Cotton-Ease would be a good choice for this pattern, and I was right. I got the buttons on this morning, and I love it (small "L"). It fits perfectly.

It took me only about a week to knit up the pieces. I did spend quite a bit of time after blocking with the seaming--sewing the peplum to the body was the toughest part. I still think I might do some gentle steaming along the seams to smooth them out, but I'm very pleased with the whole project. I can't wait to wear it, although it looks like I might have to with the predicted temps for the next few days into the 90's. Maybe I can bring it to an over-air-conditioned restaurant.

I also picked up some yarn for a shawl to work on for the Ravelympics. A few weeks ago I read a blog entry from The Rainey Sisters about the Wrapped In Care project, and I've been thinking about it ever since. We've had our own issues with having babies, but can not imagine the heartbreak of having your new infant die. Then when I read about the Ravelympics, I thought this would be a great opportunity to get a shawl knit up to send to the cause. What could be better than an easily memorized (I hope) lace pattern for watching TV? It took me awhile to decide on the yarn. I wanted something nice, but it does need to be machine washable, and I can't expect someone to reblock a shawl every time they want it cleaned. I decided to go with the Alix Prayer Shawl Pattern and a Bernat yarn called Satin. I think if I block it with steam, even though it's an acrylic, it should hold the pattern after washing. So, until the Olympics start, I'm back to my mittens.

Better run. I've accomplished the impossible and gotten all of my siblings to commit to coming over for dinner tomorrow night. Not all the spouses and kids are going to be able to make it, but we will have all the brothers and sisters (5) together with Mom for the first time in a long while. It should be fun.

You complete me---no, you corrupt me.

After meeting my friend Deb for coffee this morning, one thought kept creeping into my consciousness--Wacky Cake. Wacky Cake and raspberries. (That's right. I'm a deep thinker.) Deb, you must have terrific descriptive skills, because you had me digging through my old recipes until I found what I needed to enjoy what sounded so delicious. Fortunately, I had everything in my pantry to make it for a treat for the weekend. I did have to substitute champagne vinegar for the good old common white variety, but thought that wouldn't be a problem. High brow Wacky Cake.

By the way this was a successful foray into the cocoa powder world. (See below.)

Knitting Again

Now that I'm a little more caught up, I've finally been able to find some knittin' time. I'm still working on my Double-Knit Mittens, and as much as I like the way they are turning out, I can't seem to master the technique of knitting two strands of yarn alternately to the point that would make this an enjoyable project to pick up in the evening. It's strictly for the nights that I'm ready for a challenge

For a something simpler, I thought I would quickly knit up a couple of the BYOB shopping bags to give to my sister for her birthday. It is an easy and quick knit, but kind of a dumb finished project. The bag is too bulky to carry around and gets all stretched out if you try and carry anything of weight. I made one, and then went shopping for something else to give to my sister. It turned out not be a total waste of time, because I found a great summer weight yarn in Lion's Brand Cotton-Ease. In fact, while I was out shopping for my sister's new gift, I picked up enough of the it for my next project.

Last night I cast on Currer from Berroco's Second Volume of Norah Gaughan's Collection in the Cotton-Ease. The only color that I thought I could live with and that had enough skeins in one dye lot was Stone, and while I wasn't thrilled about the color when I bought it, I think it will be perfect. I like this yarn so much. It knits up without plying, it has good body to it, and when I machine washed and dried the swatch, it looked great without any blocking at all. I have heard some grumblings about this pattern, though. Guess I'll find out.

Finally, under the category of didn't-really-want-but-don't-have-the-heart-to-pitch, my Mom gave me some dishtowels that she found that had been embroidered by my Grandma. This must have been her idea of fun for quite a long time, because I already had a lot of these from when we closed out her house. Since they aren't much good for drying dishes, I was thinking that I might turn a bunch of them into a valance for our big window in the sunroom off the kitchen. Put it on the list.