Calorimetry and Me Brittney and Karla came over yesterday to watch the movie Antonia's Line, which according to Weekend Knitting was about unmarried women knitting while they waited out their pregnancies. Well, there was no knitting in the movie, although there was one scene where two women were winding a ball of yarn, and another where a woman was using an old fashion knitting loom...but we were expecting full on knitting and chatting about knitting. Oh well, it was a good film anyway. (Wikipedia calls it a "feminist fairy tale," which I can kind of see...)

Anyway, while the girls were here I finished my Sweettarts Socks (pictures soon!), and Brittney finished her Calorimetry. I had cast one one ages ago, but frogged it due to gauge issues, which practically everyone had with this pattern. I always meant to cast on another one, though, and seeing Brittney's off the needles inspired me. So, here's mine:

Pattern: Calorimetry via Knitty.com. Yarn: Leftover Noro Kureyon from a scarf I made my grandma for Christmas. (It's the smaller one in the photo.) The Cal took less than half a skein! Needles: US 9, vintage Susan Bates. Mods: Cast on 80 St instead of 120. Used W&T method to prevent holes from forming (with the exception of a button hole). Added a cute wooden button!

I didn't mean to burn though this project in an afternoon, but there it is!

Labels: FO, knitty

  ¶ 9:24 PM 4 Comments

  My Very Own Swallowtail Today was a wonderful day. Kellen took me to the Heart of the Redwoods Quilt Show (he went to the batting cages) and it was really amazing! The quilts were inspiring, but I think anyone who says they don't have time to knit should talk to a quilter! Mostly, the show made me miss my Great Grandmother, who quilted. I wish I could have gotten to know her as a crafty adult, instead of just as a 4-year-old. On a happier note, we also took pictures of the Swallowtail!

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark. Interweave Knits, Fall '06. Yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer in Turquoise Splendor. Needles: Knit Picks Options, US 6. You already know how much I love this pattern, and this yarn, so really what more can I say? It was a dream to knit. I wasn't quite sure I could pull off wearing a shawl, being the cranky hipster that I am, but I think it's pretty beautiful and definitely worth showing off!

I almost didn't want to cast off because I loved knitting it so much! I don't know if I'll make another Swallowtail anytime soon, but this definitely has a place in my "Favorite Patterns" collection!

Labels: FO

  ¶ 4:45 PM 7 Comments

  It was an Airy Scarf! Remember my secret knit? It was the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts! If you're my friend on Ravelry, you might have already seen it, but my secret pal, Robyn, finally received her last package, so now I can blog about it!

Pattern: Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts Yarn: Knit Picks alpaca cloud in Horizon Needles: US 10.5 clovers.

This was a fun, easy knit, and I'll definitely be making more in the future. Maybe for Christmas?

Labels: FO, secret pal

  ¶ 9:27 PM 2 Comments

  Swallowtail, part deux

I finished my second Swallotail Shawl. Action photos this weekend after I convince Kellen to take some pretty ones!

Labels: FO

  ¶ 7:07 PM 2 Comments

  Hey, hey, they're the monkeys!

I tweaked the photo a bit so the yarn color was more accurate. My lawn isn't really radioactive green! Pattern: Monkey, by Cookie A (as if you didn't know!) Yarn:Knit Picks Memories in Hawaii (why does knitpicks insist on discontinuing my favorite yarns?!) Needles: US 1, Brittanys, gifted to me by my secret pal.

I really like these socks a lot, although the second one is a bit tighter than the first. Maybe I was more stressed the second time around? They both fit though, and the yarn is comfy, soft, and warm. Good thing it's been too hot for socks, though, because I can't wear these just yet. I'm going to put them in the fair! I just need to get my hands on some sock blockers. Oh, and remember when I said I had to go down to 00s to get gauge? My swatch lied. It couldn't go over my foot. I should have just used common sense and realized that I almost always cast on 64 stitches and size 1 needles almost always fit me. These were worth frogging and reknitting though.

Okay, time for me to go listen to some knitting podcasts and finally finish my swallowtail! I think I'm procrastinating because I don't want it to end!

Labels: FO

  ¶ 3:31 PM 3 Comments

  just keep stitching, just keep stitching i know i've been a bad knit blogger lately, but i've just been plugging along, so i haven't had a lot to update! I'm on the last chart of the Swallowtail, I finished one sweetarts sock, but it's a little tight, so I think I'm going to frog it and knit them 4 stitches bigger. Might as well make comfy socks, right?

I *did* get to finish my second monkey tonight, except for grafting the toes. Pictures of those soon! Anyway, I got to finish them up because my little brother, Jaime, had a baseball game in Crescent City today. Crescent City is about 2 hours north of here, so I got a lot of knitting in on the drive there and back, and of course during the game. I also got to check out A Perfect Yarn, Crescent City's tiny-but-wonderfully-stocked yarn shop. If you're ever heading up or down the 101, check it out! I treated myself to some wonderful yummy opal handpainted yarn, at 50% off!!

I think that just might be a Clapotis for me! The book, as you probably know, is America Knits by Melanie Falick, which I snagged used on Amazon for 69 cents.

Like I said, I'm just finishing up a few things, then I'm ready to get started on my Christmas knitting!  ¶ 7:49 PM 3 Comments