stitches and letters

I'm back to blogging after my final physics exam yesterday (I'm entirely pleased with the result, just for the record) but I'm a little off my game today, really, really tired and I think the cold that was looming over me for the last few days may become full-fledged. So today I'm doing everything I had no time for before the exam. That includes blogging and making new and exciting knitting plans.

So yesterday I was waiting for my exam and sat on the hall in the theoretics department, a complete nervous wreck. And in the next room there was a heated discussion going on. Raised voices in thickly accented clumsy English. The few bits and pieces I actually caught indicated some kind of professionally disagreement. I fully expected that before someone would start sharpening vectors ;) I'm asking you, what could possibly get so emotionally heated in theoretical physics that it could warrant a full-blown shouting match?

Back to knitting: I finished the double heelix socks and I am rather sorry but I don't think I can present you this a picture, because they have to go rather quickly to the post office, so that they get where they are going in time. But I will try to badger the recipient into taking one and sending it to me. They ended up being identical because it would seem rather strange to have dramatically different sock legs peaking out of your shoes...

Also yarnharlot bombarded me with the cutest baby patterns during her baby watch 2011 and I couldn't resist and made a tiny zig-zag-cap and turned the left-over-yarn from Blue beast into a tiny Puerperium Cardigan. It's still waiting for buttons but a I'm conferring with a friend over them today. I can also report that I have done nine and a half of the fifteen seams of Rainbow. It's coming together and it is about time :)

The super secret project has been started. I have to think of a code name. One that doesn't give away anything. Code Name is actually not so bad :D It's not bad at all. For that project I started doing colourwork two-handed. I really have to concentrate to do that and my right hand keeps cramping up. That's not so unexpected since I only recently learned English knitting and the movements are not quite as familiar as picking is.

And now I going to browse the web for new knitting ideas and try to find the one yarn I have to get to finish the Blue Laminaria. It will hopefully be perfect for my big sis who requested a wrap to ward off the cold.

This morning is the perfect morning: The sky is unbelievably blue, it's sunny but the air is crisp and brings a slight blush to your cheeks and it smells faintly of the leaves, that are going to fall in another week. And to top it all off I have a cup of coffee and cranked Foreigner up (I'm currently going through a Foreigner phase).

Also I got my shipment of woolen goodies. I can't talk about all of them, because there are people reading the blog who can't know my plans :) But I can tell you that the second version of Quack is well on it's way, the first step is nearly done on both of the pair. (This version has a slightly more complex construction as it will be felted when it is half done) I'm a bit worried about the felting part and hoping it won't turn out too small. Then I got elephant-gray yarn for the elephant sweater and it is in a good elephant colour. I also got merino wool in green and brown, as a sweater I knit last year again for my niece needs embellishing. She's again refusing to wear it for lack of pink and now will get an apple tree. And since green and brown seemed so lonely (and I think I'll need more colours to make anything and it's gorgeous Merino) I also got sand, red and petrol.

And last but not least I treated myself to luxury fibers since I passed my psychology exam: Two lace yarns, one is a stunning red and Merino (75%) and Kashmir (25%) and the other one is Kid Mohair (70%) und Seide (30%), fluffy and in an colourway, that was apparently named as boring as they could: sand. Both are oh so soft and whispering of the beautiful things I can make them into. I have to think very hard about that, so that the turn into exactly the right things.

Today happened the sweetest thing that can possibly happen to a knitter. First you have to know that today is the first real day of autumn here. It's been raining on and of the whole day, hardly any sun at all. You might think this gloomy, for me it's the beginning of my favourite time of year. And it has been aptly accompanied by my personal sign of the approaching glory: I found the first chestnuts of the year. And then my father phoned just to say that he is wearing Blue Beast the first time and that it is so soft and warm and caresses his back. (That was just what I had in mind for him while I was knitting away on it, since he has been plagued by backaches for years.) And that an acquaintance commented on it, asking if it was hand knit, because those were the best :)

Meanwhile Wraparound got four tiny adorable mother-of-pearl buttons from my mothers button stash, that in itself is comprised of her mothers, her (paternal) grandmothers and her own. That, I think, is really, really sweet and makes for great discoveries and hidden treasures every time you go through it. Also I finished Double Heelix sock No 1 and cast on No 2. I'm still not sure, if should make them identical or fraternal (switching the colours on foot and leg) but that decision can wait till nearly to the end, making it possible to discuss it lengthly with ette :)

One thing remains and must be told: My niece refused unwaveringly to wear the striped cotton sweater because it has neither pink nor violet in it and that makes clothes unacceptable to her right now (Truth to be told, it bugs the hell out of my sister). But she had a rather ingenious idea: she took my niece shopping for buttons and they picked three cute ducks to be sewn decoratively to the sweater. My sis wanted to place them on the red stripes as they have red bows around their necks but my niece insisted that they had to go on the green one, because they are going for a walk. Nothing could be more logical.

We finally got the whole picture deal working: osti wrote the skript, ette found her camera and I plowed through the unmemorable file names like DSCF3506.JPG. Without further ado (but with excuses for the picture quality especially for the motion blur) I give you Blue Beast:

And I also present you pictures of its progress:









But as you can see above everything went well. I backstitched all the steek openings to the wrong side and picked up the stiches for the facings from the edge.

And to finish this post of, I have a few random pitures for you:

I think I have to update my queue (such a surprise, when you've read the title), since there was quite a change in the last two weeks.

I'll start with the things from my previous queue, that have been finished:

• Blue Beast. Finished and already given to my father. Pics should follow shortly.
• Cuddly and Sweet. Also finished and tucked away in my done-and-awaiting-the-event-bin.
• Quack. Same here.
• Wraparound. Done but still waiting on buttons.
• Striped Cotton Sweater. Done and already in use (hopefully, in spite of its sad lack of pink and violet)

Hmm, quite a list, when you write it down like this.

On to the sad list of sleeping projects, that dream of the day I'm struck by inspiration and finally knit them.

• fingerless orange gloves with beads
• Square one of maybe some day a blanket
• Argyle-Socks. Can't say I'm overly motivated to finish them.
• Red thrummed sock. Same here, especially since it's born out of a stupid mistake
• the blue laminaria. Damn, I need to order that ball of yarn.
• Pick a Side. By the time I'm finished, it won't fit my niece anymore.

Also not an insignificant list. Damn.

Now we are getting to the interesting part. Things I'm knitting on (or should be knitting on)

• black thrummed mittens. I should finish them at the last in time for the first snow up in Zellerfeld.
• The blue alpaca jacket. Also falls into the "should"-category.
• "Very Blue". Has to be done by Christmas. I would knit on it, had my knitting basket not swallowed it. Damn.
• The foggy green socks. It's Cachoeira (Can you blame me for forgetting that name?)
• the dark green laminaria. There is quite a bit to knit still, but I'm currently in the boring phase where know the pattern by heart and still have to knit the repeat about three and a half times. I really like the pattern, but it's slow going at the moment.
• sewing up Rainbow. It just takes time and since I have time on that one: also slow going.
• Heelix in the same foggy green as cachorrooeeoooia (I just can't seem to remember the name properly. Maybe I should look up the Greek spelling and put my education to a good use.) and white. I'm nearly at the toe on sock number 1.
• Rrroar, a new project and a fast one. It's a hat knit from the leftovers of Cuddly and Sweet. I only need to do about six rows and the embellishments. I'm not so sure it will fit an newborn, since its smaller than the pattern specifies. Additionally is my sister known for producing quite large newborns. All the little booties I knit for my niece never came into use, because she entirely skipped that particular size. Not that it is particularly problematic. Either both the booties and the hat fit my nephew or they will put them to good use on their dolls and stuffed animals.
• The Aeolian Shawl. I started it and it's going great with one exception: Regia lace and placing beads with a crochet hook, not so great. Don't get me wrong it's working fine, but the yarn is rather loosely spun, so you don't always get it completely with the hook. You constantly have to keep an eye on it. So far I love the pattern, but that is no surprise, since I was equally enchanted with Laminaria, both from the brilliant mind of Elizabeth Freeman. The violet beads are bit too girly for my taste, so that I have to derive my joy purely from knitting it and then find an victim to give it to.

Next time I'll give you my plans, which I now have to discuss with ette :)

As I told you earlier yesterday was my fathers birthday. That always means a day with my family, though this year we were just about half of the family due to a nasty case of migraine and a school trip (both of my sisters, that aren't ette, are teachers). So this year it was down to my parents, my niece, ette and me. And to shake things up there were several friends wisting throughout the day. And of course to finish the whole package up there were about two crises (both about ettes super secret knitting project, but she has to tell that story herself) and a shower, just as our parents were taking a walk with our niece, while we stayed behind to deal with crisis No 1.

So much about the general overview of the day, now I promised you to reveal "Blue Beast". As you probably have guessed by now it was my present for my father. It is a handknit sleeveless sweater. I dyed 500 g of Fischer-Wolles "Nora", a really great 100 % wool yarn, with a mountain of food colouring and vinegar to a nice blue with bits of green. I knit it completely in the round and steeked the armholes and the neck, which was a first for me and a technique I wanted to try. I can say it's not as nuts as it sounds when you hear the idea the first time :) Though, as you may recall I needed ette and liquer to fortify me for the experience.

The thing itself is mostly stockinette stitch with 2x2 facings to show off the beautiful colour (even if I say so). I had to alternate rows with two balls of yarn for most of the main body or the green bits would have lined up to form one giant spiral around my father. I can also proudly report this as the first real piece of clothing for a grown human since I took up knitting again three years ago. And then it was a perfect disaster. Me being a teen back then, really impatient and having decided to just wing it. Added to this I chose a perfectly unpractical yarn (a 6 ply sock yarn in burgundy to be knit on 3mm needles, if I recall correctly). I was grumpy the time I knit, just because it didn't go as fast as I wanted. And having finished I discovered the armholes were slightly to small, pinching me a bit every time I moved. So that effectively ruled out knitting for grown ups for about eight years.

Anyway my father was delighted as was my mother, who spent several years trying to hunt up a 100% wool sweater vest for him and gave up about five years go. This is it about Blue Beast until ette uploads the pictures we took of it (Hint!)

As for other knitting related stuff I test dyed sock yarn in pink and violet. While both shades look perfectly beautiful, albeit a little bit to girly for my personal taste, the pink one had a rather interesting shade, while drying. Which led to ette, my father and me joking around about what could be made of it and concluded with a salmon filet or a slice of mortadella. That in itself let to the next idea, that was my second present for my father: a knitted sandwich. So I fiddled around and came up with a slice of bread, a slice of cheese, half a tomato and a slice of cucumber. ette convinced me to write up a pattern, so that will be one of the next posts. Additionally a knitted up a cute little elephant for my niece, so that she had something to unwrap, too. At first I was not that convinced, but once I took care of its lazy eye and managed to draw in the neck a bit in the process, so that it now can count as a neck, I was quite taken with it.

That is as far as the birthday kitted stuff goes all. I can also report that I finished sewing up the striped cotton sweater. To my enormous relief it fits perfectly :) I also finished "Wraparound" but forgot to ransack my mothers extensive button collection for four tiny ones to go with it.